BAYLOR

Offense: Led by the high-scoring tandem of Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom, Baylor will prove to be a mighty tough opponent in March. Lambert and Crockrom are two of the top five scorers in the Big 12, and the Lady Bears averaging more than 78 points per game, near the top of the league. After a come-from-behind 95-91 win at Iowa State to clinch the second seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, Baylor proved it was ready for the big time.

Grade: A

Defense: It’s Lambert again leading the way for the Baylor defense. Averaging over three steals a game, she turns defense into offense. In a game with Oklahoma State, she grabbed five steals and converted them into layups in a one-point win.

Grade: A-

Overall: A

COLORADO

Offense: After a solid year last season, Colorado came up big in 2001-02 and finished third in the Big 12.

Senior Mandy Nightingale leads the team with more than 13 points per contest. Jenny Roulier (12.7) and Tera Bjorklund (12.3) compliment Nightingale nicely and make up a very efficient offense.

Grade: A-

Defense: Britt Hartshorn has been a dominating force down low, averaging 1.46 blocks per game and making her presence felt. She is a big reason the Buffaloes are giving up a Big 12 low 61.6 points per game. Not a particularly good rebounding team, Colorado could be in trouble if they play a bigger team. However,with a solid group of seniors, they will have the experience to pull off close games.

Grade: A-

Overall: A-

IOWA STATE

Offense: When the Cyclones are on, watch out. They proved they can beat the best with a win over then-No. 2 Oklahoma in January. But when the team is off, it is in trouble as shown by a 17-point loss at Texas A&M. Angie Welle leads the Big 12 in scoring (20.3) and rebounding (11.0) and is complemented nicely by Lindsey Wilson (19.8) and Tracy Gahan (14.7). After that, the next highest scorer is Mary Cofield with 6.8 points per game. If Iowa State hopes to go deep into March, another scorer must step up.

Grade: B

Defense: Same as offense. When it is on, it can shut down any team. The Cyclones held Big 12 Conference champs Oklahoma to 66 points but gave up 88 to the Aggies. In Kansas City, the Cyclone zone seems to get a little tighter and shuts down teams that dominated the regular season.

Grade: A-

Overall: B+

KANSAS

Offense: It hasn’t been pretty in Lawrence. It’s no surprise the Jayhawks are the first to go winless in the conference with an offense as poor as they have. K.C. Hilgenkamp has failed to materialize into a scorer, averaging under 12 points a game. The Jayhawks scored more than 60 once (70 at Nebraska) and averaged 58.5 for the season.

Grade: F

Defense: Kansas has a solid defense, but because its offense is so bad, it doesn’t matter. Kristin Geoffrey is tall enough to contest shots but not athletic enough to get up and down the court faster than the other center. Kansas has held opponents to under 68 a game, but the defense wasn’t good enough for a win in the regular season and won’t in the Big 12 tourney.

Grade: C-

Overall: D-

KANSAS STATE

Offense: The Wildcats announced the were a team to be reckoned with when they beat Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum on opening night in the Big 12, 69-63. Nicole Ohlde and Laurie Koehn make up one of the best young one-two punches in the league, combining for moe than 35 points per game. Still needing to find support off the bench, the team is only scoring 76 points a game and is in the middle of the pack in the conference.

Grade: B

Defense: The Wildcats have outscored their opponents by more than 10 points a game this year despite turning the ball over 17.5 times per game. The team gives up 66 points a game, again middle of the pack in the Big 12, but it was good enough for a fourth seed in the conference tournament. Kansas State’s defense is good now, but in a year it will be even better.

Grade: B

Overall: B

MISSOURI

Offense: The loss of Amanda Lassiter was too much for the Tigers to overcome this season. They struggled to a 14-11 overall record and were 5-9 in the Big 12 one year after making noise in the NCAA Tournament. Kerensa Barr picked up some of the slack, averaging 15.8 points a game, but Missouri is only scoring 67.3 points a game, near the bottom of the Big 12.

Grade: C

Defense: By giving up just under 66 points a game, the Tigers have a solid defense but nothing that is going to take them far in Kansas City. The bright side for this team is that there is only one senior and with a good recruiting class the Tigers could have a bright future led by sophomore Evan Unrau. Unrau grabs more than eight rebounds a game but is out with an injury.

Grade: C-

Overall: C-

NEBRASKA

Offense: Head coach Paul Sanderford has a young team with only one senior, and much like last year, it hasn’t led to wins. The team finished 4-12 in the conference and will face Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. Given the Cyclones have beat the Huskers 88-54 and 82-71 already this year, things aren’t looking good for the Huskers.

Grade: C

Defense: Nebraska has always had trouble covering Angie Welle, Lindsey Wilson and Tracy Gahan. The Huskers give up 69 points a game, but the Cyclones have scored an average of 86 points a game in the last seven meetings, all Cyclone wins. It will take a huge performance defensively to win.

Grade: C-

Overall: C-

OKLAHOMA

Offense: With Big 12 Player of the Year Stacey Dales and LaNeisha Caufield leading the way, it’s no surprise Oklahoma won the regular season Big 12 championship. Both average around 17 a game and have helped the Sooners be the league’s highest scoring team.

Grade: A

Defense: The only thing lacking is height. Forward Caton Hill does most of the rebounding and plays large in the post, but at 6-foot-1-inches, she gives up too much height to bigger opponents. This is one of the reasons Iowa State beat them in Ames.

Grade: A-

Overall: A

OKLAHOMA STATE

Offense: What’s the old clich‚? Throw records out the window. It works here. While the Cowgirls finished 7-9 in the conference after it was announced head coach Dick Halterman was being fired at the season’s end, the team picked it up. Trisha Skibbe led an offensive charge to wins over Texas Tech and Iowa State at home. How the team will do in Kansas City remains to be seen.

Grade: B-

Defense: Again, it is playing inspired. Overall the Cowgirls gave up 64 points a game and forced 17 turnovers. It has helped the team to a few big wins already and will be much needed when it plays Texas A&M and possibly Oklahoma.

Grade: B

Overall: B

TEXAS

Offense: Stacy Stephens had a tremendous season, averaging 14.7 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. Freshman Heather Schreiber complemented her nicely with 14.4 points and 6.0 boards a game. No other starter averages double digits, but the Longhorns rely a lot on defense to win games.

Grade: B

Defense: The team blocks a lot of shots, gets a lot of steals and has a very pressing defense that forces 18 turnovers a game and only gives up around 65 points. Texas is riding high after an overtime victory against Oklahoma.

Grade: A-

Overall: B+

TEXAS A&M

Offense: It is not all that good, scoring just 68 points per game. High scorer Meg Banahan averages just 11.5 points per game. It is still a mystery how it scored 88 against Iowa State. The Cowgirls will have to dig deep to get past Oklahoma State in the first round.

Grade: C-

Defense: This is how they win games. Press, press, press. Toccara Williams averaged a league-high 4.1 steals a game. However, they still give up a league-high 70 points a game. If they get past the Cowgirls it will take an out-of-this-world effort to down No. 1 seed Oklahoma.

Grade: C

Overall: C-

TEXAS TECH

Offense: Despite playing without All-Big 12 player Plenette Pierson, the Lady Raiders have had a solid season. Jia Perkins stepped up big with 16.0 points per game. Amber Tarr pitched in with just over 12 a game for an offense that is capable of scoring as many as 90 or as few as 60. It is a Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde case.

Grade: B

Defense: Usually in close games, no matter how bad the offense is, the Lady Raiders play good defense, averaging more than nine steals a game and five blocks. The Raiders should get by Missouri but will have their hands full with Baylor in the second round.

Grade: B+

Overall: B