LAWRENCE — Looking at the Big 12 Conference’s preseason coaches poll, Kansas women’s basketball might not look like a contender for the title.

The Jayhawks, led by head coach Brandon Schneider, were picked to finish eighth in the 16-team league. It’s not just recent Big 12 teams that stand ahead of them, like preseason favorite Kansas State, but newcomers Utah and Arizona. Kansas also has to replace so much production from last season’s NCAA tournament squad, such as the veteran trio of Taiyanna Jackson, Holly Kersgieter and Zakiyah Franklin.

But Monday, as Schneider previewed the season ahead of Friday’s Late Night in the Phog event, Schneider didn’t challenge how the poll unfolded. He highlighted how, during the transfer portal era, it can be tough to project how a season is going to unfold. He could understand the reasoning for a number of the teams ahead of his being picked where they were, while remaining confident in what is possible for the Jayhawks.

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“As far as we’re concerned, I think people have respect for S’Mya (Nichols), have a lot of respect for Wyvette Mayberry, and hopefully we’ll go and compete at a really high level and be competitive in league play,” Schneider said. “And I think we have a chance, obviously, to be a tournament team again.”

Kansas is coming off of two NCAA tournament appearances in three years, and a 2023 Postseason WNIT championship in between. From last year’s postseason squad, among the returners the two most recognizable faces would be a sophomore guard in Nichols and a fifth-year guard in Mayberry. A number of newcomers have joined them, as the program looks to sustain its recent success.

Schneider noted they’ve enjoyed the development process that’s unfolded, as chemistry’s been built on and off the court. Of course, there’s a lot of improvement to be made. Considering they don’t have the inside presence Jackson provided in recent years, they anticipate playing differently than they did when she was around.

Schneider first volunteered that means spreading the floor more, before using a football analogy. He described it as not knowing if they’ll be able to run the ball a lot, so they’ll look to make their plays on the perimeter. But he also thinks that plays into Nichols’ hands as a playmaker, and during their recruiting in the spring they focused on attempting to add people around her who could create space like junior guard Elle Evans — a North Dakota State transfer who hit 45.7% (75-for-164) of her 3s last season.

“She’s an exceptional 3-point shooter, and if you look at her numbers from a year ago at North Dakota State they just jump off the stat sheet,” said Schneider, discussing both that aspect of her game and ability to potentially do more. “But, most importantly, it’s what we’ve seen her do in practices — whether it’s in shooting drills, whether it’s in live play. She has such a quick release. I think right now it’s getting her to understand our expectation in how many we want you to shoot — which is every single one that’s open.”

Kansas fans will be able to catch a glimpse of the team during Late Night in the Phog on Friday in a newly renovated Allen Fieldhouse. The first regular season game of the year is Nov. 6 at home against Lindenwood. The Jayhawks also won’t have to wait long for a significant test, with a Nov. 20 neutral-site game against Iowa not long after.

Nichols will play a pivotal role, as the team’s lone representative on the preseason All-Big 12 team. Mayberry will as well. Much of how this season unfolds will depend on how the chemistry that’s being developed translates to the season, especially for a player like Evans who’s taking a step up to a heightened level of competition.

“I’m super excited to be playing in the Big 12, obviously it’s going to be a big change when it comes to physicality, everything,” said Evans, who earned numerous Summit League honors during her time at NDSU. “But I am also excited to see, like, the difference with the new schools coming in. I feel like there’s going to be a lot of schools, like, running for the top of the league. So, I feel like we have a good shot of being up there this year.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas women’s basketball's Brandon Schneider eyes ‘tournament team’