Women's college basketball Power Rankings: Who is Big 12's best? - ESPN

Thirteen years have passed since Texas Tech last made the women's NCAA tournament and had a winning conference record. The door is open for the Lady Raiders to do both again in 2026.

They are one of four unbeaten teams left in women's Division I, but who really is the best team in the Big 12? So far, there isn't just one.

Texas Tech makes its debut in this week's ESPN women's college basketball Power Rankings, while another Big 12 team, Baylor, returns after dropping out on Dec. 24. The Bears gave Iowa State its first loss of the season Sunday. The day before, TCU and Arizona State lost for the first time. This all left Texas Tech and West Virginia tied atop the league at 3-0, heading into their game Wednesday in Morgantown (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

In the Big 12 coaches' preseason poll, defending champion TCU was predicted to finish first, followed by Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia. All remain in the mix to win the regular-season title. But it's going to be a challenge for every contender.

Arizona State, picked 11th in the preseason, is 15-1 and hopes to make its first NCAA appearance since 2019. It's been a longer drought for Texas Tech, which was picked 13th in the 16-team league.

From the 1990s to the early 2000s, Tech made 16 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and won the 1993 NCAA title. But since Marsha Sharp retired from coaching in 2005, it has had four coaches and made the NCAA tournament just twice, both first-round losses (2011 and 2013).

Krista Gerlich, a starting guard on Texas Tech's national championship team, took over the Lady Raiders in August 2020; in 2023, she led the program to its first 20-win campaign since 2013. Last season, Texas Tech won 19 games.

The Lady Raiders didn't