Sooners Picked Second in Preseason Vote

Coaches tab Oklahoma among conference's top teams.

Aaryn Ellenberg

Oct. 10, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma was picked second in the Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll released by the conference Wednesday.

Oklahoma and West Virginia tied for the runner-up spot behind defending national champion Baylor in a vote of the league's coaches.

Baylor was selected as the preseason favorite for the third consecutive year. The Lady Bears received nine of 10 first-place votes. West Virginia received the remaining first-place vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

The Sooners have finished the regular season at or better than the preseason prediction in six of the last seven seasons, including four straight years.

Kansas was picked fourth, Texas fifth and Iowa State sixth. Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Kansas State and TCU, respectively, completed the poll.

Oklahoma returns its starting lineup, as well as Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Sharane Campbell, from last year's squad that finished second in the conference standings and reached the NCAA tournament for the 13th consecutive season.

Previously, OU junior Aaryn Ellenberg was selected to the five-member Preseason All-Big 12 Team and senior Whitney Hand was an honorable mention.

OU introduces three newcomers -- junior college All-American Portia Durrett, WBCA High School All-America Team MVP Nicole Kornet and Iowa's Gatorade Player of the Year Maddie Manning. Also returning are veterans Lyndsey Cloman and Jasmine Hartman, who missed the entire 2011-12 season due to injuries.

The Sooners begin play Thursday, Nov. 1, hosting an exhibition game against Oklahoma Christian at the Lloyd Noble Center at 7 p.m.

Untitled Document

2012-13 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

1.	Baylor (9)	81
2.	Oklahoma	65
	West Virginia (1)	65
4.	Kansas	58
5.	Texas	46
6.	Iowa State	42
7.	Oklahoma State	39
8.	Texas Tech	25
9.	Kansas State	20
10.	TCU	9

(first place votes in parentheses; coaches not allowed to vote for their own team)

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