Spartans Selected Third in SSC Preseason Poll

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference women's basketball coaches select Rollins College to win its 14th regular season championship. The Tars take the top spot following 88 total votes and three first-place votes in the preseason poll. Rollins led the SSC in NCAA tournament play last season, advancing to the regional championship final.

Nova Southeastern University and the University of Tampa finished second and third in the poll, with 82 and 78 points, respectively. Eckerd College is fourth in the preseason ranking at 74 total votes. The Tritons are the defending SSC regular season and tournament champions. With 66 votes each, Florida Southern College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are tied for fifth place. Nova Southeastern, Tampa, Eckerd, and Florida Southern all collected two first-place votes.

The University of Tampa returns six players to its roster Karma Jeremie, Faith Sanders, Morgan Lumb, Griffin Dempsey, Rachel Warden, and Molly Franson. Jeremie and Sanders will lead the Spartans after being the second and third leading point scorers last season with 13.6 and 12.1, respectively. In addition to the returners, the Spartans add five transfers and two freshmen to the roster as well. 

During the 2016-17 season Eckerd (27-5, 16-2), Florida Southern (20-10, 14-4), Nova Southeastern (17-12, 12-6), and Rollins (22-8, 14-4) gained entry into the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament. Florida Southern and Nova Southeastern both lost in the quarterfinals, while Rollins defeated top-seeded Eckerd in the semifinals. The Tars' season came to an end following a 72-62 loss against the University of West Florida in the regional title game.

The 2017-18 season tips off with all 11 teams in action on November 10th. Conference play begins with a full slate of games on November 15th.

Below are the full results of the 2017-18 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams (points: 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2017 - 18 SSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL