EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWith the regular season complete in the Power 4 conferences, Champ Week has arrived. Conference tournament titles will be decided in the next two weeks, and leagues will be handing out awards over that same period.Player of the year in some conferences will be easy choices -- UConn's Sarah Strong in the Big East and Richmond's Maggie Doogan in the Atlantic 10 look like locks -- while other races are close calls, such as in the ACC and Summit League.The same goes with projecting champions in each conference. In some cases, the No. 1 seeds will be clear favorites. In others it might be the hottest team or a potential Cinderella.But what is the fun in waiting to find out? Let's make some predictions on both conference champs and players of the year to whet the appetite for March.America East ConferencePredicted champion: Vermont CatamountsAfter battling Binghamton all season, Vermont pulled away over the final two weeks. That included a win over the Bearcats on Feb. 12 in Burlington. That's where the rematch will take place should the two meet again in the conference tournament title game.Player of the Year: Adrianna Smith, 6-0, senior, F, Maine Black BearsThe 2023 America East Player of the Year will leave Maine as one of the program's most productive players of all time. She led the conference in scoring twice and in rebounding three times. This season Smith pulled off the rare triple, topping the America East in scoring, rebounds and assists.American ConferencePredicted champion: Rice OwlsThe Owls don't have a player in the top 10 in the American in scoring or assists but cruised to the regular-season championship. They did it with defense, leading the nation in opponent 3-point rate. Hailey Adams was one of the conference's best shot blockers and Victoria Flores was among the leaders in steals.Player of the Year: Kennedy Fauntleroy, 5-7, senior, G, East Carolina PiratesAfter a Big East Freshman of the Year season at Georgetown in 2023, Fauntleroy struggled in one season each at Oklahoma State and Arizona State before regaining her form at East Carolina. She reached career highs in points and assists and is leading the American in steals.ASUN ConferencePredicted champion: Jacksonville DolphinsAfter losing to Eastern Kentucky by 19 points in late January, Jacksonville has been chasing the Colonels. But now the Dolphins are the hotter team and will get to sleep in their own beds during an ASUN tournament played at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.Player of the Year: Priscilla Williams, 6-2, senior, G, Jacksonville DolphinsThe well-traveled and once highly recruited Williams found a home at Jacksonville the last two seasons. After stops at Syracuse, South Florida and Oregon, in her final collegiate season Williams led the ASUN in rebounding and ranked second in scoring.Atlantic 10 ConferencePredicted champion: Richmond SpidersRhode Island was the A-10 front-runner most of the way, but preseason favorite Richmond beat the Rams by 26 points in the second-to-last game of the regular season. The Spiders are the league's best shooting team, have the best player in Maggie Doogan and will be playing the conference tournament in nearby Henrico, Virginia.Player of the Year: Maggie Doogan, 6-2, senior, F, Richmond SpidersAlthough her team hasn't been as good as a year ago, Doogan has been better than her 2025 A-10 Player of the Year campaign. She won the scoring title going away and finished in the conference's top five in seven major statistical categories. Not coincidentally, Doogan's career corresponded with the best four-year run in program history.Atlantic Coast ConferencePredicted champion: Duke Blue DevilsThe recent loss at Clemson notwithstanding, Duke has been the ACC's best team since conference play began. Core players Toby Fournier, Taina Mair, Ashlon Jackson and Delaney Thomas were a big part of the Blue Devils' ACC tournament title a year ago. Duke was only one point better than Louisville in their one regular-season meeting, and the Blue Devils showed vulnerability against the Tigers, but they still should head to Duluth, Georgia, as the favorite.Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, 5-6, junior, G, Notre Dame Fighting IrishFournier has been outstanding in lifting Duke to the top of the conference, but Hidalgo's excellence is just too difficult to overcome. She remains arguably the best two-way player in the country, leading the country in steals and topping the ACC in scoring by a wide margin.Big 12 ConferencePredicted champion: TCU Horned FrogsMark Campbell has changed the program entirely with his up-tempo, pick-and-roll offense. With different personnel the results have been much the same: consecutive first-place Big 12 regular-season finishes. Last year Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince led the way. This year it's Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez, and the Horned Frogs will be the favorite to also repeat as tournament champs.Player of the Year: Olivia Miles, 5-10, senior, G, TCU Horned FrogsAfter leaving Notre Dame and delaying her departure for the WNBA, Miles immediately looked at home in Fort Worth. With her court vision and improved deep shooting, she was the perfect point guard for Campbell's system. She hit career highs in scoring and field goal percentage.Big East ConferencePredicted champion: UConn HuskiesThe 66-game winning streak against Big East opponents doesn't seem likely to end at Mohegan Sun in the Big East tournament. UConn has beaten conference competition this season by an average of more than 40 points per game.Player of the Year: Sarah Strong, 6-2, sophomore, F, UConn HuskiesUConn's dominance starts with its overwhelming talent advantage over the rest of the conference, and that talent starts with Strong, the favorite to win national player of the year as well. She led the league in scoring, steals and field goal percentage and ranks in the top five of four other major categories, all while averaging fewer than 25 minutes per Big East game.Big Sky ConferencePredicted champion: Montana State BobcatsThe regular season was a two-team race between the Bobcats and Idaho. Montana State beat the Vandals by 30 points in the first meeting before losing the second in overtime. The Bobcats were also good enough to beat UNLV and Colorado in nonconference play.Player of the Year: Taylee Chirrick, 5-11, sophomore, G, Montana State BobcatsAfter winning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, Chirrick went to another level in her second season. Only Hannah Hidalgo averages more steals per game nationally. Chirrick has tripled her point production from a year ago, which saved the Montana State attack that lost the top three scorers from last season's 30-win team.Big South ConferencePredicted champion: High Point PanthersAfter winning the league regular-season and tournament titles a year ago, the Panthers are one step away from another sweep. That would put High Point, with the stingiest defense in the Big South, into the NCAA tournament for the third time since 2021.Player of the Year: Macy Spencer, 5-8, junior, G, High Point PanthersPanthers coach Chelsea Banbury brought in two significant transfers in the offseason -- Lexi Fleming from Bowling Green and Macy Spencer from UNLV. Fleming, who was a two-time all-MAC selection, had the better rsum, but when she went down with a knee injury four games into the season, Spencer became High Point's top option. She delivered, leading the conference in scoring while making more than 38% of her 3-pointers.Big Ten ConferencePredicted champion: UCLA BruinsThe Big Ten is deep and might have as many as 12 NCAA tournament teams. Yet none of them could touch the Bruins, whose road to the regular-season championship was never challenged. They won their Big Ten games by an average of more than 25 points. Losing the Big Ten tournament championship to USC Trojans a year ago still stings, and this veteran group will have that top of mind when they get to Indianapolis.Player of the Year: Lauren Betts, 6-7, senior, C, UCLA BruinsThe most dominant player on the most dominant team must be the front-runner -- even if her numbers aren't as good as her junior season after the additions of Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker to balance the offense. Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge will provide a challenge, but Betts remains the Big Ten's most intimidating force on both ends of the court.Big West ConferencePredicted champion: UC Irvine AnteatersThis will be a wide-open race with four different teams having held the lead at one point in the season. The Anteaters have the highest NET ranking in the conference and have the best player among the contenders in Hunter Hernandez.Player of the Year: Hannah Wickstrom, 5-10, sophomore, G, UC Riverside HighlandersIt's not often the Player of the Year comes from a team in the bottom half of the conference standings, but Wickstrom has been that good. She is averaging nearly six points per game more in Big West games than her nearest competitor in the league.Coastal Athletic AssociationPredicted champion: Charleston CougarsAfter winning 25 games for the first time in program history, the Cougars capped a successful three-year run with their first championship of any kind by capturing the CAA regular-season title. Charleston led wire-to-wire with the conference's best offense and will be heavy favorites to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time.Player of the Year: Taryn Barbot, 5-10, junior, G, Charleston CougarsThat offense is led by Barbot, who is in line to win her second Player of the Year award in a row. She led the CAA in assists and averaged more than 19 points per game, nearly two points more than a year ago.Conference USAPredicted Champion: Louisiana Tech Lady TechstersAfter losing their first conference game, the Lady Techsters went on a tear and never looked back. They had the CUSA title clinched with two weeks left in the regular season. The top offense in CUSA, Louisiana Tech is led by sophomore guard Paris Bradley but does it with balance. Four starters average double figures.Player of the Year: Rhema Collins, 6-2, junior, G, Florida International PanthersAfter transferring from Ole Miss, Collins helped take the Panthers from sixth place to second in CUSA. She heads to the final week of the regular season as a top-three scorer, rebounder, field goal shooter and shot blocker in the conference.Horizon LeaguePredicted champion: Green Bay PhoenixThe Phoenix led the Horizon wire-to-wire on the way to their third regular-season title in four years and will be the heavy favorite to win their third consecutive tournament championship. Sharing the ball remains the cornerstone of the program, and Green Bay is fifth in the country in assist rate.Player of the Year: Jenna Guyer, 6-2, senior, C, Green Bay PhoenixIt took four years for Guyer to become a starter, and she made the most of it. The most accurate 3-point shooter in the conference, Guyer was also top five in scoring and top 10 in rebounding. Before this season, Guyer had not averaged more than 6.9 points per game. This year she missed scoring in double figures only twice and was averaging nearly 15 points per game entering the weekend.Ivy LeaguePredicted champion: Princeton TigersUnless third-place Harvard has something to say about it, the Tigers and Columbia seem destined to play for the Ivy Madness championship. If they do, the Lions will be trying to beat Princeton for a third time this season. That seems unlikely for teams so evenly matched.Player of the Year: Riley Weiss, 5-10, Jr., G, Columbia LionsA pure scorer and fearless shooter, Weiss had some of her biggest games of the season against Columbia's best competition. She averaged 27.3 points in games against Kansas State, South Dakota State and North Carolina. But it was the 23 points in that second meeting against Princeton late in the season that should clinch this award.Metro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePredicted champion: Fairfield StagsThe Stags have won 64 of their last 66 games against MAAC opponents, which includes winning the last two conference tournaments. One of the two losses this season was to Quinnipiac, which Fairfield avenged on Valentine's Day and might have to do again to win the tournament again.Player of the Year: Kaety L'Amoreaux, 5-6, junior, G, Fairfield StagsThis is a two-player race between teammates. L'Amoreaux, who is the MAAC's leader in scoring and assists, should beat out Meghan Andersen, the league's top 3-point shooter and preseason favorite.Mid-American ConferencePredicted champion: Miami (OH) RedHawksMiami and Ball State have battled for MAC supremacy most of the season, but the Redhawks won both meetings by a combined 24 points. Tamar Singer had 25 points and eight steals in their most recent meeting. She could be the key again for Miami getting back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.Player of the Year: Sisi Eleko, 6-2, senior, F, Eastern Michigan EaglesIncredibly consistent, Eleko is close to averaging a double-double for the third straight season. She scored in double figures in every game this season and ranks in the top three in the MAC in scoring and rebounding for the second year in a row.Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferencePredicted champion: Howard BisonNorfolk State has won the last three MEAC tournaments, all over Howard in the finals, and it might again come down to the Bison, who have the league's best offense, and the Spartans, the MEAC's top defensive team. But Norfolk State no longer has its core group or coach Larry Vickers, so this might be an opportunity for Howard to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2022.Player of the Year: Zennia Thomas, 6-2, senior, F, Howard BisonAfter leaving Kentucky two years into her college career, Thomas has found a home at Howard and blossomed in her final season. She went from a third-team All-MEAC player a year ago to the conference's best scorer and rebounder.Missouri Valley ConferencePredicted champion: Murray State RacersLast year Murray State ranked second in the country in scoring. This year it is 10th but has had a more successful season. The Racers pulled away from the pack in the MVC and will win the regular-season crown for the second straight year going away.Player of the Year: Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, 6-2, junior, F, Murray State RacersThe Racers have been so dominant because they might have the two best players in the conference. Junior guard Halli Poock leads the conference in scoring and Currie-Jelks, who spent the last two seasons at Indiana, is right behind her. She is also second in rebounds and field goal percentage and is among the national leaders in double-doubles.Mountain West ConferencePredicted champion: San Diego State AztecsAfter breaking UNLV 's three-year run on the conference tournament title last March, the Aztecs snapped the Lady Rebels' streak of four regular-season championships this season. Coach Stacie Terry-Hutson, who has won more than 20 games for four years in a row, replaced two starters by hitting the transfer portal and produced the program's most successful MWC season since 2013.Player of the Year: Meadow Roland, 6-2, sophomore, F, UNLV Lady RebelsAfter winning MWC Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year last season, Roland took her game to another level. UNLV didn't have the regular season it wanted, but Roland might have exceeded expectations as one of the league's best scorers and rebounders and its top rim protector.Northeast ConferencePredicted champion: Fairleigh Dickinson KnightsStephanie Gaitley is one of the best mid-major coaches of all time and has worked her magic at FDU. The Knights are bearing down on a second consecutive unbeaten league season. Sophomore guard Ava Renninger, the NEC's assist leader, has been the backbone of that dominance.Player of the Year: Kadidia Toure, 6-3, senior, F, Long Island University SharksToure never averaged more than 5.7 points per game in three seasons at James Madison and Arizona State, but she blossomed with the Sharks. She leads the NEC in scoring and rebounding by significant margins with a week left in the regular season, and she helped Long Island to its best season in 14 years.Ohio Valley ConferencePredicted champion: Western Illinois LeathernecksPicked to finish second, the Leathernecks have been the front-runner in the OVC all season. And that came after one of the best mid-major players in the country, Raegan McCowan, went down with an elbow injury 10 games into the season. She might return for the stretch run, giving the Leathernecks a big boost in the tournament.Player of the Year: Mia Nicastro, 6-2, senior, F, Western Illinois LeathernecksNicastro is the biggest reason why Western Illinois was able to survive the loss of McCowan. She led the conference in scoring, improving her scoring average by nearly 10 points per game. She ranked among the league leaders in rebounds and field goal percentage as well.Patriot LeaguePredicted champion: Navy MidsThree seasons ago Navy won one game. Now the Mids are the Patriot League regular-season champs for the first time since 2014. Offense led the way for the Mids, who led the conference in points and assists. The No. 1 seed in the conference tournament also means Navy will host every game it plays, and the Mids went 3-1 in the regular season against Army and Holy Cross, their chief competition.Player of the Year: Zanai Barnett-Gay, 5-8, junior, G, Navy MidsThe turnaround in Annapolis has coincided with the arrival of Barnett-Gay. She led the Patriot in scoring and assists this season and has led the conference in steals all three years of her career.Southeastern ConferencePredicted Champion: South Carolina GamecocksThe SEC tournament has been South Carolina's domain under Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks have won it nine times, including the last three. The growth of Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson and the leadership of Raven Johnson have helped this version of the Gamecocks overcome two significant preseason injuries and remain the top team in the country's best conference.Player of the Year: Mikayla Blakes, 5-8, sophomore, G, Vanderbilt CommodoresThe top scorer in the country and on the short list for national player of the year, Blakes' output is even better in SEC games and is the chief reason the Commodores are closing in on their best season in nearly 25 years.Southern ConferencePredicted champion: Chattanooga MocsAfter replacing Shawn Poppie when he left for Clemson, it took Deandra Schirmer just two seasons to get the Lady Mocs back atop the SoCon. They have done it as the best shooting team in the conference and with just one senior playing a significant role.Player of the Year: Caia Elisaldez, 5-5, junior, G, Chattanooga MocsMuch of that shooting comes via the passing of Elisaldez. In the last two seasons she has produced some of the best assist numbers in school history. Along the way, Elisaldez leads the SoCon in scoring and minutes this season.Southland ConferencePredicted champion: Stephen F. Austin LadyjacksMcNeese dominated the regular season with one of the best defenses in the country. But the Ladyjacks have the SLC's best offense and might just be hitting their stride since the return of Ashlyn Traylor-Walker, one of the conference's best players who missed the first 18 games of the season. That gives SFA five players scoring in double figures.Player of the Year: Charlotte O'Keefe, 6-3, senior, F, UT Rio Grande Valley VaquerosThe second-leading rebounder in the country, O'Keefe also has started to score more late in the season. She's the second-most-accurate field goal shooter and shot blocker in the SLC and shares the distinction as the league's best two-way player with McNeese's Dakota Howard.Southwestern Athletic ConferencePredicted champion: Alabama A&M BulldogsLast season was the best in program history. This year was even better. The Bulldogs set a school record for conference wins and haven't looked back after losing their SWAC opener to Mississippi Valley State in overtime. A 42-point win over second-place Alcorn State makes Alabama A&M the easy choice to be the favorite to win their first SWAC tournament.Player of the Year: Kalia Walker, 5-5, graduate, G, Alabama A&M Lady BulldogsA more efficient version of Walker emerged this season. She improved in nearly every statistical category and has been the catalyst behind the Bulldogs' success for the last two seasons.Summit LeaguePredicted champion: South Dakota State JackrabbitsNorth Dakota State broke the Jackrabbits' five-year hold on the regular-season championship, but South Dakota State won the most recent matchup and seem to be the better team heading to Sioux Falls for the conference tournament, which the Jackrabbits have won three years in a row and 11 times under coach Aaron Johnston.Player of the Year: Brooklyn Meyer, 6-2, senior, F, South Dakota State JackrabbitsOnly twice all season did someone other than Meyer or North Dakota State's Avery Koenen win Summit League Player of the Week. This might be the closest race in the country. Meyer was the slightly better scorer, more accurate shooter and shot blocker. Koenen averaged more rebounds and led her team to the regular-season championship. The deciding factor might be the most recent meeting: Meyer had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Koenen had 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting.Sun Belt ConferencePredicted champion: James Madison DukesThe Dukes, the preseason favorite, suffered a pair of overtime losses early in the Sun Belt season and never fully recovered despite a hot finish to the regular season. JMU has one of the best players in the conference in fifth-year senior Peyton McDaniel, who probably won't repeat as Player of the Year but is good enough to carry a team to a championship.Player of the Year: Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, 5-8, Sr., G, Marshall Thundering HerdA solid three-year career at VCU turned into one outstanding season with Marshall. A slow start in nonconference play turned into an explosion once the SBC schedule began. Lewis-Eutsey scored 31 points in her first conference game and finished averaging over 21 points per game to lead the league. She also ranks seventh in the country in steals.West Coast ConferencePredicted champion: Gonzaga BulldogsThe WCC tournament should be wide open with as many of five teams capable of leaving Las Vegas with the title. Gonzaga is the highest rated among them in the NET and had the toughest nonconference schedule. Although, despite winning the regular-season title each of the previous three seasons, the Bulldogs haven't won the WCC tournament since 2022.Player of the Year: Lauren Whittaker, 6-3, freshman, F, Gonzaga BulldogsLast year the Zags had the WCC Freshman of the Year in Allie Turner. This year they will do one better with Whittaker, who should win both Freshman and Player of the Year. Whittaker tops all freshmen nationally in double-doubles and leads the WCC in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.Western Athletic ConferencePredicted champion: California Baptist LancersAbilene Christian and Southern Utah are right behind, but the Lancers have led the WAC for most of the last two months. The tournament will be highly competitive, but Cal Baptist has the most balanced offense in the conference with five players averaging in double figures, led by freshman Lauren Olsen.Player of the Year: Payton Hull, 5-10, Jr., G, Abilene Christian WildcatsThe Wildcats have been chasing Cal Baptist all season and lost to the Lancers in their first meeting, but Hull has been the front-runner for Player of the Year from the start. The preseason pick is on the verge of repeating as the league's scoring champ. This year, she added steals leader to the rsum as well.
