Feb. 27, 2001

Up Next
The University of Missouri women's basketball team rounds down the 2000-2001 season with its final regular season game against Colorado Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Next up, the Tigers participate in the Big 12 Tournament March 6-10 in Kansas City, Mo.

Tickets for Missouri women's basketball are available by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or at the Hearnes Center ticket office.

Missouri Coverage
Missouri women's basketball is covered live on KFRU radio. David Lile, Gary Link and Jessica Jenkins offer all the action of Tiger women's hoops on 1400 AM.

Mizzou fans can also log onto the Missouri Tigers' Web site at www.MUTigers.com to get live coverage. Scroll down the left side of the MU Tigers main page and select Audio/Video. On the following page, scroll down and select the women's basketball Internet broadcast option. When the schedule of Mizzou women's basketball games is displayed, just choose the appropriate date and hit Go! (www.broadcast.com/sports/ncaa/Missouri/WomensBasketball/).

Turn on the Radio
The Cindy Stein Show features highlights of recent games, upcoming match-up and player profiles. Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m., Head Coach Cindy Stein dishes Tiger women's basketball live from Johnny's Beanery in Columbia, Mo. Listen on KFRU radio 1400 AM.

Special Promotions
The MU-Colorado game is Fan Appreciation Night where everyone gets into the game for just $3. It is also Girl Scout Night. All Girl Scouts wearing their uniforms will get into the game for just $2.

The final game of the season is senior night. The Tigers bid farewell to their three seniors: Amanda Lassiter, Marlena Williams and Tracy Franklin with a special ceremony before the game.

Tiger Tidbit
During the Oklahoma State game last Wednesday, nine-year-old Kelsey Echenrode was selected as Missouri's honorary Millionth Fan as part of the Big 12 Conference Million Fan March promotion. Kelsey shot a 3-pointer winning a trip to the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., and qualified as a finalist for the tournament half court contest where she could have the chance to win $100,000. Of the Big 12 schools that have conducted their Millionth Fan promotions so far, Kelsey is the only participant to make the 3-point shot and qualify for the tournament. If any other schools have successful shots, a winning name will be randomly drawn to participate in the half court contest.

Missouri vs. Colorado
Missouri (18-8, 9-6) rounds out Big 12 Conference action with a game final regular season game against Colorado. The Tigers are coming off a record setting 69-55 victory over Kansas. The win marks the first time MU has won a game in Lawrence, Kan., since 1989 and the first time the Tigers have swept the Jayhawks in regular season play since the 1985-86 season. The win also marks Missouri's most league wins since 1992-93 as a member of the Big 12 and Big Eight conferences.

Colorado is currently 20-6 with an 11-4 Big 12 Conference record to rank fourth in league standings. The Buffaloes defeated the Tigers 98-90 earlier in the year in Boulder, Colo. CU's four losses during league play have all come at the hands of ranked opponents.

Like their last meeting, the MU-CU game will be an evenly matched contest. Both teams pose similar threats both offensively and defensively. Colorado is shooting 44 percent from the floor and 38 percent from 3-point range. Missouri is close behind hitting 43 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc.

The game will be a battle on the boards. Missouri averages 14.85 offensive rebounds per game and 24.96 defensive boards while Colorado posts 14.35 offensive and 25.85 defensive rebounds per contest.

The Tigers can top the Buffaloes with a strong defensive game. Missouri is averaging 10.65 steals per game and posts a +3.31 turnover margin over its opponents. Colorado has 9.23 steals and a +2.19 turnover margin.

Scouting the Buffaloes
Mandy Nightingale, who is averaging 13.6 points per game, leads Colorado. The guard also pulls down 4.2 rebounds per contest and leads the Buffaloes with 98 assists and 43 steals. She is second for CU shooting 84 percent from the free throw line. Nightingale is ranked 14th in the Big 12 in scoring and fourth in free throw percentage. She is seventh in assists and fourth in 3-point field goals made with 2.12 per game.

Britt Hartshorn is second on the team averaging 11.6 points and leads the Buffaloes with 6.5 rebounds per game. She also tops Colorado with 55 season blocks and a 52 percent field goal percentage. Hartshorn is ranked 21st in the conference in scoring, seventh in field goal percentage and 15th in overall rebounding. She is also second in blocked shots.

Jenny Roulier is third on the team with 11.1 points per game. She has 63 assists this season, 14 blocks and 32 steals. She leads the team shooting 46 percent from 3-point range and hits 44 percent from the floor overall. Roulier is 23rd in the Big 12 in scoring and third in 3-point field goal percentage. She also ranks seventh in 3-pointers made.

Last year, Colorado finished 10-19 with a 4-12 Big 12 Conference record to finish 10th in the league. Colorado returns nine letterwinners and five starters to the 2000-2001 team. Ceal Barry coaches the Buffaloes.

Series Shorts
Colorado leads the MU-CU series 26-20. The Tigers and the Buffaloes began series play in 1977 as members of the Big Eight Conference.

Missouri won the first three outings, before the Buffaloes posted an 83-63 win. The Tigers rebounded from the defeat going on a six-game run to own the series 9-1. MU's streak started a roller-coaster course of winning spells, with each team alternating on three-to-five game stands. Colorado owns the last series recording five wins from 1996-98.

For the last two years, the teams have split the season, each taking a win in regular conference play. In 1999-2000 the Tigers and the Buffaloes met three times, with Missouri losing the final meeting 83-68 in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.

Colorado defeated Missouri 98-90 in Boulder, Colo., earlier this season.

Last Time Against Colorado
Missouri fell to 11-4 with a 2-2 Big 12 Conference record after a 98-90 loss to Colorado. The win boosted the Buffaloes to 12-3 and 3-1 in the conference.

The game had all the qualities of a gut wrenching action adventure thriller. In the first half, the Tigers shot a dismal 36 percent from the field and only 31 percent from the 3-point arc. Colorado shot 61 percent from the field and 87 percent from the free throw line to post its points. Keeping Missouri in the game however was repeated shot attempts and heavy rebounding. Missouri pulled down 23 boards in the first half alone, including 14 offensive rebounds. Despite the defensive efforts, MU left the half with a 12-point deficit.

The Tigers throttled into the second period with a five-point run. Back-to-back steals by senior Amanda Lassiter enabled Mizzou to take control of the court for seven more unanswered points. In the scoring flurry, the Tigers edged the Buffaloes into a one-point game. The contest intensified rounding into the last minutes of play, where the heated match turned into a fouling frenzy that led to CU's victory. In the last minute, Colorado scored six-points from the charity stripe to exit with an eight-point win.

Lassiter led the Tigers with 28 points, four blocks and two steals. The game marked her 15th in double figure and her ninth with more than 20 points. Senior Marlena Williams scored a career-high 24 points. She was 10-of-19 from the field, 3-for-4 from the foul line and 1-for-1 from 3-point range. The center is hitting 100 percent from the 3-point arc making 3-for-3 in Big 12 Conference action. Freshman Evan Unrau, a native of Ft. Collins, Colo., scored seven points and pulled down six rebounds in front of her hometown crowd.

Missouri Downs Kansas
Breaking history seems to be the theme for the 2000-2001 Tiger women's basketball season. Mizzou topped the record books with a 69-55 victory over Kansas. The win marks the first time the Tigers have defeated the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse since 1989 and the first time MU has swept KU during regular season play since the 1985-86 season. The triumph brings Missouri to an 18-8 record with a 9-6 conference mark--its most conference victories since 1992-93 (Big 12 and Big Eight Conferences.)

Foreshadowing the 40 minutes to come, Kansas started the game with two turnovers. Missouri quickly took advantage of the folly and began an onslaught, within five minutes the Tigers enforced a 12-4 lead. Both teams battled through two scoreless minutes of play before freshman Wannette Smith grabbed up a steal allowing Evan Unrau an easy layup to break the freeze. The play sparked Missouri for 10 more unanswered points. Kansas wasn't able to break into double figure scoring until 8:05 in the first, posting up identical numbers in turnovers and points with 11.

Missouri continued with another spurt where Unrau and sophomore Kerensa Barr each scored four points to give MU a 20-point advantage. Despite shooting just 38 percent in the half, Missouri left the period with a 37-20 lead.

Reentering the second half, the Tigers continued their rampage. Kansas kept the game competitive scoring in the paint. Despite its efforts, the closest KU came to Mizzou was 10-points when senior Jaclyn Johnson posted eight points within a three-minute span. The Missouri defense played a strong game forcing 24 Jayhawk turnovers in all, including 12 steals.

Four of MU's starters scored in double figures. Senior Amanda Lassiter led the team with 15 points. She also had five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and four steals. Unrau was second with 14 points and had five rebounds. Marlena Williams scored 13 points and Barr had 12 points and six rebounds. Senior Tracy Franklin led Mizzou on the boards with seven rebounds.

In the Record Books
? Senior Amanda Lassiter has set another Missouri record netting 54 3-point field goals in a single season. Julie Helm set the previous record during the 1996-97 season with 32. In conjunction, Lassiter also topped MU's record for 3-point field goal attempts in a single-season with 157 (previously set by Stacy Williams with 100 in 1991-92). She ranks third in MU record books with 89 career 3-pointers.

? Missouri set a new single-game attendance record when 10,126 fans came out to support the Tigers against Kansas. The mark tops MU's record set last season when 6,227 fans cheered for Mizzou against Oklahoma.

? The Tigers tied a single-game team record for 3-point field goals made for the second time this season with 11 against Kansas. The mark tops their previous record when they knocked down 10-of-25 shot from 3-point range against the Cyclones.

? The Tigers set a season single-game team record with 12 blocked shots against Nebraska. The standing record was set in 1983-84 when Missouri had 14 blocked shots against Iowa State.

? Senior Tracy Franklin looks to set a new record in 3-point field goal percentage this season. She is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. She has netted 42-of-102 3-point attempts this year and ranks ninth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage. The record is held by Sandi Prophete who shot 41 percent (13-31) during the 1987-88 season.

Looking at Lassiter
Senior Amanda Lassiter leads the Tigers with 19.8 points and is second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game. Lassiter has scored in double digits in all 26 games this season including setting a career-high with 31 points against San Diego State. She owns 15 games scoring 20-or-more points including 10-of-16 conference games. She recorded 21 points against Texas Tech, 22 points against Texas and Kansas, 28 points against Colorado, 21 and 20 points against No. 7 Iowa State and 27, 25 points versus Nebraska and 20 points against Oklahoma State

The forward is second on the team with 169 rebounds, including a team-high 133 defensive boards. She also tops the Tigers with 84 steals to rank seventh in Mizzou season record books. She is also second with 67 assists on the year.

Blocking Report
Lassiter has 60 blocks this season to lead the team and top the Big 12. Her six blocks against Nebraska set the Big 12 Conference 2000 single-game high. Lassiter set the Missouri single-game high with seven against Western Kentucky last year and set the single-season blocked shots record as a junior with 69. She moves up as Missouri's third all-time blocker (129) to top Nikki Smith who had 125 blocks from 1992-95. Her season mark also ranks third in season-blocked shots, just nine away from her record high. Lassiter is the only athlete appearing in the Top 10 who has played under three years. She is averaging 2.3 blocks per game.

In the NCAA
Lassiter continues to top the charts as one of the country's finest players. According to the latest NCAA statistics released Feb. 20., the senior is ranked 10th in the nation in blocked shots, is 21st in overall scoring and 23rd in steals.

Watching Williams
Center/forward Marlena Williams is taking the Big 12 Conference by storm. In the Tigers' last game against Baylor, she scored a career-high 34 points to lead the team. It is the first +30 point game for the senior. She was 12-for-21 from the floor including 2-for-4 from 3-point range. She also had a perfect game at the foul line hitting 8-of-8. Williams also had five rebounds, two blocks and three steals against the Bears.

In four other league games this year she has posted season highs in points and rebounds. She scored her previous career-high 24 points against Colorado hitting 10-of-19 from the field and 1-for-1 from 3-point range. She also had five assists in the game. Against Iowa State, Williams led the team with 20 points to record her third highest career mark. She scored 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds against Texas A&M and had season-highs with eight rebounds and five steals against Texas.

The senior sparked Missouri's 65-60 come-from-behind victory over Kansas State scoring four points, two rebounds and an assist in two minutes of play. Before fouling out with 41 seconds left in the game, Williams scored 10 points, had six rebounds and three assists. Against Kansas, Williams scored six of the last 11 overtime points to help the Tigers defeat the Jayhawks 89-84.

Williams has scored in double figures in 10-of-16 conference games, including two +20 point games against Colorado and Iowa State. She has 18 double-digit games on the year. Williams is second on the team averaging 12.7 points per game. She also has 16 blocked shots.

Unrau Update
Evan Unrau has scored in double figures in seven games, including her career- high 18 points against then No. 12 ranked Texas hitting 8-of-10 from the field. She also scored 16 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee shooting 6-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the foul line against the Panthers. She pulled down a season-high 11 defensive boards against Arkansas and had nine offensive boards against Illinois State.

Unrau leads the Tigers shooting 58.6 percent from the field netting 85-of-145 attempts. The freshman has 13 games on the season shooting 60 percent or above, including perfect games against Eastern Illinois and Kansas (4-for-4). Unrau was 7-of-8 against Southern Illinois and 6-for-7 against Kansas (2/24). She also owns six perfect games from the free throw line.

Bringing Down the Boards
Unrau recorded a career best 20 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards against Texas A&M. That marked the first time a Mizzou player has had 20 rebounds in a single game since the 1998 season when Kesha Bonds had 23 boards against Colorado. Unrau leads the Tigers with 74 offensive and 183 total rebounds on the season. She has six double figure rebound games to date and tops the charts averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.

Barr Brief
Starting point guard Kerensa Barr recorded her sixth double-digit game of the season and her second back-to-back scoring career-high points. Against Nebraska (2/13), she set a career mark with 17 to top her previous high of 13 points scored against Kansas (2/10). Barr had three consecutive games in double figures as she also scored 11 points against Kansas State (1/20). She also tied her season-high with seven rebounds against the Wildcats. Barr scored 15 points against Baylor and led the team with nine rebounds and five steals.

The sophomore leads the Tigers with 122 assists on the year. Barr is ranked 9th in Missouri's all-time season assists charts (Sarah Campbell is eighth with 123 assists during the 1984-85 season). Barr averages 4.69 assists per game and hit her season-high with nine against No. 7 Iowa State (1/17). She has 222 career assists to date.

Barr is fifth on the team averaging 7.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. She is second on the team with 52 offensive rebounds and 53 steals.

Franklin Forecast
Guard Tracy Franklin was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 12-18. She led the Tigers to a come-from-behind victory over Kansas with a career-high 24 points, topping her previous career-high of 18 points against Eastern Illinois earlier in the year. The 5-10 senior guard shot 58 percent from the field, netting 7-of-12 shots in the game including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Against Kansas State, Franklin scored 15 points while playing 37 minutes without a single turnover.

Franklin also hit season marks against Southern Illinois pulling down 11 rebounds and grabbing nine steals. In conference play, she has slowly emerged from a slump. She scored eight points against Colorado and hit her seventh double-digit game of the year against Iowa State with 11 points (1/17). Against Nebraska, she scored seven points and pulled down six rebounds. In her second match-up against the Cyclones, Franklin scored eight points and grabbed two steals. The senior was second on the team with 11 points against No. 10 Oklahoma and 15 points against Kansas State (2/7).

Franklin is third on the team averaging 9.9 points per game. She tops the charts hitting 42-of-102 shots from 3-point range to lead the team shooting 41 percent from behind the arc. Franklin also leads the Tigers with an .806 free throw percentage. Her nine steals against SIU set a Big 12 Conference 2000 season single-game record.

Bright Spot
Natalie Bright is proving her versatility in her new role on the Tigers' squad this year. The junior started 28-of-30 games she played in last season to average 7.3 points and come in second on the team with 86 assists.

This year, Bright has come off the bench as one of the key contributors. Against Iowa State (1/17) the junior rejuvenated the team's efforts hitting two key 3-pointers. She scored eight points and had two steals. Against Texas, she again revamped the Tigers with five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes of play.

Bright hit double figures against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Texas Tech. She had a perfect game against the Panthers hitting 4-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Against the Lady Raiders, Bright downed 3-for-4 from the field (2-for-3 from 3-point range) and 5-for-5 at the foul line.

The junior has started two games this season against Nebraska and Iowa State (1/31). She scored four points for the Tigers with six rebounds, three assists and three steals against the Huskers. Bright scored nine points and pulled down four boards against the Cyclones.

Bright is shooting 40 percent from the field overall and 38 percent from 3-point range. She averages 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. She also has 56 assists on the season and five blocks.

Tigers Got Game
Missouri (18-8) are rounding down Big 12 Conference action toting a 9-6 record--its most conference wins since the 1992-93 season. The Tigers got off to its best conference start in history this year taking wins over Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Nebraska. Missouri has also swept three teams during league play in Kansas, Nebraska and Kansas State.

In conference play, the Tigers are 6-1 on the home court defeating then No. 12 Texas (68-52), Texas A&M (69-61), Kansas State (65-60), Kansas (89-84 OT), Nebraska (83-55) and Oklahoma State (66-62). Missouri has suffered four of its conference losses on the road, falling to Texas Tech (82-64) in Lubbock, Colorado (98-90) in Boulder, Iowa State (68-67) in Ames and Oklahoma (82-62) in Norman. The Tigers' only home loss this season was to Iowa State, 73-63 (1/31). Mizzou's 83-55 victory over Nebraska in the Hearnes Center is their largest margin of victory over a Big 12 team this season.

The Tigers averages 76.5 points per game with a +9.6 scoring margin.

Rebounding Report
Mizzou is averaging 40.9 rebounds per game, including a season-high 59 boards against Texas A&M. Freshman Evan Unrau recorded 20 rebounds in the game, including 11 offensive boards.

The Tigers are keeping their opponents to just 39.2 rebounds per contest for a +1.7 rebounding margin. Missouri owns a season mark against the Texas Longhorns with 33 defensive rebounds. The Tigers pulled down 26 offensive boards against Texas A&M for the season-high.

Assist Average
The Tigers have dished out 415 assists so far this season to average 16.0 assists per game to top their opponents who only average 12.4 assists per outing. In their first five games this season, the Tigers out assisted their opponents 94-42. Missouri recorded 26 assists against Eastern Illinois (11/17) and 24 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee (12/30).

Block Breakdown
Missouri is topping the charts with 113 blocks on the year to average 4.3 blocks per game. MU's opponents have only knocked down 72 blocks this season. The Tigers have recorded 13 games in 2000-2001 with five or more blocks, including their season-high 12 blocks against Nebraska. Missouri has also knocked down six blocks against Pepperdine, Lipscomb, Illinois State, Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas State.

Colorado leads the conference with 139 blocked shots, Texas A&M is second with 116 and Missouri comes in third. In their match-ups against Texas A&M and Colorado, the Tigers bested both the Aggies (5-to-3) and Buffaloes (6-to-4). Victory Margin
The Tigers' 96-43 win over Lipscomb tops the season as MU's largest margin of victory. The biggest margin an MU team has won by is 98 points versus Bethany College in 1977.

Mizzou has defeated seven teams this year by more than 20 points, including a 47-point triumph over Eastern Illinois and a 35-point win over Kentucky. The Tigers recorded their largest margin of victory over a Big 12 opponent when they trampled Nebraska 83-55 for a 28-point win.

Missouri repeated history opening this year with seven +20 wins. In 1999-2000, the Tigers recorded seven victories scoring 20-or-more points over their opponents.

Off the Bench
Missouri is relying heavily on the production of its bench this season. The MU bench corps has scored 484 of its 1,988 season points to average 18.6 points per game. In comparison, only 15.6 points per game were scored by the opponent's substitutions.

Mizzou in the Rankings
For six weeks this season, the Tigers received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. After defeating No. 12 Texas, Missouri received 18 votes from AP writers. Following a come back victory over Kansas State, and their 65-60 triumph over Nebraska, the Tigers received 13 votes. With losses to two ranked teams last week, MU made the Top 50 garnering just two votes. With two more come-from-behind victories over Kansas State and Kansas the Tigers received six votes from AP writers. Missouri fell out of the polls after losing to Baylor last week.

The Tigers come in 42nd in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index, which ranks teams according to strength of schedule versus that of their opponents. Missouri was 63rd at the beginning of the season, and climbed into the 35th slot, its highest rank this year, after its one-point loss to ISU. There are seven Big 12 schools ranked in the Top 50.

Tigers vs. Ranked Opponents
Missouri's 13-point triumph over then No. 12 Texas was the largest winning margin over a ranked team since the 1995-96 season when the Tigers defeated No. 20 Kansas 86-66. In the last six seasons, Missouri has claimed seven victories over ranked opponents, all in the Hearnes Center.

Hitting the Three
The Tigers have shot 40 percent or above from 3-point range in 13 of their 26 games. Missouri hit a season-high 57 percent from the 3-point arc against San Diego State when the Tigers downed 8-of-14 attempts. Missouri shot 50 percent from the arc against Kansas setting a new MU record with 11 field goals made (22 attempted). Tracy Franklin leads the team shooting 41 percent from 3-point range (42-of-102). Natalie Bright is second for Tigers shooting 38 percent (15-of-40). Amanda Lassiter leads the Tigers with 54 3-point field goals made and 157 shots attempted (34 percent).

Seeing Double
Evan Unrau has posted four double-doubles in her inaugural year on the Mizzou squad. She scored a career-high 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds against No. 12 Texas shooting 80 percent from the field (8-of-10) and 100 percent from the foul line.

The forward also recorded double-double games this year with 16 points and 20 rebounds against Texas A&M, 15 points and 10 rebounds against Southern Illinois and with 14 points and 13 rebounds against Illinois State.

Senior Amanda Lassiter has also posted four double-double games in 2000-2001. She led the day in MU's 68-52 victory over Texas with 22 points and 10 rebounds. She also recorded doubles against Arkansas (22-11), Kentucky (19-10) and San Diego State (31-11).

Topping Ten
Four Tiger athletes routinely hit double figures, including Amanda Lassiter who is 26-for-26. She scored a career-high 31 points against San Diego State. Marlena Williams owns 18 double-digit games, including two +20-point and one +30-point games. She scored a career-high 34 points against Baylor, scored 24 points against Colorado and 20 points against Iowa State (1/31). Tracy Franklin has 11 double figure games and freshman Evan Unrau posts seven. Franklin and Unrau hit career-highs with 24 points against Kansas and 18 points against then No. 12 Texas, respectively.

Making the Grade
The Tiger women's basketball team is proving they can get it done on and off the court. Junior Christa Millham, an elementary education major, was one of 25 Missouri athletes to post an athletic department-high with a 3.82 grade point average for the 2000 fall semester. Joining Millham in the spotlight, seven other athletes were named to the Student-Athlete Dean's List: Kerensa Barr, Tracy Franklin, Amy Loftus, Tracy Lozier, Wendy Okeson, Evan Unrau and Terianne Wolford.

Tiger Cheering Section
The Missouri women's basketball program is on the rise and fans are taking notice. The Tigers began selling season tickets for the first time last year and recorded over 500 season purchases in 1999-2000. Midway through this season, Missouri has upped its season ticket numbers to over 800 holders. The Tigers average 2,379 fans to rank 37th in the nation in women's basketball attendance.

Missouri has boosted its season high during Big 12 Conference play. In the home opener against Texas, 2,422 fans populated the Hearnes Center for Toy Day. Missouri had its third-largest crowd of the year when 2,062 fans cheered on the Tigers in their win over Kansas State. Missouri hit a new season-high against Iowa State (1/31) with 2,654 spectators.

Mizzou set a school record against Kansas when 10,126 fans cheered the Tigers to an overtime victory over the Jayhawks. The previous record was set at 6,227 last year against Oklahoma. The record is the nation's 47th largest crowd attending an NCAA Division I women's basketball game this season.

Strength of Schedule
The 2000-2001 Missouri schedule is ranked in the top third of NCAA Division I schools by the WBCA/Summerville Women's Basketball pre-season poll.

Overall, the Tigers take on five teams ranked in the Top 25 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll. The Tigers face No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 20 Colorado and No. 21 Texas in Big 12 Conference action.

In the Associated Press poll, Oklahoma (8th), Iowa State (10th)Texas Tech (15th), Colorado (16th), Texas (22nd) and Baylor (24th) represent the Big 12 Conference.