Current Programs & Conferences
2026 FBS football and 2026–27 NCAA Division I basketball. Historical title affiliations appear with the sourced program history below.
| Program | Current Affiliation | Sources & References |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Basketball · Division I | Big Ten Conference | Sources & References |
| Women’s Basketball · Division I | Big Ten Conference | Sources & References |
The Bigger Picture · Women’s basketball
Where Northwestern Finished
Final AP rankings. Poll timing varies by season; the full table identifies whether the poll came before or after the NCAA tournament. Coverage: 1989–90 through 2025–26.
Women’s basketball · Conference Titles
2 Big Ten Conference regular-season championships
- 1989–90*
- 2019–20*
* Shared conference title
Sources & References
The 1989–90 and 2019–20 regular-season titles were shared. Northwestern also won the 1979 and 1980 Big Ten weekend tournaments before conference sanctioning; those events are separate from formal regular-season and modern postseason titles.
- Top 25 Finishes
- 4 / 37 seasons
- Top 10 Finishes
- 0 / 37 seasons
- Best Final Ranking
- #11
- Last Ranked Finish
- #11 in 2019–20
Summary covers 1989–90 through 2025–26.
Higher bars mean a higher finish. NR = Not Ranked in the final Top 25, including teams receiving votes. Gold marks a school-recognized national championship; an AP No. 1 finish alone is not treated as a championship.
- NR
- NR
- NR
- #11
- NR
- NR
- NR
- NR
- NR
- NR
View Every Final Ranking (1989–90–2025–26)
| Year | Final AP Result | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Not Ranked (NR)After NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2024–25 | Not Ranked (NR)After NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2023–24 | Not Ranked (NR)After NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2022–23 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2021–22 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2020–21 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2019–20 | #11Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2018–19 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2017–18 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2016–17 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2015–16 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2014–15 | #22Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2013–14 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2012–13 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2011–12 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2010–11 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2009–10 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2008–09 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2007–08 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2006–07 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2005–06 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2004–05 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2003–04 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2002–03 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2001–02 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 2000–01 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1999–00 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1998–99 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1997–98 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1996–97 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1995–96 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1994–95 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1993–94 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1992–93 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1991–92 | Not Ranked (NR)Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1990–91 | #22Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
| 1989–90 | #13Before NCAA tournament | Source ↗ |
Sources & References
- NCAA 2026 Women’s Division I Records · Complete final AP tables, native PDF pp. 64–67 ↗
- Associated Press · Post-tournament final polls begin with the 2023–24 season ↗
- Florida 2004–05 Women’s Basketball Season Review · Complete AP Top 25 dated March 14, 2005, PDF p. 5; corroborated by UConn NCAA guide p. 6 ↗
- Texas · Complete Associated Press women’s Top 25 dated March 14, 2016; corroborated by Texas NCAA notes p. 6 and Big Ten March 29 postseason release p. 2 ↗
- Indiana · Complete Associated Press women’s Top 25 dated March 12, 2018, WNIT notes PDF p. 7; corroborated by Baylor March 23 and October 26 notes ↗
- northwestern · Official women’s programme northwestern-wbb-current-published-book-pdf ↗
- northwestern · Official women’s programme northwestern-wbb-2026-own-completed-games ↗
- northwestern · Own historical Division I conference alignment, NCAA native p. 22 ↗
Beyond the Ballot
Meet Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university established in 1851. Its Evanston campus on Lake Michigan is home to the Wildcats; the university also has campuses in Chicago and Doha.
- Location
- Evanston, Illinois
- University Type
- Private · Research
- Founded
- 1851
- Undergraduate Enrollment
- 8,889Fall 2025 · Undergraduate students only
- Nickname
- Northwestern Wildcats
- Women’s basketball Big Ten Conference regular-season championship
- 21989–90 · 2019–20
Sources & References
- Northwestern · University history and facts ↗
- Northwestern · Fall 2025 · Undergraduate students only ↗
- Northwestern · Team and current conference ↗
- NCAA · Complete Division I women’s championship history through 2025 ↗
- UCLA · 2026 NCAA women’s national championship, April 5, 2026 ↗
- NCAA · CIAW, DGWS and all AIAW championship tiers through 1982 ↗
- NCAA · Complete Division II women’s national championship history through 2026 ↗
- NCAA · Complete Division III women’s national championship history through 2026 ↗
- NAIA · Complete women’s national champions, 1981–1991, PDF p. 67 / printed p. 63 ↗
- NCAA · Complete Big Ten regular-season and tournament winners through 2024–25 ↗
- UCLA · Sole 2025–26 Big Ten regular-season and tournament champions, March 20, 2026 ↗
- northwestern · Official women’s programme northwestern-wbb-current-published-book-pdf ↗
- northwestern · Official women’s programme historic-big-ten-1980-native-results ↗
- northwestern · Own historical Division I conference alignment, NCAA native p. 22 ↗
- michigan-state · Official women’s programme msu-wbb-2025-26-native-guide-pdf ↗
Men’s Basketball Titles
Championship history has not been added for this program. No title total is inferred from the current membership record.
Available AP Poll Analysis
These dated views describe specific poll editions and seasons; they are separate from school facts and championship history.
- Men’s Basketball · 2025–26 Final Poll Analysis
Named ballot coverage is unavailable in the available editions.
Saved on this device. No account needed. - Women’s Basketball · 2025–26 Final Poll Analysis
Named ballot coverage is unavailable in the available editions.
Saved on this device. No account needed.