playCharlie CremeOct 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.Multiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsEven with an expanded NCAA tournament for the 2026-27 women’s college basketball season, winning a conference is still important. That is especially true for the nonpower leagues, where an automatic bid remains the goal — and often the only way for teams to earn a March Madness trip.That might seem a long way off, but the competition for those spots begins as soon as the season tips off Nov. 1.So what does the landscape look like? The return of the Pac-12 returns the total number of conferences back to 32 — and will provide an intriguing race this season. And the Western Athletic Conference has reformed as the United Athletic Conference, with many former members scattering to other leagues.In some conferences, the player of the year races will be just as fun.<\/p>\n
Sarah Strong is a massive favorite in the Big East, and Riley Weiss (Columbia) and Kaety L’Amoreaux (Fairfield) are mid-major players to watch trying to repeat their individual accolades. JuJu Watkins’ return to USC adds more flavor to an already loaded talent pool in the Big Ten.With the start to the regular season nearly here, ESPN predicts the champions and top players in every conference.Note: Stats are from 2025-26 season unless otherwise noted.Jump to a conference: A-10 | American | ACC | America East | ASUN | Big 12 | Big East | Big Sky | Big South | Big Ten | Big West | C-USA | CAA | Horizon League | Ivy League | Metro | MAC | MEAC | Mountain West | MVC | NEC | OVC | Pac-12 | Patriot League | SEC | Southern | Southland | Summit League | Sun Belt | SWAC | UAC | WCCAmerica East ConferencePredicted champion: Binghamton BearcatsLast season, the Bearcats produced their first winning record since 2020 and finished third in the America East. Led by a pair of seniors — Bella Pucci and Kendall Bennett — who have spent their entire careers at Binghamton, the Bearcats are looking for their first trip to the NCAA tournament.Player of the Year: Kendall Bennett, 6-2, Sr., F, Binghamton BearcatsA second-team all-conference selection a year ago, Bennett led the league with 61.0% shooting from the field while averaging 14.0 points and 10.1 rebounds. Her 1.3 blocks per game also earned Bennett a spot on the America East all-defensive team.American ConferencePredicted champion: South Florida BullsThe biggest offseason news in the conference was Kristy Curry’s move from Alabama to South Florida to take over as head coach of the Bulls.<\/p>\n
She brings with her 554 wins and 14 NCAA tournament appearances in 28 seasons. She takes over a program that remained among the conference’s best even after the departure of Jose Fernandez to coach the Dallas Wings after the 2025 season.Player of the Year: Victoria Flores, 5-7, Sr., G, Rice Owls Since transferring from TCU two years ago, Flores has been a catalyst for the Owls. Her American Conference player-of-the-year season (12.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG) led Rice to the conference regular-season title with a 17-1 record. Flores will try to be the American’s first repeat winner since Katie Lou Samuelson did it for UConn in 2017 and 2018.Atlantic Coast ConferencePredicted champion: Duke Blue DevilsAfter consecutive Elite Eight trips the Blue Devils appear on the cusp of fully breaking through nationally.<\/p>\n
They have already done that in the ACC with a sweep of the regular-season and tournament titles a year ago. This might be the best team Kara Lawson has had in Durham: Toby Fournier ranks among the best post players in the country and has a cast of veterans around her.Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, 5-6, Sr., G, Notre Dame Fighting IrishThis year will mark the conclusion of perhaps the best career in the history of Notre Dame basketball. Hidalgo is already the program’s leader in steals and will pass Arike Ogunbowale early this season to become the all-time scorer in school history. Her 25.3 points were good for third in the country last season, and for the second time in her career she led the nation in steals (5.6 SPG).<\/p>\n
Hidalgo could be the best two-player in the country. play1:03Hannah Hidalgo sets sights on national championship in her senior yearASUN ConferencePredicted champion: Jacksonville DolphinsAfter presiding over one of the most successful seasons in Dolphins’ history, coach Special Jennings, who starred as a point guard at Xavier from 2007-11, was rewarded with a long-term contract. Now she will be trying to guide Jacksonville to its first back-to-back winning seasons since 2017-19.Player of the Year: Tatum Brown, 5-6, Soph., G, Jacksonville Dolphins Much of the Dolphins’ potential success will hinge on reigning ASUN freshman of the year Brown taking the next step. She averaged 10.0 points per game, made 36.7% of her 3-pointers and led the conference in steals with 2.3 per game.Atlantic 10 ConferencePredicted champion: Saint Joseph’s HawksAfter four consecutive 20-win seasons, the Hawks might be ready to get to the top of the A-10. Saint Joseph’s hasn’t won a regular-season title since 2003.<\/p>\n
If the Hawks do it, 5-foot-9 senior guard Gabby Casey (15.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG), last season’s A-10 most improved player, will lead the way.Player of the Year: Katie Donovan, 5-11, Sr., G, Davidson Wildcats One of the best shooters in the country at 45.8% on 3-pointers a year ago, Donovan should get more opportunity to build on her 12.1 points per game with the departure of leading scorer Charlise Dunn.Big East ConferencePredicted champion: UConn HuskiesThe last time the Huskies lost a Big East game was Feb. 21, 2023. That’s 70 straight wins. The streak should reach 91 games at the conclusion of the conference tournament in March. The fun part will be watching the development of 5-foot-9 freshman Jovana Popovic and sophomore Blanca Quinonez.Player of the Year: Sarah Strong, 6-2, Jr., F, UConn HuskiesThis might be the surest preseason player of the year prediction this season.<\/p>\n
Strong doesn’t even have any teammates likely to challenge her. Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe will get some attention, but Strong remains the conference’s best scorer, passer and defender. As long as she remains healthy, Strong will win this award in a landslide. play1:01Why UConn’s Sarah Strong is a player to watch this seasonBig Sky ConferencePredicted champion: Idaho VandalsArthur Moreira, the first Brazilian head coach in Division I history, went international with his team, too, and it led to the best season in Vandals’ history. Five players from overseas remain, but it’s Maple Valley, Washington, native Hope Hassmann (14.2 PPG) who led Idaho in scoring and is back for her senior season.Player of the Year: Taylee Chirrick, 5-11, Jr., G, Montana State Bobcats Last season Chirrick became the first player in Big Sky history to win player and defensive player of the year in the same season.<\/p>\n
Already the conference’s reigning top defender, Chirrick upped her scoring average from 6.8 points per game to 17.8 and also became one of the league’s best rebounders.Big South ConferencePredicted champion: Radford HighlandersThe Highlanders were one game short of High Point in the regular season and then lost to the Panthers in the Big South championship game. Now they return three of their top four scorers to become the favorite to grab the top spot for the first time since 2019.Player of the Year: Georgia Simonsen, 6-1, Soph., F, Radford Highlanders Simonsen’s 11.4 points per game and 40.0% shooting from 3-point range earned her Big South freshman of the year honors. She was even better in the postseason, averaging 13.2 points as the Highlanders reached the conference tournament championship game and the second round of the WNIT.Big 12 ConferencePredicted champion: TCU Horned FrogsMark Campbell has established a formula that has worked brilliantly: remake the team in the transfer portal and keep winning big. The Horned Frogs have swept the Big 12 regular-seas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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