FARMINGTON, Utah (October 18, 2023) – As the 2023-24 Big Sky Conference Women’s basketball season inches closer and closer to tipping off, the league office has announced the results of its Preseason Coaches’ and Media Polls. Eastern Washington has been selected as preseason favorites in the Coaches' Poll, while Northern Arizona took the top spot in the Media Poll.
The Eagles received six first-place votes in the coaches’ poll and 12 in the media poll compared to Northern Arizona's three first place votes in the coaches' poll and 12 in the media poll.
Eastern Washington finished its last campaign with a 19-11 overall record, and a 11-7 mark in Big Sky Conference action. The Eagles advanced to the Big Sky semi-finals before falling to top-seeded Northern Arizona.
Northern Arizona is coming off of 21-14 season last year with a 13-5 mark in conference play. The Lumberjacks made it to the Big Sky tournament championship where they fell to third-seeded Sacramento State. The blue and gold went on to compete in the WNIT tournament and dropped an opening-round game against New Mexico.
The Montana Grizzlies were selected third by both coaches and media. The Griz will return seven of its top nine scorers from the 22-23 season.
Montana State and Portland State rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth respectively, following up on impressive seasons.
The full results of both polls can be found below.
The 2023-24 Preseason All-Conference Team will be announced tomorrow (Thursday, October 19) at 10 a.m. MT.
The 2023 Big Sky Basketball Tipoff will stream on ESPN+ at Noon MT on Tuesday, October 31 where a breakdown of the preseason polls will be aired.
Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
The 2024 Big Sky Conference Basketball Championships will take place once again in Boise, Idaho, and run from March 9-13.
2023-24 Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll Results
- Eastern Washington (6) – 74 Points
- Northern Arizona (3) – 73 Points
- Montana (1) – 69 Points
- Montana State – 59 Points
- Portland State – 45 Points
- Northern Colorado – 36 Points
- Idaho State - 32 Points
- Idaho - 25 Points
- Sacramento State - 24 Points
- Weber State - 13 Points
2023-24 Women’s Basketball Media Poll Results
- Northern Arizona (12) – 259 Points
- Eastern Washington (12) – 255 Points
- Montana (2) – 217 Points
- Montana State (3) – 209 Points
- Portland State – 169 Points
- Sacramento State (2) – 149 Points
- Idaho – 104 Points
- Idaho State – 99 Points
- Northern Colorado – 92 Points
- Weber State – 42 Points