Lubbock Christian was picked to finish atop the league for the third consecutive year in the 2021-22 Lone Star Conference women’s basketball preseason poll announced on Wednesday.
The preseason poll reflects the opinions of LSC head coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives throughout the region.
LCU is heavily favored to claim the conference title, collecting 741 total points and receiving 40 of 44 first-place votes. The Lady Chaps are the reigning NCAA Division II Champions and have won three of the last five national titles. LCU posted a perfect 23-0 record on its way to the 2021 title, marking the second time the Lady Chaps have finished the season with an undefeated record.
Texas A&M-Commerce finished second in the poll securing 674 points and three first-place votes. The Lions were 14-4 overall last season and 11-2 in the LSC. TAMUC advanced to the conference tournament championship game for the second consecutive season and made its first appearance in the regional semifinals since 2007.
West Texas A&M ranked third with 647 points. The Lady Buffs advanced to the LSC championship semifinal and ended the 2020-21 season with a 15-6 record.
Cameron was tapped to finish fourth, amassing 590 points. The Aggies completed last season 11-8 overall and 10-6 in conference play. CU advanced to the South Central Regional for the first third time in program history and the first time since 2002.
Midwestern State received 560 points rounding out the top five in the poll. The Mustangs concluded last season 11-7 and made the LSC tournament for a fourth consecutive season.
Texas A&M International claimed the sixth spot in the poll, picking up 490 total points. Last season, the Dustdevils put together an 11-5 overall record and secured their first LSC tournament appearance.
Closing out the top 10 in the preseason poll are St. Mary’s (411 points), Oklahoma Christian (397 points), St. Edward’s (384 points) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (368 points).
LCU’s Allie Schulte earned LSC Preseason Player of the Year honors after obtaining 25 of the 44 votes.
Schulte led the Lady Chaps to their second straight national championship while leading LCU in points per game (15.1), assists (83) and steals (66). The Nazareth, Texas, native’s 2.9 steals per game led the league and helped anchor Division II’s top scoring defense in 2020-21. Schulte earned all-America awards from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2 CCA).
The LSC has 17 teams set to compete in the 2021-22 basketball season, which begins this week with the D2 CCA Tipoff Classic in Canyon, Texas. Most teams will begin their seasons in early November. LSC teams will play a single round-robin conference schedule with an additional 4-5 games against conference opponents that will not count towards the league standings.
The LSC Basketball Championship will return to a 12-team field in 2022. The championships will take place March 1-3-4-5-6, 2022, with opening-round games taking place on campus followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game at a final site to be announced at a later date.
| 2021-22 LSC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
School |
1st |
Total Points |
| 1. |
Lubbock Christian |
40 |
741 |
| 2. |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
3 |
674 |
| 3. |
West Texas A&M |
|
647 |
| 4. |
Cameron |
|
590 |
| 5. |
Midwestern State |
|
560 |
| 6. |
Texas A&M International |
|
490 |
| 7. |
St. Mary's |
|
411 |
| 8. |
Oklahoma Christian |
|
397 |
| 9. |
St. Edward's |
|
384 |
| 10. |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
368 |
| 11. |
Texas Woman's |
|
309 |
| 12. |
UT Permian Basin |
|
249 |
| 13. |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
241 |
| 14. |
UAFS |
|
228 |
| 15. |
Angelo State |
|
194 |
| 16. |
UT Tyler |
1 |
132 |
| 17. |
Western New Mexico |
|
117 |