Big 12 Future

[OhMandy]

With the best women's basketball season ever in the short history of Big 12 what would Big 12 fans like to see happen in the next few years?

The first thing I would like to see is for a Big 12 team to win the National Championship. Texas Tech won it as a member of the Southwest Conference.

I would also like to see some of the teams that didn't do so well this year, improve and really make the Big 12 the best conference for women's basketball.

Most of all I would like to see more Big 12 teams schedule games out here in LA. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[YemenBear]

I think the Big XII will remain competitive for years to come. Strong, established programs like Tech and ISU help bring up competitive levels of other schools. I remain amazed at attendance levels at both schools year after year. Thought ISU did a tremendous job of supporting the Sweet Sixteen this year after the Cyclones lost to BYU. Fan base within the Big XII is growing as more schools become competitive. Plus the conference is attracting and retaining quality coaches. Key to success will be effectively attracting top talent levels. Good, committed coaches should help make that happen.

Conference needs to continue to establish a presence in the Final 4. OU did a tremendous job of representing the Big XII this year. National championship would do wonders for the league.

I'm impressed with the willingness of Big XII schools to schedule perennial powers. Non-conference games against Vandy, Tennessee, UConn, Georgia, Penn State really help the conference. This is one area where Baylor could improve. Our non-conference schedule has been pretty weak to-date. I would love to see a non-conference match-up of Big XII and SEC schools.

OhMandy, I know we (Baylor) played UCLA in Waco this past season....maybe it's a home and home arrangement and you can catch the 2002-03 Lady Bears in action at Pauly Pavilion. The Bruins hot-shot player was hurt when they came to Waco. They didn't have much without her.

Trying to build beyond 7 teams hosting first round regionals is really placing the bar high. Five teams in Sweet Sixteen is also enviable. If the league can maintain that type of consistency, watch out.

Enthusiasm over next season should be sky-high. I know the folks at K-State are excited about their chances. I'm sure OU's not ready to hand over the conference title without a fight. ISU and Tech are always tough. I'm not sure I've got the name right, but Jia Perkins of Tech looks really good. Texas should be tourney caliber. Don't know what CU brings back. Baylor will be weaker next year, but should remain competitive....could be an NIT year. Guess we'll see what the new coach at OSU can do. Their post player played a good game against the Lady Bears up in Stillwater. Cowgirls need to extend their fan base. Maybe the Aggies will surprise me, but College Station remains a football and baseball school. Just don't know enough about Mizzou, Kansas, and Nebraska to comment.

I guess in general I would like to see more fans in the stands. Surpassing the 1,000,000 mark was fantastic. More fans means more balanced teams, more enthusiasm, more commitment to one's home team. I guess we'll soon see if success breeds more success.

Sic Em'

[swok34]

I watched a show with Sherri Coale and Marita Hynes (assoc. AD @ OU) yesterday morning and Coale made a really good comment in the OU program itself......

She said that Connecticut deserved all the media attention it received in San Antonio, they have been there year after year after year......and that is where OU needs to go. So, basically the Big XII needs to just keep on putting those teams far into the tournament.

I would say the Big XII needs to just keeps on keeping on; the Big XII was the first conference to reach a million fans. I suspect attendance grows a little more at OU; Kansas State.....now, that will probably be the hottest ticket to try and get. Sure would like to see Texas A & M making their run from the rungs.

I am a little surprised that the Big XII, as a whole, gets the media attention that it does, when you don't see that from any other conferences....look at Connecticut, they aren't thought of as the Big East...Tennessee's not thought of as the "SEC", per se. Purdue's not thought of as the "Big 10".
I would think that individual teams in the Big XII would/hope are standing on their own merits.....and we are not thought of as all lumped together, but as individual programs.

[vickie1ok]

Ditto, Mandy. I'd even like to see Big 12 teams play everywhere on the east and west coasts. The Sooners played in a tourney in LA a few years ago but that was before people took them seriously. Also, as Yemenbear has pointed out, OSU has a chance to be competitive in the league, though I should be careful for what I ask for! But if OSU could be competitive, the OU/OSU game would have fans hanging from the rafters for it. I know there is the issue of fan base which may not support both OU and OSU every game, but there is so much support from rural Oklahoma for girls hoops, that game would pack it. That is also why you see attendance much higher on a Saturday for OU than a Wednesday.

Let's also hope to see a resurgence in other big 12 areas like Missouri and Kansas.