IRVING, Texas — Wichita State's women's basketball team will enter the 2026-27 season with low expectations from around the American Conference after being picked to finish last in the league's preseason coaches poll released Friday.
The Shockers received just 19 points in voting by the conference's 13 head coaches, placing them 13th in the preseason rankings.
Wichita State was also one of five conference programs without a player selected to either preseason all-conference team.
The preseason prediction provides a sharp contrast to the Wichita State men's basketball team, which was picked to win the American Conference title after receiving nine first-place votes in Friday's men's preseason poll.
Rice was selected as the favorite to win the women's conference championship, receiving 10 of the 13 first-place votes and 142 total points.
The Owls are coming off a season in which they finished atop the American's regular-season standings with a 17-1 conference record.
Defending conference tournament champion UTSA was picked second with two first-place votes and 125 points, followed by South Florida, which received the remaining first-place vote and totaled 121 points.
Tulsa was selected fourth with 117 points, while Temple rounded out the top five with 96 points.
North Texas (87), East Carolina (82), Florida Atlantic (60), Memphis (54), Charlotte (44), Tulane (41) and UAB (26) were also picked ahead of Wichita State.
Rice senior guard Victoria Flores was the unanimous selection for preseason player of the year after earning the conference's top individual honor last season.
Flores averaged 14.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during conference play last season while helping lead the Owls to the regular-season championship.
She was joined on the preseason all-conference first team by South Florida's Stefanie Ingram, Temple's Kaylah Turner, UTSA's Idara Udo and Tulsa's Mady Cartwright.
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams or players.
American Conference women's basketball preseason poll
First-place votes in parentheses
- Rice (10) — 142 points
- Rice (10) — 142 points
- UTSA (2) — 125
- UTSA (2) — 125
- South Florida (1) — 121
- South Florida (1) — 121
- Tulsa — 117
- Tulsa — 117
- Temple — 96
- Temple — 96
- North Texas — 87
- North Texas — 87
- East Carolina — 82
- East Carolina — 82
- Florida Atlantic — 60
- Florida Atlantic — 60
- Memphis — 54
- Memphis — 54
- Charlotte — 44
- Charlotte — 44
- Tulane — 41
- Tulane — 41
- UAB — 26
- UAB — 26
- Wichita State — 19
- Wichita State — 19
Preseason All-Conference First Team
- Victoria Flores, Rice
- Stefanie Ingram, South Florida
- Kaylah Turner, Temple
- Idara Udo, UTSA
- Mady Cartwright, Tulsa
Preseason All-Conference Second Team
- Daejah Richmond, Memphis
- Tamya Smith, Memphis
- Hailey Adams, Rice
- Saniyah Craig, Temple
- Kanija Daniel, Tulane