The 2025-26 DII women's basketball season is set to tip off this weekend, and defending champion Grand Valley State will be among the teams at the Midwest Classic. When the Lakers take the floor, they will be positioned well to try at a repeat with a few key returners back in the rotation.
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That is what helps the Lakers open the season at No. 1 in the preseason Power 10. Several of last year’s 30-win programs and DII Women’s Elite Eight teams were decimated by graduation and the transfer portal, making it very hard to determine which teams will rise to the top in 2025-26.
For those new to the DII women’s basketball Power 10 rankings, or simply need a refresher, these are solely mine and don't reflect the input of any voting body or the NCAA selection committee. It is a combination of bracket selection metrics and what is happening on the court. Since there are no metrics just yet, I dove into the rosters looking for big returning stars and key transfers, but keep in mind one thing. These will likely look very different than the national polls, as how far a team went last year does not grant automatic entrance into the Power 10 this year.
DII women’s basketball preseason Power 10 rankings
No. 1 Grand Valley State. The Lakers have owned the GLIAC in the post-COVID era, winning four straight regular season titles and three straight tournament titles. They have also been a force in the Midwest Region, reaching the DII Women’s Elite Eight twice in the past four years, including winning that shiny, national championship trophy a year ago. The Lakers return three of their top scorers in guard Nicole Kamin, forward MacKenzie Bisballe, and G/F Paige VanStee. It is early, but the Lakers look poised to make another deep run in the DII tournament.
No. 2 Gannon. The Golden Knights have seemingly become a lock for 25 wins over the past five years. What the Golden Knights return makes them an early favorite to win it all. They had three starters average double-digit points last year, and all three — Bri Claxton, Kate Ratliff and Maddy Wheatley — are back. But that’s not all. So is starter Jordan Popyk as well as Mia Slater and Carissa Dunham, who each appeared in more than 30 games rotating as a starter or key role player off the bench. That kind of returning depth is unheard of for a perennial tournament team, and that gives Gannon an edge.
No. 3 North Georgia. The Nighthawks return three of their starting five that fell just short of the DII Women’s Elite Eight last year. That’s good for any team in the transfer portal era, but particularly dangerous for a program with the resume that the Nighthawks have. The perennial favorite for the Southeast Region also happens to return Caroline Martin, a do-it-all guard that led the team in points, rebounds and steals en route to the PBC player of the year. This team is loaded.
No. 4 Bentley. It’s pretty simple: Bentley is going to win a lot of ball games. This is a program that has made the DII Women’s Elite Eight 15 times in its history, including last year’s run to the quarterfinals. They have missed the tournament just once over the past decade and won it all in 2014. Now, the Falcons lose almost all of their starters, but they do return Cassidy Yeomans, who started all but one game and led the team in assists. They also have a ton of experienced role players back set to take on a larger role, like Niya Morgen (who averaged 10.9 points per game as a reserve), Ciara Norman, Julia Elie and Mikela Cooper. The Falcons should be just fine.
No. 5 Texas Woman’s. The Lone Star Conference has been one of the tougher conferences in DII, especially at the top. The Pioneers have been to three straight LSC tournament finals and have won the last two. They may lose some of their star players but return a bevy of talent that played significant minutes last year. Kayla Glover started 27 games, and Jada Celsur was in and out of the starting rotation as well. Averee Kleinhans appeared in 32 games off the bench and averaged 9.2 points per game in that role. Gabby Elliott appeared in all 35 games and chipped in 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Throw in a couple in-conference transfers and this team looks ready for another run.
No. 6 Ashland. Of course the Eagles are in the top 10. Ashland has won at least 31 games three years in a row and have 30 or more wins seven times in the last 10 seasons. It doesn’t really matter who returns to this program, as it has established itself as a DII powerhouse — and as long as head coach Kari Pickens is in charge, the Eagles will compete. The Eagles return Lexi Howe and Ashley Mullet, who both started a majority of their games played last year. They also have Gia Casalinova and Corri Vermilya back, both of whom appeared in 30 games off the bench. Alysa Lopez and Jenna Badali will be two to watch; Lopez transfers in from Sonoma State where she led the team in points, and Badali comes from Lewis, where she averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game over her four-plus-year career.
No. 7 Union (TN). Simply put, the Bulldogs win basketball games… and a lot of them. Head coach Mark Campbell is one of the winningest coaches in DII women’s basketball, and minus the COVID abbreviated 2021 finish, the Bulldogs have finished with no fewer than 26 wins in every season since 2017. They return their best scorer in Olivia Lee from a year ago, who averaged 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Starter Courtney Zensen is also back in the mix. Morgan Escobedo is one of a few transfers who can make an instant impact. The guard played well for Chaminade last year, scoring 8.5 points per game with 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.
No. 8 Coker. The Cobras had a dream season last year. They took down North Georgia by 10 points in the Southeast Region championship to advance to their first-ever DII Women’s Elite Eight. Now, usually when a team like Coker comes along, you need to be careful. Were they a flash in the pan; a team that got hot at the right time? I don’t think that’s the case because nearly everyone from that squad is back. That includes leading scorer Shawnteanna Tillman, leading rebounder Kamari Thompson and Dasia Ferguson, Kristynn Knight and Janay Legagneur, who all played significant minutes on the run to the quarterfinals. Coker is back and ready to do damage.
No. 9 Lubbock Christian. The Chaps lose so much from last year, which is why I have them a little lower. But that doesn’t matter. As long as head coach Steve Gomez is here, this team is a contender. This program has made every tournament since 2018 and has two national titles and a DII Women’s Elite Eight appearance during that span. They get Kennedy Chappell and Taylor Thomas back, and though it may take some time, expect the Chaps to be right back in the mix as always.
No. 10 (tie) Cal State Dominguez Hills, Pittsburg State. Yes, the Toros are the defending national runners-up. However, this team is hardly recognizable to those Toros. The entire starting five is gone, there is a new coaching regime in place, and only Kylee Edgar returns of the 10 players who appeared in last year’s national championship game. The Toros get a top-10 nod for their finish last year, but this could very well be a .500 team this season.
I almost left the Gorillas out and put Fort Hays State into the Power 10. They do lose their top two scorers but get Macie Mays — who scored 13.7 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting — and Harper Schreiner back, who started every game and led the team in assists while chipping in 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. However, it is two transfers that could make a world of difference if they mesh with the Gorillas' style of ball. Amanda Byrnes from MSU Denver and Marie Wembadjonga from the JUCO circuit are both over 6-foot-3. To have one player with that kind of presence down low in DII is a gift, but two? If they adapt, it will be tough to get inside on Pittsburg State.
Also considered (in alphabetical order): UAH, Alaska Anchorage, Coker, Colorado Mesa, Concordia-St. Paul, Fairmont State, Fort Hays State, Nova Southeastern, UT Tyler