1. Purdue
1999-2000: 22-8, 11-5 Big Ten (t-3rd)
Outlook: Ranked in the top five, the Boilermakers have not only Big Ten championship aspirations but also NCAA title hopes. To reach their lofty goals, pre-season All-American candidate Katie Douglas will have to lead the charge and receive help from fellow senior Camille Cooper.

2. Wisconsin
1999-2000: 21-12, 8-8 Big Ten (t-5th)
Outlook: The reigning WNIT champions enter this season with high hopes with the tallest team in the Big Ten for the third year in a row. The Badgers will look to 6-foot-3 LaTonya Sims and 6-foot-4 Nina Smith, both of whom were former national high school players of the year.

3. Penn State
1999-2000: 30-5, 15-1 (1st)
Outlook: The Lady Lions are the defending conference champions but will have to repeat without the services of All-Big Ten center Andrea Gardner. Pre-season All-Big Ten selections Lisa Shepherd and Maren Walseth will be joined by volleyball All-American Katie Schumacher to make Penn State formidable.

4. Michigan
1999-2000: 22-8, 13-3 Big Ten (2nd)
Outlook: Stacy Thomas dominated games last year, but now she’s in the WNBA and the Wolverines are forced to rely on a more diversified attack featuring the tall and the small. The Wolverines will need 6-foot-3 senior LeeAnn Bies to be a force down low and 5-foot-7 junior Alayne Ingram to continue to fire away from 3-point line.

5. Ohio State
1999-2000: 13-15, 8-8 Big Ten (t-5th)
Outlook: The Buckeyes’ stellar recruiting classes are finally paying dividends as this young athletic squad returns four starters and looks to challenge the Big Ten elite. To do that, LaToya Turner, the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, will have to lead the way and get help from a deeper backcourt.

6. Iowa
1999-2000: 9-18, 6-10 Big Ten(6th)
Outlook: In Lisa Bluder’s first game as coach, the Hawkeyes upset Mexico. Expect good things from this team as it returns all 13 players from a year ago, including forward Jennie Lillis.

7. Illinois
1999-2000: 23-11, 11-5 Big Ten (t-3rd)
Outlook: Coach Theresa Gentz has her work cut out for her since the team has no seniors. But, the Illini have optimism thanks to the arrival of 6-foot-4 freshman Iveta Marcauskaite, a former member of the Lithuanian junior national team.

8. Indiana
1999-2000: 10-18, 5-11 Big Ten (t-8th)
Outlook: Kathi Bennett, daughter of the Badgers’ men’s coach Dick Bennett, embarks on her first year with a team that returns four starters and adds five newcomers. 6-foot-5 Jill Chapman will team with 5-foot-7 Heather Cassady, both juniors, to help the Hoosiers contend in the thick of the Big Ten.

9. Michigan State
1999-2000: 19-12, 8-8 (t-5th)
Outlook: A third straight appearance in the WNIT quarterfinals seems to be unlikely after the Spartans’ scoring trio has been whittled to one. First-year coach Joanne McCallie is hoping that freshman point guard Candice Jackson can complement senior forward Becky Cummings.

10. Northwestern
1999-2000: 7-21, 3-13 Big Ten (t-10th)
Outlook: The Wildcats will begin their second season under coach June Olkowski with the goal of moving into the top half of the league. To do that, they will rely on the senior leadership of point guard Dana Leonard and center Tami Sears who led the team in points (11.9) and rebounds (7.4) last year.

11. Minnesota
1999-2000: 10-18, 3-13 Big Ten (t-10th)
Outlook: The Golden Gophers suffered miserably last season and have 11 new players suiting up in an attempt to revitalize the program. The bad news is out of the 17 players on the roster, the leading scorer, Lindsey Leiser, averaged a mere 8.4 points last year.