🏀 WBB: Despite 4 new teams, the Big 12 title could be decided by some familiar faces

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 Conference may have lost longtime members Oklahoma and Texas and welcomed four new teams this season, but there are still a bunch of familiar women’s basketball programs that are expected to contend for the title in its first year as a 16-team league.

Those familiar programs have some familiar faces, too.

No. 13 Kansas State was the pick of the coaches to win the league, thanks largely to the return of preseason All-Big 12 picks Ayoka Lee and Serena Sundell. Eighth-ranked Iowa State, led by the returning stars Audi Crooks and Emily Ryan, had the second-most votes while No. 12 Baylor, TCU and No. 16 West Virginia also received plenty of preseason praise.

Those are all schools that have called the Big 12 home for years. And while they are happy to have Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado joining the mix, they don’t intend to give up their spots in the conference hierarchy any time soon.

“I always felt if you were good enough to win the Big 12 championship, you’re good enough to go to the Final Four and compete for a national championship, and obviously that remains,” said Kansas coach Brandon Schneider, who has led the Jayhawks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament two of the past three years.

“I’ve also believed for a long time, if you talk about leagues across the country, none is more competitive than our league.”

Texas won the women’s Big 12 Tournament title two of the past three years, and Oklahoma has long been one of the nation’s premier programs. But even without them, the conference is expected to be one of the toughest in the nation. It has four of the top 16 teams in the preseason AP Top 25 poll for the first time since the 2008 season.

TCU and Utah could push their way into the poll in a hurry, too. The Horned Frogs feature star shooter Madison Conner and the nation’s No. 1-ranked transfer in Hailey Van Lith, while Utah is led by Gianna Kneepkens, a preseason All-Big 12 selection.

“We’ve advanced in the NCAA Tournament the last two years,” Utah coach Lynne Roberts said. “I’m hopeful even though we’ve been on the West Coast, people are still conscious of what we’ve achieved.”

Title tilt time

The women’s Big 12 title game will be at the T-Mobile Center for the second consecutive season but shift from Tuesday night, the eve of the men’s tournament last season, to Sunday. If BYU makes the game, it would be pushed back to Monday.

“The championship last year at T-Mobile was incredible,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, who moved the tourney from the smaller, antiquated nearby Municipal Auditorium to the same venue used by the men’s tournament. “We go on sale later this week for ticket sales and I expect those to grow exponentially.”

Familiar faces, new places

In the era of the transfer portal, a number of Big 12 players shuffled around within the conference after last season, and that means they will be facing their old teams — and many old teammates — over the next four months.

Aaronette Vonleh started every game for Colorado last season but is now playing for Baylor. Ashley Chevalier spent last season at Texas Tech but will play for Houston. Hannah Gusters was Oklahoma State’s top scorer last season before heading to UCF, while Lior Garzon started 30 games for the Cowgirls but left for the Buffaloes.

Olympic medalist arrives

Van Lith, who played at Louisville and LSU before transferring to TCU for her final season, spent the summer as part of the 3x3 team representing the U.S. at the Paris Olympics. She helped the Americans come away with a bronze medal.

Her extensive experience in the 3x3 game, where pick-and-rolls play a big part in scoring, should help Van Lith transition into Horned Frogs coach Mark Campbell’s offensive system — especially with 6-foot-7 Sedona Prince to work off in the post.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to come to TCU is the offensive system,” Van Lith said. “It will push me to get better.”

Swimming with sharks

Houston coach Ronald Hughey leaned on Kelvin Sampson, his men’s basketball counterpart, for help navigating his first season in the Big 12 last year. Sampson coached in the league with Oklahoma long before he took over the Cougars’ program.

“Coach Sampson and I have a really good relationship. I’m in his practices all the time,” Hughey said. “The thing is there’s always open arms to help us be the best we can be. I tell the young women all the time, ‘We’re swimming next to sharks (in the Houston men).’ The tenacity they play with, we try to mimic that every day.”