Sunshine State Conference

Tampa Holds Top Spot in 2025-26 SSC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll

10.22.25

By: Phill Wood | SSC

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference women's basketball coaches select Tampa as the conference's top team heading into the 2025-26 season. The Spartans are expected to win their 10th regular-season title following 95 total points and five first-place votes in the preseason poll.
 
Embry-Riddle, who finished tied with Tampa atop the 2024-25 standings, finished second in the preseason ranking with 90 points and the final six first-place votes. Eckerd lands in third with 81 points, while Nova Southeastern and Lynn round out the Top-5 with 75 and 56 points, respectively. Florida Southern finished sixth with 52 points, and Palm Beach Atlantic obtained 44 points for seventh place. Rounding out the 2025-26 poll are Saint Leo (34 points), Barry (30 points), Rollins (29 points), and Florida Tech (19 points).
 
2025-26 SSC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
 
Tampa and Embry-Riddle each finished the 2024-25 season at 17-3 in the conference standings. The Spartans claimed their ninth regular-season conference title, while the Eagles claimed their first. Nova Southeastern followed with a 16-4 mark in SSC play. Top-seeded Embry-Riddle defeated Nova Southeastern 55-51 to earn the program’s first SSC Tournament title.
 
Embry-Riddle, Nova Southeastern, and Tampa earned NCAA Division II tournament bids in 2024-25. Embry-Riddle and Nova Southeastern both won their first-round matchups, setting up a meeting between the two teams in the regional semifinals. There, the Sharks got revenge for their SSC Tournament Championship loss, defeating the Eagles 66-63 to advance to the regional finals. Nova Southeastern’s run ended in the regional finals, as the Sharks fell to top-seeded Union (TN), 65-60.
 
Tampa is the first SSC team to hit the court in the 2025-26 season, as they take on Harding on Friday, November 7, in Denton, Texas. All remaining league teams begin playing on Friday, November 14, or Saturday, November 15. Embry-Riddle and Saint Leo will open up conference play on Saturday, November 22.
 
Below are the full results of the 2025-26 SSC preseason women's basketball coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

 

2025-26 SSC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

-

 

See Also: SSC All-Americans | All-SSC Teams | SSC Champions | Elite 8 Appearances | Record Book

---