The Big South enters 2026-27 with turnover across the board, including at the top of the standings. Two programs open the year with new coaches, and the transfer portal grabbed a leading scorer off of nearly every roster. High Point and Radford still look like the conference's top two, but only one of them enters with solid continuity, and the middle of the standings could look very different than last year. A few teams that finished higher a year ago return far less talent than teams that finished lower.
The Big Picture
Banbury's departure is the conference's headline. She went 140-79 across seven seasons at High Point, winning four Big South regular-season titles, three tournament championships, and three NCAA Tournament berths before leaving for VCU. She took Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Macy Spencer and grad guard Lexi Fleming with her to VCU. High Point replaced her with first-time head coach Wyatt Foust, who spent four seasons at Murray State and most recently served as associate head coach on a 31-4 Missouri Valley championship team. Charleston Southern also made a change when Clarisse White resigned, and the Buccaneers hired Tim Hays away from LSU Shreveport.
The portal gutted the rest of the league's top-end talent too. Beyond Spencer, multiple first-team All-Big South picks left for other programs. Winthrop's Amourie Porter transferred to South Florida, Radford's Joi Williams left for Appalachian State, and Charleston Southern's Tyonna Bailey departed for Saint Louis. High Point lost Co-Defensive Player of the Year Aaliyah Collins to graduation and a pro contract overseas. Second-team honorees followed their direction, as USC Upstate's Cassie Gallagher transferred to Marshall, Gardner-Webb's Amina Gray left for Arkansas State, and UNC Asheville's Nia Green departed for Fairfield. Nearly every contender in the league is reloading through the portal this fall, and continuity is rare in the conference. With the shift in the conference, could we see a new team at the top of the standings come February, or will High Point make their way back to the top for the fourth season in a row?
Skim Milkey's Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - High Point
2 - Radford
3 - USC Upstate
4 - Gardner-Webb
5 - Winthrop
6 - UNC Asheville
7 - Longwood
8 - Charleston Southern
9 - Presbyterian
Skim Milkey's Preseason All-Conference Team
Alaina Nettles, G, Charleston Southern
Amira Ofunniyin, F, Gardner-Webb
Juliann Woodard, F, High Point
Meredith Tippner, G, High Point
Taylor Feldman, G, High Point
Jesstynie Scott, G, Longwood
Krystal Haddock, G, Presbyterian
Cate Carlson, G, Radford
Georgia Simonsen, F, Radford
Logan Luebbers Palmer, G, Radford
Jamaria Freeman, G, UNC Asheville
Aubrie Kierscht, G, USC Upstate
Grace Booth, G, USC Upstate
Madison Ruff, G, Winthrop
High Point
Record: 27-6, 13-3 Big South (1st, NCAA tournament appearance)
Coach: Wyatt Foust, 1st season
The three-time defending regular season champions enter a new era. Chelsea Banbury left for VCU, and she didn't leave without taking a few players with her. She took Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Macy Spencer, coming off a season in which she averaged 18.6 points per game, and grad guard Lexi Fleming to VCU. First-team All-Big South wing Aaliyah Collins averaged a career-best 14.9 points and led the team in steals and blocks, exhausted her eligibility, and signed a professional contract in Bosnia. Forward Nevaeh Zavala also graduated and is no longer on the roster. That is a large group of talent leaving the program in a single offseason.
New head coach Wyatt Foust responded with the league's most aggressive rebuild. His lone returning starter is guard Brecken Snotherly, who started 26 games and finished with 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Around her, Foust brought in a five-player transfer class headlined by guard Taylor Feldman, a graduate transfer who earned first-team All-Big Sky honors at Northern Arizona in 2024-25 with 16.4 points and 3.9 assists a game, before appearing in just seven games at Purdue last season. He added Khloe Lemon, who scored 9.6 points a game at California Baptist, and Rylee Bess, a solid contributor at Purdue Fort Wayne who started 17 times and put up 9.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists, along with Michigan State forward Juliann Woodard and Miami guard Meredith Tippner, both former top-100 recruits. All five of these transfers can easily play their way onto the postseason honors lists.
The returning group behind Snotherly is fairly deep as well, giving High Point some returning continuity in the program: Chana Paxixe, Sanai Cole, Dakota Phillips, Peyton Gerdes, Sky Donaie and Cheyenne Brand all played rotation roles a year ago. Canadian freshman guard Gabby Morash is the only true freshman in the newcomer group.
On paper, this is the most talented group of newcomers in the Big South, which is why High Point tops this list. Feldman might be the best backcourt player in the league when healthy, Lemon and Bess have already performed well at the mid-major level, and Woodard and Tippner add size and pedigree few teams in this conference can match. Only Snotherly returns with starting experience from a year ago at High Point, and now a first-time head coach is installing an entirely new offense and defense. However, this team might be one of the most purely talented teams in the country. If Foust mends this group together quickly, High Point will win a third straight tournament title comfortably. If it takes time, Radford is right there to take the crown instead.
Players to watch: Taylor Feldman, Juliann Woodard, Meredith Tippner, Brecken Snotherly
Radford
Record: 23-13, 12-4 Big South (2nd, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Mike McGuire, 14th season, 215-186
Radford is a very safe pick to finish in the top two with what looks like a two-team race at the top of the league. McGuire, whose contract was extended through the 2028-29 season, came within a possession or two of the NCAA Tournament last March before falling to High Point 71-67 in the title game. He returns the conference's best young underclassman, forward Georgia Simonsen. During her freshman season, she averaged 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, earning Big South Freshman of the Year, second-team All-Big South, and all-freshman honors. Guard Cate Carlson, an honorable-mention All-Big South pick, is back for her senior year after averaging 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, and more returners join her. Guard Angelina Nice scored 7.4 points, grabbed 4.4 rebounds, and added 1.4 assists per game, and forward Anaiah Jenkins, Anna Chacha, Cherish Haywood, and Amanda Mitchell also saw minutes.
The Highlanders do have to replace a big piece of the team for this year. First-team All-Big South guard Joi Williams, who averaged 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 steals, transferred to Appalachian State, and guard Pa'Shence Traylor-Walker is no longer on the roster either. McGuire responded well to these portal losses. The headline addition is guard Ralee Bare, a South Atlantic Conference All-Freshman selection who averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. He also brought in graduate forward Jada Green, a role player at Richmond who should get a big opportunity at Radford, and two transfers who produced well elsewhere. Guard Kailyn Fields, who had 18 starts at Kennesaw State and finished with 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and a team-best 4.4 assists, and guard Logan Luebbers Palmer from Evansville, who averaged 10.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Freshmen guards Jordin Richardson and Kerri Fluellen are the only true freshmen in the class.
Radford's identity last season was built on the glass, with Simonsen, Jenkins and Nice all back to anchor the frontcourt again. Questions remain at guard, where Williams' shot creation and 71 steals will be hard to replicate. Radford has continuity and is set up to win the league this year. McGuire added critical pieces to the program, and he found players who fit exactly what they needed. If High Point doesn’t gel as they could, Radford will be right there to win the title.
Players to watch: Georgia Simonsen, Cate Carlson, Ralee Bare, Logan Luebbers Palmer
USC Upstate
Record: 12-20, 6-10 Big South (tie, 7th)
Coach: Jason Williams, 5th season, 48-77
USC Upstate's record didn’t tell the whole story of how solid they were last season. Half of the Spartans' conference losses came by two possessions or fewer, including a double-overtime loss to Longwood. Jason Williams has built one of the league's more efficient programs, and this year should be no different.
The offseason cost the Spartans their leading scorer. Guard Cassie Gallagher, a second-team All-Big South pick who averaged 15.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists while starting all 31 games, transferred to Marshall. Forward Aijah Palmore, the team's best rebounder at 6.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, exhausted her eligibility, and guard Gwen Jenkins transferred to Grand Valley State.
But Upstate's returning core is deep and produces more than many think. Guard Aubrie Kierscht averaged 10.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 18 starts, and she's the best returning player on this roster. Forward Emma Blair, guard Kinley Paterson, and guard Zoe Richardson all return with experience, and forward Vera Söderblom added size on the glass, starting 28 games last season and averaging 4.6 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Williams added Grace Booth, who spent last season at Houston Christian after beginning her career at Tarleton State and averaged 11.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 steals; she pairs well with Kierscht in the backcourt. Guard Izzy Callaway also transfers in from Akron, and freshman Haylie Lamonde is the lone true freshman.
The Spartans' formula this year will be defense, rebounding, and efficient shot selection, and with Kierscht, Blair, Paterson, and Richardson all back, that formula should have all the pieces to take hold. The biggest improvement will come from taking better care of the ball, which was a problem last season; in a league of tight margins, giving away extra possessions can make a big difference. Kierscht and Booth form one of the league's more underrated backcourts, and that duo alone gives USC Upstate the pieces to push into the top half.
Players to watch: Aubrie Kierscht, Grace Booth, Vera Söderblom, Kinley Paterson
Gardner-Webb
Record: 12-19, 9-7 Big South (4th)
Coach: Terri Williams, 2nd season, 12-19 (19th overall, 295-261)
Gardner-Webb finished fourth in the league in Terri Williams' first season and closed strong, winning six of its final eight before falling to Winthrop in the tournament quarterfinals, a run that earned Williams a share of Big South Coach of the Year honors. But she has to rebuild her top offense. Second-team All-Big South guard Amina Gray, who averaged 12.8 points and 2.9 rebounds, transferred to Arkansas State, and guard Anaya Harris, who added 10.1 points and 2.9 rebounds, also departed. A third, Jaelyn Acker, who started 31 games last season and scored 8.3 points a game, is also off the roster. Those three carried a heavy offensive load this past year.
Williams has a few solid pieces coming back this year. Forward Amira Ofunniyin, who posted 7.2 points and 6.2 rebounds, and guard Makayla Legette, who put up 6.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across all 31 starts, are both back. They're joined by guard Kayla Martin and guard Sara Menendez, both of whom saw real minutes off the bench last year.
The transfer class brings in real scoring depth. Guard Jordan Brooks arrives after averaging 5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists at Bethune-Cookman; forward Circe Rubio Remolar joins from Morehead State, and forward Danaya Stokes comes over from UNC Greensboro. Seven more freshmen, Laila Tull, Shiriah Harris, Brooke Williams, Malia Graham, Taryn Thompson, Cassidy Lane, and Tia Bryant, fill out the roster.
The problem remains the offense, which struggled to generate points and efficient shots last season, and losing its three leading scorers only makes it more of a concern. But with Ofunniyin, Legette, Martin, and Menendez all back and Brooks added as another scoring upgrade via transfer, the Bulldogs have more returning pieces to work with than at first glance. Williams has a ton of experience on the sideline, and she’ll need to get the offense firing on all cylinders if they want a top half conference finish this year.
Players to watch: Amira Ofunniyin, Makayla Legette, Jordan Brooks, Kayla Martin
Winthrop
Record: 15-17, 7-9 Big South (5th, tie)
Coach: Semeka Randall Lay, 7th season, 65-112 (15th overall, 132-288)
Winthrop closed 2025-26 with a bit of an upswing, winning four of their final six before bowing out to eventual champion High Point in the tournament semifinals. However, despite finishing the season on a high, Winthrop lost many bodies from last year. First-team All-Big South guard Amourie Porter, a two-time first-team pick and the 2025-26 Newcomer of the Year, transferred to South Florida after averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 steals. With the loss of Porter, Winthrop returns only four players from last year.
The good news is that group includes the team's best player. Guard Madison Ruff, an All-Big South honorable mention pick, is back after averaging 10.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists over 28 starts and should play a bigger role this year. Forward Tocarra Johnson also returns after posting 5.2 points and 6.5 rebounds a year ago, and guards Ryiah Wilson, who averaged 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists, and Mya Hamilton are the other two returners, both of whom got some experience last year.
Everyone else on the roster is new. Randall Lay rebuilt the rest of the rotation almost entirely through the portal: Autumn Taylor arrives from Manhattan, Marta Guilera from New Mexico State, Ella Wigal from Akron, and Kayla Preston from Valparaiso, plus JUCO transfers Summer Henderson from Panola College, Madison Bush-Lewis from Eastern Wyoming College, and Kyra Taylor from McKendree, international addition Lucia Skvarekova of Slovakia, Division II transfer Maya Robinson from Virginia Union, and freshman guard Laura Silva of Portugal. These incomers will need to mesh quickly this upcoming season.
Whether Randall Lay's system can replicate last season's success is unclear given how much the roster has changed. Ruff and Johnson have already shown that they can compete for Winthrop, but integrating nine new faces at once is more turnover than all but Presbyterian is dealing with in this conference. Winthrop has some talent, and their floor for the season will depend on how well some of the incomers can perform.
Players to watch: Madison Ruff, Tocarra Johnson, Ryiah Wilson, Kayla Preston
UNC Asheville
Record: 12-18, 7-9 Big South (5th, tie)
Coach: Tynesha Lewis, 3rd season, 15-45
UNC Asheville was more competitive than its record suggested, losing five of its nine conference games by fewer than 10 points. But Lewis faces a significant rebuild in year three. The Bulldogs lost three of their top four scorers, a group that combined for 67 starts and was headlined by leading scorer Nia Green, a second-team All-Big South pick who averaged 14.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks before transferring to Fairfield. Forwards Kristen McMillan, who left for Indiana State, and Deborah Orianegbena, who departed for South Alabama, are gone too, along with guard Trinity Fields.
The good news is Lewis's best returner was pretty good in her own right. Guard Jamaria Freeman was outstanding as a freshman, averaging 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.7 steals while starting 22 games, and she's a strong breakout candidate entering year two. Clementina Odom also returns after a limited role last year.
Lewis went big in the portal to round out the roster, bringing in ten transfers. The most prominent on paper is LaNicia Parker, who averaged 8.0 points and 8.2 rebounds at Division II Missouri Western. She's joined by Amany Lopez from Rider, Mercy Wamet from Prairie View A&M, Dariasia Pitts from Bethune-Cookman, Amaya Shaw from East Carolina, and guard Tre'Miyah Berry from Alabama A&M. The rest of the class came from the D-II and D-III ranks: Riley Milausnic played two seasons at Purdue Northwest, starting 26 of 54 career games, while Makenna Armstrong from East Texas A&M, Tristan Stoutermire from Purdue Northwest and center Olivia Johnson from Wisconsin-Stout round out the group. That's a lot of new faces to integrate, and cohesion will be the early-season question.
UNC Asheville has shown solid perimeter defense under Lewis. If that emphasis carries over to a completely rebuilt roster, and if Freeman continues her trajectory as a standout guard, UNC Asheville will be competitive. The big concern is scoring depth beyond Freeman, and while Parker has shown the ability to score in college, it was at the D-II level. Without proven scoring on the roster, UNC Asheville will need to find reliable scorers quickly.
Players to watch: Jamaria Freeman, LaNicia Parker, Amany Lopez, Mercy Wamet
Longwood
Record: 21-10, 11-5 Big South (3rd)
Coach: Erika Lang-Montgomery, 5th season, 61-64 (15th overall, 172-222)
Longwood is the toughest team in the league to project for this upcoming season. Lang-Montgomery has guided Longwood to back-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive campaigns with at least 10 Big South wins, and last year's team pulled off overtime wins over both eventual champion High Point and runner-up Radford within a single week in February. A late three-game skid, two one-possession losses, and a double-overtime defeat at USC Upstate separated the Lancers from a share of the regular-season crown.
The catch is that this roster's been almost completely rebuilt. Longwood lost two double-figure scorers: Amor Harris, who averaged 10.6 points, left for George Washington, and Malea Brown, who averaged 11.9 points a game, graduated. Frances Ulysse and Jasmine Peaks were also starters in 27 games and have moved on. Honorable mention forward Otaifo Esenabhalu and a few other rotation pieces also left via a combination of graduation and the transfer portal. In all, Longwood lost their top five scorers and all five starters. Guard Jesstynie Scott, who put up 6.6 points per game, along with Lili Booker, Kayla Washington, Alary Bell, London Harvey, and Nalani Simmons, are all back from the team a year ago.
The transfer class is led by guard Nal'La Bennett, who averaged 2.6 points at Stony Brook, along with Idaysia Mercer from Wallace State Community College, Laterria Green from Central Georgia Tech, Shakira Gresham from Northwest Florida State College, McKayla Hosley from Georgia Southern, and graduate guard Ioana David of Romania. Freshmen Maddy Little, Samia Snead, and McKenna Hoyt add more new pieces to the mix.
Longwood's up-tempo, pressure-heavy system produced points and forced turnovers when the personnel was in place last season. But with the entire top of the rotation gone and the incoming transfer class producing less than the outgoing group, the Lancers are effectively starting over around Scott. Lang-Montgomery has earned the benefit of the doubt given her results, but this roster lacks continuity and will likely be a step back before it's a step forward.
Players to watch: Jesstynie Scott, Nal'La Bennett, Lili Booker, Idaysia Mercer
Charleston Southern
Record: 8-22, 6-10 Big South (7th, tie)
Coach: Tim Hays, 1st season (17th overall, 373-121)
Charleston Southern is a full teardown-and-rebuild, but it comes with one of the league's more intriguing coaching hires. Clarisse White resigned in April after an 8-22 season, and the Buccaneers hired Tim Hays from LSU Shreveport, where he went 54-8 over two seasons, including a 45-3 conference record. Across 16 seasons as a head coach, Hays owns a 373-121 record with nine conference tournament titles and eight regular-season championships, which is a resume that stands out, even if it comes largely from the NAIA and Division II ranks.
He'll need every bit of his experience because Charleston Southern largely emptied the cupboard. Eight players entered the transfer portal, headlined by first-team All-Big South guard Tyonna Bailey, who averaged 17.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals before transferring to Saint Louis. Guard Caelan Ellis, who averaged 12.7 points per game, left for Chattanooga, and graduate guard Asha Sra, who averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 assists per game, transferred to Tulane. Alaina Nettles, who averaged 5.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists across a shortened 12-game season, is the only returner who produced much last year, which leaves Hays essentially one player to build around.
Hays added a wide-ranging transfer and international class. It's headlined by 6-foot-9 center Celina Vilcinskas from his former program, LSU Shreveport, and grad transfer Anica Skrivan, a center from Evansville. Guards Lauren Cummings, from Long Beach State, and Ashleigh Battle, from Campbell, add experience, and Sofia Ekh joins from Idaho. The rest of the roster is almost entirely new to Division I: Zara Sestan and Selenay Tanik arrive via New Mexico Junior College and Laramie County Community College, Rochelle Afo Manuma comes in via Gillette College, and freshmen Berta Oliveras, Bayan Salman, Iva Cholakoska, and Happy Arune fill out the roster.
The rebuild's priority is defense, which struggled last season and will take time to fix with an almost entirely new roster. Year one is likely about finding a rotation that works rather than climbing the standings, though Hays' history suggests the arrow points up beyond 2026-27. Anything short of a bottom-two finish would be very good this season.
Players to watch: Celina Vilcinskas, Alaina Nettles, Anica Skrivan, Lauren Cummings
Presbyterian
Record: 3-27, 1-15 Big South (9th)
Coach: Tiffany Sardin, 3rd season, 9-51 (5th overall, 13-88)
Presbyterian has the steepest climb in the conference, and roster turnover won't help much. The Blue Hose went 3-27, and the finish was brutal. They lost their final 11 games after a win over Gardner-Webb, with five of those defeats coming by more than 25 points.
Sardin, who returns for a third season, rebuilt the program around a small returning core. Guard Krystal Haddock is the headliner, coming off a season in which she averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. Guard Ore Ogunwolere also returns after averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 22 starts, and Yolanda Floyd, Samantha Mullock, and Aretha Linger also return. Linger scored 6.5 points in six games last year before an injury cut her year short.
Everyone else on the roster is new. Azjah Reeves and Fiona Diomande both transfer in from Wichita State, Alyssa Febres comes from Kansas City, and Kyaija Stewart comes from Texas State. Guard Yasmeen Brightwell is another transfer who arrives from Indiana State, and the freshman class includes Inna Dimova of Bulgaria, Saoirse Smart of Australia, and Dylande Innocent.
2026-27 is about incremental progress for the team and trying to get out of the conference cellar. Turning around a program with Presbyterian's resource constraints is a multi-year project, made harder by a roster that's turned over almost entirely for the second straight offseason. Anything better than another last-place finish would count as progress.
Players to watch: Krystal Haddock, Ore Ogunwolere, Aretha Linger, Samantha Mullock
Big South Round-Up
The biggest story isn't High Point or Radford at the top; it's how much turnover hit everyone else. Two programs hired new coaches, multiple teams rebuilt nearly their entire roster, and nearly everyone is looking to make a jump into the upper half. High Point's transfer class gives it the highest ceiling, Radford's returning core gives it the highest floor, and whichever team finds its footing first will likely win the conference title. Don't be shocked if the bottom half of the conference is fighting for position late in the year.
Editor's Note:
Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 Big South 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 September 16th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of September 16th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
Check out the previous conference previews: America East, American, Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10, Big Sky