The Big Ten Conference did not begin sponsoring women's basketball until the 1982-83 basketball season. In February 1982 during the 1981-82 season, the conference held a tournament at Michigan State in which Ohio State defeated Illinois 69-66 in the championship game. The conference has listed this in some publications as a regular season championship.
| Year | Champion | National Championship | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-83 | Indiana and Ohio State | Big Ten begans sponsoring women's basketball | |
| 1983-84 | Ohio State | ||
| 1984-85 | Ohio State | ||
| 1985-86 | Ohio State | ||
| 1986-87 | Iowa and Ohio State | ||
| 1987-88 | Iowa | ||
| 1988-89 | Iowa and Ohio State | ||
| 1989-90 | Iowa and Northwestern | ||
| 1990-91 | Purdue | ||
| 1991-92 | Iowa | ||
| 1992-93 | Iowa and Ohio State | Penn State athletics joins Big Ten Conference | |
| 1993-94 | Penn State and Purdue | ||
| 1994-95 | Penn State and Purdue | ||
| 1995-96 | Iowa | ||
| 1996-97 | Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue | ||
| 1997-98 | Iowa | ||
| 1998-99 | Purdue | Purdue | |
| 1999-00 | Penn State | ||
| 2000-01 | Purdue | ||
| 2001-02 | Purdue | ||
| 2002-03 | Penn State | ||
| 2003-04 | Penn State | ||
| 2004-05 | Michigan State and Ohio State | ||
| 2005-06 | Ohio State | ||
| 2006-07 | Ohio State | ||
| 2007-08 | Iowa and Ohio State | ||
| 2008-09 | Ohio State |
| School | Big Ten Championships |
Last Big Ten Championship |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 1 | 1997 |
| Indiana | 1 | 1983 |
| Iowa | 9 | 2008 |
| Michigan | 0 | --- |
| Michigan State | 3 | 2010 |
| Minnesota | 0 | --- |
| Northwestern | 1 | 1990 |
| Ohio State | 13 | 2010 |
| Penn State | 5 | 2004 |
| Purdue | 7 | 2002 |
| Wisconsin | 0 | --- |