GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas released the 2022-23 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday and UNC Pembroke was picked to win its sixth Conference Carolinas regular season title but first since rejoining the conference.

Last season, the Braves' first in Conference Carolinas since 1992, UNC Pembroke went 17-7 in league play, 19-10 overall and was the five seed in the conference tournament. The Braves, who earned 125 points and three first-place votes, will be led by reigning Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year Zaria Clark. The defending regular season and tournament champion Barton Bulldogs were picked a close second with 124 points and five first-place nods while 2022 tournament runner-up Francis Marion was picked third with 123 points and four first-place votes. 

Mount Olive was picked fourth with 110 points while Chowan rounded out the top five with 105 points.

Chowan finished off the 2021-22 season with an 18-10 overall record and 17-7 in league play while making their first appearance in the Conference Carolinas Semifinals.  The Hawks will look to All-Conference selection Destiny Robinson and Aniah Patterson as the Players to Watch for the 2022-23 season.

Emmanuel holds the sixth spot with 95 points and the remaining first-place vote. They were followed by Belmont Abbey and King at 78 points with North Greenville (52), Lees-McRae (46), Southern Wesleyan (34), Converse (30) and Erskine (14) rounding out the poll.

Chowan opens the season on the road against Columbus State and Georgia Southwestern on November 11-12 in Americus, Ga.

The 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will get underway on Sunday, Feb. 26 and Monday, Feb. 27. The fifth and sixth seeds in men's and women's basketball will play host to two games over the two days. The 10th-seeded team will battle the seventh-seeded team on Feb. 26 at the home of the sixth seed for the right to face the sixth seed on Feb. 27, while the ninth-seeded team will take on the eighth-seeded team at the home of the fifth seed on Feb. 26 for the chance to take on the fifth seed on Feb. 27.

The 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's and Women's Basketball Championships quarterfinals are set for Friday, March 3 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The semifinals will be contested on Saturday, March 4, while the men's and women's basketball finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 5.

The poll was voted on by the conference head coaches.

2022-23 Conference Carolinas

Women's Basketball Preseason Poll