Checking in on the teams in the Big 12:
RV (37 points) Kansas Jayhawks (8-0, 0-0 Big 12)
The Jayhawks dominated the middle quarters in their 77-50 Thursday victory over No. 12 Arizona, winning the second 14-5 and the third 26-11. They were able to gain an advantage inside, winning points in the paint 50-26 and rebounds 51-31. Taiyanna Jackson, a 6-foot-6 center who leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage, shot her season percentage (69.2 percent) with a 9-of-13 effort and finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and three blocks. Zakiyah Franklin added 14 points, 11 boards and five assists, while Chandler Prater had 19 points, seven boards and three steals. Prater was 13-of-13 at the free throw line.
In their other game since our last update, which was last Sunday, the Jayhawks defeated Southeast Missouri State 88-51. Jackson was 7-of-9 from the field with 17 points, six rebounds and two steals in that one.
The Cyclones had good moments during Wednesday’s loss to No. 16 Iowa, but Stephanie Soares’ 0-of-6 performance at the stripe was concerning and contributed to the 70-57 setback. Iowa State was also not able to slow down Caitlin Clark, at least not for a full 40 minutes, and one awful stretch sealed its fate. It also wasn’t just Clark (19 points), as Monika Czinano had 18 points and Kate Martin was the X factor for the Hawkeyes with 13 points in the 13-point win. You know Clark is going to get hers and the Cyclones were unable to shut down the rest of Iowa’s team.
No. 19 Baylor Bears (7-2, 0-0 Big 12)
The Bears are 1-2 this year against ranked opponents with a win over No. 25 Villanova and losses to No. 14 Michigan and No. 20 Maryland. Lately, they’ve had a break from challenges with blowout wins coming over HCU (79-35, last Sunday) and UT Arlington (91-36, Wednesday). Freshman Bella Fontleroy had 17 points and 11 rebounds against HCU. Sarah Andrews notched 20 points, five boards and four assists against UT Arlington. The team’s next big test is against No. 12 Arizona in Dallas on Dec. 18.
In our last update, we made it seem like Oklahoma might lose to Ole Miss. The Sooners had lost to now-No. 15 Utah by 46, while the Rebels had lost to the Utes by just two. However, with strong second and fourth quarters, Oklahoma defeated Ole Miss 69-59 last Sunday. As a result, the Sooners are still hanging around in the rankings. They got a balanced scoring effort against Ole Miss; Nevaeh Tot had team highs in points (13) and assists (four) while Madi Williams had a team-high eight boards to go along with her 10 points.
The Wildcats had the chance to pick up a somewhat quality win on Saturday, but fell to previously-ranked South Dakota State, which is no longer even receiving votes. It was a four-point loss; Kansas State’s late comeback attempt fell short. The Wildcats will likely fall out of the rankings now; their last game that was a real test also resulted in a loss (69-53 to now-No. 21 Arkansas). In between, they picked up wins over Houston and Kansas City. Since our last update, Gabby Gregory has averaged 21.3 points and Serena Sundell has averaged 6.7 assists over three games.
RV (17 points) Texas Longhorns (4-4, 0-0 Big 12)
Much like preseason-No. 7 Louisville, preseason-No. 3 Texas took out its frustrations on a lesser opponent recently, defeating Southern 92-43 last Sunday. Shaylee Gonzales had a season-high 22 points, Sonya Morris had 20 points and Rori Harmon had nine points, 10 assists and four steals. The Longhorns next face a Power 5 opponent on Dec. 18 (USC) and next face an opponent that is currently ranked on Dec. 31 (No. 24 Kansas State).
Texas Tech Lady Raiders (8-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Texas Tech’s one blemish remains its loss to Jackson State on Nov. 15. Since our last update, it defeated Incarnate Word 66-48 and Sam Houston 68-55. Against IW, it had 11 players score between two and 11 points. Against Sam Houston, Bre’Amber Scott was the star with 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Hours after our last update, the Mountaineers hosted Delaware State and came away with a 63-47 victory. They then beat Robert Morris 72-42 on Thursday. Madisen Smith had 24 points against Delaware State; Jayla Hemmingway had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three steals against Robert Morris.
The Cowgirls’ six-point loss to Purdue looks good after the Boilermakers took No. 20 Maryland to the buzzer. To add to the positives, OK State has bounced back from that loss with two straight wins. It beat North Texas 82-64 last Saturday and Loyola Marymount 86-65 on Tuesday. Taylen Collins tied a program record with 23 rebounds in the North Texas game, while Lior Garzon averaged 20.5 points over the stretch.
The Horned Frogs beat George Washington 70-58 on Monday in a contest that saw eight players, including three Horned Frogs, get ejected.
Eight players were ejected after an on-court skirmish broke out during Monday’s matchup between TCU and George Washington in Fort Worth, Texas. https://t.co/TQhBD6znzj
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 6, 2022
TCU then lost a close one to Missouri State on Friday. Missouri State has been a good program in recent years, but this year is 3-4. TCU’s Tomi Taiwo has scored in double figures eight times in a row and 20 points twice in a row.