Happy New Year, DII women’s basketball fans. We are back in action after the long holiday break. Four undefeated teams remain on the season, and all of them are in the first Power 10 rankings of the new year.
đź”® 2026 DII women’s basketball predictions
There wasn’t much change from the final Power 10 of the 2025 slate, mainly because the majority of the teams were well-rested and ready to go, leading to a dominating first weekend of play. As a reminder, these rankings are mine, and mine alone. There is no voting body or the NCAA selection committee. It is simply an attempt at a ranking that fall between the national polls and regional rankings. I no longer rely on KPI as a deciding factor, and I will be using Inkblot Sports RPI more strongly moving forward. As a reminder, the Power 10 rankings are every other week, so there is a lot more fluctuation than a typical weekly ranking.
The DII women’s basketball Power 10 (through Jan. 4 )
No. 1 Grand Valley State | Previous: 1. Well, the Lakers didn’t skip a beat over break. They are now 12-0 opening 2026 with a 20-point win over Michigan Tech and then a 78-66 victory over No. 12 Northern Michigan. Everything is clicking for the Lakers, who are scoring 81.8 points a game behind arguably the best defense in DII, allowing a paltry 49.7 points per game for a dominating 32.1 point per game scoring differential.
No. 2 Minnesota State | Previous: 2. The Mavericks needed no time wiping the cobwebs off their two-week break. They blew out St. Cloud State 83-56 to move to 14-0 and are running away with the NSIC South. Natalie Bremer dropped 23 points, marking her fifth-straight game with at least 20. She powers one of the top scoring offense in DII, averaging 97.3 points per game.
No. 3 Gannon | Previous: 3. This Golden Knights defense is tough, and are right there with Grand Valley State as one of the best DII has to offer. After allowing 30 and 51 points in their first two games out of the break, the Golden Knights now allow a DII-best 47.7 points per game. Bri Claxon continues to lead the scoring charge, scoring a team-high 14.1 of their 67.1 points per game, but the scoring attack is really about balance and depth, which Gannon relies on while dominating its schedule so far.
No. 4 West Texas A&M | Previous: 4. The Buffs lose their opening day tilt to Grand Valley State and have looked like a team possessed ever since. They utterly dominated both games this past weekend, winning by a combined 64 points. They have now won 13 in a row since that loss, and all but one have been by fewer than 10 points. This team is on fire right now.
No. 5 Indiana (PA) | Previous: 5. The Crimson Hawks are clicking and per Inkblot Sports, own the top RPI in the Atlantic Region. Now 12-0 after two 30-point victories this weekend, they are winning games by more than 31 points per game, scoring 80.8 and allowing just 49.5. Nyshae’ Weaver is a double-double threat every night, posting averages of 14.9 points and 9.1 rebounds. The PSAC is shaping up to be a nice race between IUP and Gannon.
No. 6 Lubbock Christian | Previous: 6. This isn’t a bash on UCCS, but I still have no idea how the Chaps lost that game, especially with how they dominated the second half. This team is five points away from being undefeated, and have the toughness, grit and depth to win a lot of ball games. They haven’t played the toughest schedule in the LSC, but coming off the layoff and looking as sharp as they did keep the Chaps this high.
No. 7 Coker | Previous: 7. The Cobras are now 11-1 after a commanding 65-49 win over UVA Wise this past weekend. Shawnteanna Tillman did what she normally does and scored 27 points on an impressive 5-for-8 performance behind the 3-point line. Kamari Thompson did what she normally does and came out of the break posting another double double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Coker is No. 2 in RPI in the Southeast, but that dynamic duo is going to have the Cobras challenging for a return to the DII women’s Elite Eight.
No. 8 Texas Woman’s | Previous: 8. The Pioneers have now won 10 in a row since their loss to Harding on opening weekend. They came out the break with a 14-point win over UT Permian and gritty six-point victory over Angelo State. Averee Kleinhans, who was averaging 15.1 points before the break, came out and scored 29 and 24 on 50 percent shooting to lead the way. If she stays hot, she and Gabby Elliott — who is basically a walking double-double machine with four in a row and six in her last seven games — are one of the most dangerous duos in DII.Â
No. 9 Fort Hays State | Previous: 9. The Tigers are another team that is mere baskets away from being undefeated, losing its lone game to Washburn by three points to start December. But they came out of the break focused, with a 13-point win over Northwest Missouri State and a 31-point win over Missouri Western. Talexa Weeter remains the hottest shooter in DII, scoring a combined 74 points in the first two games of January, including a season-high 45 on New Year’s Day. As long as she stays hot, the 12-1 Tigers should continue to roll.
No. 10 (tied) Colorado Mesa , Nova Southeastern | Previous: 10 (tied). One game after barely eking out a 62-61 victory against Eckerd, the Sharks rebounded to snap Florida Southern’s 10-game winning streak 83-72. They are now 14-0 and look like the team to beat in the South Region. The Mavericks extended their winning streak to 11 and are now 14-1 on the season. Mason Rowland double-doubled in the Mavs return to the court and Olivia Reed Thyne scored 21 points to go with nine rebounds. They are the best team in the RMAC by a wide margin right now.
Also considered (in alphabetical order; bold indicates new team):Â Cal Poly Pomona, Central Washington, Daemen, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Pittsburg State, Winston-Salem
