One more week. That is all that is left for some of the bubble teams in DII women’s basketball to claim their stake at a spot in this year’s bracket. However, teams like Grand Valley State, Minnesota State and Texas Woman’s have done their part that, win or lose their conference tournament, will get them into the tournament.
And that’s exactly why they remain locked in atop this week’s Power 10 rankings.
These will be the final Power 10 rankings until the DII women’s basketball championship tournament is complete. As a reminder, these rankings are not the result of a voting committee, nor does the selection committee have a say. They are an attempt to combine the national polls and regional rankings, for a ranking that falls somewhere in between. I no longer rely on KPI as a deciding factor (although I will point to it for reference since it is used by the committee), and I will be using RPI more strongly moving forward.
The DII women’s basketball Power 10 (through March 1)
No. 1 Grand Valley State | Previous: 1. That was a huge win against a surging Ferris State, but more on the Bulldogs in a few. Instead, it was the Lakers that pulled away in a massive 26-point victory. The Lakers finished the season at 27-1 on a six-game winning streak in arguably the toughest conference in DII women’s basketball this season. They have the second-highest RPI in the division, the top KPI in DII and have played a SoS of .539. By the way, the Lakers have lost six games in the past three seasons, and two of those were regular-season matchups against Division I Ohio State. This team is elite.
No. 2 Minnesota State | Previous: 2. The Mavericks move on to the NSIC semifinals after its victory over St. Cloud State. Kudos to Concordia-St. Paul for ending the Mavericks undefeated run in blowout fashion prior to the NSIC tournament, because despite that loss, this team is strong across any and every metric there is. They have the second-best KPI and the fourth-best RPI and are the top-scoring team in the division with 93.2 points per game, led by Natalie Bremer who went bonkers in the quarterfinals win, scoring 30 points on 9-for-13 shooting, while going 4-for-5 from 3 and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
No. 3 Texas Woman’s | Previous: 3. The Pioneers haven’t lost since the second night of the season. They finished 26-1 on a 25-game winning streak. Talk about momentum. They have also reached at least the South Central Region championship two years in a row and looking powerful enough to make it a third. Again, that’s a lot of momentum… three years’ worth to be exact. Getting a healthy Averee Kleinhans back would be a tremendous boost, but this team has hung tough without its leading scorer thanks to a tough defense that allows just 54.3 points per game. In fact, they haven’t allowed more than 56 points in the entire month of February.
No. 4 Gannon | Previous: 8. Take down the previous No. 4, and you rise pretty quickly. That’s exactly what the Golden Knights did, ending their season at 26-3 with a hard-fought victory over Indiana (PA) in the regular-season finale. This team checks every tournament box, with the third-best RPI in DII, a top 10 KPI and a top 10 scoring defense, allowing just 52.2 points per game. The Golden Knights have made the DII Women’s Elite Eight two years in a row and some of their top players, like Bri Claxon, Maddy Wheatley, Olivia Cernuto and Kate Ratliff, have been there for both and have suffered quick exits both times. With the fuel of this big win behind them, perhaps this is the year they break through to the semifinals.
No. 5 West Texas A&M | Previous: 9. The Buffs end their regular-season run at 26-3, winning their last five in a row. However, let’s take a quick look at the losses. One was way back on the first night of the season to Grand Valley State and the other two are narrow overtime losses. So, in retrospect, this is a team that is literally just a few shots away from being 28-1 and maybe in the top three. They are the No. 2 team in the South Central Region and pretty much a lock for the tournament. The Buffs are about balance, led by Kyla Kane, Randi Harding and Taylor Haggan in scoring with a solid defense that allows under 60 points per game.
No. 6 Colorado Mesa | Previous: 5. There is only one 30-win team in DII women’s basketball this regular season, and these Mavericks are it. Their lone loss was a 15-point blowout to West Texas A&M, which is the only reason they rank below the Buffs. Olivia Reed Thyne will get player-of-the-year consideration, finishing the regular season with averages of 20.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while closing the season with six-straight double doubles, which includes a triple double in the season finale — the first ever in Colorado Mesa history. If it weren’t for their lower SoS, this team would be No. 3.
No. 7 Bentley | Previous: Also considered. The Falcons enter the Power 10, finishing the regular season with a 21-3 record and winners of their last seven games. They own the top RPI in DII and the third-best KPI. This has been one of the most consistent teams in DII women’s basketball this century, absent from the tournament in only 2006, 2020 (DII tournament cancelled because of COVID), and 2021 (the NE10 did not play that season). The Falcons are not a big-scoring team, but their defense is tough, allowing just 52.4 points per game.
No. 8 Lenoir-Rhyne | Previous: 10. I know I am much higher on the Bears than the national polls, but there is valid reason to be. First, they finished 24-4 on a 19-game winning streak with two wins against nationally ranked Coker and another against nationally ranked Lincoln Memorial. The also swept the season series against Wingate and Carson-Newman, both of which are in the tournament based on the previous regional rankings. This team isn’t simply winning — they are winning against top-tier competition and in pretty dominant fashion — they are one of the top-scoring teams in DII with more than 87 points per game.
No. 9 Fort Hays State | Previous: 6. Talk about an enigma. The Tigers took down nationally ranked Pittsburg State, likely ending the Gorillas tournament hopes minus a big run in the MIAA tourney, but then lost by 10 at home to 15-15 Nebraska-Kearney. This team still checks plenty of boxes and, paired with some other losses around the division, still hang around the top 10. Having Talexa Weeter helps for the postseason. DII’s leading scorer (27.5 points per game) can take over when she gets hot and propel this team to victory in close ball games.
No. 10 Ferris State | Previous: NR. So, Indiana (PA) was considered here, but the Crimson Hawks dropped their final two games of the season, which is worrisome. Central Washington had this spot, but it slipped away with a loss to Northwest Nazarene. Other teams considered here were Cal Poly Pomona and Columbus State, but I am going with the Bulldogs. Do you realize that if you take away the Bulldogs two losses to Grand Valley State, this team was undefeated in its 2026 portion of their schedule? That’s rather impressive when you consider the GLIAC makes up half the teams in the Midwest Region top 8. They swept nationally ranked Northern Michigan and avenged a December loss to a red-hot Wayne State (MI). You want metrics? Ferris State has a strong RPI (.617) and top 10 KPI against a tough SoS (.551). They need to figure out the Lakers to even have a shot at a national title, but it would be foolish to sleep on the Bulldogs right now.
Also considered (in alphabetical order): Cal Poly Pomona, Central Washington, Daemen, Columbus State, Harding, Indiana (PA), Lincoln Memorial, Nova Southeastern, Wayne State (MI), Winston-Salem State
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