ESPN Experts Predict Big Ten Women's Basketball Season, Indiana Gets High Praise
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The college basketball season is less than a month away.
Predictions for the season have begun. For Big Ten women's basketball, a group of ESPN experts — Mechelle Voepel, Graham Hays and Charlie Creme — predicted the conference's player of the year, who the top team is and bracketology for those teams.
Indiana finished fourth in the Big Ten standings last season, going 13-5 in conference play.
The Hoosiers are returning four of their five starters from last season, as well as added depth to their bench.
Here are some of the ESPN predictions that highlight Indiana.
Player of the Year
Mechelle Voepel: Lindsey Pulliam, Northwestern
Graham Hays: Ali Patberg, Indiana
Charlie Creme: Lindsey Pulliam, Northwestern
How many Big Team teams are realistic Final Four contenders?
Hays: Previous answer notwithstanding, I don't see a championship contender out there. This is where it's a double shame that Indiana and Northwestern didn't get an opportunity to play the NCAA tournament a season ago because both have core groups that would have benefitted from the postseason experience and been better prepared to contend going into this season.
Indiana is the team I can talk myself into envisioning as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed that pulls off an upset, or benefits from one in its part of the bracket, and makes it to the Final Four. All four double-digit scorers return, and Grace Berger and Ali Patberg are at least one of the best guard duos in the Midwest, if not an even greater geographic swath. Add in fellow returnee Jaelynn Penn and perhaps George Mason transfer Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, if she receives a waiver, and that's an impressive backcourt. If Notre Dame transfer Danielle Patterson makes a difference in her first season on the court in Bloomington, Indiana, the Hoosiers could use her versatility.
It's a lot of "ifs," but that might be what it takes to get the Big Ten to San Antonio.
Big Ten 2020-21 predicted order of finish
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