10. Maryland Terrapins
Departing seniors Kaila Charles, Stephanie Jones and Blair Watson combined to average 33.4 points and 18 rebounds per game this past season. Charles was as identifiable with a team as anyone in the Big Ten. So Maryland's losses were always going to be significant hurdles, even before sophomore forward Shakira Austin further complicated matters by
entering the transfer portal. But Maryland has won despite transfer before. The Terrapins had already started to shift the load away from Charles, whose percentage of the team's points fell from 23% as a junior to 17% as a senior. Austin was part of that, but sophomore Taylor Mikesell and freshman Ashley Owusu provide a good foundation. And Angel Reese provides a lot of promise. The 6-3 incoming freshman is the nation's No. 2 recruit, according to HoopGurlz. Barring additions, Diamond Miller and Faith Masonius need to progress as sophomores or depth will be a major concern. --
Hays
14. Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State's return to the NCAA tournament will take a year longer than expected, thanks to the cancellation of this year's event, but there shouldn't be any doubt the Buckeyes will be part of the bracket next spring. Ohio State will return essentially the entire roster that awaited its seed this season with a 21-12 record. In fact, with the exception of rising senior Braxtin Miller, Ohio State could return this entire roster in 2021-22, too. So we had best get to know this bunch. At 6-4, Hungarian Dorka Juhasz gives Ohio State the expected interior presence (team-high 13.2 PPG and 9.4 RPG), but she is also an accurate 3-point shooter and a potential Big Ten Player of the Year. The Buckeyes also add a top-20 recruit in point guard Kateri Poole. --
Hays
15. Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern's rise was one of the season's best stories. The Wildcats eventually earned a share of the Big Ten regular-season title after being a preseason afterthought. But unusually for such stories, which are often senior inspired, there is reason to think a quality sequel awaits. The Wildcats don't get to run it back without any changes, of course. They lose starters Abi Scheid and Abbie Wolf. Scheid, in particular, will be difficult to replace as one of the nation's best 3-point shooters. But coach Joe McKeown will be able to reconfigure around Lindsey Pulliam, the team's leading scorer and a unanimous first-team all-conference pick, and Veronica Burton, who led the team in assists and was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The incoming class also includes top-50 recruit Anna Morris, a 6-2 forward. --
Hays
17. Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers already know they will have
Ali Patberg back for a sixth year, the star guard having lost one season to knee injury at Notre Dame, much of another to illness and a third to the transfer that took her south to Bloomington. That alone is just about enough to keep Indiana in these rankings after Patberg earned first-team all-conference honors. But the Hoosiers return another first-team all-conference pick in guard Grace Berger, along with conference honorees Jaelynn Penn (honorable mention all-conference) and Mackenzie Holmes (all-freshman). The lone starter lost is Brenna Wise, but that's a far bigger subtraction than her stats might indicate. The Hoosiers will have to replace the Pitt transfer's substantial leadership qualities. --
Hays
25. Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines are another team that got an early look at the future, much as they would have wished otherwise. The team went 9-5 down the stretch without Kayla Robbins, one of its leading scorers and only departing seniors, after she suffered a season-ending injury. The optimism stems from sophomores Naz Hillmon (17.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG) and Amy Dilk (11.6 PPG, 4.5 APG), plus an incoming class headlined by Cameron Williams, a 6-2 forward ranked No. 35 by HoopGurlz. Mix in three freshmen who played regular rotation minutes this season and the talent is there. Michigan's other senior, Akienreh Johnson, will have a fifth year of eligibility next season. --
Hays
