Embry-Riddle Tops 2026-27 SSC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
ORLANDO, Fla. – Embry-Riddle has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2026-27 Sunshine State Conference women's basketball title, according to the league's preseason coaches poll announced Thursday, October 22.
The Eagles received five first-place votes and 18 points to claim the top spot in the 11-team poll.
Tampa follows closely in second place with 20 points and three first-place votes.
Eckerd and
Nova Southeastern tied for third place with 30 points apiece. The Tritons received one first-place vote, while the Sharks collected two, giving the top four teams all 11 first-place votes.
Florida Southern rounds out the top five with 44 points, followed by
Lynn in sixth (62) and
Palm Beach Atlantic in seventh (66).
Barry was selected eighth with 74 points, followed by
Florida Tech (78),
Rollins (82) and
Saint Leo (91).
Embry-Riddle enters the new season following a 22-7 campaign in 2025-26. The Eagles finished tied for second in the SSC standings with a 16-4 conference record, sharing that mark with Nova Southeastern.
Eckerd captured the 2025-26 SSC regular-season championship with a 17-3 conference record and finished 26-7 overall. The Tritons also made the deepest NCAA Tournament run of any SSC program, advancing to the NCAA Division II South Region championship game (Sweet 16). The SSC sent four teams to the 2026 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament. Eckerd, Nova Southeastern, Embry-Riddle and Florida Southern represented the conference in the South Regional.
Nova Southeastern claimed the 2026 SSC Women's Basketball Tournament championship. The victory marked the Sharks' fourth conference tournament championship and first since 2015.
2026-27 SSC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Embry-Riddle (5) |
18 |
| 2 |
Tampa (3) |
20 |
| T3 |
Eckerd (1) |
30 |
| T3 |
Nova Southeastern (2) |
30 |
| 5 |
Florida Southern |
44 |
| 6 |
Lynn |
62 |
| 7 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
66 |
| 8 |
Barry |
74 |
| 9 |
Florida Tech |
78 |
| 10 |
Rollins |
82 |
| 11 |
Saint Leo |
91 |
First-place votes are listed in parentheses.
Fans can follow SSC women's basketball throughout the 2026-27 season at SunshineStateConference.com.