Basketball is usually a game of "ifs" and "buts," especially when you're talking about centers who don't fit the cookie-cutter athletic mold. But then you watch Iowa State Audi Crooks play, and all that theory basically goes out the window. She is currently rewriting what's possible in the Big 12, and honestly, the numbers she’s putting up in this 2025-26 season are getting a bit ridiculous.
People love to talk about her size. It’s the first thing anyone notices when she steps onto the floor at Hilton Coliseum. But focusing only on the "6-foot-3 powerhouse" narrative misses the point entirely. If you’ve actually sat through a full Cyclones game recently, you know it isn't just about weight or height. It’s the touch. It’s that soft, almost effortless flip of the wrist that makes the ball disappear through the net before the defender even realizes they’ve been beat.
She’s not just a big body in the paint. She’s a surgeon with a basketball.
The 2026 Reality: Audi Crooks is Breaking the Efficiency Scale
As of mid-January 2026, we are watching something historic. Earlier this season, in a massive win against Indiana, Crooks dropped 47 points. Read that again. Forty-seven. She went 19-of-25 from the field. Most players don't take 25 shots in a week, let alone make 19 of them in one afternoon. That performance broke her own school record and cemented her as a nightmare for any defensive coordinator trying to "deny the entry pass."
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Currently, Iowa State Audi Crooks is leading the nation in scoring, averaging 27.6 points per game. That’s staggering enough on its own, but she’s doing it while shooting over 70% from the floor. To put that in perspective, she recently became just the second player this century—joining Blake Griffin’s legendary 2008 run at Oklahoma—to average 25 points on 75% shooting through the first five games of a season.
It’s efficient. It’s brutal. And for opponents, it’s mostly inevitable.
Why the "Conditioning" Critics are Mostly Wrong
There’s always that one person in the comments saying, "Yeah, but can she run the floor?" Well, Bill Fennelly has her playing around 26 to 28 minutes a night. Sure, she isn't sprinting like a track star for 40 straight minutes, but she doesn't need to. Her impact is about leverage and "peak flow state," as she recently described it.
She understands angles better than most seniors.
When you watch her work, she uses her wide base to create a seal that is basically impossible to break. Once she has her spot, the possession is over. You aren't moving her. You aren't jumping over her to block a shot that’s released with that specific, high-arcing soft touch.
- Point Production: She’s averaging 1.08 points per minute this season.
- Consistency: She currently holds the longest active streak in NCAA Division I for double-figure scoring—84 games and counting.
- The "Shaq" Comparison: Fans are calling her "The Shaq of the Big 12," and while the styles differ, the sheer gravity she exerts on a defense is the same.
Beyond the Stats: The Legacy of No. 55
There’s a lot of heart behind that 55 jersey. If you didn't know, she wears it to honor her father, Jimmie Crooks, who passed away when she was only 16. He wore the same number during his own college days. Every time she hits the floor, there’s a sense of purpose that goes way beyond a box score.
She’s a local legend, too. Coming out of Bishop Garrigan in Algona, she wasn't just a basketball player. She was a state champion in the shot put. She plays five different instruments. She sings. Honestly, she’s probably the most well-rounded person in any room she walks into, which is probably why the pressure of being the face of Iowa State women's basketball doesn't seem to rattle her.
The Cyclones have had their ups and downs this season, recently hitting a tough patch in conference play with losses to Colorado and West Virginia. Even in those games, Crooks is the one keeping them afloat. In the Colorado loss, she still managed 17 points and 15 rebounds. When the team struggles, they look for Audi.
Does she have a WNBA future?
This is the big debate right now. Scouts are torn. Some see her as a "matchup nightmare" who will force the WNBA to adapt to her, much like Nikola Jokic did in the NBA. Others worry about her lateral quickness against elite, 6-foot-7 pros like Lauren Betts.
But here’s the thing: people said she wouldn't be able to dominate the Big 12 either. They said she’d get tired. They said she was too "old school." All she’s done since then is break the freshman scoring record, the single-game scoring record, and become a Third-Team All-American.
She has this uncanny ability to make people look silly for doubting her.
Actionable Takeaways for Following Audi’s Season
If you’re trying to keep up with the Iowa State Audi Crooks phenomenon, don't just look at the highlights. You have to watch the footwork. Here is how to actually appreciate what she's doing:
- Watch the "Seal": Pay attention to the first three seconds of the shot clock. Watch how she pins her defender before the ball even crosses half-court. That’s where she wins.
- The Scoring Streak: Keep an eye on the "84 games" number. If she catches Brittney Griner’s record of 116, we are talking about one of the greatest individual stretches in the history of the sport.
- The Sunday Matchups: Iowa State is fighting to stay in the AP Top 25. Their upcoming game against Oklahoma State is basically a "must-win" to stop a sliding streak.
Audi isn't just a player; she's a shift in the culture of the game. She’s proving that there isn't one "correct" body type for an elite athlete. You don't need a 40-inch vertical if you have the best hands in the country and a basketball IQ that’s off the charts. Whether she leads the Cyclones to a deep March run or heads to the WNBA next, she’s already changed the way we look at the center position.
To keep track of her progress, monitor the Big 12's official stat leaders page, as she is currently neck-and-neck for the conference Player of the Year honors. Watching her navigate the double and triple teams she’ll face in late January will tell us everything we need to know about Iowa State's ceiling this year.