Six Big 12 WBB Teams Ranked in Talia Goodman’s Post-Spring Top 25
On3 HER’s Talia Goodman released her post-spring Women’s Basketball Top 25 on Monday, which included six teams from the Big 12 Conference.
Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas State, West Virginia, TCU, and Utah all checked in on Goodman’s list, with four teams in the league earning Top 15 honors.
NO. 8 IOWA STATE
“The Iowa State Cyclones had a phenomenal offseason, between retaining their two impact freshmen, keeping fifth-year senior Emily Ryan, and surrounding Audi Crooks with talented pieces,” Goodman said. “Crooks and Addy Brown each had incredible freshmen campaigns – and they’ll build this team with that pair in mind. Iowa State brings in Marquette transfer Mackenzie Hare, TCU’s Sydney Harris, Oregon State sharpshooter Lily Hansford, and UMass transfer Lily Taulelei. That’s one heck of a haul. With all those options, the Cyclones could be unguardable next season.”
NO. 11 BAYLOR
The Baylor Bears added only one transfer during the offseason, but it was a splashy addition,” Goodman said. “Aaronette Vonleh, out of Colorado, should be a great fit at Baylor. She averaged 14 points and 5.2 rebounds last season and will aid an already talented backcourt. Baylor returns forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Sarah Andrews, and Jada Walker as well. They’ll be without last season’s leading scorer, Dre’Una Edwards, but they’ll have options to replace that scoring elsewhere.”
NO. 14 KANSAS STATE
Returning leading scorer and rebounder Ayoka Lee is massive for this Kansas State squad,” Goodman wrote. “She averaged 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks last season while shooting 62% from the field. They’ll also return Serena Sundell, Jaelyn Glenn, and Zyanna Walker, as well as two additions from the portal. The most significant newcomer is Tulsa transfer Temira Poindexter, who averaged 21 points as a junior last season. The Wildcats have a talented, proven roster heading into the season.”
NO. 15 WEST VIRGINIA
“The West Virginia Mountaineers will return their two leading scorers in Jordan Harrison and JJ Quinerly, after nearly knocking off Iowa in the NCAA Tournament,” Goodman said. “Coach Mark Kellogg’s first season at the helm was a success, and the Mountaineers return a big chunk of their production. The Mountaineers also added Auburn transfer Sydney Shaw.”
NO. 20 TCU
Not only does TCU return Sedona Prince for her final year of eligibility, but they still have Madison Conner, who thrived in her first season after transferring from Arizona,” Goodman mentioned. “Combined, the pair averaged 38.9 points and 14.4 rebounds. The Horned Frogs also added three significant portal pieces, including former Louisville Cardinal and LSU Tiger Hailey van Lith, who elected to play one more year of college basketball instead of declaring for the WNBA Draft. TCU also adds Kentucky transfer Maddie Scherr and USC transfer Taylor Bigby for a roster full of talent.”
NO. 25 UTAH
“The Utah Utes lost Alissa Pili to the WNBA but will return Gianna Kneepkens, who missed much of last season due to injury,” Goodman wrote. “They’ll also retain plenty of veteran talent and add Michigan transfer Chyra Evans and Rhode Island’s Mayé Touré, who flipped her commitment from Maryland to the Utes.”
