2026-27 Big West Men's Basketball Preseason Poll and Team
2026-27 Big West Men's Basketball Schedule
 
The UC Irvine men’s basketball team is predicted to win The Big West, according to a poll of the league’s 12 head coaches ahead of the season. The coaches also voted for a six-member Big West Preseason Team.
 
The Anteaters garnered seven of 12 first-place votes for a total of 114 points. Last season, UC Irvine went 23-12 overall and won the conference’s regular-season crown with a 15-5 league record. The Anteaters made it to the title game of the 2026 Big West Championship and qualified for the NIT.
 
UC San Diego is predicted to finish second, receiving three first-place votes for a total of 105 points. Last year, the Tritons went 23-11 overall and finished 12-8 in conference play. The Tritons are expected to be led by senior forward Leo Beath, who was selected on the Preseason Team. In 2025-26, Beath was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection averaging 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 34 games with 33 starts.
 
UC Santa Barbara garnered two first-place votes and finished third in the poll. The Gauchos were 18-14 overall and went 11-9 in league action last season. UC Santa Barbara placed two on the Preseason Team with senior guard Miro Little and sophomore guard CJ Shaw. Little played in and started 19 games last season, missing the months of December and February because of injuries, and averaged 11.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest. Shaw earned All-Big West Honorable Mention accolades after averaging 12.2 points, shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from the arc, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
 
CSUN was fourth in the poll with 86 points. Last season, the Matadors went 20-14 overall and had a 12-8 league record. Guard Josiah Davis, the reigning Big West Player and Newcomer of the Year, represents CSUN on the Preseason Team. Davis played and started 34 games, recording averages of 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per contest. The Matador guard ranked fourth in the nation in total assists (253) and assists per game.
 
One point behind the Matadors in the poll is Big West newcomer Utah Valley, which earned 85 points. The Wolverines won the WAC regular-season title with a 14-4 conference record and went 25-9 overall.
 
Cal Poly is predicted to finish sixth with 75 points and sophomore guard Hamad Mousa was placed on the league’s preseason squad. An All-Big West First Team selection in 2025-26, Mousa led the league in scoring at 20.1 points per game, while also contributing 6.1 rebounds per contest.
 
Sacramento State, another Big West newcomer, came in seventh in the poll with 65 points and has Larry Hughes II on the Preseason Team. Hughes II is a transfer from CSUN and led the Matadors in scoring at 17.7 points per game, with 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists, en route to an All-Big West Second Team selection.
 
Cal State Fullerton (49), California Baptist (40), Cal State Bakersfield (28), UC Riverside (23) and Long Beach State (19) conclude the rest of the poll.
 
The 2026-27 season begins with seven teams in action on Monday, Nov. 2 and three others playing on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Conference play in The Big West will begin with Bold Week, Dec. 3-5, and resumes on New Year’s Day. The 2027 Credit Union 1 Big West Men's Basketball Championship returns to Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev. for the sixth consecutive year, March 10-13.