Cowgirl Hoops: Oklahoma State Comes in at No. 22 in Preseason AP Poll

Entering just her fourth season in Stillwater, Jacie Hoyt already has the Cowgirls in the Preseason AP Top 25.

That dropped Tuesday. Oklahoma State is one of four Big 12 programs with a preseason ranking, joining No. 14 Iowa State, No. 16 Baylor and No. 17 TCU.

AP Preseason Top 25

The Cowgirls climbed as high as No. 17 in the AP Poll last season, a year in which OSU went 25-7 and made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons under Hoyt.

The Cowgirls’ upcoming schedule features five games against opponents ranking in the preseason:

Dec. 13 — No. 6 Oklahoma (OKC)
Dec. 31 — No. 16 Baylor (Stillwater)
Jan. 7 — No. 17 TCU (Fort Worth)
Jan. 18 — No. 14 Iowa State (Stillwater)
Feb. 25 — No. 14 Iowa State (Ames)

Hoyt and the Cowgirls return superstar Stailee Heard after Heard was an honorable mention All-American last season. Micah Gray and Jadyn Wooten return, as well, as that trio combined to average 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven points a game last season.

The Cowgirls also had a strong haul in the portal with additions like Amari Whiting, who averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season at BYU, and Haleigh Timmer, who averaged 12.8 points, four rebounds and 1.3 assists a game last season at South Dakota State.