Iowa has been selected as the preseason Big Ten Conference favorite by both the league’s 14 head coaches and a select media panel, the conference office announced on Wednesday. The coaches and media also selected Hawkeyes’ senior guard Caitlin Clark as the 2023-24 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, marking the third consecutive season the coaches have chosen Clark for the honor.
The coaches voted Ohio State second in the poll, followed by Indiana. The order was reversed in the media poll, with Indiana at No. 2, followed by Ohio State. Maryland claimed the fourth spot in both polls, while Illinois and Michigan rounded out the top five in the coaches and media polls, respectively.
A first team All-American last season, Holmes enters her fifth and final season with the Hoosiers in 2023-24. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous selection for All-Big Ten first teams in 2022-23, the Gorham, Maine native averaged 22.3 points (second in B1G), a team-high 7.8 rebounds and shot a NCAA second-best 68.0 percent from the floor.
Holmes led the Hoosiers in scoring on 25 occasions as a senior while posting double figures in 31 games, scoring 20 points 19 times and three 30-point scoring efforts. Her nine double-doubles led the team, as six of her double-doubles occurred in conference play which ranks eighth all-time in a single season. She also led the league in blocks (58) and blocks per game (1.9) and averages 1.1 steals (35) per game. Holmes is now in the top five in scoring in school history (1,897) and second in all-time blocks (208).
The 2023-24 Hoosier roster will feature four returners from a team that finished 28-4 overall and 16-2 in Big Ten play. The program won the Big Ten regular season championship outright for the first time in 40 years on its way to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Holmes, Indiana’s roster for the upcoming season is highlighted by five other All-Big Ten selections from last season in senior guards Chloe Moore-McNeil, Sydney Parrish and Sara Scalia along with sophomore guard Yarden Garzon.
The 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Teams and rankings are as follows:
2023-24 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. Iowa
2. Ohio State
3. Indiana
4. Maryland
5. Illinois
2023-24 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
Makira Cook, sr., G, Illinois
MACKENZIE HOLMES, Grad., F, INDIANA
CAITLIN CLARK, SR, G, IOWA
SHYANNE SELLERS, JR., G, MARYLAND
LAILA PHELIA, JR., G, MICHIGAN
Mara Braun, So., G, Minnesota
Alexis Markowski, Jr., C/F, Nebraska
Jaz Shelley, Grad., G, Nebraska
COTIE McMAHON, SOPH., F, OHIO STATE
Jacy Sheldon, Grad, G, Ohio State
Makenna Marisa, Senior+, G, Penn State
*Additional player due to tie in voting
2023-24 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
Caitlin Clark, Sr. G, Iowa
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. Iowa
2. Indiana
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Michigan
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Makira Cook, Sr., G, Illinois
Mackenzie Holmes, Grad., F, Indiana
CAITLIN CLARK, SR., G, IOWA
Shyanne Sellers, Jr., G, Maryland
Laila Phelia, Jr., G, Michigan
Alexis Markowski, Jr., C/F, Nebraska
Jaz Shelley, Grad, G, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Soph., F, Ohio State
Jacy Sheldon, Grad., G, Ohio State
Makenna Marisa, Senior+, G, Penn State
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Caitlin Clark, Sr., G, Iowa
Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS
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