Audi Crooks Creates Championship Questions for Oklahoma State

Does Audi Crooks transferring to Oklahoma State make them a national championship contender? The answer isn't that simple.

Audi Crooks | IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

As soon as Audi Crooks made her intention to transfer from Iowa State clear earlier this month, she became the highest-profile (and likely most impactful) player available in the portal.

There were a ton of compelling schools Crooks could transfer to. However, she already knew what she was looking for in a potential destination, which she conveyed during an April 18 interview with Natalie Esquire and Terrika Foster-Brasby of NBC Sports.

"Absolutely. I'm looking for culture, number one, first and foremost, somewhere with good people," Crooks said. She later added, "Number two, somewhere with some shooters. I need a little help from the outside to be an inside-outside threat type of team, and a dual threat team. And number three, somewhere that is gonna push me, push me hard, and develop me into who I want to be."

A day after this interview went live, Crooks announced that she would be transferring to Oklahoma State, which she did through an Instagram post.

How Does Audi Crooks Fit in to Oklahoma State?

Crooks joining the Cowgirls is a fascinating pairing that most did not see coming. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this is that head coach Jacie Hoyt had a guard-centric system that prioritizes high pick and rolls and a lot of downhill attacking from ball handlers.

This is shown by the fact that Oklahoma State was 7th in the country in pick-and-roll possessions per game (27.5) last season, according to an X post from Jack Maloney of CBS Sports.

What's more, the Cowgirls added former Florida guard Liv McGill in the transfer portal as well. She averaged 22.5 points per game last season and was first in the country in individual pick-and-roll possessions per game (20.8).

Florida Gators guard Liv McGill (23) | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cowgirls also signed Talexa Weeter, who was the Division 2 Player of the Year last season after averaging 27.5 points per game for Fort Hays State University.

Crooks almost never took part in a pick-and-roll at Iowa State, which means this will be foreign to her. However, her underrated midrange game makes it so she should be able to thrive in this sytem, so long as she doesn't get worn down by the constant activity and physicality.

Does Audi Crooks Make Oklahoma State a Championship Contender?

While she didn't mention this, there's no question Crooks wants to win a championship. The question is whether she, McGill, and Weeter, along with the Cowgirls' returners, are enough to turn a team that went 12-10, lost in the Big 12 Conference Tournament quarterfinals, and then was blown out by UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament into a true national championship contender.

The problem is shooting. Crooks said she wanted to be around three-point threats, but that hasn't been a particular strong suit of Oklahoma State. Plus, while McGill and Weeter are capable sharpshooters, it isn't the focal point of their respective games.

Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks (55) | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

That said, the Cowgirls will still prioritize spacing the floor, which will create room for Crooks to cook in the paint and in the high pick-and-roll.

Oklahoma State will be very good on offense. But Crooks' defensive issues have been shown in the past, and the Cowboys were an average defensive team in the Big 12 last season.

Defense and depth win championships in women's college basketball. The Cowgirls still have questions in both regards. So while adding Crooks (plus McGill and Weeter) raises their ceiling to the point where they'll be a favorite to win the Big 12 and potentially make it to their first Elite Eight in program history, it's hard to imagine they could beat UConn, South Carolina, or USC next season.

But there's plenty of time for Oklahoma State to prove that opinion wrong.