The Big 12 women’s basketball preseason picture is taking shape, and the coaches and media are aligned at the top: Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor and West Virginia make up the league’s projected front four for 2026-27.
That order gives Oklahoma State the edge in the preseason conversation after a busy and aggressive offseason in the transfer portal. The Cowgirls kept Stailee Heard in Stillwater and brought in some of the best players available, headlined by Audi Crooks. They also added Florida transfer Liv McGill, giving the roster another proven scorer after losing Jadyn Wooten to TCU.
Baylor is right there in the mix as well, and for good reason. The Bears continue to look like a team built to matter, with Kate Koval joining the program after one season at LSU. Taliah Scott is the centerpiece on the return side after averaging 19.7 points per game last season, and Ole Miss transfer Tianna Thompson gives Baylor another backcourt option who could ease some of the burden on Scott.
West Virginia is another team drawing attention, and not just because of where the polls placed the Mountaineers. Mark Kellogg has the kind of roster that can make life difficult for opponents, especially with Gia Cooke back after averaging 15 points per game last season.
WVU also added Alexis Bordas from Duquesne and Skylar Forbes from Marquette, both of whom averaged 15.5 points per game last season. That gives the Mountaineers scoring options at guard and forward, and if the pieces come together early, an intriguing matchup with Notre Dame could serve as an early measuring stick.
TCU, meanwhile, remains firmly in the preseason contender tier after another productive offseason for Mark Campbell’s program. The Horned Frogs added guards Jadyn Wooten from Oklahoma State and Lanie Grant from North Carolina, while longtime starter Donovyn Hunter departed for UCLA.
Jessie-May Hall, a freshman from Sydney, Australia, is also in the mix, and she has already been named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year. TCU still has Clara Silva back in the frontcourt, and expectations remain high as the Horned Frogs chase a breakthrough beyond the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
Campbell’s work is not just about this season, either. The commitment from 2027 point guard Kaylor Buse adds another sign of momentum for the program moving forward.
At the other end of the preseason projections, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston were all picked near the bottom. The Knights landed last in both polls after finishing tied for 14th last season, though they did add Italian guard Vittoria Blasigh, who has now played at USF, Miami and UCF during her college career.
Cincinnati was slotted 14th after finishing 13th in the league at 11-20 overall. The Bearcats return Caliyah DeVillasee, who averaged 14.5 points per game last season, and they bring in multiple transfers as well. There’s reason to think they can improve, but the gap to the top half of the league still looks significant.
Houston was picked 15th after a rough 2025-26 season that ended at 1-17 in Big 12 play and 7-23 overall. The Cougars’ lone conference win came against Cincinnati. Freshman Esmeralda Enriquez is a name to watch, but the roster still comes with plenty of uncertainty.
The preseason rankings are only a starting point, and the real test will come once these rebuilt rosters start playing for real. For TCU, the question is whether another talented group can turn preseason promise into the kind of sustained success the program has been building toward.
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TCUs New-Look Rotation Just Delivered The Start Fans Wanted
TCU opened the season in emphatic fashion at Schollmaier Arena, rolling past Lindenwood 98-59 and giving the Horned Frogs an early look at what this revamped rotation can do. Junior forward Micah Robinson set the tone with 19 points, while senior point guard Brock Harding added 17 points and five assists as TCU controlled the game from the start and gave its home crowd the kind of first-night performance that can settle a team in quickly.
The win also carried a milestone for Jamie Dixon, who picked up his 200th victory with the program in a result that felt as much about momentum as celebration. With the opener out of the way, the bigger question for TCU is how this group builds on a debut that was crisp, balanced and convincing, especially with the season still in its early stages and room for the rotation to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
TCUs Defense Is Keeping The Bowl Push Alive For Now
A week after the offense had to grind through a coaching change up front, TCU found a way to keep its bowl hopes moving in the right direction with a 22-16 win over Kansas. The Horned Frogs are back to .500 at 4-4, and the bigger reason they got there was a defense that kept making timely plays when the game tightened up.
Max Carroll, Koron Hayward, Markis Deal and Jamel Johnson all showed up in the kind of spots that can swing a close Big 12 game, giving TCU the stops it needed to stay in control. Jaden Craig did enough through the air to manage the offense, and the Horned Frogs looked cleaner in pass protection than they had been, but this one was still decided by the unit on the other side of the ball and the late push that kept the season from drifting. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Faces A Huge Test Against One Of The Big 12s Best
TCU is heading into a Big 12 matchup that should tell a lot about where the Horned Frogs stand, with No. 24 Arizona bringing a balanced and dangerous profile into the game. The Wildcats have been efficient on offense, with quarterback Noah Fifita steering the attack and wide receiver Isaiah Mizell emerging as a key target, while the defense has earned respect of its own through strong overall rankings.
For TCU, the challenge is as much about handling pressure as it is about matching Arizona score for score. The Wildcats can affect a game at the line of scrimmage and make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks, which means the Horned Frogs will need to be sharp in protection and disciplined against a unit that has already proven it can disrupt even good offenses. [Read more 🡒]