The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association released its NCAA Division II preseason Top 25 coaches’ poll, and two-time defending champion Grand Valley State was the unanimous favorite, with Colorado Mesa placing second.
| Rank | School | Last Year’s Record | Points | Last Season’s Final Rank | First-Place Votes |
| 1 | Grand Valley State | 36-1 | 575 | 1 | 23 |
| 2 | Colorado Mesa | 37-2 | 510 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | Alabama-Huntsville | 32-6 | 465 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | Indiana, PA | 31-4 | 453 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Cal Poly Pomona | 29-5 | 451 | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Texas Woman’s | 31-2 | 432 | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Minnesota State Mankato | 29-3 | 430 | 11 | 0 |
| 8 | Winston-Salem State | 28-4 | 411 | 9 | 0 |
| 9 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 26-6 | 329 | 18 | 0 |
| 10 | Holy Family | 30-5 | 279 | 7 | 0 |
| 11 | Bentley | 23-5 | 274 | 17 | 0 |
| 12 | Gannon | 29-5 | 265 | 8 | 0 |
| 13 | Carson-Newman | 24-11 | 262 | 15 | 0 |
| 14 | Central Missouri | 26-7 | 211 | RV | 0 |
| 15t | Concordia-St. Paul | 26-7 | 178 | 22 | 0 |
| 15t | Daemen | 26-4 | 178 | 10 | 0 |
| 17 | Glenville State | 24-7 | 159 | NR | 0 |
| 18 | Ashland | 14-13 | 157 | NR | 0 |
| 19 | Tampa | 19-11 | 153 | NR | 0 |
| 20 | West Texas A&M | 28-5 | 152 | 13 | 0 |
| 21 | Western Washington | 25-8 | 148 | RV | 0 |
| 22 | Minnesota Duluth | 23-9 | 85 | 12 | 0 |
| 23 | Columbus State | 25-5 | 82 | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Texas-Tyler | 22-11 | 81 | NR | 0 |
| 25 | Missouri-St. Louis | 25-6 | 79 | RV | 0 |
Breakdown of the Top Tier
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The Frontrunners: Three-time champion Grand Valley State sits comfortably at No. 1 after a dominant 36-1 season and earned all first-place nods. Hot on their heels is Colorado Mesa, which posted an extraordinary 37-2 record last year and sits at No. 2.
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Powerhouses in the Top 5: Alabama-Huntsville (32-6), Indiana (PA) (31-4), and Cal Poly Pomona (29-5) round out the top five, all maintaining their status as premier national contenders after deep postseason runs.
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The Mid-Tier Battlegrounds: Programs like Texas Woman’s (31-2) at No. 6 and two-time champion Minnesota State Mankato (29-3) at No. 7 anchor a very competitive middle tier. Meanwhile, a tie at No. 15 features Concordia-St. Paul and Daemen, both matching with 178 total points.
Others Receiving Votes
- Miles (25-6) – 76 points
- Fort Hays State (25-6) – 74 points
- Nova Southeastern (28-5) – 71 points
- Central Washington (25-7) – 57 points
- Northwood (28-6) – 54 points
- Embry-Riddle (22-7) – 44 points
- Ferris State (26-7) – 36 points
- Lincoln Memorial (26-5) & Lubbock Christian (23-8) – 35 points each
- Fayetteville State (21-6) – 34 points
- Harding (24-7) – 33 points
- Coker (26-7) & Edward Waters (23-6) – 22 points each
- Missouri Southern State (20-10) – 13 points
- Fairmont State (21-9) – 10 points
- Lane (22-6) & Vanguard U. (25-6) – 9 points each
- Augusta (21-10) – 8 points
- Southern Connecticut State (20-10) & Benedict (19-9) – 4 points each
- Additionally, 5 other teams appeared on a single ballot, totaling 28 points.
