In-state rivals Idaho and Idaho State were picked as conference favorites by the league's coaches in the #BigSkyWBB Preseason Coaches Poll. 

Idaho and Idaho State both received 91 points in the coaches' poll.

Idaho is coming off last season that saw them advance to the Big Sky Tournament Championship game and a second-place finish in regular-season conference play with a 15-5 record.  The Vandals finished the season with a 22-9 record overall. Idaho returns the preseason Big Sky All-Conference scoring duo of Gina Marxen and Beyonce Bea.  Marxen and Bea both finished the season ranked in the top 10 in scoring among conference players. Marxen averaged 13.3 points per game, and Bea had 12.6 points a game last season for the Vandals.

In 2019-20, Idaho State, finished the year with a 13-7 conference record and a third-place regular-season finish.  Idaho State made it to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals last season behind returning senior and preseason all-conference honoree Dora Goles.  Goles average 12.7 points. 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a junior.  The Bengals also return Estefania Ors for her senior year and Callie Bourne, who will be playing her second season in a Bengals uniform.

Northern Arizona enter the year building on their momentum from the last two seasons.  A year ago, NAU made a run at the championship game after finishing tied for fourth place with a 12-8 record.  NAU is led by Khiarica Rasheed, who enters her senior campaign as the league's preseason MVP.  Last year Rasheed averaged 16.5 points a game and is the highest returning scorer from last season. 

Montana State post a 25-6 overall mark, and dominating the Big Sky with a record-breaking 19-1 league ledger last season.

Northern Colorado finished eighth at the end of the regular season a year ago.

Montana Lady Griz, under a first-year head coach and with more newcomers than returners, were picked seventh out of 11 teams in the media poll.

Portland State Vikings finished sixth in the Big Sky media poll, while conference coaches slated the Vikings for seventh. That's on par with where the Vikings finished last season, when they placed seventh after going 9-11 in conference play.

Southern Utah are coming off of a 2019-20 season in which they finished 18-13 overall and 11-9 in conference play. They finished sixth in the Big Sky and senior Rebecca Cardenas was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Their 18 wins were the most in a season since the 2013-14 season in which they won a share of the Big Sky Conference Championship and competed in the WNIT Postseason Tournament.

Sacramento State won 8 games last season.

Eastern Washington won 4 games last season. 

Weber State will start their 2020-21 campaign without fans.  Weber State Director of Athletics Tim Crompton made the decision on Monday. 

The top five teams at the end of the season will earn a first-round bye at the Big Sky tournament, which returns to CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho, March 8-12.