Mikayla Blakes Leads SEC Women’s Basketball Preseason Honors

Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes enters the 2026-27 women’s college basketball season as the projected Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, pacing a loaded field of returners and high-profile transfers in voting conducted by the USA TODAY Sports Network.

Blakes established herself among the nation’s premier offensive weapons as a sophomore, capturing SEC Player of the Year honors at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign. Her production reached historic levels during conference competition, where she registered 30.5 points per game alongside an overall season scoring average of 27.1 points. That conference mark made her the first SEC player since 2000 to maintain a 30-point scoring clip across league fixtures, revitalizing Vanderbilt’s presence on the national stage.

The Commodores standout was one of three unanimous first-team selections across the conference, joined by South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards and Texas forward Madison Booker. Both Edwards and Booker garnered two votes apiece for preseason player of the year honors, reflecting the balanced star power at the top of an expanded 16-team league.

Defending powerhouse South Carolina once again commands the consensus view among voters, earning unanimous backing to capture the SEC crown. Under head coach Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks are pursuing a sixth consecutive regular-season conference title. Staley swept the preseason Coach of the Year balloting as she targets her eighth career award, having previously claimed the distinction across three straight campaigns between 2022 and 2024.

South Carolina matched LSU as the only two programs featuring multiple players on the preseason roster. The Gamecocks paced the conference with three total selections, placing Edwards on the first team alongside second-team nods for guard Tessa Johnson and forward Chloe Kitts. LSU placed guard Mikaylah Williams on the top unit and dynamic ball-handler MiLaysia Fulwiley on the second team.

The Tigers also secured individual recognition through senior point guard Jada Williams, who emerged as the frontrunner for SEC Newcomer of the Year. Williams arrived in Baton Rouge via the transfer portal after a standout tenure at Iowa State, where she recorded collegiate career bests of 15.3 points and 7.7 assists per game last winter.

Rim protection and interior defense went to Kentucky center Clara Strack, who collected the preseason SEC Defensive Player of the Year accolade. Strack served as the only competitor to capture multiple defensive votes after finishing second in the conference with 2.5 blocked shots per game. Single defensive votes were distributed to Booker, Fulwiley, Ole Miss guard Talaysia Cooper, and Mississippi State forward Madison Francis.

Oklahoma guard Aaliyah Chavez rounded out the All-SEC second team alongside Johnson, Kitts, Fulwiley, and Cooper. Conference play for the 2026-27 campaign begins in early January, culminating in the SEC tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.