The Big Ten Conference began sponsoring women's basketball during the 1982–83 basketball season. In February 1982 during the 1981–82 season, the conference held a tournament at Michigan State in which Ohio State defeated Illinois 69–66 in the championship game. The conference has listed this in some publications as a regular season championship.
| Year | Champion | Conference Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | Indiana / Ohio State | 15–3 | Big Ten began sponsoring women's basketball |
| 1983–84 | Ohio State (2) | 17–1 | |
| 1984–85 | Ohio State (3) | 18–0 | |
| 1985–86 | Ohio State (4) | 16–2 | |
| 1986–87 | Iowa / Ohio State (5) | 17–1 | |
| 1987–88 | Iowa (2) | 17–1 | |
| 1988–89 | Iowa (3) / Ohio State (6) | 16–2 | |
| 1989–90 | Iowa (4) / Northwestern | 15–3 | |
| 1990–91 | Purdue | 17–1 | |
| 1991–92 | Iowa (5) | 16–2 | |
| 1992–93 | Iowa (6) / Ohio State (7) | 16–2 | Penn State joins Big Ten Conference |
| 1993–94 | Penn State / Purdue (2) | 16–2 | |
| 1994–95 | Penn State (2) / Purdue (3) | 13–3 | |
| 1995–96 | Iowa (7) | 15–1 | |
| 1996–97 | Illinois / Michigan State / Purdue (4) | 12–4 | |
| 1997–98 | Iowa (8) | 13–3 | |
| 1998–99 | Purdue (5) | 16–0 | |
| 1999–00 | Penn State (3) | 15–1 | |
| 2000–01 | Purdue (6) | 14–2 | |
| 2001–02 | Purdue (7) | 13–3 | |
| 2002–03 | Penn State (4) | 13–3 | |
| 2003–04 | Penn State (5) | 15–1 | |
| 2004–05 | Michigan State (2) / Ohio State (8) | 14–2 | |
| 2005–06 | Ohio State (9) | 15–1 | |
| 2006–07 | Ohio State (10) | 15–1 | |
| 2007–08 | Iowa (9) / Ohio State (11) | 13–5 | |
| 2008–09 | Ohio State (12) | 15–3 | |
| 2009–10 | Ohio State (13) | 15–3 | |
| 2010–11 | Michigan State (3) | 13–3 | |
| 2011–12 | Penn State (6) | 13–3 | Nebraska joins Big Ten Conference |
| 2012–13 | Penn State (7) | 14–2 | |
| 2013–14 | Michigan State (4) / Penn State (8) | 13–3 | |
| 2014–15 | Maryland | 18–0 | Maryland and Rutgers join Big Ten Conference |
| 2015–16 | Maryland (2) | 16–2 | |
| 2016–17 | Maryland (3) / Ohio State (14)^ | 15–1 | |
| 2017–18 | Ohio State (15)^ | 13–3 | |
| 2018–19 | Maryland (4) | 15–3 | |
| 2019–20 | Maryland (5) / Northwestern (2) | 16–2 | |
| 2020–21 | Maryland (6) | 17–1 | |
| 2021–22 | Iowa (10) / Ohio State (16) | 14–4 | |
| 2022–23 | Indiana (2) | 16–2 | |
| 2023–24 | Ohio State (17) |
Championships by school
| School | Big Ten championships |
Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 17^ | 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2017^, 2018^, 2022, 2024 |
| Iowa | 10 | 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2008, 2019, 2022 |
| Penn State | 8 | 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| Purdue | 7 | 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| Maryland | 6 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 |
| Michigan State | 4 | 1997, 2005, 2011, 2014 |
| Northwestern | 2 | 1990, 2020 |
| Indiana | 2 | 1983, 2023 |
| Illinois | 1 | 1997 |
| Michigan | 0 | |
| Minnesota | 0 | |
| Nebraska | 0 | |
| Wisconsin | 0 | |
| Rutgers | 0 |
Bold indicates an outright championship.
^ Indicates forfeited games and championships by Ohio State.
See also
- Big Ten Conference men's basketball regular season champions
- Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament
- Big Ten Conference women's basketball tournament
References
- "2022-23 BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA GUIDE" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. pp. 53–55. Retrieved May 25, 2023.