BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The South Carolina Gamecocks are once again the team to beat. A panel of SEC and national media members has officially picked Dawn Staley’s squad to win the 2026 Southeastern Conference women’s basketball championship, reaffirming their dominance in the league.
The Gamecocks topped the preseason media poll, followed by Texas, LSU, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky rounding out the top half of the standings. Alabama, Mississippi State, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Arkansas completed the lower half of the rankings.
Texas star Madison Booker earned the SEC Preseason Player of the Year title after receiving 13 votes. Other players earning recognition in the voting included Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina), Flau’Jae Johnson (LSU), Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt), Raegan Beers (Oklahoma), and Clara Strack (Kentucky).
South Carolina standout Joyce Edwards landed a spot on the All-SEC First Team, joining an elite group that features Johnson (LSU), Beers (Oklahoma), Booker (Texas), and Blakes (Vanderbilt).
The All-SEC Second Team features another Gamecock, Ta’Niya Latson, alongside Clara Strack (Kentucky), Mikayla Williams (LSU), Cotie McMahon (Ole Miss), Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee), and Rori Harmon (Texas).
With two players recognized among the conference’s best and the preseason crown already in hand, South Carolina enters the 2025–26 campaign once again as the clear favorite to capture another SEC title — and potentially add more hardware to Dawn Staley’s growing dynasty.
