The Big 12 Conference dropped its 2025-26 women’s basketball preseason awards and coaches’ poll, and history was made. For the first time, TCU has been selected as the preseason favorite, earning 10 first-place votes after sweeping both the regular-season and tournament titles last year while making its first Elite Eight appearance.

Iowa State star Audi Crooks took home Preseason Player of the Year honors after a record-breaking sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-3 center from Algona, Iowa, shattered school marks with 820 points and 329 field goals, leading the Big 12 with 23.4 points per game while shooting over 60 percent. Crooks, a Third Team All-American last season, becomes the Cyclones’ first Preseason Player of the Year since Ashley Joens in 2022.

TCU’s Olivia Miles, a transfer from Notre Dame, was named Preseason Newcomer of the Year. A three-time All-American and the active Division I leader in assists per game (6.5), Miles joins a Horned Frogs roster loaded for another deep postseason push. She follows former teammate Hailey Van Lith, who captured Big 12 Player of the Year honors in 2025.

Cincinnati’s Dee Alexander, the top recruit in program history and a McDonald’s All-American, earned Preseason Freshman of the Year recognition. The hometown five-star prospect was ranked No. 11 nationally by ESPNW and is expected to make an immediate impact.

The Preseason All-Big 12 Team features 10 players, including unanimous selections Crooks, Miles, and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs of Baylor. Behind TCU in the coaches’ poll are Iowa State (2), Baylor (2), and Oklahoma State (2), rounding out the top four.

The Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Day returns to Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center on Oct. 21, airing live on ESPNU and ESPN+, with the regular season tipping off Nov. 3.