Bill Fennelly has seen a lot in his decades coaching Iowa State women’s basketball. Rebuilds. Reloads. Lean years and banner years. What he faces heading into 2026-27 may be the most significant roster turnover of his tenure and the Big 12 schedule just landed on his desk.
Nine players departed this offseason including four starters. Audi Crooks, who averaged 25.8 points per game and finished second in program history in total points, is now at Oklahoma State. Jada Williams, a First Team All Big 12 selection averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 assists, is headed to LSU. Addy Brown, one of the most versatile players Fennelly has coached in recent years, is also gone. The losses are real and the Big 12 is not going to slow down to let Iowa State catch its breath.
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Fennelly has responded aggressively in the portal. Ashleigh Connor from La Salle averaged 15.8 points and 2.0 steals per game. Maya Babbit from Kent State averaged 16.1 points. Alex-Anne Bessette from Loyola Chicago brings size and scoring at 6’2. The pieces are coming in. Whether they gel quickly enough to compete in one of the toughest conferences in the country is the question hanging over next season.
That is the backdrop for this schedule breakdown.
Facing the teams that know you best
Home and away against Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Three programs that know Iowa State well and will come prepared. The Oklahoma State dates are must circle moments the second they are announced. Audi Crooks will be wearing orange and black when she walks into Hilton Coliseum and that storyline writes itself. Cyclone fans will be ready and so will she.
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Kansas State is a program that always brings physicality to the matchup. Kansas remains one of the more consistent programs in the Big 12. Going six for six in the home and away series would be remarkable. Going three for six with home wins would be a successful outcome for a team learning each other on the fly.
Home games worth watching
BYU, Colorado, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech and Utah all make the trip to Ames. Getting Colorado and Houston at Hilton is a genuine advantage for a team that will lean heavily on home court this season. Hilton Coliseum has been one of the great atmospheres in women’s college basketball for decades and Fennelly knows how to use it.
Texas Tech at home is a winnable game that Iowa State should protect. BYU and Utah traveling from out west gives the Cyclones a chance to build early conference momentum before the schedule gets heavier.
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The road ahead
Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, UCF and West Virginia are the away only destinations. Baylor in Waco is never easy regardless of roster. Arizona has established itself as a legitimate program and traveling to Tucson will be a real measuring stick moment for this new group.
West Virginia in Morgantown rounds out a road slate that will demand toughness and cohesion from a roster that is still figuring out its identity.
What this season is really about
For the men’s program this season is about maintaining a standard. For the women’s program it is about establishing a new one.
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Fennelly is not rebuilding from scratch. The tradition is intact, the recruiting relationships are real and the portal additions show ambition rather than resignation. But this group will need time and the schedule will not offer much of it.
If the new pieces find their footing early and Hilton does what Hilton does, Iowa State women’s basketball can be competitive in the Big 12 this season. That in itself given the offseason exodus would be a quiet achievement worth recognizing.
The schedule is set. A new era of Iowa State women’s basketball tips off in November.
