NEW YORK – The 2026 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll was announced Thursday with UConn as the unanimous preseason favorite. The Huskies collected 100 points and 10 first-place votes in the poll for the fourth straight year. The Huskies have won the conference regular season title 25 times, along with 24 BIG EAST Tournaments, sweeping both in 2025-26.

 

BIG EAST Women’s  Basketball Preseason Poll

1. UConn – 100 (10 first-place votes)

2. Villanova – 90 (1)

3. Creighton - 78

4. St. John’s - 68

5. Seton Hall - 67

6. Marquette – 60

7. Providence – 38

8. Georgetown - 36

9. Xavier – 29

10. Butler - 21

11. DePaul - 18

Villanova finished second in the Preseason Poll with 90 points and the remaining first-place vote. Creighton earned third with 78 points, followed by St. John’s (68) and Seton Hall (67), rounding out the top five. Marquette (60) was picked sixth, Providence earned seventh (38) and Georgetown took eighth (36). Xavier heads into the season ranked ninth in the preseason poll with 29 points, closely followed by Butler (21). DePaul rounded out the 11-team poll with 18 points.

In 2025-26, UConn went 38-1, including a perfect 20-0 record in BIG EAST play, and captured both the regular-season and tournament titles. UConn’s 24th BIG EAST Tournament championship was highlighted by Sarah Strong, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Strong, the 2025-26 BIG EAST Player and Defensive Player of the Year, led the Huskies with 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade and freshman Blanca Quiñonez also played key roles for the Huskies, with Quiñonez earning BIG EAST Freshman and Sixth Woman of the Year honors. The Huskies will again face a challenging non-conference schedule this season, including Iowa, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennessee and LSU.

Villanova recorded its fifth consecutive 20-win season in 2025-26, finishing 25-8 overall and 16-4 in BIG EAST play. The Wildcats finished second in the conference standings and advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament championship game for the third time under head coach Denise Dillon. Villanova earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed, where it faced Texas Tech in the first round. The Wildcats return a strong core led by junior Jasmine Bascoe, who earned unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST honors for the second consecutive season after averaging 18.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Senior Brynn McCurry and junior Kelsey Joens also return after contributing to last season's NCAA Tournament team. The Wildcats open the 2026-27 season on Nov. 1 against Notre Dame in Rome, Italy, as part of the Eternal City Tip-Off. Other notable non-conference matchups include Princeton, LSU, Kansas State and West Virginia.

Creighton enters the 2026-27 season off a 16-15 campaign in 2025-26 that saw the Bluejays finish fifth in the BIG EAST with an 11-9 conference record. Creighton's 2026-27 roster features a mix of returning players and newcomers, with graduate transfer Nia Holloway joining the Bluejays after previously playing at Minnesota. The roster also includes sophomores Kendall McGee, Tara Dacic, Avery Cooper, Neleigh Gessert, Ava Zediker and Norah Gessert, along with junior Allison Heathcock. The Bluejays will face a challenging non-conference schedule that includes road games at South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Northern Iowa, a neutral-site matchup against South Dakota, and home contests against Omaha, Nebraska and Drake. 

St. John’s enters the 2026-27 season following a 2025-26 campaign that marked the Red Storm’s fourth consecutive winning season. Head Coach Joe Tartamella begins his 15th season at the helm, having guided St. John’s to nine top-five BIG EAST regular-season finishes. The Red Storm return five players from last season, including 2026 BIG EAST honorees Brooke Moore and Sa’Mya Wyatt. The Red Storm’s incoming group joins returning players including Moore, Wyatt, Asia Donald, Julie Bahati, Olivia Tucker, Sanaa Tripp, Reina Green and Janeya Grant. 

Seton Hall returns senior guard Savannah Catalon after a 19-13 season last year, who averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season while shooting 89.2 percent from the free-throw line. Catalon will be joined by returning guards Saniyah King, Ja’Kahla Craft and Ari Woodard, along with forward Savanna Jones. Head Coach Anthony Bozzella enters his 14th season at the helm of the Pirates. The Pirates also welcome several newcomers, including graduate student  Shailyn Pinkney and freshmen Giselle Dollar, Ari Vidales, Inieye Oruh, Shamira Morton and Kenadie Maughan. The Pirates will look to blend their returning core with the newcomers after losing several key contributors from last season. Seton Hall opens the 2026-27 season on Nov. 3 against Mercyhurst at Walsh Gymnasium. 

Marquette enters the 2026-27 season under Head Coach Cara Consuegra, who begins her third season at the helm of the Golden Eagles. Consuegra has guided Marquette to back-to-back top-four finishes in the BIG EAST and 39 wins over her first two seasons. The Golden Eagles went 18-12 overall and 12-8 in BIG EAST play in 2025-26. Marquette returns a veteran core led by senior Halle Vice, who earned unanimous first team All-BIG EAST honors last season. The Golden Eagles added BIG EAST transfer MacKenzie Givens from Xavier, who averaged 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore, as well as several freshmen and international newcomers. 

Providence enters the 2026-27 season looking to build on a 15-18 campaign in 2025-26, including a 7-13 BIG EAST record. The Friars return a young core that includes junior guard Orlagh Gormley, sophomore guard Princess Moody and senior guard Sophi Hall. Providence also welcomes a mix of transfers and newcomers, including Kylah Silver, J’Adore Young, Taylor Barner and Marlene Mbilima. Head Coach Erin Batth enters her fourth season at the helm of the Friars. Providence opens the 2026-27 regular season on Nov. 3 against Stonehill at Alumni Hall. 

Georgetown enters the 2026-27 season looking to build on a 16-15 campaign in 2025-26. The Hoyas return four players from last season, including junior Destiny Agubata, who averaged 8.5 points and a team-best 5.0 rebounds per game in 2025-26. Agubata also recorded her first career double-double and scored a career-high 24 points during the season. The Hoyas have added eight newcomers, including transfers Winner Bartholomew, Johnea Donahue, Khia Miller, J'Bionna Robinson, Clarence Djuela and Brianna Byars, along with freshmen Kendall Perry, Stella Lockhart and Bo Frost. 

Xavier Head Coach Billi Chambers enters her fourth season at the helm of the Musketeers, who return junior guard Meri Kanerva as their leading returning scorer. Kanerva averaged 10.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season while leading the country in minutes played. The Musketeers have added significant experience to the roster, including Purdue transfer Hila Karsh, South Alabama transfer Diawna Carter-Hartley and point guards Lucile Jerome and Stella Mavuanga. 

This season marks Maria Marchesano’s first year at the helm of the Butler Bulldogs. Marchesano spent the last five years at Purdue Fort Wayne, where she led the Mastodons to three consecutive 20-win seasons and three straight postseason appearances. Twins Nevaeh and Saniyah Jackson return to Butler for their second year. Saniya appeared in 31 games last season and averaged 9.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, while Nevaeh averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 23 appearances.  The Bulldogs also welcome five transfers: Karina Bystry, Taya Ellis, Lili Krasovec, Tamar Singer and Judit Valero. 

DePaul enters the 2026-27 season looking to build on a young roster after finishing 8-24 overall and 5-15 in BIG EAST play in 2025-26. The Blue Demons return fifth-year guard Kate Clarke, who averaged 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season, along with junior Ally Timm and sophomore Gina Davorija. Head Coach Jill M. Pizzotti enters her second full season leading the Blue Demons after taking over the program in 2024-25. DePaul has added five transfers for the 2026-27 season, including Louis Volker from George Mason, Zoey Ward from Iona, Doyinsola Lijirin from Wagner, Nyah Lowery from Pacific, and Kaliyah Dillard from San Jose State. 

2026-27 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1. UConn – 100 (10 first-place votes)
2. Villanova – 90 (1)
3. Creighton – 78
4. St. John’s – 68
5. Seton Hall – 67
6. Marquette – 60
7. Providence – 38
8. Georgetown – 36
9. Xavier – 29
10. Butler – 21
11. DePaul – 18