Multiple NCAA Women's Basketball Conferences Name 2025-26 Preseason Favorites

As the 2025-26 women's college basketball season approaches, several conferences have highlighted their top teams and players in preseason polls and predictions. In the America East, both UVM men's and women's basketball teams are favored to win their conferences, with key players like TJ Hurley, TJ Long, Catherine Gilwee, and Nikola Priede receiving preseason all-conference honors. James Madison women's basketball has been selected as the favorite in the Sun Belt Conference for the third straight year, with Peyton McDaniel named the preseason player of the year, reflecting her standout performance from the previous season. In the Northeast Conference (NEC), Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) is the unanimous preseason favorite to repeat as champions, supported by a roster bolstered by 12 newcomers under first-year head coach Chynna Bozeman. Across conferences, standout players such as Sarah Strong (Big East), Maggie Doogan (Atlantic 10), and others in the SEC and Big 12 are expected to vie closely for player of the year honors, illustrating the competitive depth and dynamic shifts in women's college basketball due to transfers and NIL effects. These developments set the stage for an exciting and unpredictable season ahead.