BURNSVILLE, Minn. — The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the 2026-27 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday afternoon. For the second consecutive season Concordia-St, Paul was picked to finish second in the poll. 

CSP received a total of 194 points and four first place votes in the poll, Minnesota State came in just ahead of the Golden Bears with 215 points and six first-place votes to take the top spot in the poll for the second straight season. NSIC coaches rank each team from one to 14 with a first place vote receiving 14 points, second place 13, third place 12 etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players in the preseason poll.

"What excites me about this team is the combination of experience, talent and chemistry we have," Head Coach Amanda Johnson said. "We have a good mix of returning players who understand our system and younger players who bring energy and a willingness to learn. I'm excited to see how they continue to grow together, compete for one another and develop into a team that plays with confidence and purpose. I believe this group has a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish together." 

The Golden Bears head into the season as reigning NSIC Tournament Champions, having claimed the title in back-to-back seasons, while earning their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament as the second seed in the Central Region. 

The 2025-26 season saw Concordia finish with a record of 26-7 (17-5 NSIC), to reach the 20+ win mark for the third consecutive season. CSP used a program record tying 18 game winning streak to reach the NCAA Central Region Championship for the first time since the 2013-14 season, before falling to Minnesota-Duluth in the Central Region Championship game in double overtime. 

Heading into the 2026-27 season, fifth year forward Lauren Wilson was tabbed as the NSIC Preseason South Division Player of the Year. The fifth year forward is the first Golden Bear to earn preseason player of the year honors since Anika Whiting prior to the 2014-15 season. 

Wilson is coming off a standout junior season that saw her earn All-NSIC First Team and D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team honors. 

Wilson racked up 557 points and an NSIC leading 288 rebounds, averaging 16.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6% from the field last season.The junior also tallied nine double-doubles and became the 31st member of the CSP 1,000 point club, while averaging 30.8 minutes per game. 

"Lauren has one of the highest basketball IQs of any player I have coached over the years," Johnson said. "She truly understands the game and uses that knowledge to her advantage on the court. She has been a part of our team for five years and has consistently proven herself to be a leader both on and off the court. Lauren is a dominant post player who can score from the inside out and she has consistently stepped up for us during critical moments. Her understanding of the game, leadership and ability to perform under pressure make her a very impactful player on our team."

Allison Undlin of UMary was tabbed as the NSIC North Division Player to Watch heading into the 2026-27 season. Undlin averaged 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game last season, while leading the Marauders to a 23-10 (15-7 NSIC) record. 

The Golden Bears open the 2026-27 season with a pair of exhibition games on Thursday, October 29 against Hamline and Tuesday, November 3 against Augsburg at the Gangelhoff Center, both games are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. 

The regular season begins on Friday, November 20 with an out of conference matchup against Truman at home and the NSIC slate starts on the road against Winona State on Friday, November 20. 

The regular season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice and teams in the other division once. An NSIC North and South Division champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the event of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. 

The 12-team NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship are set to take place February 27-March 2 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The tournament will be seeded using the NSIC 22-game schedule, with the top four seeds receiving a first-round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, February 24.