For at least one more year, Purdue remains the only Big Ten women's basketball program to win a national championship. The league's aspirations of hanging another banner ended on Friday night, when No. 1 seed UCLA was defeated by No. 2 seed UConn 85-51 in the Final Four.

Purdue is the only women's basketball program in the Big Ten to win a national championship, making a title run during the 1998-99 season. The Boilermakers finished that season with a 34-1 record, which included a 16-0 mark in conference play.

Under the leadership of coach Carolyn Peck, the Boilers were dominant in their NCAA Tournament run, defeating all six of its opponents by double-digits, including a 62-45 victory over Duke in the title game.

Entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten was thought to have a great chance to add another team to the mix. Both USC and UCLA earned No. 1 seeds for March Madness, with USC winning the conference regular season title and UCLA taking the Big Ten Tournament crown.

Additionally, 12 Big Ten teams participated in this year's NCAA Tournament, setting a new league record. Three teams reached the Sweet 16 and UCLA was the only conference squad to make the Final Four.

USC star and National Player of the Year JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending injury in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, which certainly hindered the Trojans' chances of bringing a national title back to Los Angeles. USC suffered a 78-64 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.

UCLA appeared to be in position to add another banner for the Big Ten, especially with National Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Betts and Coach of the Year Cori Close leading the charge. But the Bruins were no match for UConn on Friday night.

Without question, the Big Ten remains one of the top conferences in women's college basketball. Having 12 teams make the tournament field is an impressive accomplishment. But, for now, the only national title banner hangs inside Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.

Will that change next season?