After advancing past the quarterfinals of the Big Ten women's basketball tournament this month, Maryland coach Brenda Frese was in the interview room at Target Center, speaking about her team and the three others that had won that day: Indiana, Iowa and Ohio State.
It was suggested that all four teams have legitimate Final Four aspirations.
"I keep saying it reminds me of the year we won our national championship in 2006,'' Frese said of her Maryland team, which was in the ACC at the time. "We had to battle the entire time. You had us, Duke and North Carolina in the Final Four that year.''
Maryland stormed back from 13 points down to stun Duke for that title.
Now, the Big Ten has placed seven teams in the NCAA tournament field, matching a conference record last reached in 2021. This time, Indiana got a No. 1 seed, Maryland and Iowa No. 2 seeds and Ohio State a No. 3 seed.
Every women's title has been won by a team with at least a three seed.
But that's all seeding and talk. It's time to walk the walk.
"This is the strongest this league has ever been,'' Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said after her team repeated as conference tournament champs. "You look at the top six teams, the top four teams in this conference, it's amazing. Any one of them could make it to the Final Four.
"… the Big Ten, I mean we need to get somebody in the Final Four, and I think the Big Ten knows that. All of us coaches know that. We feel like we've been really close, but it's been a long time since Michigan State was in there.''
The Spartans were the runners-up to Baylor in 2005.
The Big Ten has won just one national title: when Carolyn Peck led Purdue to victory over Duke in 1999.
The Southeastern Conference has won 10, the Big East nine (thanks, UConn), the Pac-12 five and the Big 12 four.
The Big Ten has only been represented in the title game two other times, by Purdue (2001) and Ohio State (1993). The last Big Ten team to reach the Final Four was Maryland in 2015, the Terrapins first season in the Big Ten.
It is definitely time to change that. But it won't be easy. Undefeated South Carolina is looking for its second straight title. Stanford, a No. 1 seed, has a roster filled with big-game experience. Virginia Tech, the fourth No. 1 seed, is on a hot streak.
Big Ten coaches are hoping that the challenges of the regular season will bear fruit come tournament time.
"We're going to put ourselves in position hopefully to do that,'' Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said of a potential NCAA tournament run. His team made the biggest comeback in conference history in a semifinal win over top seed Indiana. "The league is so good. I think with what we faced in the conference schedule and what we're seeing here in the Big Ten tournament, we're going to be ready, I think, to face any style or any type of team.''
Maryland would likely meet South Carolina in a regional final; Maryland lost an early-season game to the Gamecocks before Frese's team found its stride. If chalk holds, Iowa would meet Stanford in its regional final. Ohio State could meet second-seed UConn in the sweet 16.
Of the top four Big Ten teams, it would appear Indiana has, relatively speaking, the easiest road, though the Hoosiers might have to beat streaking Washington State, and perhaps either LSU or Utah, to get to the Final Four in Dallas.
"It has to happen,'' Bluder said. "Because we have such good teams in the conference and good coaches in this conference. I feel like this year could be that year."
BIG TEN TEAMS IN THE WOMEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT
All times Central
Wednesday play-in game
No. 11 Mississippi State 70, No. 11 Illinois 56
Thursday play-in game
No. 11 Purdue vs. No. 11 St. John's * 6 p.m. Thursday
Greenville 1 region
No. 2 Maryland (25-6) vs. No. 15 Holy Cross (23-8) * 1:30 p.m. Friday
Seattle 4 region
No. 2 Iowa (26-6) vs. No. 15 Southeast Louisiana (21-9) * 3 p.m. Friday
Greenville 2 region
No. 1 Indiana (27-3) vs. Tennessee Tech/Monmouth * 10:30 a.m. Saturday
No. 6 Michigan (22-9) vs. No. 11 UNLV (31-2) * 2 p.m. Friday
Seattle 3 region
No. 3 Ohio State (25-7) vs. No. 14 James Madison (26-7) * 12:30 p.m. Saturday
