The Big 12 enjoyed its most successful season in 2001-02, sending seven teams to the NCAA Tournament and its first representative to the Final Four.

The Big 12, which has led the nation in attendance for the past three years, also became the first league to attract a million fans.

But amidst all the change, it appears that the same old teams will continue to contend for the league title. Oklahoma, which reached last season's NCAA title game, might not be the frontrunner anymore, but Texas Tech, which at least shared three consecutive regular-season league titles from 1998-2000, is ready to resume its place on top.

A quick look at the league, which seems to be surpassing the SEC as the country's best conference:

FAVORITE
Texas Tech
The Lady Raiders, who went 20-12 last season, return five of their top six scorers from 2001-02, including Jia Perkins, who has quickly emerged as a star and averaged 16 points as a sophomore.

When Plenette Pierson was suspended only four games into the season, the rest of the team -- Perkins, Jolee Ayers, Cisti Greenwalt and Natalie Richie in particular -- stepped up, played well and reached the Sweet 16 before falling to OU. All the pieces return, plus Texas Tech gets Pierson back. She's was a second-team all-conference selection two years ago and one of the top power forwards in the country.

This team also is quick and has a lot of depth, but having Marsha Sharp on the sidelines is the biggest factor. She not only is an incredible recruiter who finds kids nobody else has even heard about (look at some of those West Texas players), she also has changed with the time. In the past, she used a 2-3 zone, which is one of the most difficult zones to read. But over the years she has changed her system to match her talent, to best utilize her personnel, and now Texas Tech almost runs a straight man-to-man defense.

Establishing someone who can take over at point guard is crucial.

CONTENDERS
Kansas State
The Wildcats not only return four starters, but also their top four scorers -- Nicole Ohlde, Laurie Koehn, Kendra Wecker and Megan Mahoney combined for 60.3 points -- from a year ago when they enjoyed their most successful season in team history. Kansas State, a No. 3 seed which reached the Sweet 16, broke onto the scene in 2001-02, surprising everybody with a highly talented group consisting mostly of underclassmen.

Center Ohlde leads the way. She is a do-it-all player who can shoot, run, pass, rebound, block shots, steal balls, beat you down the floor or trail for the pull-up shot. And if you double-team her, she's a good kick-out passer. The WNBA is going to love her someday.

Kansas State is very well-coached and gets up and down the floor.

Texas
On Feb. 12 of last season, Texas stunned third-ranked Tennessee 69-66 in Knoxville. A week later, the Longhorns tripped third-ranked Oklahoma in overtime. And then in the NCAA Tournament, Texas reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1990.

Those wins and achievements not only gave Texas confidence and experience, but also a taste of success -- and what could happen in the future if all the pieces come together.

The Longhorns return three starters, and these are great, young players. Stacy Stephens and Heather Schreiber combined for 28 points. Stephens, a 6-foot-1 junior who notched 15 double-doubles last season and led the Big 12 with 3.71 offensive rebounds a game, is undersized, but she can score facing up or by taking you off the dribble.

Expect freshmen Nina Norton, a guard, and BranDee Fry, a forward/center, to put in some quality time early on, and for former Stanford standout Jamie Carey to step up and contribute immediately.

The Longhorns are young, and coach Jody Conradt is really going to have to coach them through this tough conference. Of course, not many do it better than Conradt, who enters the season with 788 wins.

ALSO OF NOTE
Oklahoma: The Sooners, last season's NCAA runner-up, lost three of their top four scorers and four starters who combined for 53.8 points in 2001-02. Replacing them will be tough, and right now, OU looks pretty young. But look for Caton Hill, third on the team in scoring last season and a preseason Naismith candidate, to assume much of the responsibilities and leadership.

Baylor: Like OU, the Lady Bears have some big shoes to fill. Sheila Lambert and Danielle Crockrom are both top players in the WNBA now, but they combined for 38 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists a game last season.

Nancy Lieberman, an ESPN analyst and Hall of Famer, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's women's basketball coverage.