The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of ten prominent universities, which accounts for its name. On August 2, 2024, the conference expanded to 18 member institutions and 2 affiliate institutions. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
Lionel Tyrone Willingham is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University (1995–2001), the University of Notre Dame (2002–2004), and the University of Washington (2005–2008), compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.
Louis Leo "Skip" Holtz Jr. is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). Holtz has led the team to two USFL Championships, in 2022 and 2023, and a UFL Championship in 2024. Previously, he was the head coach for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, South Florida Bulls, East Carolina Pirates, and the Connecticut Huskies. He has also served as an assistant coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Colorado State Rams, and the Florida State Seminoles.
Thad Michael Matta is an American college basketball coach who is currently in his second stint as head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team, having been head coach of the Bulldogs for the 2000–01 season. From 2004 to 2017, Matta led the Ohio State Buckeyes to five Big Ten Conference regular season championships, four Big Ten tournament titles, two Final Four appearances, and the 2008 NIT Championship. He is the winningest coach in Ohio State history.
Robert Michael Bender is an American professional basketball coach, who last served an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association. Born in Quantico, Virginia, He attended Bloomington High School in Bloomington, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball. Bender has the distinction of being the only individual to play on two teams in two NCAA Championship games. He was a freshman on Bob Knight's undefeated 1976 Indiana team and played point guard at Duke from 1977 to 1980, including an appearance in the title game against Kentucky. Bender was drafted by the San Diego Clippers in the sixth round before his senior year, but did not play.
Adia Oshun Barnes is an American basketball coach and former player. She is currently the head coach of the University of Arizona Wildcats women's basketball. She played at the collegiate level for the University of Arizona, and played seven seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) with the Houston Comets, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, and Sacramento Monarchs. She has played internationally with Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine. Barnes has also served as a TV color analyst for Seattle Storm game broadcasts.
The 2001 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 16 and ended on April 1. The tournament featured 64 teams. The Final Four, held at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri, consisted of Connecticut, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Southwest Missouri State, with Notre Dame defeating Purdue 68–66 to win its first NCAA title. Notre Dame's Ruth Riley was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
Sean Edward Miller is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach of the Xavier Musketeers. He previously held that position from 2004 to 2009, after which he took the head coach position at the Arizona Wildcats, which he held until being fired in 2021.
The Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Big East Conference, and are coached by Sean Miller. Xavier has appeared in the NCAA tournament 29 times, 16 times in the 18 tournaments between 2001 and 2018. On March 11, 2018, Xavier earned its first ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Xavier is also a two-time winner of the NIT, with their most recent championship coming in 2022.
The Ohio State women's basketball team represents Ohio State University and plays its home games in the Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, which they moved into in 1998. Prior to 1998, they played at St. John Arena. They have won 14 Big Ten titles, which is the most in the conference and have 23 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the most recent being in 2023. In 1993, they lost to Sheryl Swoopes and Texas Tech 84–82 for the national title. They captured the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) title in 2001, beating the New Mexico Lobos 62–61. Notable alumni include former All-Americans Katie Smith and Jessica Davenport. They are currently coached by Kevin McGuff, who was previously the head coach at the University of Washington.
The UConn Huskies women's basketball team is the college basketball program representing the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut, in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. They currently play in the Big East Conference.
Christopher Lee Mack is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at the College of Charleston. He formerly served as head coach for the University of Louisville and Xavier University.
The 2014 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was played in March and April 2014, with the Final Four played April 6–8. The Ohio Valley Conference served as the host institution. The Final Four was played at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jim Foster is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head women's basketball coach at St. Joseph's, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, and Chattanooga. He was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2013. On February 1, 2018, Foster notched his 900th career win as a head coach, becoming the eighth fastest to reach that mark and tying for seventh in all-time career wins. He announced his retirement in May 2018, after 40 years on the bench.
The Washington Huskies women's basketball team represents the University of Washington in NCAA Division I college basketball competing in the Big Ten Conference. Their home games are played at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, located in Seattle.
Michael Earl Neighbors is an American college basketball coach. He is currently head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Arkansas. He moved to Arkansas, his alma mater, in 2017, after four years as head coach at the University of Washington.
The 2016–17 Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team represented the Ohio State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Buckeyes, led by fourth year head coach Kevin McGuff, played their home games at Value City Arena and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 28–7, 15–1 in Big Ten play to win a share of the Big Ten regular season title with Maryland. They defeated Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten women's basketball tournament before losing to Purdue. They received at-large bid of the NCAA women's tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Lexington region. There they defeated Western Kentucky and Kentucky to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to Notre Dame.
The 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began on November 11, 2016 and ended with the Final Four title game in Dallas on April 2, 2017, won by South Carolina. Practices officially began on September 30, 2016.
The 2017–18 Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team represented the Ohio State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Buckeyes, led by 5th year head coach Kevin McGuff, played their home games at Value City Arena and were a member of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 28–7, 13–3 in Big Ten play to win the regular season title. They defeated Rutgers, Minnesota, and Maryland to win the Big Ten women's basketball tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Spokane region. There they defeated George Washington in the first round before being upset by No. 11-seeded Central Michigan in the second round.
The 2018–19 Xavier Musketeers men's basketball team represented Xavier University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Big East Conference. Led by first-year head coach Travis Steele, they played their home games at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier finished the season 19–16, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in third place. In the Big East tournament, Xavier beat Creighton in the quarterfinals before losing to Villanova in the semifinals. The Musketeers failed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, but received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament. There they defeated Toledo in the first round before losing in overtime to Texas in the second round.
