Kansas women's basketball starts less than a month from now, and the Lady Jayhawks are preparing for what should be a successful 2024-25 campaign. With the regular season approaching, the Big 12 Conference unveiled its preseason awards and polls last week.
All 16 schools in the league had their coaches vote on each award and ranking. They were unable to vote on their respective teams. While there was not much representation for KU, second-year guard S'Mya Nichols was one of the 10 players to be selected to the 2024-25 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
S'Mya Nichols honored with preseason All-Big 12 Team recognition
Given her excellent freshman year, Nichols' selection is well-deserved. The Overland Park native averaged a team-high 15.4 points per game as a freshman, pairing that with 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 46% shooting. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and unanimously named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. Her 508 points scored were the second-highest among freshmen in school history.
Meanwhile, coaches also ordered each of their eventual opponents in the preseason poll. Kansas finished No. 8 overall, while Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor led the way.
The selection is a significant drop from last preseason when the Jayhawks were selected No. 3 in the Big 12 behind Texas and Baylor. Despite the high expectations, Brandon Schneider's group finished seventh in the conference and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Key players such as Taiyanna Jackson and Zakiyah Franklin ran out of eligibility following the season's finish.
Schneider added a few highly touted transfers during the offseason to make up for the team's lost production. Still, it will be difficult to replicate what Jackson gave to the program. ESPN's way-too-early bracketology currently has the Jayhawks missing out on March Madness, so they must start the season off strong. The 2024-25 campaign kicks off on Nov. 6 vs. Lindenwood.