October 29, 2026 | Women's Basketball
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For the second time in as many days, Illinois junior forward Berry Wallace has earned a place on a preseason watch list. The Pickerington, Ohio, native was named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List on Thursday morning.
Wallace 2026-27 Preseason Honors:
- Preseason All-Big Ten (Coaches & Media)
- Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award Top-20 Preseason Watch List
- Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Top-50 Watch List
Wallace was one of 50 nationally and one of 14 Big Ten student-athletes to be recognized on the preseason watch list. The Big Ten had the most representatives on the list of the six conferences represented.
Wallace enters her third season with the Fighting Illini after starting all 34 games, while averaging 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks last season as a sophomore. During her unanimous First Team All-Big Ten campaign, Wallace led the Big Ten in minutes played per game at 35.7, recorded a team-best 626 points and ranked sixth on program's single season scoring list, she achieved a team-best 16 20-point games across the 2025-26 season, which ranked fifth-most in the Big Ten and in the top-25 across NCAA DI.
During the Fighting Illinois 2025-26 slate, Wallace dropped a career high of 29 points vs. Northwestern, recorded her first career double-double in the season-opener, and played all 40 minutes in nine games. The Pickerington, Ohio native registered a free throw percentage of 86.5 (122-of-141), which ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten and eighth on Illinois' single-season free-throw percentage list.
The Illini junior marks the fifth selection to the list in program history with three of those honors coming during the Shauna Green Era.
| All-Time List of Illini Selected to Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List | |
|---|---|
| Player | Season Selected |
| Tauja Catchings | 1999-2000 |
| Susan Blauser | 1999-2000 |
| Makira Cook | 2023-24 |
| Makira Cook | 2024-25 |
| Berry Wallace | 2025-26 |
