Virginia State (14-2 CIAA play)

  • Coach: Nadine Domond (3rd season)
  • Player to watch: Carmen Kweti is one of the best rebounders in the country, ranking second in the nation with 12.3 boards per contest.
  • Key note: The Trojans have lost just once since the calendar flipped to 2025 and are one of four primary title contenders in the tournament.

Fayetteville State (13-3)

  • Coach: Tyreece Brown (2nd year)
  • Player to watch: Talia Trotter, from Ellicott City, is the only Maryland native on the roster and heads to the tournament as Fayetteville State’s leading scorer with 13.6 points per game.
  • Key note: The Broncos surrender fewer than 54 points per game, ranking in the top 15 in the country.

Virginia Union (13-3)

  • Coach: Tierra Terry (5th season)
  • Player to watch: Taniyah Greene averages a touch under 16 points and 8 rebounds a game, leading the squad in both categories.
  • Key note: Virginia Union has won 10 of 11 games, but the lone loss was an 18-point thumping to Fayetteville State.

Bowie State (11-5)

  • Coach: Shadae Swan (10th season)
  • Player to watch: Baltimore’s Destiny Ryles leads Bowie State with 18.4 points per game, good for top 30 in the country. She ranks third in the country in steals with 97.
  • Key note: Fourteen of 17 Bowie State players hail from Maryland, making them the clear hometown favorite. Behind Ryles, they thrive on creating chaos, ranking among the nation’s leaders in steals with over 300 on the year.

Claflin (9-7)

  • Coach: Terrence Jenkins (3rd season)
  • Player to watch: Nya Morris is the best scorer in the conference, ranking 11th in the country at 20.3 points per game.
  • Key note: Rebounding is a struggle for Claflin. No player averages more than 5 boards a game, and it is outrebounded by 1.8 boards per contest. A team with size could be an issue for the Panthers.

Livingstone (8-7)

  • Coach: Queen Smith (2nd season)
  • Player to watch: Morgan Kelson averages a double-double, which is enough to lead the team in scoring and rank inside the top 20 in rebounds in the country. Plus she can splash the occasional 3, making triples at a 34% clip.
  • Key note: Livingstone is 0-6 on neutral floors.

Lincoln (7-9)

  • Coach: Janice Washington (4th season)
  • Player to watch: Anyssa Fields averages a double-double and nearly 18 points a game, ripping at 38% from beyond the arc. If Lincoln pulls an upset at this tournament, it will be on her shoulders.
  • Key note: Lincoln features two Baltimore Poly grads in the starting lineup, with junior Kaziah Akinniyi and freshman Ariana Makumi starting a combined 40 games this season.

Shaw (6-10)

  • Coach: Jacques Curtis (23rd season)
  • Player to watch: Mahogany Collins hasn’t scored more than six points in a game this season, but she leads the country with 100 blocks (over 4 per game), while averaging barely 19 minutes per contest.
  • Key note: Shaw shoots 62% from the free throw line, a poor number it hopes doesn’t factor the wrong way into late-game situations at CFG Bank Arena.

Elizabeth City State (5-11)

  • Coach: Ebony Tanner (Interim)
  • Player to watch: Rashauna Grant leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
  • Key note: Elizabeth City State has eight (!) players who averaged at least 20 minutes per game, so it looks to outlast teams with impressive depth.

Bluefield State (2-13)

  • Coach: Paul Davis (3rd season)
  • Player to watch: Jasmine Jenkins does a bit of everything, leading the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) and rebounds (7.4), while notching 81 steals on the year, a top-10 mark in the country.
  • Key note: Bluefield has lost seven straight and nine of 10 entering the tournament.

Winston-Salem State (3-12)

  • Coach: L’tona Lamonte (9th season)
  • Player to watch: Christiana McClean is the only player averaging more than 8 points per game on the roster, currently checking in with 11.7 per contest.
  • Key note: Winston-Salem shoots 23% from 3 and averages less than 60 points per game — a lack of offense is likely to send the Rams home early.

Johnson C. Smith (3-13)

  • Coach: Taisha Murphy (interim)
  • Player to watch: Ashleigh Kirven didn’t play her first game until February but is averaging nearly a double-double in limited action.
  • Key note: The Golden Bulls shoot just 25.5% from 3-point land — don’t expect big runs or comebacks from them.