The Big Ten

PENN STATE

Key Returner: Maren Walseth (13.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 27, PSU 85-71

Michigan won't be the only Big Ten team struggling to fill gaps on the defensive end.

Penn State lost guard Chrissy Falcone to a career-ending knee injury that changes the complexion of this team that played Final Four basketball in Philadelphia last April.

Penn State should still be secure on the offensive end. Guard Lisa Shepard owns every Lady Lion 3-point record and averaged 13.3 points per game last season.

Forward Maren Walseth is also capable of producing huge offensive numbers. The All-Big Ten team member never failed to contribute double-digit point totals last season, including a Bryce Jordan Center-record 35 points against Michigan.

PURDUE

Key Returners: Katie Douglas (20.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg); Camille Cooper (15.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 8, Mich. 74-67; Mar. 4, Purdue 74-59

Purdue won the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and remains one of the nation's top teams.

Despite a third-place regular-season finish last year, the Boilermakers took charge at the Big Ten Tournament and won it all.

The Wolverines managed a huge victory at home last year that was nationally televised on CBS.

With a talented roster, second-year coach Kristy Curry plans to use her depth to mix up her lineup and try to confuse opponents.

"We may not start the same five, night-in and night-out," Curry said. "It may depend on whom we are playing and what we are facing."

ILLINOIS

Key Returners: Allison Curtin (17.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 17, Mich. 86-69; Feb. 3, Mich. 70-59

Illinois returns one of the best guards in the Big Ten in Allison Curtin. She led the Illini in scoring, was second in assists and was the team's third leading rebounder.

Shavonna Hunter will join Curtin to form one of the top backcourt tandems in the Big Ten.

The Illini's young and inexperienced frontcourt will need to grow up quickly to replace Tauja Catchings (15.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) and Susan Blauser (14.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg). Illinois expects junior Cindy Dallas to pick up some of the slack after missing most of last season with a knee injury.

If Curtin can build on her All-Big Ten season, Illinois could be right back in the hunt for the Big Ten title.

MICHIGAN STATE

Key Returners: Becky Cummings (15.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Dec. 31, Mich. 64-61; Feb. 20, Mich. 90-87 (2OT)

The Spartans were WNIT quarterfinalists for the second year in a row, but will be hard pressed to find even that success this year.

First-year coach Joanne McCallie finds a returning backcourt, Donita Johnson and Vnemina Reese, who fail to score. They combined for only 8.5 points per game last season.

The frontcourt carried the team, but two-thirds of it graduated. Maxann Reese (16.0 ppg) and Kristen Rasmussen (14.8 ppg) are gone. Only forward Becky Cummings (15.1 ppg) will be back to put points on the board.

McCallie, a former Northwestern player, leaves Maine after taking them to six-straight NCAA appearances which included five conference titles.

WISCONSIN

Key Returners: LaTonya Sims (14.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg); Tamara Moore (13.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 20, Wisc. 72-69, Feb. 17, Mich. 78-73

While the shoe scandal resonates throughout the Wisconsin athletic department, the women's basketball team remains relatively unscathed. The Badgers have high hopes for this year after winning the WNIT championship last year.

The core of the their scoring and rebounding is back this year, with Tamara Moore, Jesse Stomski, and LaTonya Sims - who led the Badgers in scoring and rebounding for the second straight year - ready to become Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer.

The Badgers will also have the help of Nina Smith, who now has a year of experience after being named 1999's prep player of the year.

IOWA

Key Returners: Lindsey Meder (19.1 ppg, 4.1rpg); Cara Consuegra (14.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg); Jerica Watson (8.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 23, Mich. 82-78; Feb. 24, Mich. 78-61

Iowa didn't graduate a single player last year, but the Hawkeyes have a brand-new coaching staff.

"We obviously want to see improvement, but we know we're a new staff building from the ground floor up," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said.

Bluder's goal is to mesh the new coaching staff with the players before she scouts out her opponents. She hasn't considered avenging two losses to Michigan last year.

"We're concentrating on our own team right now," Bluder said. "We're not thinking ahead to who we have to play or playing in the Big Ten."

OHIO STATE

Key Returners: LaToya Turner (11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Feb. 6, Mich. 65-61

Ohio State is coming off a rebuilding year after making an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998.

The Buckeyes have hope for the future in 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, LaToya Turner.

Turner - the team's leading scorer, rebound, and shot-blocker - had her season ended with a knee sprain last year. She will once again have to lead if the Buckeyes expect to make it to a postseason tournament.

Ohio State also returns four starters and 10 of 12 players from last year's squad. Turner is joined by fellow sophomores D'wan Shackleford and Courtney Coleman in one of the Big Ten's youngest frontcourts.

INDIANA

Key Returners: Jill Champman (16.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Heather Cassady (15.2 ppg, 3. apg); Rainey Alting (10.8 ppg, 1.8 spg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 6, Ind. 77-72; Feb. 13, Mich. 85-58

The good news for the Hoosiers is everyone is back. The bad news is, they finished near the cellar last year.

A coaching change has been made this year in the women's department at Indiana as well. Kathi Bennett, daughter of Wisconsin's men's coach Dick Bennett, takes over after rebuilding Evansville's program in the Missouri Valley Conference. Bennett also has a Division III national championship to her credit with Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Vincennes junior-college transfer Jelena Lazic averaged 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. At 6-foot-6, she will challenge 6-foot-5 Jill Chapman for the center position.

MINNESOTA

Key Returners: Lindsay Lieser (8.4 ppg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Jan. 2, Mich. 77-53; Jan. 30, Mich. 73-55

The posters for the Golden Gophers proclaim "The future is now." Minnesota better hope so with the underclassmen outnumbering the upperclassmen 12 (eight freshmen, four sophomores) to five (four juniors, one senior).

Minnesota was hampered by injuries last year, once having to hold practice with just six healthy players. Kim Bell and Jackie Tate are coming back from injuries that hurt their performances.

Many freshmen will be forced to step in right away with such a young team. The Gophers expect the biggest contributions from the new class to be Tanisha Gilbert, whose best high-school season was her junior year when she averaged 22.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.0 steals.

NORTHWESTERN

Key Returners: Tami Sears (11.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg); Dana Leonard (9.9 ppg)

Last year vs. Michigan: Feb. 27, Mich. 70-46; Mar. 3, Mich. 72-39

Northwestern was tied for last in the Big Ten in 1999-2000, but coach June Olkowski is hopeful about this year's team.

The Wildcats are led by Tami Sears and Dana Leonard, who were the top two scorers for Northwestern last year. In addition to Sears and Leonard, the Wildcats have an extra year of experience in the starting lineup by returning all five starters.

Northwestern will also have the help of junior-college transfer Anya Walker, who averaged 10.2 points per game for Central Florida Community College.

This would be the year for the Wildcats to get out of the cellar of the Big Ten - as Sears and Leonard are both seniors - but they probably won't.