Texas Tech

(16-15, 6-10)

Vs. Kansas: Feb. 21, 5 p.m., Lubbock, Texas

Key Losses: F Dominic Seals, G Maria Moore

Key newcomers: G Chynna Brown, G Monique Smalls, G Mary Bokencamp

Despite an inauspicious seventh place finish in the Big 12 last season and a team filled with eleven underclassmen, seven of whom are new to the program, head coach Kristy Curry has reason to expect improvement in Lubbock. That’s because despite the relative youth of the squad, the players aren’t lacking in experience. In fact, five letter winners return from last season. Senior guard Jordan Murphree will anchor the Lady Raiders’ backcourt, returning as last year’s second leading scorer and leader in steals. The frontcourt is less experienced and led by two sophomores: Jordan Barncastle and Kierra Mallard. Barncastle played in all 31 games last season and notched two double-doubles. Mallard led the Lady Raiders in rebounds last season and all Big 12 freshmen in both rebounding and scoring. Predictably, she was named to the conference’s all-freshman team. Mallard and Barncastle’s combined production should ease the loss of Dominic Seals. The Lady Raiders look to reclaim their comfortable slot among the best of the Big 12 this season and return to the NCAA tournament.

— Alex Beecher

Oklahoma State

(17-16, 4-12)

Vs. Kansas: January 12, 11 a.m., Lawrence

Key Losses: F Shaunte’ Smith, G Taylor Hardeman

Key Newcomers: C Lindsey Keller, G/F Toni Young

Last year, senior Andrea Riley didn’t just lead the Cowgirls ­— she was the Cowgirls. The 5-foot-5 guard led the Big 12 and ranked fifth in the nation in scoring and was an Honorable Mention All-American. She led the team in points, assists, three-pointers and steals. This year, the story shouldn’t be any different. Not surprisingly, Riley was named to the All-Preseason Big 12 team.

Riley’s supporting cast will include senior center Megan Byford and senior forward Tegan Cunningham, who will provide the inside presence to replace last year’s team rebound leader, Shaunte’ Smith. Incoming freshman Toni Young could also provide an immediate boost to the team. Young, a 6-foot-2 forward, was the No. 93 recruit in the nation according to ESPN’s HoopsGurlz. Two years ago, Oklahoma State made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, but last year it lost in the second round of the WNIT. This year the team’s prospects come down to whether or not the Cowgirls can provide enough support for Riley.

— Joel Petterson

Oklahoma

(32-5, 15-1)

Vs. Kansas: Jan. 23, 2 p.m., Norman, Okla.

Key losses: C Courtney Paris, F Ashley Paris

Key newcomers: F Lyndsey Cloman, F Joanna McFarland

Replacing Courtney and Ashley Paris is no easy task for head coach Sherri Coale, but Oklahoma returns so much talent that they shouldn’t fall too much. Junior guard Danielle Robinson won the gold medal with USA Basketball at the World University Games this summer and is one of the scrappiest defenders in college basketball. She was named Preseason All-Big 12. Senior Abi Olajuwon, daughter of former Houston Rockets All-Star Hakeem Olajuwon, will fill the hole left by the Paris twins in the paint. 2008-2009 Big 12 Freshman of the Year Whitney Hand started last season on fire from behind the three-point arc but cooled off in Big 12 play and the postseason after breaking her finger.

The problem the Sooners face is finding a go-to scorer. Seniors Nyeshia Stevenson and Amanda Thompson seem the most capable of coming up in the clutch because their experience in big-game situations. While Oklahoma might look a bit different without the Paris twins roaming the floor, Coale expects to win and win often. Don’t bet against the Sooners making a deep run in the postseason.

— Clark Goble

Texas

(21-12, 8-8)

Vs. Kansas: Feb. 13, 1 p.m., Lawrence

Key losses: G Carla Cortijo, F Ashley Lindsey

Key newcomers: C Cokie Reed, G Lauren Flores

Going into her second season with the Longhorns, head coach Gail Goestenkors will be vying for Texas’ second NCAA tournament appearance in the last four years. Senior guard Brittainey Raven was named to the preseason All-Big 12 Team and is expected to lead Texas in scoring as she did last year with 13.4 ppg. Also returning is senior guard Earnesia Williams with a fifth year of eligibility. She was a leader in field goal percentage and rebounds. The Longhorns will face defending champion Connecticut as part of the ESPNU Road to the Championship Nov. 17 in San Antonio. The nonconference schedule also includes games against Mississippi State, USC and Rutgers at the Paradise Jam Tournament in the Virgin Islands. Texas has a strong set of core players returning but faces a tough nonconference schedule and it will need consistency if the team expects to make it past the first round of the NCAA tournament this year.

— Hallie Mann

Nebraska

(15-16, 6-10)

Vs. Kansas: Feb. 10, 7 p.m., Lawrence; March 3, 7:05 p.m., Lincoln, Neb.

Key loses: G Tay Hester

Key newcomers: F Meghin Williams, G Lindsey Moore

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will return all but one player for the team that clinched a berth in the WNIT before being bounced by UNM in the first round. Defenses will tailor their game plan to the three stars of last season: Cory Montgomery, Yvonne Turner and Dominique Kelley. Montgomery, 6-foot-2 senior forward from Cannon Falls, Minn., and Turner, 5-foot-8 senior guard from Omaha, Neb., highlight a solid senior class. Montgomery led the Cornhuskers with 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while Turner added 11.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Kelley, 5-foot-7 junior guard from Lincoln, Neb., chipped in 9.7 points per game and paced Nebraska with 2.5 assists per game.

— Christian Lucero

Iowa State

(27-9, 11-5)

Vs. Kansas: Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Lawrence; Feb. 25, 6 p.m., Lawrence

Key losses: F Nicky Wieben, G Heather Ezell

Key newcomers: C Anna Prins, G/F Jessica Schroll

Iowa State’s finish in last year’s NCAA tournament, making it to the Elite Eight before losing to Stanford 74-53, was led by a senior-laden lineup both starting and coming off the bench. This year’s senior class isn’t as experienced but is again headlined by Alison Lacey, six-foot senior guard from Canberra, Australia. Lacey is the only statistically relevant senior, averaging 11.2 points per game while tallying 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Each of those averages were among the top three on the team. The Cyclones will also rely on 6-foot-1 junior guard Kelsey Bolte from Ida Grove, Iowa. Bolte scored 9.4 points per game last season and led the team in free-throw shooting at .867.

— Christian Lucero

Colorado

(11-18, 3-13)

Vs. Kansas: Jan. 27, 6 p.m., Lawrence; Feb. 16, 7 p.m., Boulder, Colo.

Key losses: G/F Hannah Skildum, C Kara Richards

Key newcomers: G Chucky Jeffery, C Melissa MacFarlane

The Colorado Buffaloes enter the 2009-2010 season with a lot of star power among their returners and optimism about their recruiting class. Boulder will be the playground of Brittany Spears, 6-foot-1 junior from Pasadena, Calif. Spears led Colorado in minutes, field goals made and attempted, rebounds, steals and points and will be relied upon again to lead this young recruiting class headlined by Chucky Jeffery and Melissa MacFarlane. Alyssa Fressle, 5-foot-10 sophomore guard from Highlands Ranch, Colo., will be looked to for experience as well as production, coming off a season in which she started 27 games while averaging 5.3 points per game. Fressle also lead the team in assists with 99 in the season.

— Christian Lucero

Missouri

(13-17, 4-12)

Vs. Kansas: Jan. 17, 1 p.m., Lawrence; Jan. 30, 5 p.m., Lawrence

Key losses: G Alyssa Hollins

Key newcomers: G Sydney Crafton, G Trenee Thornton

Missouri is looking to rebound from a forgettable 2008-2009 season where it finished 11th in the Big 12. The Tigers struggled to put the ball in the basket, averaging a Big 12 low of 60.6 points per game, as well as finishing last in field goal, free throw and three-point shooting percentages.

Losing leading scorer, Alyssa Hollins, won’t help out the offensive woes in Columbia, but the Tigers do return every other player from last season’s roster. With Hollins gone, coach Cindy Stein will look to upperclassmen Jessra Johnson, Shakara Jones, and RaeShara Brown to build on their successful 2008-2009 campaigns. With the addition of two freshmen guards to the backcourt, Missouri hopes to further bolster its production on the offensive end, which will be essential if it hopes to contend for a Big 12 title.

— Ben Ward

Kansas State

(25-8, 10-6)

Vs. Kansas: Jan. 9, 11 a.m., Lawrence; Feb. 7, 1 p.m., Lawrence

Key losses: G Shalee Lehning, F Marlies Gipson, G/F Danielle Zanotti

Key returners: F Ashley Sweat, G Kari Kincaid

With three of Kansas State’s starting five missing ­— including Lehning, who led the Big 12 in assists with 229 (7.63 per game) and led the Wildcats in rebounds — senior forward Ashley Sweat and senior guard Kari Kincaid should see their scoring opportunities increase further. Sweat finished fourth in scoring in the Big 12 with 16.5 points per game. Only two players averaged more playing time than Kincaid.

But for as much as Sweat and Kincaid can put on their shoulders this season, the Wildcats are picked to finish eighth in the 2009-10 Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll. This would be an uncharacteristic drop for a team that has been in the top tier of the conference for a while. Kansas State missed out on the Big 12 title game last season by 25.3 seconds and won the championship in the 2007-08 season.

— Stephen Montemayor

Texas A&M

(27-8, 11-5)

Vs. Kansas: March 6, 7 p.m., Lawrence

Key losses: G Takia Starks, G/F Danielle Gant, C La Toya Micheaux

Key returners: G/F Tanisha Smith, G Sydney Colson

Last year the Aggies couldn’t convert a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament into a Final Four berth as their season ended in a 84-69 loss to Arizona State. Baylor needed a clutch shot in the closing 30 seconds of the Big 12 title game to stop Texas A&M from claiming the conference crown and the Aggies should contend again.

Selected fourth in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll, the Aggies return Smith, whose 10.6 points per game were good for third on the team. She will be expected to lead a Texas A&M squad devoid of Starks and Gant, a pair of players who played in and started all of the team’s 35 games.

— Stephen Montemayor

Baylor

(29-6, 12-4)

Vs. Kansas: Feb. 28, 4 p.m., Waco, Texas

Key losses: C Danielle Wilson, G/F Jessica Morrow, G Jhasmin Player, F Rachel Allison

Key returners: G Melissa Jones, G Kelli Griffin

The 2008-09 Big 12 champions appear primed for a successful title defense despite a sizeable loss of key contributors — at least that’s the opinion of conference coaches. In junior guards Jones and Griffin, the Lady Bears have a pair of players who led in scoring for all three NCAA tournament games. Jones is the team’s highest returning scorer with the four other leading scorers gone. Griffin saw the third most minutes on the court and the team can use all the experience it can get.

The team’s leading scorer Danielle Wilson opted not to return for a senior season after a knee injury in February cut short her 2008-09 season. With her goes 15.1 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game (also a team high). Jhasmin Player, whose heroics won the Big 12 title in March, and Jessica Morrow also are missing from the roster one year after starting all but one game and finishing in the top two in minutes played.

— Stephen Montemayor