Baylor was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2009-10 Big 12 women's basketball regular season title in a vote of the league's head coaches.
It was a tight race for the top three spots with Kansas and Texas tying for second, just three points behind the Lady Bears - last season's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship winner. The first-place votes were spread among four teams as Baylor earned five, KU and UT received three each and fourth-place Texas A&M nabbed one. BU was also the preseason pick in 2005-06 after winning the 2005 national championship.
Oklahoma, last year's preseason favorite and regular season champion, placed fifth, followed by Nebraska in sixth, Iowa State seventh, Kansas State eighth, Oklahoma State ninth, Texas Tech 10th, Colorado 11th and Missouri 12th.
Big 12 squads return 101 letterwinners in 2009-10, including 38 starters. The Conference has 16 of 30 leading scorers and nine of 20 top rebounders back. Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State) led the Big 12 in scoring (23.0) in 2008-09 for the second consecutive year and was fifth nationally. Kierra Mallard (Texas Tech) is the league's top returning rebounder after averaging 7.9 boards her rookie season.
The 2009-10 regular season gets underway on Friday, Nov. 13. Big 12 head coaches and select student-athletes will convene in Kansas City on Oct. 21 for the annual Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day. Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium will serve as the site of the 2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship Thursday-Sunday, March 11-14.
2009-10 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
| 1. |
Baylor (5) |
109 |
| 2. |
Kansas (3) |
106 |
| |
Texas (3) |
106 |
| 4. |
Texas A&M (1) |
87 |
| 5. |
Oklahoma |
86 |
| 6. |
Nebraska |
80 |
| 7. |
Iowa State |
59 |
| 8. |
Kansas State |
44 |
| 9. |
Oklahoma State |
41 |
| 10. |
Texas Tech |
38 |
| 11. |
Colorado |
22 |
| 12. |
Missouri |
15 |
(first place votes in parentheses; coaches not allowed to vote for their own team)
Preseason Poll History
| Season |
Preseason Selection |
Big 12 Champion |
| 1996-97 |
Poll Not Conducted |
Kansas |
| 1997-98 |
Texas Tech |
Texas Tech |
| 1998-99 |
Kansas |
Texas Tech |
| 1999-00 |
Iowa State |
Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma |
| 2000-01 |
Iowa State |
Oklahoma |
| 2001-02 |
Oklahoma |
Oklahoma |
| 2002-03 |
Texas Tech |
Texas |
| 2003-04 |
Texas |
Texas, Kansas State |
| 2004-05 |
Texas |
Baylor |
| 2005-06 |
Baylor |
Oklahoma |
| 2006-07 |
Oklahoma |
Texas A&M, Oklahoma |
| 2007-08 |
Texas A&M |
Kansas State |
| 2008-09 |
Oklahoma |
Oklahoma |