BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Coming off its third Gulf South Conference regular season title in last five seasons, West Alabama topped the 2026-27 GSC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, as determined by the conference’s 11 head coaches, who were unable to vote for themselves.
The Tigers totaled 99 points as they collected nine of a possible 10 first-place votes. UAH was second with 92 points and two first-place votes. Trevecca Nazarene was third with 73 points, while Valdosta State rounded out the top-four with 70 points.
Lee (61 points) was fifth, followed by AUM (61 points), Delta Sate (37 points), Mississippi Christian (37 points), Union (33 points), while Christian Brothers and Montevallo completed the order with 17 points.
The 2026-27 campaign tips off Friday, Nov. 13 will all 11 teams in action, headlined by Montevallo facing reigning South Region champ Nova Southeastern, while UAH hosts the Sharks a day later.
2026-27 SEASON SCHEDULE
Conference action begins Thursday, Dec. 3 and runs until the regular season finale slated for Friday, Feb. 26. Teams will play a double-round robin conference schedule comprised of 18 games over 12 weeks. The season will pause December 21-27 as part of the NCAA Division II winter break.
The 2027 GSC Men’s Basketball Championships will open with quarterfinals on March 1, followed by semifinals (March 4) and championship (March 7) round matchups. Like last season, the higher-seeded team in each matchup will have home court advantage during each round.
FloCollege will continue to be the exclusive streaming home for all GSC basketball, broadcasting over 250 conference regular season and tournament games, plus all non-conference regular season games hosted by GSC members. This year, GSC fans will have three subscription plans to choose from — Standard, Student and a new Family option. Click here for more information about pricing and plans options.
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Last season, four GSC programs–UAH, Montevallo, West Alabama and West Florida–qualified for the NCAA postseason and competed in the South Region Championship, for the third time since the 2020-21 season. UAH advanced to the region title game for the third in four seasons, while Montevallo and West Alabama reached the region semifinals.
Coaches Preseason Poll
1. West Alabama (9), 99 points
2. UAH (2), 92 points
3. Trevecca Nazarene, 73 points
4. Valdosta State, 70 points
5. Lee, 69 points
6. AUM, 61 points
7t. Delta State, 37 points
7t. Mississippi Christian, 37 points
9. Union, 33 points
10t. Christian Brothers, 17 points
10t. Montevallo, 17 points
First-place votes in parentheses