The Big 12 women’s basketball season is now six games into conference play, which means were one-third of the way through league action.
We still have two undefeated teams in league play, but only one winless team remains. Five teams are ranked in the AP Top 25, but that could change with Monday’s poll.
Two teams have emerged as clear favorites, but there is a solid group of four or five teams in pursuit.
So, we dig into our fifth power rankings of the season. This week we’ll focus on four of the “Hateful Eight” teams, but in reverse of the men’s power rankings earlier this week. This week we’ll spotlight Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
Let’s dig in.
No. 1 TCU (18-1, 6-0; Last Ranking: No. 1)
I saw TCU’s only loss, and South Carolina provided the only real blueprint I’ve seen to slow this team down. You must make life difficult on at least two of the big three. The Gamecocks did that. Guard Hailey Van Lith had a good night for TCU. Center Sedona Prince and guard Madison Conner did not.
Since then, the Horned Frogs have won nine straight. What’s unique is that this team plays the way coach Mark Campbell said they would in the preseason — free. Not only is it the best basketball TCU has played since I’ve covered this beat, but it plays to the strengths of its three stars, who play off each other better than I expected.
While Van Lith, Prince and Conner average a combined 53 points, TCU gets more than enough from its other players. The next four scorers on the team average a combined 24 points. That’s fills in the edges nicely.
TCU’s record for wins in a season is 25, set in 2000-01. It’s entirely possible the Horned Frogs can break that record before they get to Kansas City.
But, TCU is about to get tested. It’s next five games are against Utah on Friday, followed by Oklahoma State, Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State. That’s a gauntlet. It may determine if TCU can claim the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.
No. 2 Kansas State (18-1, 6-0; Last Ranking: No. 2)
No. 3 Baylor (15-3, 5-1; Last Ranking: No. 4)
No. 4 West Virginia (14-3, 4-2; Last Ranking: No. 5)
The defense is still one of the best in the country. The Mountaineers are third in the nation in turnovers forced at 26 per game. That kind of defense can, at times, will your team to a victory. As of Thursday, WVU was No. 12 in the nation in NET. This probably won’t keep them out of the NCAA Tournament, but they don’t have a Quad 1 or Quad 2 win yet. That could impact seeding.
Guards JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison have been as good as a year ago. The addition of Sydney Shaw, who averages 12.9 points, has given WVU’s offense some juice. They need a big win, and the Mountaineers will get another chance this weekend against Iowa State.
No. 5 Oklahoma State (14-3, 4-2; Last Ranking: No. 3)
The timing couldn’t have been worse. The Cowgirls get into the Top 25 and promptly lose to Houston, which had not won a league game to that point. How bad is that? For Oklahoma State, that’s a quadrant three loss in NET. That’s dings the resume.
But OSU is No. 29 in NET and has two Quad 1 wins and three Quad 2 wins. That helps offset the Houston loss.
This team is grind-it-out tough. Stailee Heard is a guard that plays like a forward. Holdover guard Anna Gret Asi is having a great year. Micah Gray, the Seton Hall transfer, has made an enormous difference. Coach Jacie Hoyt has OSU pointed toward a second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons.
No. 6 Utah (13-4, 4-2; Last Ranking: No. 6)
No. 7 Iowa State (13-6, 4-2; Last Ranking: No. 9)
No. 8 Colorado (12-5, 3-3; Last Ranking: No. 7)
No. 9 Arizona (11-8, 2-4; Last Ranking: No. 8)
No. 10 Kansas (12-5, 2-4; Last Ranking: No. 10)
No. 11 Cincinnati (10-5, 2-3; Last Ranking: No. 12)
No. 12 Arizona State (8-10, 2-4; Last Ranking: No. 11)
No. 13 BYU (10-6, 1-4; Last Ranking: No. 13)
No. 14 Texas Tech (12-7, 1-5; Last Ranking: No. 14)
This feels like a carbon copy of the past few years. The Lady Raiders put together a great non-conference slate that puts them in position to make some real noise in the conference. Then they get into Big 12 play and they get nowhere. Texas Tech beat Houston in its league opener and has lost the five games since.
In fairness, the last four games have been a gauntlet — Kansas State, West Virginia, TCU and Iowa State. All were double-digit losses.
Guards Jasmine Shavers and Bailey Maupin are having great seasons, combining for more than 28 points per game. The problem is the Lady Raiders don’t have a consistent third scorer. No one else averages more than 5.1 points per game outside of their two leaders. It’s a problem Tech must fix quick.
No. 15 Houston (5-12, 1-5; Last Ranking: No. 16)
No. 16 UCF (7-9, 0-6; Last Ranking: No. 15)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
