*** 2025-26 ISU WBB Season Thread ***
- Thread starter BoxsterCy
- Start date
I am OK with this poll so the target starts on TCU not us.
I was going to say the same thing. I'd have been ok if we were picked behind Baylor as well. But the vote spread is tight amongst the top three. Interchangeable. TCU just has the best point guard around this year...can the others step up and perform with her?
We only play 5 games against other top 5 teams and 9 games against the top 8. Seems like the schedule sets up for a good run at the regular season championship.
KSU made some positive additions. #58 four star Brandie Harrod. Transfer Izela Arenas from Louisville (#88 in '24). Nastja Claessens from Belgium. Four star and #47 Aniya Foy. Spain's Gina Garcia. Ramiya White from Virginia Tech. FIVE star and #16 Jordan Spieser. Duke transfer Janessa Cotton. Stanford transfer Tess Heal. There is NO ONE you will recognize on the KSU squad. Definitely some talent there though. A complete reload.
Saw a listing of some big non-conference games and Baylor and Iowa play Nov. 20th so we will get an early look at two rivals. Baylor matters way more since it's a team we need to beat out for the conference title.
They brought in Olivia Miles with other highly rated transfers. Plus, their coach seems to know how to make a team of transfers gel pretty quickly.
Thanks. Miles was a huge get. Looking at their roster they have a crazy amount of size for the post. Lots of proven scorers too.
Read my review in the latest Twister Sister Summary. Covers what all four top teams did.
He has good leadership in Miles. Piecing it all together will be another challenge. Then he gets to do it again next year.
ISU has three (Crooks, Brown, Jackson) or four (Hare) returning starters, the pre-season conference player of the year (Crooks) and two players on the pre-season all-conference team, as compiled by the coaches. We replaced Emily Ryan with a highly ranked junior PG from the transfer portal (Jada Williams) along with a Conference Player of the Year Forward (Paulk) who can rebound and defend. Theoretically, ISU is LOADED and should be title favorites by almost any measure.
TCU has NINE new arrivals and one player on the pre-season all conference team (Miles). ISU is preseason ranked #13 by ESPN to TCU's #21. Yet somehow TCU got ten coach votes (Campbell can't vote for himself) as favorites to repeat as title winners.
Only two of sixteen Big XII coaches voted for ISU to finish first, which is STUNNING - given the talented and experienced personnel, this is almost certainly an indictment of our coaching staff - the other coaches obviously don't feel CBF can push the correct buttons over the course of a long season.
TCU has NINE new arrivals and one player on the pre-season all conference team (Miles). ISU is preseason ranked #13 by ESPN to TCU's #21. Yet somehow TCU got ten coach votes (Campbell can't vote for himself) as favorites to repeat as title winners.
Only two of sixteen Big XII coaches voted for ISU to finish first, which is STUNNING - given the talented and experienced personnel, this is almost certainly an indictment of our coaching staff - the other coaches obviously don't feel CBF can push the correct buttons over the course of a long season.
It has been polar opposites for TCU - the trainwreck two years ago with the forfeiting of games, to the success of last year. From comments I have read do not think Campbell is a favorite among the coaching community, especially in the B12.
I think we have the potential to win the conference, but last year’s expectations vs the results has me a little gun shy. Overall, I think our guard play will be better this year. We should be quicker, but we will be small. I’m hopeful Paulk will add some defense and athleticism that was missing at the four. Our interior defense needs to be better. We have a ton returning, the key will be if that returning talent got better since last March.
Agree, 100% with you. On the guard play, I expect the number of turnovers to increase overall. The other thing that makes me hold. My breath is that some of our opponents really loaded up through the portal. There are a couple of teams like K State that loaded up on a lot of talent, but can the coach do anything with it?
The team definitely underperformed last year. The sell out of the lower bowl shows how much we (the fans)thought it was going to be a magical season.
If CBF doesn’t do well this year it could be his last. Looking at the out year recruits speaks volumes to this. There may be some uncertainty at the head coach. I don’t think IF, IF ISU replaces CBF it will come from the current staff, so any young players looking at the team would wonder what they are getting.
I don’t want to call this a true make or break season, but it feels like it may be close.
If CBF doesn’t do well this year it could be his last. Looking at the out year recruits speaks volumes to this. There may be some uncertainty at the head coach. I don’t think IF, IF ISU replaces CBF it will come from the current staff, so any young players looking at the team would wonder what they are getting.
I don’t want to call this a true make or break season, but it feels like it may be close.
There is zero chance this is his last season. This roster is built for a two year run followed by a complete rebuild. Im assuming whatever money we have left is going to get the best player possible with 1 year of eligibility instead of freshman for the 26-27 season
Assuming this is where Bill retires, the quality of coach we get is determined by how much rev share is given to a new coach. If Pollard actually hires one of the current assistants you know there wont be much funding going forward.
Assuming this is where Bill retires, the quality of coach we get is determined by how much rev share is given to a new coach. If Pollard actually hires one of the current assistants you know there wont be much funding going forward.
