Baylor Picked To Win Big 12 Women’s Conference Title
The Baylor Bears are, for the 11th time since 2006, considered the favorite to win the Big 12 women’s basketball crown, as voted by the league’s coaches.
Coaches are not allowed to vote for their team, and the first-place votes were a bit split, with Baylor receiving seven, with Texas receiving two and Iowa State receiving one. While Baylor had more total points in voting (79), Iowa State and Texas tied for second with 67 points each.
That those three teams were at the top of the coaches’ poll is hardly surprising.
The Bears are coming off a 2020-21 in which they won the Big 12’s regular-season and tournament titles but lost in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight to UConn. After the season, long-time head coach Kim Mulkey left for LSU, and Atlanta Dream head coach Nicki Collen replaced her.
Texas is coming off a season in which it, like Baylor, reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. After wins over Bradley, UCLA and Maryland, Texas fell to South Carolina one game short of the Final Four.
Iowa State was a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell in the second round to Texas A&M by two points.
West Virginia was fourth, followed by Oklahoma, TCU and Oklahoma State. Kansas State and Texas Tech were tied at No. 8, with Kansas finishing No. 10.
West Virginia and Oklahoma State were the other two Big 12 teams to reach the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia won its opening-round game against Lehigh before falling to Georgia Tech. West Virginia also finished in a tie for second in Big 12 play with Oklahoma State. OSU also won its first NCAA Tournament game against Wake Forest before losing to Stanford.
READ MORE: NaLyssa Smith Named Preseason Big 12 Women’s Player of Year
READ MORE: Top 12 Questions Heading into Week 6 of the Big 12 Football Season: Part I
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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2021-22 Big 12 Preseason Poll
Team (First-place votes) Points
1. Baylor (7) 79
2. Iowa State (1) 67
Texas (2) 67
4. West Virginia 58
5. Oklahoma 44
6. TCU 32
7. Oklahoma State 30
8. K-State 26
Texas Tech 26
10. Kansas 17
