FRISCO, Texas – Lamar University has been picked to finish first in the Southland Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Poll for the upcoming 2026-27 season, league officials announced Tuesday morning. This is the second time in three seasons that LU earned the No. 1 spot.
 
LU collected six of 13 first-place votes to tally 116 points. The Cardinals finished ahead of two-time reigning SLC tournament champion Stephen F. Austin (113), which received five first-place votes. UT Rio Grande Valley (98) and McNeese (71) each tallied a first-place vote and took third and fifth, respectively, while UIW (79) landed in fourth. The remaining programs in order from sixth through 12th were East Texas A&M (68), Northwestern State (54), Houston Christian (52), A&M-Corpus Christi (48), Southeastern Louisiana (40), Nicholls (34) and LSU New Orleans (19).
 
LU is coming off its fourth straight 20-win season after going 20-11 overall and finishing second in the league with a 17-5 record. The Cardinals reached the SLC tournament semifinals and earned a WNIT berth last season where they faced Portland.
 
Head coach Aqua Franklin will be entering her seventh season at the helm, needing nine victories to become the program's all-time winningest coach.

The Cardinals open the regular season Nov. 2 against Louisiana Christian. The game will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.