Oklahoma

The women’s basketball teams in the Big 12 have been chasing leader Oklahoma all season, and the No. 9 Sooners recently wrapped up the regular-season title with a 73-45 stomping over Nebraska. Oklahoma has been riding high on the heels of freshman Courtney Paris, who has recorded 21 consecutive double-doubles and is the first Big 12 player in history to score 600 points and 400 rebounds in one season. The title is Oklahoma’s first since winning a string of three in a row from 2000 to 2002.

Baylor

The 2005 national champions had no trouble settling back into a prominent role in the Big 12 this season, and much of the No. 10 Lady Bears’ success is accredited to senior forward Sophia Young. The Big 12’s career rebounding leader and National Player of the Year candidate is averaging 21.5 points a game to lead the conference, and will likely break the Big 12 scoring record of 2,333 points set by Kansas State’s Kendra Wecker last season.

Texas A&M

The No. 25 Aggies are poised at a tie for third in the conference race, sharing a 10-5 record with Missouri. The Aggies have played a part in the conference’s wide-open race with wins over Texas Tech and Missouri at home and a 20-point showcase over Texas in Austin. The solid backcourt of A’Quonesia Franklin, Morenike Atunrase and Takia Starks are pacing the Aggies in several Big 12 categories.

Missouri

After putting together a dismal 11-18 record last year, as well as a 4-12 Big 12 mark, Missouri came out this season with a vengeance. The Tigers smashed open the season with an early 15-2 record, including home wins over Big 12 powerhouses Baylor and Kansas State. Averaging 70.6 points per game, senior point guard LaToya Bond is adding 17.6 per game for a team whose turnaround was aided by a largely returning squad.

Texas Tech

The Lady Raiders, who were ranked as high at No. 2 in the nation only two years ago, will have a bittersweet ending to their middling conference record this season. After 24 years at the helm of the program, legendary coach Marsha Sharp will resign from Texas Tech. Sharp took the team to 16 straight NCAA appearances, as well as the national title in 1993. All-American candidate Erin Grant will help her coach make a last-chance run at the tournament.

Kansas State

After losing potent trio Kendra Wecker, Laurie Koehn and Megan Mahoney last season to graduation, Kansas State was looking for answers from a young squad. Freshmen starters Marlies Gipson, Shalee Lehning and JoAnn Hamlin have delivered for the Wildcats in the transition year. Two heartbreaking overtime losses to Texas and Missouri prove that the young, fiery squad will have potential in years to come.

Nebraska

Nebraska is right in the middle of the pack after being picked to be fifth in the Big 12 in the preseason poll. Led By Kiera Hardy and Kelsey Griffin, the Huskers have kept the same pace as last season, in which they advanced to the second round of the WNIT before falling to Iowa. Look for a similar run this year, especially if they can’t finish with a record above .500 in the conference.

Texas

The Longhorns have had a disappointing year, but have potential to open up their game in the Big 12 tournament, especially with a near home-court advantage. Texas’ conference season has been up and down, as it started with two straight losses and then rolled off four straight wins. The season’s been a rollercoaster since.

Iowa State

After losing five seniors, the Cyclones experienced some growing pains, especially after losing freshman Rachel Pierson to a back injury early in the season. Led by Lyndsey Medders, the Cyclones have developed through the season, but have yet to establish much scoring consistency.

Kansas

Kansas led the Big 12 race early on, starting the season 12-0, including a win over Texas. The Jayhawks then lost 10 of their next 13 games, plummeting them down the standings, ending any hope for a break-through season.

Colorado

The Buffaloes weren’t expected to do much this season, and – in effect – haven’t. Highlights of their season include a season sweep over Kansas and a win over cellar-dweller Oklahoma State. Post-season play for Colorado seems almost impossible, barring a magical run through the Big 12 tournament.

Oklahoma State

Ouch. The Cowgirls started the conference schedule with a loss, and have yet to reverse the trend (Results from the Texas A&M game were not available at the time of print). 15-straight losses is a tough way to enter the tournament. It’s hard to believe this team was picked to be above Colorado at the beginning of the season.

– Pat Brown and Shelby Hoffman