Northwestern women’s basketball will open Big Ten play against Indiana before facing UCLA and USC on the road. The Wildcats’ 18-game conference schedule features nine home games and nine on the road.
Northwestern women’s basketball now knows its path through the Big Ten.
The Wildcats released their 2026-27 conference schedule Wednesday, Sept. 16, officially setting the stage for first-year head coach Carla Berube’s first season in Evanston. Northwestern will play an 18-game conference schedule, beginning with a Dec. 5 matchup against Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Wildcats will open the new year with one of their toughest stretches of the season, traveling to Los Angeles for back-to-back games against UCLA on Dec. 30 and USC on Jan. 2. UCLA enters the season as the reigning NCAA champion after winning its first national championship last season.
Northwestern will then return home for consecutive games against Michigan State on Jan. 7 and Washington on Jan. 10. The Wildcats will follow that homestand with another two-game road trip, traveling to Iowa on Jan. 14 and Wisconsin on Jan. 17.
The Wildcats return to Welsh-Ryan Arena for another two-game stretch against Nebraska on Jan. 20 and in-state rival Illinois on Jan. 23. Northwestern will then close January with road games at Ohio State on Jan. 28 and Rutgers on Jan. 31.
February begins with a Feb. 4 home matchup against Penn State before Northwestern travels to Illinois on Feb. 7 for the second meeting between the in-state rivals. The Wildcats will then head to Michigan on Feb. 12 before returning home for a three-game homestand against Oregon on Feb. 16, Maryland on Feb. 21 and Minnesota on Feb. 25.
Northwestern will close the regular season on the road against Purdue on Feb. 28.
The 18-game conference schedule gives Northwestern nine home games and nine road games. The Wildcats will play Illinois twice, with the first meeting coming at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Jan. 23 before the return matchup in Champaign on Feb. 7.
The Big Ten schedule also gives Northwestern several opportunities to face teams coming off successful 2025-26 seasons. UCLA won the 2026 NCAA championship, while Michigan advanced to the Elite Eight last season.
Dec 8, 2022; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Princeton Tigers head coach Carla Berube watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY SportsBerube will enter her first season at Northwestern after spending the previous seven seasons at Princeton. During her time with the Tigers, Berube accumulated 147 wins, five Ivy League championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
With its conference schedule now set, Northwestern enters a new era under Berube with a clear path through one of the nation's most competitive conferences.
