After winning the Sun Belt Regular Season Championship last season, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the 2017-18 Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll. 

The Trojans earned 125 points and picked up two first-place votes while UT Arlington was picked as the league favorite with 136 points and seven first-place votes.

Troy and Louisiana were third and fourth with 119 and 116 points, respectively. Troy earned two first-place votes while Louisiana earned one.

A 27-point gap opened up between fourth and fifth as Texas State came in with 89 points. Arkansas State and South Alabama were picked sixth and seventh with 71 and 70 points, respectively. Georgia State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina and ULM rounded the field with 65, 50, 48, 33 and 14 points, respectively.

Little Rock went 25-9 overall with a 17-1 Sun Belt record last season. The Trojans knocked off Southern Miss in the first round of the WNIT before they came up a basket shy in their second-round match at Alabama. Little Rock finished the year ranked 20th in the College Insider’s Mid-Major Poll.

Little Rock returns nine players from last season and welcomes five newcomers to the 2017-18 roster.

The Trojans will begin the new season at home against Memphis on Nov. 12.

2017-18 Conference Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
first-place votes in parentheses

1. UTA (7) – 136 pts
2. Little Rock (2) – 125 pts
3. Troy (2) – 119 pts
4. Louisiana (1) – 116 pts
5. Texas State – 89 pts
6. Arkansas State – 71 pts
7. South Alabama – 70 pts
8. Georgia State – 65 pts
9. Appalachian State – 50 pts
10. Georgia Southern – 48 pts
11. Coastal Carolina – 33 pts
12. ULM – 14 pts

In the upper right photo, guard Monique Townson plays ball in the Jack Stephens Center. Photo by Nelson Chenault.