compliments of www.thesunconference.com

TAMPA, Fla. — Southeastern opens the 2026-27 Sun Conference women's basketball season as the preseason favorite, earning 63 points and seven first-place votes in the annual poll of the league's nine head coaches.

The Fire enter the 2026-27 campaign looking to capture their second consecutive Sun Conference regular-season title after finishing 15-1 in conference play last season. Southeastern also claimed the Sun Conference Tournament championship before advancing to the Second Round of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship. The Fire concluded their season with a 28-4 overall record.

St. Thomas was voted second with 53 points and one first-place vote after advancing to the Sun Conference Tournament semifinals last season. The Bobcats finished the 2025-26 campaign with an 18-11 overall record and a 10-6 mark in conference play.

Keiser earned 51 points and the remaining first-place vote to place third. The Seahawks also reached the Sun Conference Tournament semifinals last season, concluding their campaign with a 19-8 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Sun Conference action.

Coastal Georgia was selected fourth with 38 points, while Ave Maria rounded out the top five with 35 points.

Webber International earned 32 points to place sixth after making a run to the Sun Conference Tournament championship game as the No. 6 seed last season. The Warriors finished as tournament runners-up. Florida Memorial followed in seventh with 27 points. The Lions enter the 2026-27 season two years removed from capturing both the Sun Conference regular-season and tournament championships in 2024-25.

Warner earned 17 points to place eighth, while New College of Florida rounded out the 2026-27 preseason rankings in ninth place with eight points.