Will Missouri State women’s basketball continue to contend in Conference USA?

Since Missouri State joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1990, no other women’s basketball program has represented the league on the national stage more often than the Lady Bears.

Missouri State made 17 NCAA Tournaments, which include two Final Fours and three other Sweet 16 appearances. No other MVC program had ever made it to a national semifinal, and the Lady Bears featured the star player whose name is engraved on the trophy given annually to the league’s most outstanding player.

Entering 2025-26, the Lady Bears’ tradition of contending for a Valley championship will be gone, as the program now sets its sights on winning titles in Conference USA.

“I think our expectations are, whether we’re in the Valley or Conference USA, we’re able to compete at the top,” Lady Bears coach Beth Cunningham said. “I hope this doesn’t change that and we’re still able to have the kind of success that we’ve had.”

Missouri State will have an entirely new starting lineup than the one that played in its final WNIT game against Minnesota after four players graduated and Kyrah Daniels transferred to Wisconsin. It will put key rotational players, including Kaemyn Bekemeier and Lainie Douglas, into the spotlight.

More: Missouri State to Conference USA: All of our coverage in one place

On paper, Conference USA is a weaker league than the one the Lady Bears are departing from. CUSA ranked 20th in league RPI last season, while the MVC ranked 13th; both conferences still received one NCAA Tournament bid. CUSA had more bad teams in the back half of the league than the Valley. Including Missouri State, the MVC had five top 100 teams in the final NET ranking, compared to Conference USA’s two.

Conference USA hasn’t had multiple NCAA Tournament bids since 2011, when Central Florida and Houston were in the league. It’s been since 2019 since the Valley had an at-large bid that Missouri State didn’t earn.

Middle Tennessee has traditionally been one of the stronger Conference USA women’s basketball programs, having made 14 NCAA Tournaments since 2004, including three of the last five. Liberty won the league’s tournament in March.

“It’s gonna be very different,” Cunningham said. “It’ll be very different in terms of coaches and styles of play. I’m excited for it, though. I’m ready for something different.”

Missouri State Lady Bear Kaemyn Bekemeier shoots a three-pointer as the Lady Bears take on the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles in the WBIT at Great Southern Bank Arena on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Missouri State women’s basketball should immediately compete for a Conference USA championship

The Lady Bears should enter Conference USA as a contender to win the league and challenge the likes of Middle Tennessee and Liberty immediately.

Recent games between MSU and Middle Tennessee haven’t been too kind to the Lady Bears. The two played in November 2022, Cunningham’s first month as Lady Bears coach, in Las Vegas, where the Blue Raiders won 79-54. Before then, they hadn’t played since December 2016 when the Blue Raiders won 71-52 in Springfield.

The last time the Lady Bears played a CUSA opponent was in December 2023, when they secured a 69-68 win over Western Kentucky.

Programs in the bottom half of CUSA are reminiscent of the likes of Bradley, Valparaiso, Indiana State, Evansville and Southern Illinois teams the Lady Bears beat up on last season. Middle Tennessee and Belmont can be seen at a level similar to that of Belmont, Murray State, and Drake from 2024-25, when the Lady Bears won a share of the MVC title.

Cunningham should have the program in a position where it can contend in this league each season. We’ll see how the newcomers fit in and how quickly, but Cunningham has proven capable of getting her team ready to go by league play.

Only one All-Conference USA First Teamer returns

Louisiana Tech guard Paris Bradley, coming off a freshman of the year season, is the lone returner from the eight-person All-CUSA First Team. All others have either graduated or transferred.

Missouri State Lady Bears Head Coach Beth Cunningham cuts down the net after beating the Bradley Braves to claim a share of the MVC regular season championship at Great Southern Bank Arena on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Conference USA’s notable women’s basketball transfers entering 2024-25

Alayna Conteras, Middle Tennessee — A transfer from UMKC, Conteras was a Second Team All-Summit performer, starting 33 games as a junior and leading the team in points and 3’s.

Lydie Mwamba, Liberty — A transfer from New Mexico, she averaged three points and 1.7 rebounds across 12 games with the Lobos.

Jennifer Silva, Western Kentucky — A transfer from South Florida, the 6-4 forward played in eight games last season.

Trinity Rowe, Western Kentucky — A Southern Miss transfer, Rowe started 31 games last season and was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, averaging 7.1 points and dishing out 82 assists.

Clarissa Craig, New Mexico State — A Cincinnati transfer, Craig sat out all of last season with a medical redshirt. She appeared in 21 games the year before, averaging 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds as a 6-3 post.

Where Missouri State women’s basketball would have ranked in Conference USA in 2024-25

Final NET rankings

Here are some notable Conference USA basketball coaches

Carey Green, Liberty — Green has been Liberty’s coach since 1999 (!), and has a 591-240 record with 15 conference championships and 15 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Lady Flames’ tournament appearance in March was their first since 2018, the program’s final year in the Big South.

Rick Insell, Middle Tennessee — Insell has been with the Blue Raiders since 2005, leading them to 12 NCAA Tournaments and earning a spot in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s 489-165 across 20 seasons.

Rick Pietri, Jax State — Pietri has been on the Gamecocks’ sideline since 2013, leading them in three different conferences. He has one WNIT appearance.

Jody Adams, New Mexico State — A familiar name to Lady Bears fans, the Wichita State coach from 2008-17, who led the Shockers to three NCAA Tournament appearances, has been on the Aggies’ sideline since 2022-23.

What Beth Cunningham said she’s seen on film from Conference USA opponents

“I haven’t watched a ton, to be completely honest. Once our season finished and the portal opened, it’s been non-stop recruiting, and we haven’t spent as much time watching film as I would’ve liked to. We’ve had people on staff go through the league and figure out what to expect in terms of style of play.

“Everybody’s a little different. I think, across the board, the league’s a little more athletic, maybe at the bottom half than it was in the Valley, but that’s to be determined. Everybody’s rosters have changed so much.

“I think our style of play can be successful at any level. We won a national championship at Notre Dame doing similar things, just with different people. I know it can translate in whatever league that we’re in, both offensively and defensively.”

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State women’s basketball will contend in Conference USA

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