When a team has players like Audi Crooks and Addy Brown, the door to a championship is always open. But Iowa State must also acknowledge the reality. The program has just two years left with the pair of stars, who were selected all-Big 12 preseason.
Coach Bill Fennelly has never experienced a women’s Final Four as a head coach. With Crooks and Brown, along with a deep roster that includes key transfers, he might have the team that can close the deal. That starts by challenging for the Big 12 women’s title.
Here is a preview of the Iowa State Cyclones.
Iowa State Cyclones
2024-25: 23-12, 12-6, seventh in Big 12. ISU lost to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. The Cyclones lost to Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after a First Four victory.
Head coach: Bill Fennelly is entering his 31st season as head coach at Iowa State. He is 634-325 with the Cyclones and has 800 career head-coaching wins. He has taken the program to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight twice, but not since 2009.
Big 12 history: The Cyclones are one of the original members of the Big 12 Conference, which was a merger of the Big 8 Conference and members of the Southwest Conference. ISU last won the Big 12 Tournament title in 2023.
Iowa State Schedule: Click here for a complete 2025-26 Big 12 schedule.
Iowa State 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: G Lily Hansford (1.1 ppg), G Emily Ryan (9.7 ppg), G Kelsey Joens (5.0 ppg).
Returning: G Arianna Jackson (5.3 ppg), F Alisa Williams (3.3 ppg), C/F Lilly Taulelei (1.2 ppg), G Kenzie Hare (8.3 ppg), G Reagan Wilson (1.7 ppg), F Addy Brown (15.2 ppg), G/F Sydney Harris (7.6 ppg), G Aili Tanke (2.3 ppg), C Audi Crooks (23.4 ppg).
Transfers: G Evangelia Paulk (12.8 ppg at Wofford), G Jada Williams (12.7 ppg at Arizona)
Freshmen: G Reese Beaty, G Freya Jensen.
Projected Starting Lineup
G Jada Williams: Steps into the primary ball handling role vacated by Emily Ryan.
G Evangelina Paulk: She’s an exceptional rebounder. She averaged more than eight per game last season.
F Addy Brown: She’s the third guard in this offense and hard to stop.
G/F Sydney Harris: She can give the Cyclones help on the wing and in the paint. She also a 46% 3-point shooter last year.
C Audi Crooks: Entering her junior season she’s already a national star, at least for those that are paying attention.
Starting Lineup Crashers
G Kenzie Hare: She averaged more than eight points last season but isn’t Harris’ equal from deep.
G Arianna Jackson: Perhaps the team’s best perimeter defender.
F Alisa Williams: If any current ISU forward is poised to improve, it’s Williams.
Lineup Competition
This starting five can go toe-to-toe with any team in the Big 12. Williams may be the primary ball handler, but Brown has served in the role, and they can trade off running the offense, which could be frustrating to defenses. They can still lean on Ryan as she’s a graduate assistant this season. Paulk enters the program as one of the best perimeter rebounders in the country and a high-level defender who averaged 3.3 steals last season. Harris is a versatile wing who doesn’t get enough attention for her 3-point shot. Crooks was named the Big 12 preseason player of the year and few teams in the league have learned how to slow her down. There is depth on the roster, but the frontcourt depth is concerning if Crooks gets hurt, as that part of the team is unproven.
Early Prediction
The Cyclones should be well positioned to claim a Top 4 finish in the Big 12 this season. From a starting five perspective, there is enough talent to compete with the expected contenders like Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU. The question is whether the Cyclones have enough depth to give their starters some rest. That question may have an answer by the start of conference play. The Cyclones have their annual showdown with Iowa, along with non-conference games against Marquette and either Indiana or Gonzaga at Coconut Hoops in Fort Myers, Fla. It would not be a surprise to see ISU undefeated going into its Big 12 opener on Dec. 21 against Kansas.
