Women's Basketball | 10/23/2026 11:59:00 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Barry University women's basketball team were selected eighth in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) pre-season poll.

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.

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).

2026-27 SSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

The Bucs were ninth last season, but only three players return to the squad. Sophomore forward Jazz Cook, sophomore guard Izzy Brenzil and sophomore guard Paola Pareja Xargayo are joined by 11 new players on this year's roster.

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.

Barry opens up the home schedule on Nov. 9 facing Florida Memorial.

Conference play opens up on Saturday, Nov. 18, with Saint Leo visiting Eckerd, Palm Beach Atlantic at Lynn, Tampa taking on Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla., and Florida Tech hitting the road for Nova Southeastern. The Bucs  will play their first taste of conference action on the road as they'll play the Saint Leo Lions on Nov. 21.

Below are the full results of the 2026-27 SSC preseason women's basketball coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams, first-place votes in parentheses.

2026-27 SSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

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