SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 2025-26 women’s basketball season officially tips off for the Summit League Monday at 11 a.m. CT. All nine league members will be in action throughout opening week, with 20 games on the slate.
Reigning regular season and tournament champion South Dakota State opens its season on the road, traveling to Omaha, Neb., for a matchup with Creighton at 6 p.m. CT. St. Thomas and Omaha will each open their campaigns on the road against Big 12 opponents with the Tommies facing Iowa State and the Mavericks meeting Kansas State.
North Dakota and Kansas City will also open their seasons on the road against Power Four opponents, with the Fighting Hawks visiting Minnesota on Tuesday and the Roos heading to Kansas on Wednesday.
UPCOMING
Game | Stream | Local Time
Monday, Nov. 3
Friends at Oral Roberts | SLN | 11 a.m. CT
St. Thomas at Iowa State | ESPN+ | 11 a.m. CT
York (Neb.) at South Dakota | SLN | 5 p.m. CT
South Dakota State at Creighton | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. CT
North Dakota State at Northern Iowa | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. CT
Air Force at Denver | SLN | 6 p.m. MT
Omaha at Kansas State | ESPN+ | 6:30 p.m. CT
Tuesday, Nov. 4
North Dakota at Minnesota | BIG10+ | 7 p.m. CT
Wednesday, Nov. 5
Kansas City at Kansas | ESPN+ | 6:30 p.m. CT
Thursday, Nov. 6
Haskell at Oral Roberts | SLN | 5 p.m. CT
Saint Mary (Neb.) at Omaha | SLN | 6:30 p.m. CT
Friday, Nov. 7
Air Force at South Dakota | SLN | 11 a.m. CT
Denver at UC San Diego | ESPN+ | 6 p.m. PT
Rice at South Dakota State | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Youngstown State at North Dakota | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Gonzaga at North Dakota State | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, Nov. 8
Army at St. Thomas | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
William Jewell at Kansas City | SLN | 2 p.m. CT
Sunday, Nov. 9
Denver at Loyola Marymount | ESPN+ | 2 p.m. PT
Oral Roberts at Oklahoma State | ESPN+ | 5 p.m. CT
Key: BIG10+ (Big Ten Plus), ESPN+ (ESPN Plus), SLN (Summit League Network)
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• Preseason Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer of South Dakota State and fellow preseason all-league first teamer Avery Koenen of North Dakota State were among 25 players named to the watch list for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.
• Two non-conference women’s basketball games will be a part of the Summit League’s national television lineup on CBS Sports Network this season. North Dakota State will host Montana State on Wednesday, Dec. 3 in a matchup that is part of the annual Big Sky-Summit Challenge and preseason No. 4 Texas will travel to South Dakota State on Sunday, Dec. 21 as the Jackrabbits will likely play a nationally-ranked foe on CBSSN for the second straight season.
• The Jackrabbits topped the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 preseason poll after finishing there to close out the 2024-25 campaign. They were also one of 12 teams receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and one of 18 to do so in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 poll. SDSU ended last season ranked No. 23 in both.
• North Dakota State earned votes in the Mid-Major preseason poll after making a run to the WNIT quarterfinals a season ago.
• The Bison return Koenen, who averaged 14.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg as a sophomore, and add Summit League Freshman of the Year Jocelyn Schiller, who averaged 13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 2.9 apg for North Dakota in 2024-25.
• There are three new head coaches in Summit League women’s basketball this season.
• Jamie Carey takes over at Omaha after a four-year stint as the associate head coach at UTSA.
• Dennis Hutter takes over for Mallory Bernhard at North Dakota after serving as associate head coach last season and compiling 314 wins in 19 years as head coach at Mayville State.
• Cophie Anderson succeeds Kelsi Musick at Oral Roberts, where she spent the past three seasons as associate head coach, helping the Golden Eagles reach the 2023 WNIT and 2024 WBIT.
• Anderson inherits the league’s top returning scorer in Jalei Oglesby, who returns for her senior season after averaging 17.3 ppg and earning all-league first team honors.
• Oglesby is the two-time reigning Sixth Woman of the Year having scored 1,015 points in 65 career games at ORU over the past two seasons.
• South Dakota, led by second-year head coach Carrie Eighmey, was picked fourth in the preseason poll after tying for a seventh with a 5-11 record a season ago.
• The Coyotes are projected to make the biggest jump in the standings despite the departure of 2025 Player of the Year Grace Larkins (24.0 ppg).
• St. Thomas looks to build on a record-setting 2024-25 campaign that saw the Tommies notch 17 wins overall and nine in league play, both program bests at the Division I level. Alyssa Sand leads the returning group after starting 11 games and averaging 5.9 ppg a season ago.
• Kansas City’s Emani Bennett, a preseason all-league first team pick, averaged 15.1 ppg last year and posted nine 20-plus-point outings. Her twin sister Elauni Bennett added 7.2 ppg and led the team with 6.8 rpg.
• Denver sophomore Coryn Watts is the Pioneers’ top returning scorer after averaging 6.7 ppg as one of the league’s most productive freshmen. She appeared in 30 games, starting seven, and logged six double-figure scoring performances.
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