IRVING, Texas – Rice, the top regular season finisher and conference tournament number one seed last season, has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2026-27 American Conference women’s basketball championship in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches, the conference announced on Friday.
The Owls were tabbed as the preseason women’s basketball conference favorite in the American for the first time, earning 10 first-place votes and 142 total points. UTSA, the defending American women’s basketball tournament champion, finished second in voting with two first-place votes and 125 total points. South Florida earned the final first place vote and totaled 121 points to finish third. Tulsa (117 points) and Temple (96 points) rounded out the top five.
UNT placed sixth in voting with 87 points, followed by East Carolina (82 points), Florida Atlantic (60 points), Memphis (54 points), Charlotte (44 points), Tulane (41 points), UAB (26 points) and Wichita State (19 points).
Rice senior guard Victoria Flores was voted the unanimous 2026-27 American Preseason Player of the Year. Flores, last season’s American Player of the Year, averaged 14.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during a 17-1 conference season for the Owls.
Flores was joined on the preseason all-conference first team by South Florida fifth-year guard Stefanie Ingram (All-Conference Third Team, 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds per game in 18 conference games in 2025-26), Temple senior guard Kaylah Turner (All-Conference Second Team, 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds per game in 18 conference games in 2025-26), UTSA senior forward Idara Udo (10.2 points, 7.3 rebounds per game in 11 conference games in 2025-26) and Tulsa senior guard Mady Cartwright (All-Conference Second Team, 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds per game in 18 conference games in 2025-26).
Players named to the preseason all-conference second team were Memphis senior guard Daejah Richmond (All-Newcomer Team, 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds per game in 17 conference games in 2025-26) and junior forward Tamya Smith (13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds per game in 18 conference games in 2025-26), Rice redshirt senior guard Hailey Adams (8.2 points, 10.7 rebounds per game in 18 conference games in 2025-26), Temple senior forward Saniyah Craig (All-Newcomer Team, 12.7 points, 7.1 rebounds in 18 conference games in 2025-26) and Tulane senior guard Kanija Daniel (All-Newcomer Team, 11.7 points, 3.6 rebounds per game in 18 conference games in 2025-26).
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or student-athletes.
2026-27 American Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
| 1 |
Rice (10) |
142 |
| 2 |
UTSA (2) |
125 |
| 3 |
South Florida (1) |
121 |
| 4 |
Tulsa |
117 |
| 5 |
Temple |
96 |
| 6 |
UNT |
87 |
| 7 |
East Carolina |
82 |
| 8 |
Florida Atlantic |
60 |
| 9 |
Memphis |
54 |
| 10 |
Charlotte |
44 |
| 11 |
Tulane |
41 |
| 12 |
UAB |
26 |
| 13 |
Wichita State |
19 |
Note: First-place votes denoted in parenthesis
2026-27 American Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Victoria Flores, Sr., G, Rice
2026-27 American Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference First Team
Victoria Flores, Sr., G, Rice
Stefanie Ingram, 5th, G, South Florida
Kaylah Turner, Sr., G, Temple
Idara Udo, Sr., F, UTSA
Mady Cartwright, Sr., G, Tulsa
2026-27 American Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Second Team
Daejah Richmond, Sr., G, Memphis
Tamya Smith, Jr., F, Memphis
Hailey Adams, R-Sr., G, Rice
Saniyah Craig, Sr., F, Temple
Kanija Daniel, Sr., G, Tulane