After years of competing for 肩書を与えるs, Big 12 women's hoops competes to escape 最近の mediocrity
Krista Gerlich played 支援する when the Big 12 was one of the 最高の，を越す women's basketball 会議／協議会s in the country, 主要な Texas Tech to the 国家の 選手権 a few years before the 南西 会議／協議会 解散させるd and it was 吸収するd by the league.
The Lady Raiders were 支援する in the エリート Eight in 2000 and 2003, the same year that Texas made it to the Final Four. That was about the time that Sherri Coale had turned Oklahoma into a 主要な支え, making the 国家の 準決勝 three out of four years and taking the Sooners to the 選手権 game in 2002, and Iowa 明言する／公表する was making 深い March runs.
Then there was Baylor. After five years of building, Kim Mulkey coached the Lady 耐えるs to the 国家の 選手権, then won 肩書を与えるs again in 2012 and 2019 before leaving three seasons ago for LSU, where she just won a another 肩書を与える.
That was then. These days, the Big 12 is fighting for a bit of relevance.
The league hasn't had a team reach the Final Four since the Lady 耐えるs' last 国家の 肩書を与える. Six qualified for the NCAA Tournament last spring, 非，不，無 was seeded better than fourth and 非，不，無 made it out of the 開始 週末. Fifth-seeded Iowa 明言する／公表する was upset by No. 12 seed Toledo, which was 敏速に beaten 94-47 by Tennessee in the next 一連の会議、交渉／完成する.
"There is such 広大な／多数の／重要な women's basketball in our 会議／協議会," 反対するd Gerlich, whose Lady Raiders won 20 games and went to the WNIT last season. "Really エリート coaches - high-level coaches, and I think it's important to be a part of a 会議／協議会 that can showcase women's basketball. Texas Tech has a rich history in women's basketball and we want to showcase that."
Texas Tech coach Krista Gerlich 演説（する）／住所s the マスコミ during the NCAA college Big 12 women's basketball マスコミ day Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Making some new history would be even better.
The Big 12 will have to come from off the レーダ to do it. The Pac-12 landed six schools in the preseason AP 最高の，を越す 25, 含むing fourth-階級d UCLA and No. 5 Utah. The SEC had five, headlined by the 統治するing 支持する／優勝者 Tigers at No. 1. So did the Big Ten, with 国家の 走者-up Iowa at No. 3, and the ACC, which has Virginia Tech and Notre Dame in the 最高の，を越す 10.
The Big 12 managed only two in the 投票: No. 13 Texas and No. 19 Baylor.
"You have to go live it," Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer said. "You have to go earn it in March. What someone thinks about you in August and September and October is nice, but it doesn't mean anything. We're trying to go earn it."
WELCOME MAT
The four newcomers to the Big 12 - Cincinnati, Houston and UCF from the American 運動競技の and BYU from the West Coast - have some work to do in their new league after each of them failed to finish at .500 last season.
The Bearcats 解雇する／砲火／射撃d Michelle Clark-Heard after finishing 9-21 last season and 雇うd Katrina Merriweather, who led Wright 明言する／公表する to the NCAA Tournament and spent the past two years at Memphis. Houston slipped to 15-16 after 連続した winning seasons, UCF's Sytia Messer is coming off a 14-15 finish in her first season at a program that has had some 最近の success, and BYU will try to get 支援する to the NCAA Tournament in Amber Whiting's second season.
WELCOME BACK
Kansas 明言する／公表する 今後 Ayoka 物陰／風下 is 支援する after 行方不明の last season with a 膝 傷害. Two years ago, the 6-foot-6 物陰／風下 始める，決める the women's 分割 I 記録，記録的な／記録する for points in a 選び出す／独身 game with 61, and finished with 22 points and 10.3 回復するs per game.
SPEAKING OF WELCOME
Merriweather isn't the only one taking over a new program. 示す Campbell was 雇うd by TCU after 主要な Sacramento 明言する／公表する to the NCAA Tournament, and 示す Kellogg by West Virginia after two NCAA trips in eight seasons at Stephen F. Austin.
"I´ve learned with young people, don´t 限界 them," said Campbell, whose Horned Frogs were 8-23 a year ago. "I think the sky´s the 限界 with this group, a really talented group, and that really enjoys each other."
RICH GET RICHER
Not only is Texas 好意d to 勝利，勝つ the league, led by preseason player of the year Rori Harmon, the Longhorns also have the preseason freshman of the year in Madison Booker, who won gold with the U.S. at the FIBA under-19 World Cup last summer.
FOND FAREWELL
This will be the final sea son in the Big 12 for the Sooners and Longhorns, two of its most successful programs. Both 出発／死 for the SEC next season, when Arizona, Arizona 明言する／公表する, Colorado and Utah are 予定 to arrive from the Pac-12.
___
Get 投票 警報s and updates on the AP 最高の，を越す 25 Basketball 投票s throughout the season. 調印する up here ___ AP women´s college basketball: https://apnews.com/中心/ap-最高の，を越す-25-womens-college-basketball-投票 and https://apnews.com/中心/womens-college-basketball
BYU's Lauren Gustin 演説（する）／住所s the マスコミ during the NCAA college Big 12 women's basketball マスコミ day Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas 明言する／公表する's Ayoka 物陰／風下 演説（する）／住所s the マスコミ during the NCAA college Big 12 women's basketball マスコミ day Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Texas coach Vic Schaefer 演説（する）／住所s the マスコミ during the NCAA college Big 12 women's basketball マスコミ day Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Texas' Shaylee Gonzales 演説（する）／住所s the マスコミ during the NCAA college Big 12 women's basketball マスコミ day Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
