Purdue Women's Basketball Remains Big Ten's Only National Championship Program
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For at least one more year, Purdue remains the only Big Ten women's basketball program to win a national championship. The league's aspirations of hanging another banner ended on Friday night, when No. 1 seed UCLA was defeated by No. 2 seed UConn 85-51 in the Final Four.
Purdue is the only women's basketball program in the Big Ten to win a national championship, making a title run during the 1998-99 season. The Boilermakers finished that season with a 34-1 record, which included a 16-0 mark in conference play.
Under the leadership of coach Carolyn Peck, the Boilers were dominant in their NCAA Tournament run, defeating all six of its opponents by double-digits, including a 62-45 victory over Duke in the title game.
Entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten was thought to have a great chance to add another team to the mix. Both USC and UCLA earned No. 1 seeds for March Madness, with USC winning the conference regular season title and UCLA taking the Big Ten Tournament crown.
Additionally, 12 Big Ten teams participated in this year's NCAA Tournament, setting a new league record. Three teams reached the Sweet 16 and UCLA was the only conference squad to make the Final Four.
USC star and National Player of the Year JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending injury in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which certainly hindered the Trojans' chances of bringing a national title back to Los Angeles. USC suffered a 78-64 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.
UCLA appeared to be in position to add another banner for the Big Ten, especially with National Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Betts and Coach of the Year Cori Close leading the charge. But the Bruins were no match for UConn on Friday night.
Without question, the Big Ten remains one of the top conferences in women's college basketball. Having 12 teams make the tournament field is an impressive accomplishment. But, for now, the only national title banner hangs inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.
Will that change next season?
Related stories on Purdue women's basketball
SWANSON COMMITS TO VIRGINIA TECH: Former Purdue guard Sophie Swanson is transferring to Virginia Tech, making an announcement on Thursday. She averaged 8.9 points for the Boilers last season. CLICK HERE
POOLE COMMITS TO DAYTON: Former Purdue guard Jordyn Poole has committed to Dayton. The Fort Wayne, Ind. native spent one season with the Boilermakers before entering the transfer portal. CLICK HERE
SWANSON SHARES MESSAGE: Former Purdue guard Sophie Swanson released a statement regarding her decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal. CLICK HERE
PECK RECEIVES MAJOR MEDIA AWARD: Former Purdue coach and national champion Carolyn Peck has received the WBCA Mel Greenberg Media Award for her role as a commentator in women's basketball. CLICK HERE
JONES HITS TRANSFER PORTAL: Purdue sophomore guard Rashunda Jones has entered the NCAA transfer portal. She averaged 9.8 points and 3.7 assists per game for the Boilermakers last season. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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