The Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship begins March 4, and the conference boasts plenty of talented players. Between the likes of TCU’s Olivia Miles, WVU’s Jordan Harrison, and Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, the question becomes: Who are the 10 best players entering the tournament?
Honorable Mentions
Kierra “Meme” Wheeler – Senior, West Virginia Mountaineers
Heloisa Carrera – Sophomore, Arizona State Sun Devils
Olivia Hamlin – Freshman, BYU Cougars
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs – Senior, Baylor Bears
Addy Brown – Junior, Iowa State Cyclones
Caliyah DeVillasee – Freshman, Cincinnati Bearcats
Gia Cooke – Redshirt Junior, West Virginia Mountaineers
Snudda Collins – Senior, Texas Tech Lady Raiders
Delaney Gibb – Sophomore, BYU Cougars
McKinna Brackens – Junior, Arizona State Sun Devils
Micah Gray – Senior, Oklahoma State Cowgirls
Top 10 Big 12 College Basketball Players
10.Gabby Elliott – Senior, Arizona State Sun Devils
Senior guard Gabby Elliot has been one of the premier players for a 22-8 Arizona State team. After stops at Clemson, Michigan State, and Penn State, Elliot has found a home with the Sun Devils. This season she is averaging 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals.
In conference play, Elliot has dropped 20-plus points five times and had a standout performance against then-No. 15 Baylor Bears. Against the Bears, Elliott dropped 25 points and grabbed six rebounds. Ultimately, the Sun Devils fell short 67-64. With Elliott leading the way, players like Brackens and Carrera can complement her style of play.
9. S’Mya Nichols – Junior, Kansas Jayhawks
Junior guard S’Maya Nichols has excelled all season, averaging 18 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists. In the Fort Myers Tip-Off game against Georgia on Nov. 28, Nichols dropped a career-high 40 points in 33 minutes in a 68-62 loss. It was the first 40-point performance since Vickie Adkins in 1984. Following that performance, she was named to the Big 12 starting on Dec. 1.
Beginning conference play on Dec. 21 against the No. 10 Iowa State, she made a strong statement, scoring 29 points in a 79-76 loss. Recently, Nichols has been a key player in the Jayhawks late-season push for an NCAA Tournament bid. Since Jan. 29, Nichols has scored 15-plus points in eight straight games. Kansas is 5-3 during that stretch.
8. Jada Williams – Junior, Iowa State Cyclones
Junior guard Jada Williams has been a key second option for a 21-8 Iowa State team behind star player Audi Crooks. In conference play, Williams has displayed her elite scoring and passing abilities. She’s put together seven double-doubles, including four of them in conference competition.
The highlight of William’s season was when she scored 44 points against the Cincinnati Bearcats in a 93-68 victory. Her 44 points were the second most in Iowa State history behind Crooks’ 47-point outing against Indiana on Nov. 30. Williams has also had multiple stellar performances, including a 28-point performance against then-No. 22 Baylor and a 26-point showing against Arizona State.
7. Baliey Maupin – Senior, Texas Tech Lady Raiders
Senior guard Bailey Maupin has been a consistent star player for the 24-6 Lady Raiders this season, scoring in double-figures in 27 of her 30 games. In five of the 30 games shes scored 20-plus points. In the Lady Raiders 71-66 victory against West Virginia, Maupin dropped a season-high 27 points, making eight of her 15 attempts.
On Jan. 28, she surpassed Sheryl Swoops to improve to fifth on the all-time scoring list. On Feb. 22, Maupin dropped 22 points in an 87-56 victory against then-No. 15 Baylor. With her consistent scoring, the Lady Raiders will continue to be a tough out.
6. Taliah Scott – Redshirt Sophomore, Baylor Bears
After spending two seasons between Auburn and Arkansas, Scott has continued to display her elite scoring ability. She has averaged 20 points per game for the third straight season, with her highest average being 22.3 for Arkansas, earning her the SEC Freshman of the Week five times.
Scott has scored 20-plus points 16 times this season, including a season-high 32 points against then-No. 19 Iowa in a 57-52 win.She is the only DI player this season averaging 20 points per game while shooting 90% from the free-throw line. In conference play, Scott has scored 26 points in wins against UCF and Cincinnati. If Scott catches fire in the tournament, Baylor would be in a prime position to succeed.
5. Jordan Harrison – Senior, West Virginia Mountaineers
Senior guard Jordan Harrison is one of the best of the best defenders in the Big 12 conference, yet can still do damage on the offensive side of the ball. Harrison is averaging 3.2 steals per game and was recently named to the 2026 Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team. Harrison also recorded a career-high eight steals against Arizona on Feb. 7.
On offense, Harrison can dish the ball to her teammates while shooting 43.6% from the floor. She’s totaled 7-plus assists in 10 games, including a season-high 10 assists against Kansas State on Jan. 4. Harrison also has two selections to the Big 12 Starting Five, including one on Feb. 9 that highlighted her four straight games with at least 14 points and five steals, the longest streak by a Big 12 player this century.
4. Audi Crooks – Junior, Iowa State Cyclones
Junior center Audi Crooks being ranked No. 4 may surprise some, but she still ranks as a top-five player in the conference. Crooks is the second DI WBB player this century to have at least 2,000 points and shoot 60% through 95 games. It is the longest streak by a Big 12 Player since Brittney Griner, who did it over the course of 116 games from March 2010 to March 2013.
This season, Crooks has taken things to another level, scoring 47 points against Indiana on Nov. 30 in the Jimmy V Women’s Classic. She has scored 40 points in three of her 29 games. Crooks has also recorded 11 double-doubles, including a stretch where she recorded five straight double-doubles between Dec. 31, 2025, and Jan. 14, 2026.
3. Marta Suarez – Senior, TCU Horned Frogs
After spending four years between Tennessee and California, senior forward Marta Suarez has been the perfect addition for the No. 11 Horned Frongs. Her play complements the play of Olivia Miles, which allowed TCU to win back-to-back regular-season Big 12 Championships.
This season, Suarez is averaging 17 points, seven rebounds, and 2.1 assists. She has also scored in double-figures 26 times, including a career-high 32 points against Cincinnati on Feb. 25th. Suarez made 12 of her 20 attempts, including four triples. She is also shooting a career-high 37.4% from three-point range. With Miles’ elite passing ability, her shooting from distance has paid off.
2. Jaliyah Davis – Freshman, Kansas Jayhawks
Freshman forward Jaliya Davis has stamped her name into the record books early on in her career. On Feb. 23, Davis extended her Freshman of the Week streak to eight straight despite sharing the award with BYU freshman Olivia Hamlin.
In conference play, Davis has averaged 22 points per game, which is second most among the conference and is on track to be one of two freshmen since 1999-00 to average 20 points per game for the season. In an 81-60 victory against BYU, Davis recorded her first career double-double, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The following game against Cincinnati, she followed up with another 28-point performance. Her emergence has been crucial for the Jayhawks.
1. Olivia Miles – Senior, TCU Horned Frogs
Senior guard Olivia Miles stands as the best player in the Big 12 Conference, without a doubt. After spending four seasons at Notre Dame, Miles transferred to TCU for her fifth year and quickly put on a show. Miles is averaging a career-high 20.1 points per game, breaking her previous mark of 15.4 points per game from last season.
This season, she’s recorded five triple-doubles and has 11 career triple-doubles. Miles has tied the most triple-doubles by a Big 12 player and is tied with Caitlin Clark for the third-most triple-doubles in a season in NCAA history.
Miles has also scored her 2,000th point, becoming the ninth active DI player to reach the milestone and one of four players in NCAA history to record at least 2,000 points, 800 rebounds and 800 assists. Her best performance of the season came against then-No. 12 Baylor when she dropped 40 points, connecting on 10 three-pointers.
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