TCU won the Big 12 regular season, and West Virginia won the conference tournament, and both lost most of their rotations. TCU, which also reached the Elite Eight, lost Olivia Miles and Marta Suárez, and West Virginia lost Jordan Harrison, Kierra Wheeler, and Sydney Shaw. Audi Crooks left Iowa State for Oklahoma State and is the notable in-conference transfer. Kansas has Jaliya Davis and S’Mya Nichols back, Baylor has Taliah Scott, and BYU brings back Delaney Gibb and seven other returners. UCF is the only team with a new head coach, as Gabe Lazo takes over. Texas Tech has 13 newcomers, Arizona and Oklahoma State have 11 apiece, and Houston, Iowa State, UCF, and West Virginia have 10 apiece.
The Big Picture
Half of the Big 12’s 16 teams reached the NCAA Tournament. TCU won the league at 15-3, and West Virginia, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech each won at least 12 league games. Colorado, Arizona State, and Iowa State also made the field. Kansas, BYU, Utah, and Kansas State played in the WBIT, and BYU was the runner-up. Cincinnati, UCF, Arizona, and Houston finished 13th or lower and did not play in a postseason tournament.
Roster turnover reaches the top of last season’s standings: 11 of the 16 teams lost their leading scorer, and only Kansas, West Virginia, Baylor, BYU, and Kansas State kept theirs. Of the five teams that finished in the top four, Baylor is the only one that returns more than three players. Twelve of the 16 teams have more newcomers than returners, and 137 of the 207 players on the 16 rosters are new. How these groups develop in the non-conference slate could tell us a lot about how the conference order finishes.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Oklahoma State
2 - TCU
3 - West Virginia
4 - Baylor
5 - Kansas
6 - BYU
7 - Arizona State
8 - Colorado
9 - Texas Tech
10 - Arizona
11 - Kansas State
12 - Iowa State
13 - Utah
14 - Cincinnati
15 - Houston
16 - UCF
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Sumayah Sugapong, G, Arizona
McKinna Brackens, F, Arizona State
Taliah Scott, G, Baylor
Delaney Gibb, G, BYU
Zyanna Walker, G, Colorado
Jaliya Davis, F, Kansas
S’Mya Nichols, G, Kansas
Taryn Sides, G, Kansas State
Audi Crooks, C, Oklahoma State
Liv McGill, G, Oklahoma State
Clara Silva, C, TCU
Jadyn Wooten, G, TCU
Jalynn Bristow, G, Texas Tech
Filipa Barros, G, Utah
Gia Cooke, G, West Virginia
Oklahoma State
Record: 24-10, 12-6 Big 12 (4th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Jacie Hoyt, 5th season, 84-45 (10th overall, 165-110)
Oklahoma State won 24 games last season and then rebuilt almost from scratch. The Cowgirls lost to Kansas State 74-73 in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, beat Princeton 82-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and lost to UCLA 87-68 in the second round.
Jacie Hoyt lost 11 players, and Stailee Heard is the only one of the top five scorers who stayed. Micah Gray, a senior guard, averaged 13.5 points, Jadyn Wooten, a sophomore guard, averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 assists and went to TCU, and Achol Akot, a sophomore forward, averaged 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds and went to North Carolina. Haleigh Timmer, a senior guard, averaged 11.5 points, and Amari Whiting, a junior guard who went to Iowa, averaged 9.4 points.
The new class is built around a center and a guard who carried their old teams. Audi Crooks, a senior center from Iowa State, scored 25.8 points and grabbed 7.7 rebounds, and Liv McGill, a junior guard from Florida, scored 22.5 points and handed out 6.3 assists. Nene Ndiaye, a senior guard from Rutgers, scored 14.8 points, and Ellie Brueggemann, a senior guard from Lindenwood, scored 14.3 points. Callin Hake, a fifth-year guard from Nebraska, handed out 3.6 assists, and four more transfers and two freshmen fill out the class.
Heard, a senior guard, is the only returner, and she scored 12.0 points and grabbed 5.8 rebounds. She is the only player on the roster who has suited up for this program.
Crooks and McGill are the two best individual players in the league, and that is the case for first. Crooks gives Hoyt an interior scorer who will draw a crowd every night, McGill is a guard who can create her own shot, and Ndiaye and Brueggemann should keep defenses from collapsing on the two stars. Hake gives the Cowgirls a veteran guard who can help run the offense. Heard is the only holdover, so the leadership has to come from the transfers, and four of the guards in the class are seniors or fifth-year players. The risk is chemistry, because 11 newcomers have to learn each other quickly, and a couple of early injuries would test the group more than anything on the schedule, but no other roster has this much talent at the top.
Players to watch: Audi Crooks, Liv McGill, Stailee Heard, Nene Ndiaye
TCU
Record: 32-6, 15-3 Big 12 (1st, NCAA Elite Eight)
Coach: Mark Campbell, 4th season, 87-22 (6th overall, 126-46)
TCU won the Big 12 at 15-3, lost to West Virginia 62-53 in the conference tournament final, and then made the Elite Eight. The Horned Frogs beat UC San Diego, Washington, and Virginia 79-69 before South Carolina ended the run with a 78-52 win.
Most of the lineup is gone. Olivia Miles, a senior guard, averaged 19.6 points and 6.6 assists, and Marta Suárez, a senior forward, averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. Donovyn Hunter, a junior guard, averaged 10.2 points and went to UCLA, and Taylor Bigby, a senior guard, averaged 8.2 points.
The portal class starts with Jadyn Wooten, a junior guard from Oklahoma State who scored 12.9 points and handed out 5.3 assists. Lanie Grant, a junior guard from North Carolina, scored 10.8 points, and Lara Somfai, a sophomore forward from Stanford, scored 10.8 points and grabbed 9.1 rebounds. Avery Hjelmstad, a sophomore guard from Utah, Bella Hines, a sophomore guard from LSU, and Camille Williams, a sophomore guard from Miami, are the other transfers. Claudia Contell, a senior guard from Spain, scored 16.6 points for CB Gran Canaria last season, and Jessie-May Hall and Laura Vilcinskas are freshmen.
TCU is returning just three players. Clara Silva, a junior center, scored 9.0 points and grabbed 7.4 rebounds, and Clara Bielefeld, a sophomore guard, scored 2.0 points. Sarah Portlock, a sophomore center listed at 6-8, redshirted last season.
Mark Campbell has earned the benefit of the doubt, and that plus a deep scoring class is why I have TCU second even with three returners. Wooten and Grant both scored in double figures at their old schools, and Somfai is the kind of rebounder who makes the frontcourt work with Silva. Contell is the wild card, because a guard coming out of a professional league in Spain should adjust quickly. The weakness is experience in this program, because only two of the returners have played for the Horned Frogs, and Silva is the only one who has played a role for them. The question is whether the newcomers can step up to replace the scoring Miles and Suárez took with them, and that answer decides whether TCU holds second or slides toward the middle of the top five.
Players to watch: Jadyn Wooten, Clara Silva, Lara Somfai, Lanie Grant
West Virginia
Record: 28-7, 14-4 Big 12 (2nd, NCAA second round)
Coach: Mark Kellogg, 4th season, 78-23 (22nd overall, 523-143)
West Virginia is the defending Big 12 tournament champion, and the Mountaineers did it the hard way. They beat Arizona State 67-54, Colorado 48-47, and TCU 62-53 in three days, and then lost to Kentucky 74-73 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Three of the team’s top four scorers are gone. Kierra Wheeler, a senior forward, averaged 13.4 points and 7.5 rebounds, Jordan Harrison, a senior guard, averaged 13.1 points and 5.2 assists, and Sydney Shaw, a senior guard, averaged 12.6 points. Carter McCray went to Michigan State, Riley Makalusky went to Tennessee, and Jordan Thomas went to Georgia.
Five of the 10 newcomers scored in double figures at their last stops. Zahirah Walton, a senior guard from George Mason, scored 18.1 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds, and Kennedy Harris, a senior guard from George Mason, scored 14.1 points. Skylar Forbes, a senior forward from Marquette, scored 15.1 points, and Alexis Bordas, a sophomore guard from Duquesne, scored 15.7 points. Khyala Ngodu, a senior center from UCF, scored 10.8 points and grabbed 7.0 rebounds. Hawa Doumbouya, a redshirt junior forward from Maryland, and Marya Hudgins, a redshirt senior guard from BYU, are the other veterans, and Nylah Wilson, Divine Tumba, and Chanté Murray round out the class.
Only Gia Cooke and Madison Parrish are returning for West Virginia. Cooke, a redshirt senior guard, led the team with 15.0 points, and Parrish, a sophomore guard, scored 1.3 points.
One returning star and four newcomers who scored at least 14 points at their old schools are enough to put West Virginia third. Cooke is the only returner who has done it in this league, so Kellogg needs Walton, Harris, and Bordas to repeat what they did at George Mason and Duquesne. Those numbers often shrink against Big 12 defenses, and the margin between a top-four finish and a middle-of-the-pack one is small. Ngodu is the newcomer I trust most, because she has already played in the Big 12 at UCF, and Forbes and Doumbouya add size. The ceiling is a league title, and the floor is outside the top four, and the difference is whether Walton and Forbes score the way they did before. If the transfers from smaller programs struggle, Cooke will have to carry too much. I have a ton of belief in the system that Kellogg runs, and I think he will have this group humming along during the conference slate.
Players to watch: Zahirah Walton, Skylar Forbes, Gia Cooke, Khyala Ngodu
Baylor
Record: 25-9, 13-5 Big 12 (3rd, NCAA second round)
Coach: Nicki Collen, 6th season, 127-45
The question at Baylor is the front line. The Bears won 25 games, finished third, and lost to Colorado 62-53 in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals. They beat Nebraska 67-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and lost to Duke 69-46 in the second.
The losses are inside. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, a senior forward, averaged 10.6 points and 10.1 rebounds, and Bella Fontleroy, a senior forward, averaged 9.0 points. Jana Van Gytenbeek, a senior guard, averaged 7.4 points and 5.9 assists, and Yuting Deng went to Oklahoma State.
Nicki Collen replaced them with six transfers. Trinity Turner, a junior guard from Georgia, scored 10.9 points and handed out 4.7 assists, and Reese Ross, a senior forward from Utah, scored 9.4 points and grabbed 8.3 rebounds. Kate Koval, a junior forward from LSU, scored 8.3 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds, and Skylar Jones, a senior guard from Louisville, scored 8.4 points. Tianna Thompson, a junior guard from Ole Miss, and Lorena Awou, a junior center from NC State, round out the class.
Taliah Scott, a senior guard, scored 19.7 points and handed out 2.7 assists, and she is the reason for optimism. The other returners are role players. Marcayla Johnson, a sophomore guard, scored 4.4 points, Kayla Nelms, a junior forward, scored 4.1 points, and Kyla Abraham, a fifth-year forward, scored 4.1 points and grabbed 3.8 rebounds. Ines Goryanova and Ella Brow also return, and six players are back in all.
Baylor’s case rests on Scott, who is good enough to keep the Bears in the top half on her own. The group around her has not shown it can score, and the front line has to be rebuilt from the portal. Ross and Koval are the rebounders who have to replace Littlepage-Buggs, and Turner has to help run an offense that lost Van Gytenbeek. Holding fourth depends on Ross and Koval holding up on the boards and Turner continuing to score. Without that, Scott will see a defense loaded up on her every night, and the Bears will fall toward the middle of the table. I do not expect a collapse under Collen, but a team with one proven scorer has a ceiling, and that ceiling is why I have Baylor fourth.
Players to watch: Taliah Scott, Trinity Turner, Reese Ross, Kate Koval
Kansas
Record: 22-14, 8-10 Big 12 (11th, tie, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Brandon Schneider, 12th season, 165-177 (29th overall, 567-315)
Kansas finished 8-10 in the Big 12 and still played into the WBIT semifinals. The Jayhawks beat UCF 56-35 in the first round of the conference tournament, lost to Colorado in the next round, and then beat Troy, Rice, and San Diego State in the WBIT before losing to BYU 70-67 in the semifinals.
The losses are manageable. Lilly Meister, a senior forward, averaged 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, and Elle Evans, a senior guard, averaged 8.1 points. Keeley Parks transferred to Oklahoma, and Laia Conesa transferred to Utah.
Mariyah Noel, a senior guard from Xavier, scored 14.9 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds, and Mykayla Cunningham, a senior guard from Southern, handed out 3.9 assists. Anna Gooden, a sophomore guard from Colorado, and Tyara Davis, a junior guard from Harris-Stowe, add depth, and Brooklynn Renn, Cydnee Bryant, and Mollie Ernstes are freshmen.
The optimism comes from the return of the two best players. Jaliya Davis, a sophomore forward and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, scored 19.8 points and grabbed 6.5 rebounds, and S’Mya Nichols, a senior guard, scored 17.6 points and handed out 4.7 assists. Regan Williams, a junior forward, scored 8.9 points and grabbed 5.0 rebounds, and Libby Fandel, a sophomore guard, scored 3.5 points. Tatyonna Brown and Brittany Harshaw are the other returners. Six players return in all.
The Jayhawks bring back their two leading scorers while most of the league starts over, which keeps them in the top five. Davis is a sophomore, and Nichols is a senior, so the roster has a young star and an experienced one. Noel gives Brandon Schneider a third option who has already scored at a high level in college, and Cunningham and Gooden add guard depth. The concern is the margin for error, because the Jayhawks have little room when one of their stars has an off night, and that is why I have them fifth instead of higher. Rebounding and frontcourt depth will decide whether this team is a contender, since Davis is the only returner who plays inside and scored in double figures. A bigger role for Williams and early minutes for freshmen Renn and Bryant would turn Kansas into a real challenger to Oklahoma State for the league title.
Players to watch: Jaliya Davis, S’Mya Nichols, Mariyah Noel, Regan Williams
BYU
Record: 26-12, 9-9 Big 12 (9th, tie, WBIT runner-up)
Coach: Lee Cummard, 2nd season, 26-12
BYU finished 9-9 in the Big 12 and then played its way to the WBIT final. The Cougars beat Houston 76-66 and Utah 70-52 in the conference tournament, and then beat Alabama A&M, Missouri, Stanford, and Kansas 70-67 in the WBIT before losing to Columbia 81-64 in the championship game.
The roster held together better than most in the league. Marya Hudgins, a junior guard, averaged 9.1 points and went to West Virginia, and Lara Rohkohl, a senior forward, averaged 8.2 points and 6.9 rebounds.
Only four newcomers arrived. Liza Astakhova, a sophomore guard/forward from North Carolina, scored 2.1 points, and Prasayus Notoa, Stella Sakalas, and Vahayliah Seumanutafa are freshmen.
Eight players return, led by Delaney Gibb. The junior guard scored 18.3 points, grabbed 5.1 rebounds, and handed out 4.6 assists. Olivia Hamlin, a sophomore guard on the All-Freshman Team, scored 12.9 points, and Sydney Benally, a sophomore guard, scored 7.6 points and handed out 3.9 assists. Brinley Cannon, a junior guard, scored 7.5 points and grabbed 4.7 rebounds, and Bolanle Yussuf, a sophomore forward, scored 5.4 points and grabbed 5.0 rebounds. Kambree Taylor, a junior guard who is listed as Kambree Barber in last season’s statistics, scored 4.1 points and grabbed 5.8 rebounds, and Kailey Woolston, a junior guard, is back after a church mission and did not play last season.
A finish outside the top half would surprise BYU, which has the most continuity in the league and a guard in Gibb who is as good as any in the conference. The frontcourt lost Rohkohl, though, and nobody in the new class is ready to replace her. Lee Cummard has a clear base in the returning guards, and Hamlin and Benally are young enough to keep improving. Woolston is the wild card, because a guard who was one of the best three-point shooters in the country as a freshman has been away from the game for a year and a half. The ceiling rises if BYU can hold up on the inside, and if it cannot, Gibb will have to do too much, and sixth is a fair outcome.
Players to watch: Delaney Gibb, Olivia Hamlin, Sydney Benally, Brinley Cannon
Arizona State
Record: 24-11, 9-9 Big 12 (9th, tie, NCAA First Four)
Coach: Molly Miller, 2nd season, 24-11 (13th overall, 321-66)
Molly Miller won 24 games in her first season at Arizona State. The Sun Devils beat Arizona 54-51 and Iowa State 77-68 in the Big 12 tournament, lost to West Virginia 67-54 in the quarterfinals, and lost to Virginia 57-55 in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four.
Gabby Elliott, a junior guard, averaged 15.8 points and is gone, and Marley Washenitz, a senior guard, averaged 7.9 points and went to UNLV. Last-Tear Poa, a senior guard, averaged 3.5 assists, so the backcourt needs rebuilding.
The portal class is built to fix the backcourt. Rashunda Jones, a senior guard from Michigan State, scored 11.7 points and handed out 3.2 assists, and Ella Ryan, a sophomore guard from Quinnipiac, scored 10.4 points. Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, a sophomore forward from Central Michigan, scored 14.9 points and grabbed 7.3 rebounds, and Madison Morson, a junior guard, also comes from Central Michigan. Averie Lower, Londyn Parker, and Quin’Nya Gray De Sanders are freshmen.
McKinna Brackens leads the roster. The senior forward scored 14.4 points and grabbed 6.4 rebounds, and Heloisa Carrera, a junior forward, scored 10.4 points and grabbed 5.3 rebounds. Amaya Williams, a sophomore guard, and Deborah Davenport, a redshirt senior guard, are the other returners with meaningful time. Ruby Whitehorn, a senior guard, joined the team from Tennessee in February, practiced with it, and did not play last season. She scored 11.1 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds a game over three seasons at Clemson and Tennessee. Martina Fantini, a sophomore center, is also back, and six players return in all.
The returning front line is the strength of this roster, and it is why I have Arizona State seventh, even with the backcourt rebuilt. Brackens and Carrera are proven inside, Darrington potentially gives them a third scorer, and Whitehorn could be the missing piece at guard if she is the player her Clemson and Tennessee numbers suggest. The backcourt rebuild is the biggest question, because Jones and Ryan have to replace the production Elliott and Poa gave, and the Sun Devils won 24 games last year with a veteran backcourt that is now gone. Miller needs that group to settle quickly, and the front line has to carry the early part of the schedule. I would keep an eye on Lower, as she is a knockdown shooter who could get early action as a scorer. A backcourt that comes together would make seventh look too low, and the front line alone should keep the Sun Devils close to this spot if it does not.
Players to watch: McKinna Brackens, Rashunda Jones, Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, Heloisa Carrera
Colorado
Record: 22-12, 11-7 Big 12 (6th, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: JR Payne, 11th season, 186-128 (18th overall, 287-241)
Colorado came within a point of the Big 12 tournament final. The Buffaloes beat Kansas 55-48 and Baylor 62-53 and then lost to West Virginia 48-47 in the semifinals. Illinois beat them 66-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The losses are in the frontcourt and on the wing. Jade Masogayo, a senior forward, averaged 11.3 points and 4.9 rebounds, and Anaëlle Dutat, a senior forward, averaged 8.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. Desiree Wooten, a junior guard, averaged 13.4 points and went to NC State.
JR Payne went to the portal for size. Anete Adler, a graduate center from Boston University, scored 15.4 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds, and Kira Reynolds, a sophomore forward from UT Arlington, scored 13.0 points and grabbed 7.9 rebounds. Mecailin Marshall, a sophomore guard from Tulane, scored 10.5 points, and Aniya’ Foy, a sophomore guard from Kansas State, and Brooke Walker, a junior guard from Utah, added depth. Cail Jahnke and Lauren Harris are freshmen.
Colorado has seven returning players. Zyanna Walker, a senior guard, scored 11.3 points and grabbed 4.2 rebounds, and Kennedy Sanders, a senior guard, scored 9.3 points in 10 games. Logyn Greer, a sophomore forward on the All-Freshman Team, scored 9.2 points and grabbed 5.0 rebounds. Claire O’Connor, Jade Crook, Maeve McErlane, and Sophie Zadel are the other returners.
Colorado has no star, but the pieces fit, which is why I have the Buffaloes in the middle of the pack. Adler and Reynolds should give Payne the size she lost when Masogayo and Dutat left, Zyanna Walker and Sanders are experienced guards, and Greer is the type of young forward who can grow into a bigger role. The question is who takes the big shot, because the best scorer on the roster is a newcomer. The roster is split evenly between returners and newcomers, which makes it steadier than Iowa State and Utah, both of which rebuilt almost completely. This team will win a lot of close games or lose them, and I think the first outcome is more likely. The swing player is Adler, and a repeat of her Boston University production would move Colorado into the top six.
Players to watch: Anete Adler, Kira Reynolds, Zyanna Walker, Logyn Greer
Texas Tech
Record: 26-8, 12-6 Big 12 (4th, tie, NCAA second round)
Coach: Krista Gerlich, 7th season, 103-91 (21st overall, 392-238)
Krista Gerlich was the Big 12 Coach of the Year, and her reward is a nearly new roster. Kansas State beat Texas Tech 58-51 in the conference tournament, Texas Tech beat Villanova 57-52 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and LSU won the second-round game 101-47.
Bailey Maupin, a senior guard, averaged 15.2 points, and Snudda Collins, a senior guard and the Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year, averaged 14.4 points. Denae Fritz, Jada Malone, and Gemma Nunez are gone too, and Nunez, a senior guard, averaged 4.7 assists. Eleven players left in all.
Texas Tech has 13 newcomers. Rhema Collins, a senior forward from FIU, scored 17.7 points and grabbed 8.9 rebounds, and Jalayah Ingram, a senior guard from UTRGV, scored 17.1 points and handed out 3.9 assists. Destinee Hooks, a fifth-year guard from New Mexico, scored 13.4 points, and Kiki Smith, a senior guard from Purdue, scored 10.7 points. Martina Anyango, a senior forward from Uganda, arrives, and two more veterans and six freshmen fill out the class.
Jalynn Bristow, a senior guard, scored 10.4 points and grabbed 5.6 rebounds, and she is the only returner who played last season. Stephanie Okechukwu, a sophomore center listed at 7-1, joined the team in January and did not play last season. Two players return in all.
The talent is real at Texas Tech, but the group has almost no history together. That mix puts the Lady Raiders ninth, behind Kansas, Baylor, BYU, Arizona State, and Colorado, all of which return at least six players. Rhema Collins and Ingram both come from mid-major programs, so I want to see their numbers hold in this league, and Smith arrives from a Big Ten program. Hooks gives Gerlich a third proven scorer, so the offense should not struggle to find points. Bristow is the only returner who played, so the leadership has to come from the seniors and fifth-year players in the portal class, and Okechukwu is the wild card. A ready 7-1 center would push this team well above ninth, while a slow start from the new group could leave the Lady Raiders closer to the NCAA bubble than the top six.
Players to watch: Rhema Collins, Jalayah Ingram, Destinee Hooks, Jalynn Bristow
Arizona
Record: 12-18, 3-15 Big 12 (14th, tie)
Coach: Becky Burke, 2nd season, 12-18 (11th overall, 186-110)
Arizona won three Big 12 games in Becky Burke’s first season and lost to Arizona State 54-51 in the first round of the conference tournament. The Wildcats lost two of their best guards and most of the roster.
Mickayla Perdue, a senior guard, averaged 17.1 points in 15 games, and Noelani Cornfield, a senior guard, averaged 14.2 points and 6.8 assists. Tanyuel Welch, a junior guard, averaged 8.7 points and went to Missouri, and Daniah Trammell, a freshman forward, averaged 8.0 points and went to Arkansas.
Burke rebuilt with 11 newcomers. Anastasiia Semenova, a graduate forward from Boston University, scored 9.1 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds, and Breanna Williams, a redshirt sophomore forward from Maryland, scored 4.7 points. Gerda Raulušaityte, a senior forward from USC, and Aliyahna Morris, a sophomore guard from California, are also transfers, and Dionna Gray, a fifth-year guard from Kent State, scored 5.6 points and handed out 4.9 assists last season. Karolina Ulan, a junior guard from Poland, scored 12.7 points for Gdynia in her country’s top league the season before, and Callie Hinder is a freshman forward listed at 6-6.
Only Sumayah Sugapong and Molly Ladwig return. Sugapong, a senior guard, scored 11.1 points and grabbed 4.1 rebounds, and Ladwig, a sophomore guard, scored 3.5 points.
Arizona has three veterans to build around in Sugapong, Gray, and Semenova, which is why I have the Wildcats tenth, though they have very little proven scoring behind them. Semenova is a useful presence inside, but most of the other transfers were role players at their old schools, so I do not see a second scorer who has done it against Big 12 competition. Ulan could change that, because she has played professionally in Poland and for the Polish national team. With 11 newcomers, five of them freshmen, the rotation will take time to settle. Sugapong and Ladwig are the only players who have played for Burke, so the second year will feel like a fresh start. Ulan, Morris, and Semenova giving Sugapong a second and third option is what would move the Wildcats above 10th.
Players to watch: Sumayah Sugapong, Anastasiia Semenova, Breanna Williams, Aliyahna Morris
Kansas State
Record: 19-18, 8-10 Big 12 (11th, tie, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Jeff Mittie, 13th season, 237-161 (35th overall, 691-396)
Kansas State finished 8-10 and then played deep into March. The Wildcats beat Cincinnati 91-66, Texas Tech 58-51, and Oklahoma State 74-73 in the Big 12 tournament before TCU beat them 74-62 in the semifinal. They beat Georgia Tech 69-65 in the WBIT and then lost to California 83-75.
The departures are mostly depth. Tess Heal, a senior guard, averaged 10.7 points, and Jordan Speiser, a freshman guard, averaged 10.2 points and went to Oklahoma. Izela Arenas went to SMU, and Aniya’ Foy went to Colorado.
Téa Cléante, a sophomore guard from Penn State, scored 8.7 points and handed out 2.9 assists, and she is the most proven newcomer. International additions include junior forward Cristina Osazuwa of Italy, named to the All-Star Five at the 2025 FIBA U20 EuroBasket, and junior center Tzoana Tampakou of Greece. Sage Henry and Shaila Nde are freshmen.
Kansas State is returning seven players, but two of them are out for the season. Taryn Sides, a senior guard, scored 12.4 points and handed out 3.7 assists, and Nastja Claessens, a senior forward, scored 11.9 points and grabbed 4.9 rebounds. Gina Garcia, a sophomore guard, scored 6.5 points and handed out 5.2 assists. Brandie Harrod, a sophomore guard who scored 6.1 points and grabbed 4.8 rebounds, and Ramiya White, a junior center, will miss the entire season with injuries. Ivona Scekic, a sophomore center, and Mikayla Parks, a senior guard, are the other returners.
Kansas State has two proven scorers in Sides and Claessens, but the season-ending injuries to Harrod and White cost the Wildcats a rotation guard and one of their two returning centers, and that is why I have them eleventh. Garcia can run the offense, and Scekic is the only healthy returning center, so Tampakou and Osazuwa will have to help up front. I do not rank them higher because the additions are mostly international players and freshmen, and I cannot lean on their numbers the way I can with the transfers at Arizona and Texas Tech. Cléante is the one newcomer with Big Ten experience, so she is the likeliest to contribute right away. Jeff Mittie still has a solid core, and the Wildcats played well in March, but with two returners out for the season, I just cannot put them higher.
Players to watch: Taryn Sides, Nastja Claessens, Gina Garcia, Téa Cléante
Iowa State
Record: 22-10, 10-8 Big 12 (7th, tie, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Bill Fennelly, 32nd season, 656-334 (39th overall, 822-387)
Iowa State went 10-8 in the Big 12 and reached the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones lost to Arizona State 77-68 in the Big 12 tournament and to Syracuse 72-63 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State lost three of its leading scorers. Audi Crooks, a junior center, averaged 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds and went to Oklahoma State, and Jada Williams, a junior guard, averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 assists. Addy Brown, a junior forward, averaged 11.9 points and 8.8 rebounds and went to UCLA.
Bill Fennelly filled the roster through the portal and the international market. Ashleigh Connor, a redshirt senior guard from La Salle, scored 15.8 points and handed out 3.9 assists, and Mya Babbitt, a senior guard from Kent State, scored 15.7 points. Alex-Anne Bessette, a sophomore forward from Loyola Chicago, scored 11.3 points, and Reggi Spotts, a junior guard, scored 18.8 points at North Iowa Area Community College. Xiao Zhang, a senior center from Beijing Normal University, scored 12.4 points and grabbed 5.8 rebounds. Gift Ezekiel, a senior forward, and Emilija Dakic, a sophomore guard, are the other notable transfers, and Sienna Harvey, Macy Comito, and Tjaša Turnšek round out the class.
Iowa State has only three players coming back. Arianna Jackson, a senior guard, scored 6.8 points, Evangelia Paulk, a senior guard, scored 2.1 points, and Freya Jensen, a sophomore guard, scored 1.6 points. None of the three scored in double figures.
Guards who can score and a frontcourt that has not been tested put Iowa State near the bottom of the middle group. Connor and Babbitt are proven scorers, and Bessette can play on the wing or inside. Iowa State has the fewest returners in the middle group, so Fennelly will lean on Connor and Babbitt to set the tone and on his own experience to make a roster like this work. The concern is size. Zhang has not played a game at the college level, Ezekiel and Dakic played small roles at Florida, and the team has to replace the best post player in the league. Turnšek might be a player to watch as she has a lot of upside and fills a role for this team. Zhang, Bessette, and Turnšek have to give the Cyclones enough inside for the guards to carry them back into the NCAA Tournament, and without that, the loss of Crooks and others will show every night, which is why I have them 12th.
Players to watch: Mya Babbitt, Ashleigh Connor, Alex-Anne Bessette, Arianna Jackson
Utah
Record: 19-13, 10-8 Big 12 (7th, tie, WBIT appearance)
Coach: Gavin Petersen, 3rd season, 38-21
Utah finished 10-8 in the Big 12, lost to BYU 70-52 in the conference tournament, and lost to Eastern Kentucky 72-58 in the first round of the WBIT. The Utes then lost many players, and several went to rivals.
Lani White, a senior guard, averaged 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds, and Maty Wilke, a senior guard, averaged 10.5 points. Reese Ross, a junior forward, averaged 9.4 points and 8.3 rebounds and went to Baylor. LA Sneed went to Oklahoma State, Avery Hjelmstad went to TCU, and Brooke Walker went to Colorado.
The newcomers are meant to fill the rest. Olivia Bradley, a redshirt junior forward from UC Santa Barbara, scored 13.0 points, and Filipa Barros, a redshirt senior guard from California Baptist, scored 11.0 points and grabbed 9.9 rebounds. Elise Livingston, a junior guard from Utah State, scored 8.0 points, and Laia Conesa, a senior guard from Kansas, and Lena Girardi, a sophomore guard from Oklahoma State, arrived from conference rivals. Freshmen Emma Petrie, Milika Satuala, Peyton Jones, and Rylee Little are also in the mix.
Utah is bringing back four players. Chyra Evans, a senior forward, scored 8.2 points and handed out 2.6 assists, and Evelina Otto, a sophomore forward, scored 3.7 points. Kamryn Mafua, a redshirt sophomore forward, scored 1.6 points, and Ella Todd, a redshirt freshman guard, missed last season with an injury.
Experience without a proven star is the story at Utah, and that mix puts the Utes in the lower middle of the conference. Bradley and Barros both put up big numbers at smaller programs, and the question is whether those numbers hold in the Big 12. Evans is the only returner who has been a regular scorer here, so Gavin Petersen needs the portal class to carry the offense from the start. Conesa and Girardi know the league from the other side, which should help, and Ella Todd is back from the injury that cost her last season, which gives Petersen another guard. The top 10 is possible if Bradley and Barros translate, and without a go-to scorer, the Utes should stay close to where I have them.
Players to watch: Filipa Barros, Olivia Bradley, Chyra Evans, Elise Livingston
Cincinnati
Record: 11-20, 6-12 Big 12 (13th)
Coach: Katrina Merriweather, 4th season, 40-52 (11th overall, 191-122)
Cincinnati won 11 games and finished 13th in the Big 12. The Bearcats lost to Kansas State 91-66 in the first round of the conference tournament.
Mya Perry, a senior guard, averaged 17.7 points and is gone. Kylie Torrence, a freshman forward, averaged 7.5 points and 6.8 rebounds and went to Alabama, and Destiny Thomas, a senior forward, averaged 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Amber Bullard, a senior center from Mount St. Mary’s, scored 9.2 points and grabbed 6.2 rebounds, and Sahnya Jah, a senior guard from SMU, scored 9.3 points. Jade Jones, a sophomore guard from Houston, scored 5.9 points and grabbed 4.7 rebounds. Yar Tong, a junior forward from UT Martin, and Naomi Benson, a sophomore forward from Illinois, are the other transfers, and Jaidyn Gunter is a freshman guard. Marta Fernández, a junior guard from Spain, played last season for Recoletas Zamora, and Zou Garba is a freshman center listed at 6-7.
Caliyah DeVillasee, a sophomore guard on the All-Freshman Team, scored 14.5 points and handed out 3.5 assists. Reagan Jackson, a senior guard, scored 9.5 points, and Joya Crawford, a sophomore guard, scored 5.7 points. Dee Alexander, a sophomore forward, scored 4.8 points, and Kali Barrett, a sophomore forward, scored 4.5 points. Paige Whitted and Mary Carden are the other returners. Seven players return in all.
Cincinnati lost its leading scorer, and the new class has more depth than star power, which keeps the Bearcats near the bottom of the league. DeVillasee is a real building block, and Jackson gives Katrina Merriweather a veteran guard, but the roster lacks proven scoring. The guard room is the stronger side, with DeVillasee, Jackson, and Crawford back and Jones and Fernández added, while the interior is new. Mary Carden is the only returning center, so Bullard and Garba have to carry the post, with Tong and Benson behind them. Bullard and Jah scoring right away is the path out of 14th, and even if that does not happen, I expect the Bearcats to be more competitive than last season’s record might show.
Players to watch: Caliyah DeVillasee, Reagan Jackson, Amber Bullard, Sahnya Jah
Houston
Record: 7-23, 1-17 Big 12 (16th)
Coach: Matthew Mitchell, 2nd season, 7-23 (17th overall, 318-177)
Houston won one Big 12 game and lost to BYU 76-66 in the first round of the conference tournament. Matthew Mitchell, who coached Kentucky before this job, had a hard first year and has largely replaced the roster.
TK Pitts, a senior guard, averaged 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds, and Kyndall Hunter, a senior guard, averaged 9.2 points and went to Purdue. Kierra Merchant, a junior guard, averaged 8.7 points and went to UTSA, and Amirah Abdur-Rahim, a senior forward, averaged 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds.
The additions are the best evidence of progress. Raegan McCowan, a senior guard from Western Illinois, scored 16.9 points in seven games, and Elodie Lutbert, a sophomore center from Tarleton State, scored 10.5 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds. Justice Carlton, a junior forward from Texas, scored 8.5 points, and Kaelyn Hamilton, a junior guard from San Diego State, scored 7.8 points. Janiyah Williams, a sophomore guard from Oregon, and Esmeralda Enriquez, a junior guard from Eastern Arizona College, are the other transfers. Four of the 10 newcomers are freshmen.
The Cougars have three returning players. Kayla King, a sophomore guard, scored 4.4 points, and Jorynn Ross, a senior forward, scored 3.7 points. Jemma Hunter, a redshirt freshman forward from Australia listed at 6-5, sat out last season.
Houston has a long way to go, and the best evidence of progress is in the new class. McCowan is the best bet to be a go-to scorer, although her number came in a short sample, and Lutbert gives the Cougars a legitimate post presence that they lacked last year. Hamilton and Enriquez are junior guards who have already played college basketball, and Justice Carlton brings forward experience, so the new group has more veterans than the returning one. In a league this deep, I still have Houston near the bottom, because no one on the roster has been a consistent Big 12 scorer. Mitchell is working with a group that has hardly played together, but he is the most experienced coach among the bottom three, and the new class has enough scoring that Houston should win more than one league game, which is why I have the Cougars ahead of UCF. I would not be shocked to see Houston end up closer to the top half than the bottom half if everything breaks right for them.
Players to watch: Raegan McCowan, Elodie Lutbert, Justice Carlton, Kaelyn Hamilton
UCF
Record: 11-19, 3-15 Big 12 (14th, tie)
Coach: Gabe Lazo, 1st season, 0-0
UCF won three Big 12 games and has a new head coach in Gabe Lazo, who was an assistant at Tennessee last season. The Knights lost to Kansas 56-35 in the first round of the conference tournament.
Leah Harmon, a sophomore guard, averaged 15.7 points in 20 games and went to Minnesota. Khyala Ngodu, a junior center, averaged 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds and went to West Virginia, and Jacorriah Bracey, a senior guard, averaged 6.7 points.
The new class is deep. Mikayla Johnson, a redshirt senior guard from Pittsburgh, scored 13.3 points and grabbed 5.2 rebounds, and Key Roseby, a junior guard from Stephen F. Austin, scored 13.0 points and grabbed 6.4 rebounds. Kya Hurt, a sophomore guard from Illinois State, scored 7.7 points, and Caitlyn Jones, a sophomore guard from Wake Forest, scored 8.3 points. Vittoria Blasigh, a senior guard from Miami, Nyla McFadden, a sophomore guard from Penn State, and Candace Kpetikou, a redshirt junior center, are the other transfers, and Jabria Lindsey, Maria Cintas, and Salomé Boyomo Keedi are freshmen.
The Knights are returning three players. Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, a junior forward, scored 7.7 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds, and she was the best of the three. Jasmynne Gibson, a junior forward, scored 3.5 points, and Felicia Schölander, a sophomore guard from Sweden, scored 1.2 points.
UCF has two real scorers in the new class, and a returning group of role players, but a first-year head coach is working with 10 newcomers and only three returners, which is why I have the Knights last. Johnson and Roseby are proven at their old schools, and seven of the additions are transfers with Division I experience, which gives UCF a higher floor than you might think at first. The roster has to replace Harmon and Ngodu without a returner who has been a primary scorer, and the guard room of Johnson, Roseby, Hurt, Jones, Blasigh, and McFadden is deeper than the frontcourt, where Kpetikou and Chandler-Roberts are the main options. Johnson and Roseby carrying over their scoring and Kpetikou holding up inside would lift UCF out of last place, but a new guard group that does not mesh would leave the Knights where I have them.
Players to watch: Mikayla Johnson, Key Roseby, Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, Kya Hurt
Big 12 Round-Up
Oklahoma State is my pick, with TCU second and West Virginia third, and I could see any of the top five winning it. The Cowgirls added Crooks and McGill, and the Horned Frogs and Mountaineers are rebuilding after winning the league and the tournament but still have the scoring to stay near the top. Baylor is fourth, and Kansas is fifth because Davis and Nichols are back, but the margin for error is small. Texas Tech and BYU are the hardest teams to place, because Texas Tech returns two players and brought in 13 while BYU returns eight and added only four.
The back half is crowded, and Arizona State, Colorado, Texas Tech, Arizona, Iowa State, and Utah could all finish a few spots above or below where I have them. For Arizona State, it comes down to the guards around Brackens and Carrera; for Colorado, who takes the big shot; for Texas Tech, whether the new group comes together; for Arizona, whether Ulan and Semenova give Sugapong help; for Iowa State, the size up front; and for Utah, whether Bradley and Barros translate. Kansas State returns seven players but will be without Brandie Harrod and Ramiya White all season. Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF are all rebuilding, and UCF also has a new coach. UCF is last because a first-year head coach is working with 10 newcomers and only three returners, and Houston is ahead of it because Matthew Mitchell has replaced most of the roster and should do better than a one-win league season.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 Big 12 regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All 16 rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of November 1st. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of November 1st. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.