What the Big 12 Preseason Polls Say

The coaches’ and media preseason polls agree on the Big 12’s top four: Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor and West Virginia. TCU has won the past two regular-season conference titles, led by Hailey Van Lith in the first and Olivia Miles in the second. This season, however, the polls have picked a new favorite.

Oklahoma State did a ton in the transfer portal, acquiring some of the best players in the country while keeping the talented Stailee Heard in Stillwater. Audi Crooks is the headliner, giving the Cowgirls one of the country’s most talented offensive players. OSU lost Jadyn Wooten to TCU in the portal but added another prolific scorer in Florida transfer Liv McGill.

The polls also love the ever-talented Baylor Bears, who consistently field a squad worth watching. They added Kate Koval, the Ukrainian forward/center who left Kim Mulkey’s LSU program after one season. The big name returning to this roster is Taliah Scott, who averaged 19.7 points per game last season at Baylor and will again look to lead the Bears into the NCAA Tournament. Another addition to watch is Ole Miss transfer Tianna Thompson, who will play alongside Scott in the backcourt and could help take some pressure off her.

The media has spoken.

The Women's Basketball Preseason Media Poll is official ☑️ pic.twitter.com/gHgttVZte1

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 28, 2026

West Virginia is a team I’m watching closely as a potential contender for a deep NCAA Tournament run. Mark Kellogg is a heck of a coach, and I think his team will give opponents across the country fits.

WVU returns Gia Cooke, who averaged 15 points per game last season. The Mountaineers also added Alexis Bordas from Duquesne and Skylar Forbes from Marquette, each coming off a season averaging 15.5 points per game. That’s two guards and a forward, spreading the scoring talent around the court. If this team can jell early, an intriguing matchup against Notre Dame could provide an early test. This program has buy-in. Expect a strong season.

The countdown to the 2026-27 Women's hoops szn is on ⏳ pic.twitter.com/qn3jkDlXW3

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 8, 2026

TCU Looks to Build on Its Big 12 Success

TCU remains among the Big 12’s top preseason contenders for good reason. Coach Mark Campbell has had another productive offseason, adding talented guards Jadyn Wooten from Oklahoma State and Lanie Grant from North Carolina through the portal.

As we’ve tracked throughout TCU’s offseason roster changes, the portal giveth and taketh. The Horned Frogs will be without longtime starter Donovyn Hunter, who headed to UCLA. Grant and Wooten will look to help fill that void, along with newcomer Jessie-May Hall, a freshman from Sydney, Australia.

Hall has already garnered plenty of preseason attention, earning Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year honors. She joins a program whose expectations continue to rise under Campbell.

TCU also returns talented center Clara Silva, who will look to build on her first season with the Horned Frogs. Expectations remain high as TCU aims to advance beyond the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

The accolades keep coming for Clara ✨#GoFrogs | @claravfsilva pic.twitter.com/hq71OAkJHC

— TCU Women’s Basketball (@tcuwbb) October 30, 2026

Campbell is also building beyond this season, with 2027 point guard Kaylor Buse’s commitment providing another example of the program’s recruiting momentum.

Teams Looking to Climb the Big 12 Standings

As clear as the top of the league looks, the preseason polls also agree on the teams facing an uphill climb. UCF was picked last in both polls after finishing tied for 14th last season.

The Knights did, however, add talented Italian guard Vittoria Blasigh. She has moved around Florida during her college career, starting at USF before playing at Miami last season and now joining UCF.

Cincinnati was picked 14th in both polls after finishing 13th in the conference last season at 11-20 overall. This roster features several transfers and returns Caliyah DeVillasee, who averaged 14.5 points per game last season. I’d expect this team to improve, but I’m not convinced it is ready to compete with the top half of this tough league.

Houston was picked 15th in both polls after finishing last season at 1-17 in conference play and 7-23 overall. It was a difficult season, with the lone conference win coming against Cincinnati. Freshman Esmeralda Enriquez will be fun to watch, but beyond that, significant questions remain.

Opportunity Awaits.

Check out the 2026-27 Cowgirl Basketball season preview below 👇https://t.co/xJ1fceevnP pic.twitter.com/hXnOC1xwtY

— OSU Cowgirl Basketball (@OSUWBB) October 30, 2026

My Projected Top Five

These projections focus on my top five and bottom five teams rather than a complete ranking of all 16 Big 12 programs.

1. TCU

Been there, done that. Continued success in the transfer portal sets the Horned Frogs up nicely.

2. West Virginia

There are talented scorers throughout this roster. If the Mountaineers put it together early, watch out.

3. Oklahoma State

Audi Crooks’ scoring talent is undeniable, but I have questions about how the pieces fit together. Will the Cowgirls defend consistently enough to match their offensive potential?

4. Baylor

Always good, always consistent. The Bears added plenty of talent throughout the offseason.

5. Kansas

The Jayhawks bring back a good amount of production and competed well against TCU last season. They’ll be fun to watch.

My Projected Bottom Five

16. Houston

I don’t think Houston added enough talent to climb the standings. I’m projecting another last-place finish.

15. UCF

There are intriguing additions, and the Knights’ pace could give opponents problems, but I don’t think this roster is quite ready.

14. Utah

I’m a little lower on Utah than the polls. I have questions about this roster entering the season.

13. Cincinnati

I’m a believer in Caliyah DeVillasee and think she can help the Bearcats win games. Her supporting cast still needs to develop.

12. Iowa State

We’ll find out how much of Iowa State’s recent success depended on Audi Crooks. I’m skeptical about the Cyclones entering this season.

The preseason polls offer a starting point, but the Big 12 race will come down to how quickly these reworked rosters find their rhythm. For TCU, the challenge is turning another promising group into a team capable of sustaining the program’s recent success. Follow our TCU basketball coverage throughout the season as the Horned Frogs and their conference rivals begin answering those questions on the court.

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