Coming off a season highlighted by a 10-win improvement from the previous year that tied for eighth best among Division I programs in the nation, University of South Alabama women's basketball was picked fourth in the 2016-17 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll as announced by the league office on Tuesday. The Jaguars' junior guard Marquita Daniels was selected to the preseason all-conference first team while junior center Chyna Ellis was selected to the second team.
The fourth-place prediction is the highest ever for the Jaguars under fourth-year head coach Terry Fowler. Last year USA was picked to finish 10th and surpassed the expectations of the conference's coaches, ending up in fifth place.