We’re entering December and it’s time for the second Big 12 women’s basketball power rankings of the 2025-26 season.
We’ll go back and forth between the men’s and women’s power rankings in non-conference. So, next week, we’ll return to the men’s power rankings for the third time this non-conference season.
I’m ranking by tiers and for now we’ll use four tiers. As the season goes on, those tiers may change based on the quality of the conference. We’re down to five undefeated teams, two of which were probably expected and three of which are a bit of a surprise.
Let’s dig in after four weeks of the season.
Tier 1
1. TCU (8-0) — (Last ranking: 1)
2. Iowa State (9-0) — (Last ranking: 5)
3. Baylor (7-1) — (Last ranking: 2)
4. Texas Tech (9-0) — (Last ranking: 7)
The Horned Frogs have taken care of everyone they’ve played so far, with one win over a ranked opponent. TCU is one of only three Big 12 teams with a ranked win. It’s possible TCU will be undefeated when it hosts Kansas State to open Big 12 play on Dec. 20. Iowa State hasn’t beaten a ranked team yet, but it has two high-major wins and a huge victory over Indiana in which Audi Crooks scored 47 points.
Baylor took a bit of a step back after falling to Iowa, but the Bears have bounced back for three wins since then. Texas Tech moves into the first tier, and the Lady Raiders were the first team in Division I to reach nine wins. Coach Krista Gerlich’s teams have had huge non-conference runs before. But, this time, the Lady Raiders have three straight wins over high-major teams. That’s worth boosting Texas Tech up to the first tier for now.
Tier 2
5. Oklahoma State (8-1) — (Last ranking: 4)
3. West Virginia (6-2) — (Last ranking: 3)
7. Arizona State (8-0) — (Last ranking: 8)
8. Arizona (6-0) — (Last ranking: 9)
Oklahoma State dropped its first shot at a high-major win after falling to St. John’s. But the Cowgirls bounced back nicely to beat Miami last weekend. West Virginia falls off the first tier after back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Villanova. The Mountaineers are now 1-2 against high-major teams, but that one win is over then-No. 10 Duke.
Arizona State and Arizona move up a tier from two weeks ago as two new head coaches — Molly Miller at ASU and Becky Burke at Arizona — have their teams undefeated. But neither team has played a high-major opponent yet. That’s holding me back from moving them up any higher.
Tier 3
9. BYU (7-1) — (Last ranking: 12)
10. Kansas (6-2) — (Last ranking: 6)
11. Colorado (5-3) — (Last ranking: 10)
12. Utah (5-3) — (Last ranking: 11)
BYU moves up after a stretch in which it beat Virginia Tech and then fell to Vanderbilt, giving the Cougars a 1-1 record against high-major teams. The struggle against Montana on the road was a bit concerning. Kansas lost back-to-back games to Georgia and Dayton by a combined seven points. With a 3-1 record against high-major teams, but no ranked teams, the Jayhawks are shaping up to be an intriguing team in Big 12 play.
Colorado and Utah dropped, but only a little based on schedule. The Buffs fell to Texas A&M, followed by a loss to Montana State. CU is now 0-2 against high majors. Utah lost three straight games, all to high majors, two of which were ranked — No. 25 Washington, Syracuse and No. 1 UConn. That’s quite possibly the most brutal three-game stretch for any Big 12 women’s team in non-conference.
Tier 4
13. Kansas State (5-5) — (Last ranking: 13)
14. UCF (6-2) — (Last ranking: 15)
15. Houston (5-3) — (Last ranking: 14)
16. Cincinnati (4-4) — (Last ranking: 16)
Aside from flipping UCF for Houston, no changes here. Kansas State has played, perhaps, the hardest overall schedule in non-conference. It includes three high-major teams — SMU, Texas A&M and North Carolina — along with two quality mid-major teams in South Dakota and South Dakota State. The only win was against SMU. K-State has two more high-majors ahead in Ole Miss, which is ranked No. 13, and Creighton.
