Arizona women’s basketball: Big 12 preview

Big 12 women’s basketball competition is already underway. Several teams had their first contests on Saturday, Dec. 20. The Arizona Wildcats and a few others will get underway in the coming days. What did each team do in their nonconference season? Here’s a rundown of the 15 other teams in the order that Arizona will face them.

Utah Utes (9-3, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Utes have a NET of 43, which is 8th in the Big 12. Their nonconference SOS is 88 out of 363 teams.

Meetings in 2025-26: The Utes and the Wildcats will meet in a home-and-away series this year. The teams tip off Big 12 play on Dec. 22 in Tucson. Their second meeting is the last game of the regular season on Feb. 28, 2026 in Salt Lake City.

What the Utes did in nonconference: Utah is one of just three Big 12 teams that played a top 100 strength of schedule based on the NET of their opponents. That slate included games against three Power 4 teams, topped off with a faceoff against No. 1 Connecticut in the Huskies’ home away from home. The Utes also played then-No. 25 Washington and Syracuse. All three of their losses came in those Power 4 games. Two of the three were played in Uncasville, Conn.

Players to watch: The Utes lost star Gianna Kneepkens to transfer last season. She ended up at UCLA, which has plucked players from a multitude of former Pac-12 opponents.

The Utes also went into the portal for help. Leading scorer Lani White played her first three years at Virginia Tech. The six-foot guard is the only Ute who averages double figures in scoring, although they have three just behind her with 9+ points per game. She accounts for 13.2 ppg. She’s also the leading rebounder with 5.6 boards per game.

White is one of just two players to start all 12 games this year. Eight different players have started at least one game for Utah in 2025-26.

Colorado Buffaloes (9-3, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Buffaloes’ NET is 64, placing them 10th among Big 12 teams. Their nonconference SOS is 242.

Meetings in 2025-26: The Buffs are another team that Arizona will play at home and on the road. The first game will be in Boulder on Dec. 31. That’s the Wildcats’ first game away from McKale Center this season. CU makes the return trip to Tucson on Feb. 17.

What the Buffaloes did in nonconference: Colorado lost a close six-point game road game to a ranked Louisville team early in the season. It was one of two Power 4 opponents for the Buffs, both of which were away from home and ended in losses.

The other loss is the big blemish on the record. The Buffs dropped a one-point home game to Montana State.

CU has one common opponent with Arizona. The Buffs blew out the New Mexico Lobos 84-59 at home. Arizona lost to the Lobos by three in Tucson.

Players to watch: The Buffaloes are a balanced offensive team. They have two players averaging double figures and four more scoring 9.3 or more per game.

Logyn Greer is the leading scorer (11.6 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (6.0 rpg) for the Buffs.

Anaelle Dutat might be the best all-around player, though. She is the third-leading scorer (9.7 ppg) and top rebounder (8.3 rpg) for CU. Dutat’s equally good on both ends of the court with 3.8 of her rebounds coming on the offensive end. Her 8.3 total rebounds are second in the Big 12 while she leads the league in offensive boards.

The Buffs are a big team. Every player is listed at 5-foot-8 or taller. They have six players listed at 6-foot-2 or taller.

Seven players have started at least one game for the Buffaloes.

RV Texas Tech Red Raiders (13-0, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: TTU has a NET of 23, which is third in the Big 12. The problem is the nonconference strength of schedule, which is 288.

Meetings in 2025-26: Arizona plays Texas Tech just once this season. That meeting is Jan. 3 in Lubbock.

What the Red Raiders did in nonconference: TTU was one of the big surprises in the nonconference portion of the season. The Raiders had their best opening ever, going perfect in 13 games. While they didn’t have a great SOS, they did at least play three Power 4 opponents, taking care of all of them. They also handily beat New Mexico 82-57 in Albuquerque.

The first big test for Texas Tech comes in its Big 12 opener at No. 15 Baylor.

Players to watch: TTU has three players averaging at least 14 points this season: Bailey Maupin (14.8), Snudda Collins (14.1), and Jalynn Bristow (14.0). Bristow also leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game. Gemma Nuñez is leading the team in assists (5.3) and is second in rebounds (5.2).

Collins is doing her damage off the bench. The team has had a stable starting corps. Krista Gerlich has run out the same starting five in all 13 games this season.

BYU Cougars (12-1, 1-0)

NET Ranking/SOS: The Cougars are ranked 44 in NET after their conference opener on Dec. 20. Their strength of schedule is 248.

Meetings in 2025-26: BYU is another team that Arizona will only face once this season. The two teams meet in Tucson on Jan. 6.

What the Cougars did in nonconference: BYU went 11-1 prior to conference play with the only loss coming at then-No. 17 Vanderbilt. The Commodores were one of two Power 4 teams they faced. The other game was a win over Virginia Tech.

Players to watch: BYU lost Amari Whiting when her mom was replaced as head coach after last season. They retained star sophomore Delaney Gibb, who was last year’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

The bump in the road came from mid-November until Dec. 20 when Gibb was out. Her return came in the conference opener against UCF.

Gibb leads three players who score in double figures. Her 15.4 ppg are ahead of Olivia Hamlin (13.2) and Marya Hudgins (11.2).

Lara Rohkohl leads the team in rebounding 7.0 per game. Just behind her is Brinley Cannon at 6.3 rpg.

UCF Knights (8-4, 0-1)

NET Ranking/SOS: The Knights are No. 128 in NET, which is 13th in the Big 12. They have a SOS of 348 in nonconference and 323 overall.

Meetings in 2025-26: UA and UCF will meet only once this season, which is probably a bad thing for Arizona. Like the Wildcats, the Knights are among the four Big 12 teams outside the top 100 of the NET, so this is a team they have a good chance to beat. On the positive side, the one meeting comes in Tucson on Jan. 10.

What the Knights did in nonconference: The Knights played just one Power 4 team, and it wasn’t an especially good one. They lost to Wake Forest 65-60 in overtime.

That means UCF had two losses to mid-majors, No. 133 Charlotte and No. 136 Stetson. That compares to Arizona’s two losses to No. 111 New Mexico and No. 162 Southern.

The Knights opened conference play with a 21-point home loss to BYU.

Players to watch: UCF lost its top three scorers either during the season or after the season last year, but it has two double-digit scorers this season in Leah Harmon (16.8 ppg) and Khyala Ngodu (11.0) ppg. The problem is that no one else scores more than 6.7 ppg.

In addition to being the second-leading scorer, Ngodu is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.2 boards per game.

The Knights have a stable lineup with the same group of five starting every contest this season.

No. 9 TCU Horned Frogs (13-0, 1-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Horned Frogs are No. 9 in NET, but it’s not because they’ve played a particularly tough schedule. As is typical of Mark Campbell’s program, they have played a rather soft nonconference SOS. Heading into league play, they sat at No. 238.

Meetings in 2025-26: The Wildcats will only see TCU once this year. That will be in Fort Worth on Jan. 17, which gives Arizona a week to prepare for the Horned Frogs.

What the Horned Frogs did in nonconference: Campbell obviously doesn’t hold to the idea that a tough out-of-conference schedule is required to prepare for Big 12 play, but the Horned Frogs proved that they’re up to the competition when they did venture into rough waters. They beat then-No. 10 NC State by 10 on the road in mid-November.

Otherwise, there’s no one on the schedule that would scare many Power 4 teams. Much of the schedule wouldn’t bother many mid-major teams.

It didn’t matter. TCU handled Kansas State easily in the teams’ conference opener on Dec. 20.

Players to watch: Despite the rather soft nonconference schedule, there’s little reason to be concerned about TCU being prepared. They once again went into the portal and got one of the top guards. Last year it was Hailey Van Lith. This year it was Olivia Miles. She was just one of many portal acquisitions for the Frogs.

Miles is one of four Horned Frogs averaging double-digits. Her 18.9 ppg are fourth in the Big 12. Just behind her is teammate Marta Suarez, who averages 18.8 ppg. Suarez also joined TCU this year after stints at Tennessee and Cal. Former Oregon State Beaver Donovyn Hunter averages 13.5 ppg in her second year with TCU. The quartet is completed by former Kentucky center Clara Silva, who averages 10.0 ppg.

Silva also leads the Frogs with 7.8 rebounds per game. Miles is second with 7.2, while Suarez is grabbing 6.5 to round out the top three.

All-in-all, a side game of “where have I seen her before” can provide amusement if TCU games aren’t competitive. Ten of 14 players have played for at least one other program, with nine of those coming from other Power 4 programs. Five of the ten have played for at least three programs, including TCU.

Kansas Jayhawks (9-2, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Jayhawks have a NET of 65. Their nonconference SOS is ranked 170.

Meetings in 2025-26: The Wildcats and Jayhawks meet once this season. That comes on Jan. 20 in McKale Center.

What the Jayhawks did in nonconference: The Jayhawks played four Power 4 teams this season. They also played Missouri State, which is traditionally a good mid-major. The last time the Bears won fewer than 20 games was the 2016-17 season and they still finished above .500 that year.

The Jayhawks’ schedule says that they are 10-2, but the NCAA doesn’t recognize the game against NAIA Haskell. Their official record for NCAA purposes is 9-2.

Their best opponent was Georgia, which is receiving votes in the AP poll. KU lost that game by six points.

First up in the Big 12 is No. 10 Iowa State.

Players to watch: The Jayhawks have three players averaging double figures and a fourth who scores just over nine points per game. Freshman Jaliya Davis could also be thrown into that group of double-digit scorers, but she has appeared in just three games due to an injury.

It all starts with S’Mya Nichols, who had to play out of position a lot last season as the team struggled with injuries. Nichols is third in the Big 12 with 19.3 ppg, including the non-NCAA game against Haskell. She’s hitting 50.8 percent of her shots from the field and 38.7 percent of her 3s.

Elle Evans (11.0 ppg) and Regan Williams (10.7 ppg) are the other two regular players who average 10+ points per game. Lilly Meister is not far behind at 9.1 ppg.

Meister’s 7.3 rebounds lead the team in that category. Williams is second with 6.4.

Injuries have also caused some variations in the KU starting lineup. Nine different players have started at least two games this season.

No. 10 Iowa State Cyclones (12-0, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Cyclones have a NET rating of 15 and a SOS of 196.

Meetings in 2025-26: The two teams meet just once this season. That game takes place in Ames on Jan. 24. It will be Arizona’s only linear TV appearance this season with FS1 airing the game.

What the Cyclones did in nonconference: The Cyclones mostly stuck around in their neck of woods playing mid-majors, but they did play two Power 4 opponents. One was a win over then-No. 10 Iowa in Ames.

They had one common opponent with Arizona. ISU dominated Southern by the score of 85-58. The Wildcats lost to SU by six.

Players to watch: ISU center Audi Crooks was the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, and she’s lived up to that billing so far. She leads the league with 27.8 ppg. She’s 22nd with 6.1 rebounds per game and 19th with 0.9 blocks per game.

Addy Brown is the 1B to Crooks’ 1A—or it might be the other way around. Brown is certainly the more versatile player.

Brown scores 14.5 ppg and hits 47.4 percent of her 3-point shots. Just because she’s got shooting range doesn’t mean she can’t mix it up inside, though. She leads the team and is second in the Big 12 with 9.6 rebounds per game. She also makes others better with her 5.6 assists per game against just 1.6 turnovers.

Then, there’s former Wildcat Jada Williams. Williams isn’t shooting well from outside, where she’s only connecting on 24.4 percent of her shots. However, she’s doing a very good job from inside the arc where she hits 50.7 percent. She’s also converting 90 percent of her free throws while going to the line 2.5 times per game.

Having Crooks and Brown shooting 72.2 and 53.9 percent from the field, respectively, certainly makes a point guard’s job easier. Williams is dishing out 8.1 assists per game while only turning it over 2.5 times.

Arizona State Sun Devils (13-0, 0-0)

NET Ranking/SOS: The Sun Devils have a NET ranking of 42. Their strength of schedule stands at 243.

Meetings in 2025-26: The Wildcats and Sun Devils meet twice every year. The first matchup is in Tempe on Jan. 28. ASU makes the return trip to Tucson on Feb. 14.

What the Sun Devils did in nonconference: ASU only played one Power 4 team, but they did play five of their games on the road. They also scheduled several mid-majors that are traditionally among the strongest: UNLV, Oregon State, and Gonzaga. The latter two were on the road, and the Sun Devils came out victorious in close contests both times.

Players to watch: ASU lost several players to transfer after the coaching change last season. However, Molly Miller was in place with plenty of time to go into the portal herself. She’s found some leadership in her transfers.

Both of the Sun Devils’ leading scorers transferred in after last season. Gabby Elliott, who spent last year at Penn State and is at her fourth program in five years, leads the team with 16.5 points per game. McKinna Brackens came over from UNLV. She is the second-leading scorer with 14.4 ppg. Brackens’ 7.9 rpg lead the team.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls (11-2, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Cowgirls have a NET of 28. Their SOS is ranked 217.

Meetings in 2025-26: The Cowgirls and Wildcats meet just once. That game takes place on Feb. 1 in Tucson.

What the Cowgirls did in nonconference: OSU played two Power 4 teams prior to conference play. Both came on neutral courts.

The Cowgirls beat Miami by three in a holiday tournament. They were blown out by Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. The Sooners are currently ranked No. 8 in the country.

Overall, they played a rather soft schedule like the bulk of the Big 12 did. However, they’re not TCU or Iowa State, so they probably could have used a bit more seasoning heading into conference play.

Players to watch: The Cowgirls are definitely an offensive-oriented team, and that was only helped by the weak schedule. They have seven players averaging double figures. All seven have appeared in each of the 13 games the team played. They also have six players with at least 20 assists and more assists than turnovers.

They make it rain from outside. Their top five scorers all hit at least 35.7 percent of their 3-point shots. Four of them shoot better than 41 percent from outside.

On an all-around basis, the player to watch is probably Jadyn Wooten. She averages 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 56.8 percent from the field. She also accounts for 5.9 assists against just 1.8 turnovers per game.

The team’s leading rebounder is Achol Akot, who spent last year at UCF. She accounts for 11.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Another former Big 12 rival who has an all-around impact is Whiting. The one-time Oregon commit played for her mother at BYU until Amber Whiting was dismissed by the program after last season. She scores 11.9 points while grabbing 6.0 rebounds. She’s also good for 2.3 steals and 3.5 assists per game. She has a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kansas State Wildcats (7-7, 0-1)

NET ranking/SOS: The other Wildcats are No. 72 in NET after playing the No. 36 schedule in the country. That’s the toughest schedule of any Big 12 team.

Meetings in 2025-26: The only meeting between the two groups of Wildcats this season will be in Tucson on Feb. 4.

What the Wildcats did in nonconference: Kansas State lost a lot after last year, but it didn’t shy away from competition because of that. These Wildcats played four Power 4 teams and two of the better mid-major programs. Two of their Power 4 opponents were ranked, and they went 1-1 in those games.

The inconsistency was demonstrated by their ranked win. The Wildcats beat then-No. 13 Ole Miss by one point on a neutral court. In their next game, San Diego State came to Manhattan and easily handled KSU by 11.

Their first conference game was a 22-point loss at TCU on Dec. 20.

Players to watch: Gilbert Arenas’ daughter Izzy Arenas decided to move on after one year at Louisville. She landed at Kansas State where she’s the fourth-leading scorer at 8.6 ppg.

That’s kind of the problem for the Wildcats. They only have two players in double figures and no one else is above 8.9 ppg. Their offense can go cold for long periods.

Taryn Sides is leading the way 14.1 ppg. Her 4.9 rpg are second on the team. Nastja Claessens is second on the team with 10.6 ppg and fourth with 4.3 rpg.

West Virginia Mountaineers (10-2, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Mountaineers are No. 24 in the NET. Their schedule strength is ranked No. 93.

Meetings in 2025-26: UA and WVU meet once this season. The game takes place in Morgantown on Feb. 7.

What the Mountaineers did in nonconference: The Mountaineers played four Power 4 teams. They also played Villanova, which is No. 30 in the NET and plays in a conference not traditionally considered “Power 4” but that includes top-ranked UConn. It’s tough to call that a mid-major league. They went 3-2 in those games.

Their first conference game will be against Houston, which is bringing up the bottom of the Big 12 in the NET.

Players to watch: The loss of JJ Quinerly doesn’t seem to be affecting the Mountaineers too much when it comes to putting points on the board. They have four players averaging double-digit scoring despite playing a pretty solid schedule. After those four, no one scores more than 6.2 ppg.

The team is led by Gia Cooke, who comes in with 16.2 ppg. However, that’s pretty much the sum total of her statistical impact. She gets 1.8 rpg and 1.2 steals per game. She has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.7.

Kierra Wheeler has a more well-rounded game. WVU’s second-leading scorer is good for 13.9 ppg. She leads the team with 7.3 rpg. On defense, she has 2.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Once again, assist-to-turnover ratio is an issue, though. Hers is just 0.5.

Sydney Shaw contributes 13.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg. She is the first of WVU’s top scorers to have a positive assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.1. She has a strong 2.75 steals per game and 0.7 blocks per game.

Cincinnati Bearcats (5-7, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: The Bearcats’ NET is 145. Their schedule strength is ranked 236th.

Meetings in 2025-26: The two teams meet once this season. That comes on Feb. 10 in Cincinnati.

What the Bearcats did in nonconference: Cincinnati’s only Power 4 opponent was Penn State. They lost to the Lions.

The Bearcats have one common opponent with Arizona. They beat New Mexico by three on a neutral court. The Wildcats lost to the Lobos by three at home.

Their first conference opponent is Oklahoma State.

Players to watch: The Bearcats hoped one of their players to watch this year was going to be hometown star Dee Alexander. Those hopes were dashed when an injury wiped out her freshman season before it started.

That said, they still have three players who are good for double-digit scoring averages. That group is led by Mya Perry, whose 18.2 ppg are sixth in the Big 12. She also grabs 1.9 steals per game. Caliyah DeVillasee accounts for 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. Reagan Jackson is third in the group with 12.3 ppg.

Kylie Torrence holds things down inside. She has a team-high 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while scoring 8.4 ppg.

No. 15 Baylor Bears (11-2, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: Baylor is ranked 19th in NET and have played the 68th-best schedule.

Meetings in 2025-26: Arizona doesn’t see Baylor until Feb. 21. It’s the only meeting between the two and takes place in Waco.

What the Bears did in nonconference: The Bears played three teams that were ranked when the game was played. That includes an early defeat of Duke in Paris when the Blue Devils were still No. 7. BU went 1-2 in those games with losses to then-No. 19 Iowa and No. 2 Texas.

Baylor followed up the loss to Texas with a 17-point win over Southern, which beat Arizona in Tucson. Despite missing leading scorer Taliah Scott, the Bears scored 77 points.

Players to watch: Scott is definitely the player to watch when she’s back on the floor. The two-time transfer is second in the Big 12 with 22.6 ppg. She also contributes 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Bella Fontleroy is the only other Bear in double figures with 10.6 ppg. She adds 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs narrowly misses averaging a double-double with 9.9 ppg and 10.7 rpg. The rebounds lead the Big 12.

Houston Cougars (6-5, 0-0)

NET ranking/SOS: Houston’s NET of 180 is the lowest in the league by a considerable margin. Arizona at 140 and Cincinnati at 145 are the closest. The Cougars have a SOS ranked 334, which is the second-lowest in the league. Only Arizona at 355 is worse.

Meetings in 2025-26: Houston will come to Tucson on Feb. 24 for the teams’ only meeting. Once again, this may not be in Arizona’s best interests if it wants to stack some wins.

What the Cougars did in nonconference: Like Arizona, Houston did not play any Power 4 teams in nonconference. It did, however, leave home on several occasions. Five of its nonconference games were on the road or on neutral courts.

UH and UA had two common opponents: Southern and New Mexico. Houston played Southern at home but went to Albuquerque to play the Lobos. Like Arizona, it lost to both squads. Southern won 70-62 at Houston. UNM won 63-41 at home against the Cougars.

Players to watch: It may not come as a surprise for a team that has struggled as much as the Cougars, but no one on the squad averages double-digit scoring.

It looked like Houston might have the pieces in place to improve under first-year head coach Matthew Mitchell, but they seem to be struggling even more than they did at the end of last season.

Kyndall Hunter was a highly-ranked recruit that spent two years at Texas and two years at Texas A&M before transferring to Houston in the offseason. She leads the team with 9.8 ppg, but like the rest of her team, she is struggling mightily with turnovers.

The best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team is 1.0 by Tk Pitts. Pitts has 16 assists and 16 turnovers this season. Everyone else has more turnovers than assists, most by a considerable margin.

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