CLEVELAND, OH – Defending North Coast Athletic Conference Champion Denison was selected as the favorite in the 2026-27 NCAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, according to a ballot of league coaches.

The Big Red look to extend a streak of two consecutive NCAC Championships and received eight of nine first-place votes to top the preseason projections with 80 points. John Carroll, last season’s NCAC Tournament Champion, collected the remaining first-place vote and finished second with 72 points. DePauw (59), Wittenberg (52), and Wabash (47) were grouped together to round out the top five. The other four spots were separated by just nine total points, as Wooster (29), Kenyon (25), Oberlin (21), and Ohio Wesleyan (20) rounded out the nine-team poll.

Denison captured the program’s first NCAC Championship in 2024-25 and is trying to secure the league’s first regular-season three-peat since 2017. The Big Red, winners of the last two NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors, are led by Head Coach Chris Sullivan, who is joined this season by new assistants Jalen Rhea and Zach Tuori. Last season’s squad posted an 18-9 overall record that included a 12-4 mark in conference contests. Denison led the league with 12.1 offensive rebounds per game and shot a league-high .725 at the free throw line. The Big Red also posted top-three marks in scoring defense (70.9), three-point percentage (.345), and per-game averages for total rebounds (37.6), opponent rebounds (30.6), blocks (2.96), and assists (13.07).

Two All-NCAC honorees from last season highlight Denison returners, including First Team guard Kellon Smith (Cleveland, OH/Shaker Heights) and Third Team forward Liam Taylor (Western Springs, IL/Lyons Township). Smith, a senior, led the league with an .858 free-throw percentage, ranked 11th with 13.8 points per game, and tied for 13th in field-goal percentage (.486). Taylor, a junior, tied for 10th in blocks per game (0.6) and averaged 9.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

The 2026-27 season starts on Friday, November 6, with conference play slated to begin Wednesday, December 2, as DePauw hosts Ohio Wesleyan, Kenyon travels to Oberlin, Wabash welcomes Wittenberg, and Denison matches up at Wooster. The NCAC Tournament is scheduled for late February, starting with quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 23, semifinals on Friday, February 26, and the championship game on Saturday, February 27.