Oklahoma State named Big 12 preseason favorite for women’s basketball title, first time in program history

Oklahoma State women’s basketball entered the 2026-27 season with a new kind of spotlight after Big 12 coaches picked the Cowboys to finish first in the conference preseason poll. The league’s vote, conducted among head coaches, places OSU at the top of the standings forecast as Big 12 teams prepare for another season of conference play.

According to the preseason release reported Thursday, the Cowboys were selected first overall by Big 12 coaches. The projection is notable beyond the ranking itself, because the report says it is the first time Oklahoma State has ever been chosen to win the Big 12 in a preseason poll.

The vote also underlines how OSU has begun to be viewed as an offense-and-defense contender inside one of the NCAA’s deeper conferences. Big 12 play typically demands consistent ball handling, efficient scoring, and the ability to win on the road, and being picked to lead the league suggests the coaches see the Cowboys as built for those realities.

While the preseason poll is not a prediction of what will happen next week, it can shape expectations and how opponents prepare. A preseason No. 1 billing often changes game planning, particularly on scouting priorities like transition defense, shot selection, and the matchups coaches expect to decide conference games.

Oklahoma State’s position in the poll also matters in the broader recruiting and program-building sense. Coaches and players can point to external validation when selling the next step of development, especially when the marker is described as a first for the program.

For OSU, the next test is translating preseason recognition into early-season rhythm. The Cowboys will need to carry consistency through nonconference play so their conference opener does not become a false start, then maintain it once the schedule turns fully into a game-to-game grind against familiar opponents.

For everyone else in the Big 12, OSU’s preseason projection sets a target. Expect the league’s top programs to treat games against Oklahoma State as more than just another road or home contest, because the preseason vote offers a clear reference point for what “contender” means inside the conference this year.

What to watch next is how the Cowboys handle pressure as the season progresses. If OSU can defend leads, rebound in key moments, and keep its execution steady in Big 12 environments, the preseason No. 1 label will look less like a vote and more like an indicator of where the league title is headed.