No. 12 Minnesota (14-1, 3-1)
While much of the preseason talk focused on Penn State and Purdue, all the No. 12 Golden Gophers did was come flying out of the gates to the tune of a 12-0 start, the best in the conference.
After last year's second-place conference finish, the Gophers knew they would contend again thanks to having all five starters returning.
Leading the way is guard Lindsay Whalen and her 24.4 points per game. After being named to a number of All-America teams last year, she has come out firing once again, and is in the running for player of the year honors.
By no means is Whalen the whole team, as nine players are averaging over 10 minutes per game.
Iowa (8-5, 0-2)
Coming off a second-round loss in the NCAA tournament last season, the Hawkeyes had every excuse to stumble along to a losing season. Three starters from a season ago have moved on, and the team's strength now lies in its future.
Thanks to the eighth-best recruiting class in the nation, the Hawkeyes have put themselves right back into contention.
Along with blending in a talented freshman class, last year's point guard, Kristi Faulkner has moved to off-guard.
With this inexperience come struggles in conference. The Hawkeyes have lost their first two, but this is one team which can be dangerous once the players become familiar with one another.
Northwestern (6-9, 1-3)
After a disappointing season, the Wildcats got out to a slow start once again, dropping three of their first four.
This comes on the heels of last season's disappointing showing when the Wildcats did not win a single conference game.
The upside is a big one however, as sophomore center Sarah Kwasinski is back after leading the team in scoring and rebounding as a freshman. Her 6-foot-4 frame figures to wreak havoc and create serious match-up issues for other teams in the paint.
Ohio State (11-3, 2-1)
After watching the football team make the jump from middle of the pack to champions, this team looks to do the same. Last year brought mixed results and an 8-8 conference mark.
However, having 11 players back has propelled the Buckeyes to a great first half, which includes winning eight in a row before this past weekend's loss to Indiana.
NCAA rules prevent teams from organized practices early in the school year.
However, new coach Jim Foster, in a similar move to what Mike Krzyzewski did with Duke, took his team across the ocean to Europe to play five games in 12 days. This extra time helped the team bond and practice earlier than other teams.
The extra time appears to be paying dividends already for this balanced Buckeye team that posts five players averaging over nine points per game.
These are not last year's Buckeyes, as this group figures to contend for a Big Ten title.
Indiana (9-4, 2-2)
If there is a sleeper team this year in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers have made steps to be just that. Indiana started conference play this year losing by two points to No. 7 Purdue and by five to Illinois.
Since then, the Hoosiers have won two in a row, trouncing Northwestern and upsetting No. 23 Ohio State.
"We won because we played really good defense, we worked and we hustled for 40 minutes," Indiana women's basketball coach Kathi Bennett said.
"It instilled confidence in the defense."
Despite not having an overpowering offensive game, the Hoosiers rely on strong defense and rebounding, led by sophomore guard Jenny DeMuth.
Michigan State (8-6, 1-2)
Without a doubt, the Spartans' biggest victory so far this season has been the come-from-behind five-point win over No. 7 Purdue back on Jan. 6. Liz Shimek and Lindsay Bowen are two freshmen who have stood out to make a quick impact this season. Both were an integral part in the big upset victory as well with 19 and 21 points, respectively.
With a young starting lineup composed of two freshmen, two sophomores, and one senior, the Spartans are looking to improve all around.
"We're just trying to get better," Michigan State women's basketball coach Joanne McCallie said. "We're trying to become a better playmaking team."
Wisconsin (2-11, 0-3)
Despite the poor record and last-place ranking in the Big Ten, the Badgers are alive and well in Madison. Their home attendance proves it. The Wisconsin women's basketball team averages a crowd of 6,060 fans at its home games, good enough to be ranked 2nd in the Big Ten and 11th nationally.
"We're still alive and plugging away," Wisconsin women's basketball coach Jane Albright said. "We've got to keep hold of our confidence and energy so that we can still be a respectable team."
Offensively, the Badgers average a meager 60.5 points per game. Leading the team with just over 10 points per game is Stephanie Rich.
No. 13 Penn State (13-3, 4-0)
A quarter of the way through the Big Ten schedule, the Lady Lions remain the only unbeaten team in Big Ten play.
The Lions look to be the team to beat in the conference after laying a 30-point beating on then-No. 9 Minnesota a little over a week ago. Their 79-63 victory against Northwestern on Sunday was their closest Big Ten challenge thus far.
"Penn State is the team to beat in the conference," McCallie said. "They are so strong at home. There's no doubt they're the team to beat, and they've proven it."
Sophomore Tanisha Wright, who is averaging 18 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, complements Mazzante to form the best backcourt duo in the Big Ten.
No. 9 Purdue (13-2, 2-1)
The Boilermakers have knocked off three top-25 teams this season, including an impressive 17-point victory over Notre Dame in South Bend. They have used solid fundamentals in earning their victories as they lead the Big Ten in turnover margin at 5.8 and are third in rebounding margin at plus-5.7.
Junior Shereka Wright leads the way for the Boilermakers with 19.1 points and seven rebounds per game.
"Wright is among the people we keep talking about in this league," Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said. "I think their three guards are tremendous. They have [Lindsey] Hicks coming in. They're deep; there's some real nice balance on their team."
Illinois (11-3, 3-1)
The Fighting Illini are getting it done with balance this season. They have a deep squad that features seven players who play over 20 minutes a game and no player averages more than 30 minutes a game.
They have four players scoring in double figures and are led by sophomore Angelina Williams, who has carried over her hot finish from last season. Junior Cindy Dallas leads the team and Big Ten in rebounding at 9.6. She also leads the team in steals and blocks.
Michigan (9-5, 0-3)
The Wolverines have fallen apart after an early-season upset of UC-Santa Barbara, losing four of their last five.
Michigan head coach Sue Guevara has yet to find a steady lineup for this team, as nine players are seeing significant minutes and nine different players have started .
"I need to find a combination of players that are going to value the basketball and take care of it on the offensive end," Guevara said after the Wolverines' third straight loss to open their Big Ten conference schedule.
Guevara is coming off her worst season at Michigan, and hasn't been getting much help from preseason All-Big Ten first-team selection LeeAnn Bies. In her senior season, Bies' scoring average is down from 15.8 to 11.8 and her rebound production is down to 5.1 rebounds per game after a lofty 8.2 rebounds per game her junior season.
