Western Illinois and Lindenwood shared the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title last season, tying at 16-4 before the Leathernecks beat the Lions in the tournament final. Both teams have since lost most of their supporting cast, and Lindenwood has a new coach, giving the preseason edge to a Southern Indiana team that returns four of its five starters.
The Big Picture
The OVC is down to nine teams after Little Rock left for the United Athletic Conference and Tennessee Tech moved to the Southern Conference. Two of the nine programs changed coaches in the spring. Amy Eagan left Lindenwood for New Mexico after three seasons, and Phil Sayers takes over after 14 years at Grand Valley State. Ashton Feldhaus left Morehead State for McNeese after one season, and Jackie Alexander arrives from the Illinois staff. Roster turnover is extreme, with 78 of the 124 players in the league newcomers. Morehead State and Southeast Missouri State each return only one player, Lindenwood returns three, and UT Martin returns two. Five of the nine teams have nine or more newcomers.
Southern Indiana is the exception, and that is why I pick the Screaming Eagles to win the league. Four starters are back, and the only major loss is Ali Saunders. SIUE returns its Freshman of the Year and a second-team selection, which is enough to put them second. Western Illinois has the conference’s best player, Mia Nicastro, the Player of the Year, but the other returners combined for just 16.5 points a game, so I put the champions third. After that, the order depends on how quickly large groups of newcomers gel, and Lindenwood, with a new coach and three returners, is the league’s most intriguing team.
Skim Milkey’s Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Southern Indiana
2 - SIUE
3 - Western Illinois
4 - Lindenwood
5 - UT Martin
6 - Morehead State
7 - Eastern Illinois
8 - Southeast Missouri State
9 - Tennessee State
Skim Milkey’s Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference Team
Abbie Boutilier, F, Eastern Illinois
Ava Stoller, G, Eastern Illinois
Meioshe Mason, F, Eastern Illinois
Bianca Silva, G, Lindenwood
Violet McNece, G, Lindenwood
Kiyoko Proctor, G, SIUE
Lauren Miller, F, SIUE
Chloe Gannon, F, Southern Indiana
Sophia Loden, G, Southern Indiana
Tamara Ortiz, G, Southern Indiana
Erin Martin, G, Tennessee State
Somah Kamara, G, Tennessee State
Sidni Middleton, G, UT Martin
Kaylen Reed, G, Western Illinois
Mia Nicastro, F, Western Illinois
Southern Indiana
Record: 21-11, 14-6 Ohio Valley (3rd, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Rick Stein, 28th season, 492-285
Southern Indiana outscored Division I opponents by 6.2 points per game last season, third-best among the nine current members, behind only Western Illinois and Lindenwood. The Screaming Eagles finished 14-6, beat SIUE 72-44 in the quarterfinals, and lost 82-79 to Lindenwood in the semifinals. They then hosted George Washington in the second round of the WNIT and lost 61-58. Saunders, a first-team All-OVC guard who led the team with 18.3 points and 4.8 assists, is the one significant departure.
Four of the five starters return, and all four started the entire year. Chloe Gannon, a second-team All-OVC pick, averaged 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. Sophia Loden added 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds; Amiyah Buchanan added 6.6 points and 6.3 rebounds; and Shannon Blacher added 6.5 points and 2.2 steals. The reserves are led by 6-4 Channah Gannon, who scored 6.5 points in only 13.4 minutes a game. Kylee Dennis, Lexi Sepulveda, Maddy Fay, Lily Graves, and Alli Robertson give Stein options at every position, and sophomore guard Ella Bobe returns after redshirting last season due to an injury.
The one big addition is Tamara Ortiz, who played 33 games at South Alabama last season and averaged 9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. At 5-4, she is not a replica of Saunders, but she is a proven scoring guard a lineup needs. The rest of the new group is freshmen Jaidan Koch and Maddy Shirley.
Stein has coached the program since 1999, and it has won at least 21 games in each of the last three seasons. Four starters are back, a Division I guard arrives to fill a hole, and Southern Indiana returns ten players from a 21-win team, more than any other team in the league. I think the Screaming Eagles should win the title with all of their continuity.
Players to watch: Chloe Gannon, Sophia Loden, Tamara Ortiz, Shannon Blacher
SIUE
Record: 16-16, 8-12 Ohio Valley (7th, tie)
Coach: Samantha Quigley Smith, 6th season, 49-105 (15th overall, 233-201)
SIUE won 10 more games than the year before, going from 6-23 to 16-16, and made the tournament field despite tying for seventh at 8-12. The Cougars beat UT Martin 63-49 in the first round before losing 72-44 to Southern Indiana. Defense was the strength, allowing 62.3 points per game against Division I opponents, the third-lowest mark among the nine current members. Three seniors are gone: Macy Silvey, who scored 9.4 points; Syanne Mohamed, who averaged 7.3 points and 10.3 rebounds; and Adebukola Akomolafe, who added 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds.
The top two scorers return. Kiyoko Proctor was the OVC Freshman of the Year, averaging 13.8 points and 2.6 assists while starting all 29 games. Lauren Miller earned second-team honors with 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, and won Freshman of the Week five times. Ava Gugliuzza added 4.8 points, and Adriana Blazquez and Rory Conboy played smaller roles. Sophomore forward Kaitlin Cassidy did not play last season.
Smith went to the portal for size. Tyra Robinson, a 6-3 forward, appeared in 10 games at Missouri State. Pryelle Kesse-Beda, a forward, arrives from Division III Thomas College; Giselle Dogan, a guard, averaged 9.5 points over two seasons at Division II Jessup; and Riley Abney comes from junior college Schoolcraft. The freshmen are forwards Alex Nicastro, Brooke Blankenship, and Jayla McClinton, and guard Taylor Trame.
Proctor and Miller both topped 13 points a game as freshmen and should improve in their second seasons, and a defense that held Division I opponents to 62.3 points a game means SIUE does not need a big offensive leap to contend. Replacing Mohamed, who grabbed 10.3 rebounds a game, is the biggest question. Robinson and the other new forwards are the answer, and if they hold up, SIUE should finish second.
Players to watch: Kiyoko Proctor, Lauren Miller, Tyra Robinson, Ava Gugliuzza
Western Illinois
Record: 26-6, 16-4 Ohio Valley (1st, tie, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: J.D. Gravina, 16th season, 241-217 (22nd overall, 355-278)
Western Illinois shared the regular-season title with Lindenwood and outscored Division I opponents by 12.4 points per game, the best margin among the nine current members. The Leathernecks then won the OVC Tournament championship, beating Southeast Missouri State 74-66 in the semifinals and Lindenwood 71-65 in the final, before losing 82-51 at North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Gravina was Coach of the Year. The losses are huge, though, and will take a while to work through. Addi Brownfield, a first-team selection and co-Defensive Player of the Year, averaged 12.4 points; Mallory Shetley made the All-Newcomer Team while averaging 10.9, and Allie Meadows added 7.7. Raegan McCowan, who averaged 16.9 points in seven games, is now at Houston.
Nicastro is the reason this team will stay in the title race. The Player of the Year averaged 23.7 points and 9.5 rebounds, and was one of five finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. Kaylen Reed led the offense with 5.3 points and 3.1 assists in nearly 33 minutes a game, while Madison Davis added 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds off the bench. Shelby Bowman, Katelyn Eggena, Kennedy Herrig, Sidney Skrobot, and Ainsley Holthaus played smaller roles, and none of them scored more than 2.2 points a game. Maria Messling, a forward, redshirted last season after appearing in 19 games the year before.
The newcomers are a small group, and all of them are freshmen: guards Jaelyn Jones, Mya Robinson, and Mylee Stiefel, and forward Melaina Granquist.
A scorer like Nicastro makes every game winnable, but only two of last year’s five regular starters are back, and the other returners combined for 16.5 points a game. If a few freshmen can produce this season, the Leathernecks can stay in the title race, though they have less margin for error than Southern Indiana and SIUE.
Players to watch: Mia Nicastro, Kaylen Reed, Madison Davis, Maria Messling
Lindenwood
Record: 25-8, 16-4 Ohio Valley (1st, tie)
Coach: Phil Sayers, 1st season, 0-0
Lindenwood shared the regular-season title with Western Illinois and reached the tournament final for the second straight year before losing to the Leathernecks, 71-65. Then Eagan left for New Mexico, and the roster she built scattered. Aleshia Jones, the leading scorer at 15.5 points, is gone; Ellie Brueggemann, who averaged 14.3 points, is at Oklahoma State; and Brooke Coffey, who averaged 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds, is at Alabama. Mya Skoff, an 8.0-point scorer, is at Omaha, and Alyssa Nielsen is at Kansas City. Gracie Kelsey, Gracy Wernli, and Valerie Norwood are on Eagan’s new roster at New Mexico.
Only three players return, and they combined for 4.1 points per game. Anna McCarn, a 6-4 forward, scored 1.3 points in 23 games; Konstantina Mantziori played 12; and Justice Macon played two.
Sayers has restocked from the portal. Violet McNece arrives from Morehead State after averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 rebounds. Bianca Silva, from Louisiana, put up 5.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, and Saniah Tyler scored 3.4 points a game at Missouri. Cadence Dykstra and Elisha Dykstra both transfer from Toledo, and Jarius Powers transfers from UIC. Macie McNece arrives from Division II Saint Leo, Ariadna Martinez from Eastern Wyoming College, and Mariah Dallas from Mineral Area College. The freshmen are Brenna Rucker, Brynn Owens, and Jazlyn Powell.
Sayers spent 14 years on the Grand Valley State staff, including 11 as associate head coach, but this is his first college head-coaching job. McNece is the only newcomer with a Division I scoring load. Lindenwood has reached the tournament final two years in a row, but almost none of the players from those teams remain. With three returners who barely played, I can put the Lions as high as fourth until I see what the transfers bring to the table.
Players to watch: Violet McNece, Bianca Silva, Saniah Tyler, Cadence Dykstra
UT Martin
Record: 13-17, 9-11 Ohio Valley (6th)
Coach: Kevin McMillan, 18th season, 307-230
UT Martin finished sixth and lost 63-49 to SIUE in the first round of the tournament, then watched its roster leave. The Skyhawks lost their last seven games, and four of the five leading scorers have moved to other programs: Kenley McCarn, who scored 16.3 points, is at Belmont, Zy Thompson, 10.5 points, is at McNeese, Brittani Wells, 8.9 points, is at Louisiana Tech, and Norah Clark, 6.4 points, is at Wyoming. Grace Billington and Cam Ward are also gone.
Sidni Middleton and Kennedy Horton are the only returners. Middleton averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 34 minutes a game as a freshman and started 20 of her 24 games. Horton, a forward, scored 1.5 points in about nine minutes a game over 26 appearances. Together, they accounted for roughly one seventh of the team’s scoring last season.
McMillan has replaced almost everyone. Chloe Chard Peloquin, a 6-3 forward who has been at Canisius and Wright State, averaged 7.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in five games for the Raiders. Tyler Jones scored 1.0 point in 24 games at New Mexico. Raven Sims has played at Niagara and Memphis, and Alorian Story arrives from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Angela Mirkovic and Mimi Lazarevic both come from Eastern Florida State, Maddie Penney from Tallahassee State, and Sophie Chard Peloquin from Division II Findlay. The freshmen are Curnesha Taylor, Lily Espelet, Na’Kayjah Holman, and Olivia Smith.
McMillan has won 307 games in 17 seasons, and his experience matters with 12 newcomers from junior colleges, Division I rosters, and the freshman class. If Middleton gets help from a few of the transfers, the Skyhawks can finish in the middle of the league, which is why I have them fifth.
Players to watch: Sidni Middleton, Chloe Chard Peloquin, Raven Sims, Tyler Jones
Morehead State
Record: 18-15, 13-7 Ohio Valley (4th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Jackie Alexander, 1st season, 0-0
Morehead State improved by eight wins under Feldhaus, finishing 13-7 and fourth before losing 60-55 to Southeast Missouri State in the quarterfinals. The Eagles then went to the WNIT and lost 77-58 at Radford. The senior-led core is gone. Kate Dike averaged 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds, Laura Toffali averaged 12.3 points and was the league’s co-Defensive Player of the Year, and Marie Sepp added 10.1 points and 4.3 assists. Violet McNece is now at Lindenwood, Landon Forbes at Missouri State, and Josefine Enander at McNeese.
Millie Pearson, a forward who averaged 0.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 25 games, is the lone holdover. Everyone else on the roster is new to the program, so the Eagles will be learning each other and a new staff at the same time.
Alexander has rebuilt almost entirely from the portal. Kamora Morgan averaged 3.4 points in 32 games at Northern Kentucky, Samaria Taylor averaged 2.1 points in 23 games at Furman, and Allie Sykes averaged 3.4 points as a freshman at Presbyterian. Courtney Smith and Heidi Smith both come from Montana State; Kensley Feltner from Belmont; Marissa Green from UIC; Alonna Poole from James Madison; and Lanae Riley from Akron. Breayah Jefferson led junior college Monroe University with 18.0 points a game, and the lone freshman is Juliana Rodger.
Alexander spent last season on the Illinois staff and has not been a head coach, and the roster she inherited has one returning player who scored less than a point per game. The best scoring among the transfers is Morgan’s 3.4 points at Northern Kentucky, and most of the group were reserves at their last stops, so the Eagles figure to drop into the bottom half of the conference this season.
Players to watch: Kamora Morgan, Samaria Taylor, Allie Sykes, Breayah Jefferson
Eastern Illinois
Record: 4-27, 3-17 Ohio Valley (11th)
Coach: Marqus McGlothan, 3rd season, 22-39
Eastern Illinois fell from 18-12 in McGlothan’s first season to 4-27, with wins over Bellarmine and Tennessee Tech, and two wins over Tennessee State. The Panthers went 1-10 outside the league and were outscored by 15.0 points per game. Sydney-James Desroches averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds before moving on to East Tennessee State, and Lalani Ellis, who averaged 10.0 points in three games, is at Grambling. Tiny Lewis and Ella Lune, who combined for 14.7 points per game, are also gone.
Seven players return. Ava Stoller led the team with 11.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 32.7 minutes a game. Meioshe Mason added 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, and Clara Glad added 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds. Abbie Boutilier, 6-10, averaged 6.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 12 games, and Nyah Hardy, Adriana Arroyo, and Alanna Phillipo give McGlothan backcourt depth.
Janyah Bohanon is the top transfer, after 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 22 games at Buffalo. Lana Koricanac scored 1.7 points as a freshman at Troy, and Nevaeh Dickman scored 1.1 points at Loyola Chicago. Chazz Fernandez transferred from Otero College. The freshmen are Alahnna Simpson, Dalia Grandberry, and Miranda Rodríguez Sánchez.
Eastern Illinois returns half of its roster, but those players produced a 4-27 season, and the transfers are mostly reserves from their last stops. Stoller is a legitimate lead guard, and Boutilier adds size for McGlothan, so the Panthers are likely to win more games, and I have them seventh.
Players to watch: Ava Stoller, Meioshe Mason, Abbie Boutilier, Janyah Bohanon
Southeast Missouri State
Record: 14-18, 8-12 Ohio Valley (7th, tie)
Coach: Briley Palmer, 3rd season, 20-41 (7th overall, 97-81)
Southeast Missouri State won eight more games than the year before and closed the regular season with four straight wins. The Redhawks beat Little Rock 68-65 in the first round and Morehead State 60-55 in the quarterfinals before losing 74-66 to Western Illinois in the semifinals. Almost the whole roster has left. Carmen Taylor scored 12.6 points and Lexi McCully 11.0, while Ainaya Williams, who scored 9.9, is at Memphis, and Kearra Jones, who scored 9.1, is at Howard. Raissa Nsabua, who averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 assists, and Da’Kariya Jackson, who averaged 6.7 points, are also gone.
Only Madison Ayers, who averaged 3.7 points in 16.4 minutes per game, returns.
Palmer has stocked the roster with 12 newcomers. Karris Allen averaged 4.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 27 games at Southern Illinois, and Yar Manyiel averaged 0.8 points at La Salle. Courtenay Lee, a 6-4 forward, played in four games at Georgia Southern. Dacarra Ward arrives from Belmont, Jolie Bonderer from Division II Central Missouri, and Carrington Jones, Journee Harris, and Zoe Newland from junior colleges. The freshmen are Addi Owen, Deborah Ayeni, Faye Williams, and Hailey Buckman.
Palmer came to Southeast Missouri State from Mineral Area College, where she won 77 games in four seasons, and she knows the junior college market well. Even so, the Redhawks reached the semifinals last season with players who are now gone, and I expect a step back.
Players to watch: Karris Allen, Madison Ayers, Courtenay Lee, Yar Manyiel
Tennessee State
Record: 5-24, 4-16 Ohio Valley (10th)
Coach: Candice Dupree, 3rd season, 15-45
Tennessee State fell from 10 wins to five in Dupree’s second season, finishing 10th at 4-16 and missing the tournament. The league wins came against Southeast Missouri State, Morehead State, UT Martin, and Western Illinois, and the 87-77 win over the Leathernecks was one of Western Illinois’s only six losses all season. The Lady Tigers were outscored by 16.4 points a game. Aaniya Webb, who scored 11.7 points, Xai Whitfield, who scored 9.3 points and is now at Middle Tennessee, Kaliyah Montoya, Sadie Sanchez, Kiki Roberts, and Brianna Wooldridge are all gone, as is Amiyah Ferguson, who is now at Bethune-Cookman.
Erin Martin returns as the top scorer with 8.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Somah Kamara added 8.3 points, and Genesis Harris added 3.7. Laila Lancaster is 6-5, and Icesis Thomas and Zoe Young return as reserves.
Dupree rebuilt with nine newcomers, three of them transfers. Addison Melton averaged 4.3 points in six games at Lipscomb, Nandinkhusel Nyamjav is from Division II Florida Tech, and Raegan Starks is from Walters State Community College. The freshmen are guards Adrienne Hunt, Danica Lazic, and Sherry Zheng, and forwards LaKiara Alexander, Akeera Sparks, and Serenity Byrd.
Dupree, a former WNBA star, is in her first head coaching job, and the program has won 15 games in two seasons. The transfers are not likely to take the league by storm, and the freshman class is large, so the Lady Tigers will lean on Martin and Kamara, and I have them last.
Players to watch: Erin Martin, Somah Kamara, Genesis Harris, Addison Melton
OVC Round-Up
The race starts with Southern Indiana, which has the most returning production, and SIUE, which returns two double-figure scorers and a solid defense. Western Illinois has the Player of the Year. Lindenwood and Morehead State, both of which changed coaches, are the hardest teams to project, and Southeast Missouri State brings back one player from a team that reached the semifinals. At the bottom, Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State combined for nine wins and have to show their returning players can do more.
The league was top-heavy last year, with Western Illinois and Lindenwood tied at 16-4 and no other team above 14-6, and the turnover makes the race much more open. Western Illinois lost three of its five starters, and Lindenwood lost nearly everyone, so a team that keeps its core intact, as Southern Indiana does, has an edge in a year this wide open.
Editor’s Note: Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 OVC regular season and postseason. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All nine rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of October 23rd. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of October 23rd. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.