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Welcome to “Green Street,” your dose of women’s college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Joe Vozzelli. He’ll offer up insight on Shauna Green’s Illini team and the women’s game at large every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
That the Big Ten is keeping an 18-game conference schedule on the women’s side isn’t shocking news. It’s been the case for now-three seasons since the Big Ten expanded to 18 teams by raiding the Pac-12 and adding Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.
What it’s created is basically a static schedule on the women’s side (while the men play a 20-game Big Ten slate). Whether that’s a good thing is up for debate (maybe later). Illinois’ 2026-27 Big Ten schedule, which was announced on Monday, closely resembles the one the Illini played in 2024-25.
Illinois will face Northwestern twice — in Champaign and Evanston — while hosting Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Washington and Oregon. The Illini’s road trips in Big Ten play include Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA and USC.
Still, here are five games that offer some intrigue:
USC
The Trojans are at the top of my list of must-watch Big Ten road games for Illinois. Mainly because of star guard JuJu Watkins. But USC could easily make it back-to-back Big Ten national champions after UCLA won it all this past April with a roster for coach Lindsay Gottlieb that is capable of cutting down the nets in Columbus if Watkins returns to the same National Player of the Year level she was at prior to her knee injury. Watkins playing alongside Jazzy Davidson, Kennedy Smith and Saniyah Hall will be worth checking out.
Michigan
Illinois hasn’t had very much success against the Wolverines with the Illini now 1-4 against coach Kim Barnes Arico‘s teams with Shauna Green as the Illinois coach. And Michigan, which is coming off an Elite Eight appearance at the NCAA tournament, should again be among the top teams in the Big Ten this winter as a legitimate challenger to USC in the regular-season title race, thanks to potential Final Four-caliber roster led by a highly-touted junior class that features Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Mila Holloway and Te’Yala Delfosse.
Iowa
The Hawkeyes ended what was an impressive run for the Illini at last March’s Big Ten tournament with Illinois reaching the quarterfinals after wins against Wisconsin and Michigan State before a 64-58 loss to Iowa in Indianapolis. That final score kind of flattered the Illini given the Hawkeyes led by as 22 points in the second half (this after the regular-season meeting in Iowa City went down to the wire). A big three of Dani Carnegie, Chit-Chat Wright and Ava Heiden should install Iowa as one of the top Big Ten teams.
Maryland
The decision by Trinity Jones to flip from Clemson means the former Naperville Central standout will ply her talents in the Big Ten with the Terrapins. Jones has dealt with the Candace Parker comparisons a lot with the WNBA legend an alumna of Naperville Central. But Jones has carved out her own path, including getting named The News-Gazette’s 2026 All-State girls’ baseball Player of the Year after the five-star, top-20 recruit and McDonald’s All-American averaged 28.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 steals as a senior with the Redhawks.
Minnesota
This game could be really important if Illinois wants to consider itself a contender to host the first- and second-rounds of the NCAA tournament. It’s a goal Green has established for her group as the Illini seek to break through and reach the second weekend of women’s March Madness. A roster of returners Tori McKinney, Grace Grocholski and Mara Braun — plus transfer Gracie Merkle — should make the Gophers, who reached the Sweet 16 last March, one of the teams Illinois is competing against for a top-16 NCAA tournament seed on Selection Sunday.
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