Who Rules The Big 12? Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor, West Virginia All In The Mix

For the better part of two decades, the Baylor women’s basketball program had been the standard-bearer for the Big 12, winning three national championships under Kim Mulkey and remaining a force under her successor, Nicki Collen. The Bears haven’t exactly gone away. But they’re hardly alone at the top these days. TCU has won the past two regular-season titles. West Virginia is the current Big 12 Tournament champion. The preseason favorite to win the league this year is Oklahoma State, which loaded up with All-American transfer Audi Crooks — from league rival Iowa State , no less — and Florida’s Live McGill to make a run at the Cowgirls’ first trip past the Sweet 16 in school history. “I think we do have a chip,” said Collen, whose team led by returning All-Big 12 guard Taliah Scott was picked third in the preseason coaches’ poll. “Our portal class wasn’t ranked but I think it was sneaky good, because they fit what we need. I think we put together a group that has to lean into this gritty approach to being good at what we can be great at.” Baylor sneaking up on people? That’s a new concept. But so is TCU being a marked program. The Horned Frogs have made back-to-back Elite Eight runs, first led by Hailey Van Lith and last year by Oliva Miles, but prior to that they had not even made the NCAA Tournament since 2010. “We don’t even bring up being the hunted, to be honest,” said TCU coach Mark Campbell, who lost nearly his entire rotation from last season. “To be honest, in college athletics right now, you restart at ground-zero each offseason.” Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt knows that well. The arrival of Crooks and McGill to couple with All-Big 12 guard Sailee Heard gives the Cowgirls one of the best starting trios in the country, and their supporting cast includes Baylor transfer Yuti Deng, Nebraska’s Callin Hake, Lindenwood transfer Ellie Brueggemann and Nene Ndiaye from Rutgers. “Our sisterhood has been tighter than it’s ever been. We have no cliques anywhere,” Heard said. “I’m in the locker room 30 minutes after practice because it’s just so fun. I think the culture in our locker room is unbelievable, and that will take us a long way.” Just about the only thing Crooks hasn’t done during her storied career is win Big 12 player of the year, though she’s the preseason pick of the Big 12’s coaches this season. To underscore just how good Oklahoma State’s transfer class was, the coaches also picked McGill to be the league’s newcomer of the year. Jadyn Wooten went the other direction, leaving Oklahoma State for TCU in the offseason. Other top transfers include West Virginia’s Skylar Forbes (Marquette); Baylor guard Trinity Turner (Georgia); and Arizona State’s Ruby Whitehorn (Tennessee). Kansas landed one of the nation’s premier freshman classes, headlined by forwards Cyndee Bryant and Brooklynn Renn, giving the Jayhawks a physical presence alongside returning stars S’Mya Nichols and reigning Big 12 freshman of the year Jaliya Davis. Other top freshmen include Arizona’s Arynn Finley and Jasleen Green; Averie Lower of Arizona State; Texas Tech guards Gianna Jordan and Ambrosia Cole; Rylee Little and Peyton Jones of Utah; and Chante Murray of West Virginia. The only coaching change from last season came at UCF, where the Knights hired former Tennessee assistant Gabe Lazo to replace the fired Sytia Messer. It was a somewhat awkward hiring because Lazo had just been by Mulkey days earlier to be her assistant at LSU. “It’s something you can’t say no to,” Lazo said. “I was hoping I would have an opportunity when I saw the job opened.” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly has announced his 32nd season with the Cyclones will be his last, which means they will be watching the women’s college basketball landscape closely all season as they search for his successor in Ames. The Associated Press contributed to this report.