The 2026-27 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) men's basketball coaches' poll has been released, and The W has been tabbed third.

Webster University has been voted by league coaches as the preseason favorites for the 2026-27 SLIAC men's basketball season. The Gorloks are the defending regular-season champions, going 15-1 last year, and received 64 points with 8 first-place votes in this year's poll. The Gorloks are coached by Chris Bunch, who returns three starters from a squad that finished 23-4 overall. Charles Nelson and Adam Painter give the Gorloks two returning All-Conference players. Nelson led the team in scoring at 18.5 points per game, knocking down 55 three-pointers and dishing out 103 assists. Painter averaged 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 53-percent from the field. Sebastian Reed, Justin Ugo, and Kendall Horton are also back wearing the Gold and Navy Blue. Among the new faces that should see minutes on the court are transfers Jaylen Swinney and Kendall Lavender and freshman Andre Murray.

Spalding University was picked 2nd with 55 points and one first-place vote. Head Coach Kevin Gray will have a young team with 12 freshmen and four sophomores on the roster, although he has an experienced returner to build around in forward Lekendrick Morris. The sophomore stood out in his first collegiate season, averaging 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 71 percent from the field and earning First Team All-Conference honors. DeAireus Wells was another freshman last year who saw plenty of minutes, averaging 8.4 points per game. Other returners looking to make a jump this season are Jaelen Leavell, Levi Langley, Brunley Fon, and Daylyn Redden. Top newcomers include Hendrich Bajalo, Stephen Franklin, O'jare Murrell, Zen Coomer, Santana Anderson, and Dalmere Clark.

Coming in 3rd on the voting was MUW with 48 points. First-year head coach Bernard Hopkins has two starters returning from last year's tournament champions. Joe Haze Austin, an All-Conference guard and All-Defensive player, will look to follow up a season that saw him average 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while leading the conference with 97 steals. Tyler Shephard put up 14.4 points per game last year while shooting 52 percent from the field. The Owls program welcomes two freshmen and eight transfers, including Evrad Makendi, Elijah White, Jalen DeBose, and Will Dobbins. 

Lyon College placed 4th with 38 points. The Scots are coached by Thomas Orr and went 18-9 overall and 11-5 in the SLIAC. The Scots will have to replace a majority of their scoring after their top four scorers departed. Camron Williford is the team's leading returning scorer at 8.4 points per game. Also back are Karlin Hardy and Trevonne Horsley. Two newcomers that should play a role are Kyanu Simeone De Souza and Dre'Yon Quattlebaum.

Greenville University was picked to finish 5th with 37 points. The Panthers were 11-15 overall last year, finishing tied for fourth in the SLIAC with a 9-7 record. Head Coach George Barber will lean on returners Josh Williford and Elijah Goad. Williford was a Second Team All-Conference performer after averaging 16.1 points on 50-percent shooting last year. Goad was a reliable player, leading the team in minutes played while putting up 12.9 points per game. The lineup includes several newcomers: Jeremiah Collins, Kayshaun Hunte, Manny Barnett, Dwayne Reliford, Micah Whitley, and KJ Johnson.

Coming in 6th was Blackburn College with 34 points. The Beavers went 9-17 overall last season, finishing 8-8 in conference play; it's the first non-losing conference record in four seasons. Head Coach Austin Kirby has a pair of returning All-Conference performers in Jaylen Jeter and Evan Jordan. Jeter led the team in scoring at 17.7 points per game and finished with 67 steals to earn All-Defensive Team honors. Jordan was named the 6th Man of the Year after putting up 17.2 points per game and knocking down 55 three-pointers. Two more starters are back in Kcion Welch and Owen Walter. Jayden Doss, who was injured last season, is part of a group of players looking to take large strides this season.

Eureka College was tabbed 7th with 21 points after finishing 6-19 overall last season. Head Coach Chip Wilde boasts an experienced backcourt led by All-Conference guard Jaxson Provost. The senior averaged 17.6 points per game last season while hitting on 40 percent of his three-point shots. Fellow guards Nolan Kerr and Mussie Hayelom will be part of the Red Devils plan to space the floor and open up the paint for forwards like Caden Latta and Santino Ruma. New faces to the program include Keon Talgo, Larry Oliver, and Aleix Grano. 

Westminster College tallied 18 points after going 6-19 overall. They welcome in new head coach Obi Agomo, who returns two starters, including All-Conference guard Walker Gohring. Gohring has earned All-Conference honors in each of his last two seasons and put up 16.2 points per game last year while leading the team with 79 assists. Kolton Garner is one of the top shooters in the league, averaging 12.5 points per game while connecting on 58 triples. A trio of transfers (Donovan Pruitt, Bryce Shoto, and Linden James) will look to make an immediate impact. 

Principia College finished with 9 points in the voting. Head Coach Neyko Dominguez returns three starters from a team that went 5-20 last season. Nolan Simon, an All-Conference performer, will be the focal point. Simon averaged 24.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game last year. KJ Waddell put up 8.8 points per game, while Derek Schauman also returns. Several transfers join the program, with Makaen Hastings and Devin Boone looking to play large roles in the rotation.
 
2026-27 SLIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL WATCH LIST
Walker Gohring, Westminster College
Joe Haze Austin, MUW
Jaylen Jeter, Blackburn College
Evan Jordan, Blackburn College
Lekendrick Morris, Spalding University
Charles Nelson, Webster University
Nolan Simon, Principia College
Adam Painter, Webster University
Jaxson Provost, Eureka College
Joshua Williford, Greenville University