NEW ORLEANS -  Arkansas State has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the 2026-27 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball title according to a vote by the league’s head coaches.

Arkansas State earned 182 points and three first-place votes to earn the preseason distinction for the second time in the last three seasons. In their first season under head coach Ryan Pannone, the Red Wolves went 20-12 overall and 11-7 in league play, eclipsing the 20-win mark for the the third-consecutive year.

James Madison was picked second with 176 points and a league-leading nine first-place votes, followed by Troy (143), South Alabama (136) and Marshall (125) to round out the top five. Louisiana (117) was picked sixth, as Southern Miss landed seventh (109) while also garnering two first-place votes.

Southern Miss fourth-year guard Isaac Taveras was voted as the Sun Belt’s Preseason Player of the Year, as he returns to the Golden Eagles after averaging 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals last season. He scored in double-figures 19 times in his 22 games played, eclipsing the 20-point threshold on five occasions. Taveras played a critical role guiding Southern Miss to three wins in the Sun Belt Championship and a trip to the tournament’s semifinals.

The Sun Belt also announced its Preseason All-Sun Belt First, Second, and Third Teams, as 11 different programs had at least one honoree among the 15 selections. James Madison led all teams with three honorees, as Arkansas State and South Alabama had two apiece.

The regular season tips off Monday, November 2 with the fourth year and first round of the MAC-SBC Challenge as 12 Sun Belt programs host Mid-American Conference opponents. Each Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball program will play an 18-game league slate beginning in December.

The 2027 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve returns to the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., March 2-8.

The Sun Belt Conference will conduct its annual Men’s Basketball Media Day on Wednesday, October 21 via Zoom.

2026 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Awards

Preseason Player of the Year:
Isaac Taveras, Southern Miss [4th Yr. | G | Santo Domingo, D.R.]

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Adante’ Holiman, Old Dominion [4th Yr. | G | McAlester, Okla.]
Peyton Law, South Alabama [5th Yr. | F | Calhoun, Ga.]
Jacob Meyer, Georgia State [4th Yr. | G | Covington, Ky.]
Noah Otshudi, Marshall [5th Yr. | G | Hamilton, Ontario, Can.]
Isaac Taveras, Southern Miss [4th Yr. | G | Santo Domingo, D.R.]

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Tameron Ferguson, Arkansas State [3rd Yr. | G | St. Cloud, Minn.]
Preston Fowler, James Madison [2nd Yr. | F | Vernon, Conn.]
Dallas Gardner, Georgia Southern [4th Yr. | G | Charlotte, N.C.]
Gage Lattimore, James Madison [3rd Yr. | G | Greensboro, N.C.]
Layne Taylor, Arkansas State [3rd Yr. | G | Farmington, Ark.]

Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Jacoi Hutchinson, Troy [4th Yr. | G | Laurel, Md.]
Jamyron Keller, Louisiana [4th Yr. | G | St. Matthews, S.C.]
Jalen Langsy, South Alabama [3rd Yr. | G | Shakopee, Minn.]
Kyran Tilley, Louisiana Tech [3rd Yr. | G | Louisville, Ky.]
K.J. Windham, James Madison [3rd Yr. | G | Indianapolis, Ind.]

2026 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Arkansas State (3) – 182
2. James Madison (9) – 176
3. Troy – 143
4. South Alabama – 136
5. Marshall – 125
6. Louisiana – 117
7. Southern Miss (2) – 109
8. App State – 105
9. Georgia Southern – 85
10. Georgia State – 79
11. Old Dominion – 76
12. Louisiana Tech – 64
13. Coastal Carolina – 58
14. ULM – 15

Parentheses indicate first-place votes