The 2023-24 DII women's basketball preseason Power 10 rankings

The 2022-23 DII women's basketball season ended with Ashland winning its third national championship of the decade behind its second 37-0 record in seven seasons. As one of the premier DII women's hoops programs in the land, despite losing some pieces, Ashland opens the new season where it finished: No. 1 in the Power 10 rankings.

Before we get into the rest of the Power 10 rankings, let's remember exactly what they are. There is no voting committee, it is just me trying to find a balance between statistics and records (like the coaches polls do) and the metrics the selection committee uses to seed the tournament. This will likely have a very different look than the national polls, but that is somewhat the point — to shine light on some programs that may be better than expected. 

2023 RECAP: How Ashland ran the table for the 2023 national championship

2023-24 DII women's basketball preseason Power 10

No. 1 Ashland

The Eagles head into the 2023-24 season amid a 37-game winning streak — one that concluded with their third national championship headed by their third different coach. Change is not unwelcome in Ashland, so whatever the roster looks like, you can be sure the Eagles are contenders. Fortunately, they return the G-MAC player of the year Annie Roshak and four other players with starting experience, including Hayley Smith and Zoe Miller who combined for 35 starts while combining to contribute 23.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. That duo should only be better in an expanded role which means the Eagles are looking dangerous once again.  

No. 2 Minnesota Duluth

Yes, the Bulldogs lose arguably the best player in DII women's basketball in Brooke Olson, but there's little reason with all that's returning to expect a big drop off. This is a program that has been building towards success and they have the pieces in place to continue to get stronger. Returning starters Taytum Rhoades and Madelyn Granica lead an experienced group hungry to prove last year was no fluke. Ella Gilbertson and Lexi Karge — both of whom excelled in a reserve role last year — seem on the verge of a big season. Freshman Lexi Karlen should make an immediate impact and could contend for NSIC freshman of the year but keep an eye on Maria Counts. A team with this much chemistry doesn't need to add much, so bringing in the Minnesota transfer means she is the right fit and may contribute quickly.

No. 3 Tampa

The Spartans are coming off a historic season, setting the program mark with 33 wins and advancing to their first-ever DII Women's Elite Eight. While they do lose Sydney Kin, Tampa has three starters back — Mya Giusto, Audrey Ramsey, and Sarah Jones — to lead the way. However, it is a trio of transfers that could keep Tampa near the top and a major threat for another DII Elite Eight run. Zoe Piller — who averaged 14.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game for West Florida last year — is instantly a Sunshine State Conference player-of-the-year candidate, while Marissa McDonald (Vermont/NJIT) and Vivianne Jende (a 6-foot-2 center from Northern Michigan) add much-needed depth. In short, Tampa is good once again. 

No. 4 Angelo State

The Rambelles ended with a strong 2023 season, earning the No. 1 seed in the South Central and finishing No. 25 in the WBCA final rankings. Angelo State returns pretty much the entire arsenal that made that happen, including all five starters. Sawyer Lloyd — who was last year's defensive player of the year and tallied a triple-double in the opening round of the tourney — was voted LSC preseason co-player of the year, so there is elite-level talent here. This team had three players with more than 7.8 rebounds per game last year, and with all three back, expect this team to be one of the most dominant off the boards in all DII.

No. 5 Minnesota State 

The Mavericks return a loaded roster from a season ago and were projected to win the NSIC over Minnesota Duluth — the team that ended their season in the tournament last year. Go ahead and put Joey Batt — the two-time NSIC defensive player of the year — on your national player-of-the-year watchlist. Not only does she excel defensively (Batt led the NSIC with three steals per game last year), but Batt led the Mavericks in scoring (16.3 per game) and assists (115 on the season). This team returns all eight of its top scorers and should be one of the best from start to finish. 

No. 6 Catawba

Last year, Catawba made program history by advancing to the program's first-ever national semifinals. Four starters from that team and six more role players with plenty of experience return looking to make another deep run. Lyrik Thorne — who was second in the South Atlantic Conference with 19.4 points per game last year — is back, but so is Janiya Downs and Sara McIntosh, both of whom put up double figures per game last year. When you match depth of talent with tournament experience, you have a real contender on your hands. 

No. 7 Grand Valley State

I can't remember the last time the Lakers missed the tournament. What Grand Valley State falls victim to is playing in a region with Ashland and Drury — two of the programs that have played in the national championship game in four of the past six seasons. This region is deep, but the Lakers have built a program that is among the most consistent in the land, appearing in four of the seven Midwest Region finals since 2016. Yes, the Lakers lose two of their top scorers, but this is a program that is built on defense. The Lakers' system makes you work and has finished with a top-five scoring defense in four of the past five years. With three starters and several key reserves back, there is no reason to expect anything less from Grand Valley State this year. 

No. 8 Azusa Pacific

Last year, Paige Uyehara, TyLee Manuel, Kelly Heimburger, and Molly Whitmore all scored in double figures. This year, all four return, so there is very little reason to think that the PacWest's leading offense from a year ago is any different this year. The West Region sees so much variety on an annual basis, but the Cougars are the only team with multiple trips to the DII Women's Elite Eight since 2016. This is a program built on consistency, and that's what earns them a top-10 spot to open the season. 

No. 9 Central Missouri

The Jennies were very good a year ago and fell victims to a deep Central Region (you'll notice not much has changed with three Central teams in the top 10). Central Missouri returns four starters from that squad and that includes Brooke Littrell. Littrell was the MIAA player of the year last year and I think she should be in the running for national player of the year this year. Allie Clevenger transfers from Drury where she started every game last year and contributed 8.0 points per game. She should be a stellar addition to this already deep team. 

No. 10 Glenville State

West Virginia State and Charleston (WV) may be the teams to beat in the Mountain East Conference, but here's the thing. Last year, Glenville State lost everyone from the national championship team, and I had the Pioneers outside the top 10 because of that. Then they went 33-3, made it to the national semifinals, and made me realize you never count the Pioneers out. Yes, Kim Stephens is gone, but the new coaches (head coach Emily Stoller with her sister Abby as assistant) both played under and then coached with Stephens. The Glenville State machine will continue to roll, and based on the historical success of recent years, the Pioneers get the last spot. 

First five (ish) out

The next five spots were too close and there are a lot of question marks, so the season opens with six spots just missing the top 10. 

• Assumption: The Greyhounds made program history by advancing to their first DII Women's Elite Eight last year. They lost two key players but return 11 and should be very good once again.
• Cal State San Marcos: Three All-CCAA players return from a year ago to a program that has become a CCAA power and the team to beat out West. The Cougars have won the regular season title or CCAA tournament title three years running. 
• Drury: There's a new coach in town and a lot of new faces, but with Reese Schaaf back to lead the way, the Panthers should still compete. 
• Ferris State: Chloe Idoni is the GLIAC preseason player of the year, and she and the other top two scorers for the Bulldogs are back and ready to challenge for the GLIAC.
• Lubbock Christian: All five starters, including potential player of the year Grace Foster, are back. You give head coach Steve Gomez that kind of experience and he may have a top-five team by December. 
• West Virginia State: While I think the MEC is still Pioneers' Country, the Yellow Jackets are going to make it interesting. A ton of experience and three All-MEC players return from last year — a team that went to the tournament for the first time since 2004.

Also considered to round out my preseason top 25 (in alphabetical order): Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State LA, Charleston (WV), Eckerd, Lewis, UT Tyler, Texas Woman's, Union (TN), Western Washington