OREM—Utah Valley University men's basketball has been picked to finish fifth in the 2026-27 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference announced Thursday. The Wolverines received 85 points in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches as UVU prepares for its inaugural season in The Big West.
Utah Valley enters the 2026-27 campaign following a successful final season in the Western Athletic Conference. The Wolverines finished 25-9 overall and captured the WAC regular-season championship with a 14-4 conference record, earning their second consecutive outright league title.
The Wolverines were picked just one point behind fourth-place CSUN, which received 86 points. UC Irvine was selected as the preseason favorite with 114 points and seven first-place votes, followed by UC San Diego with 105 points and three first-place votes. UC Santa Barbara earned the remaining two first-place votes and finished third with 103 points.
Utah Valley enters its fourth season under head coach Todd Phillips, who has guided the Wolverines to back-to-back conference regular-season championships. Phillips, the 2025 WAC Coach of the Year, recently signed a contract extension that will keep him at the helm of the program through the 2029-30 season.
The Wolverines join The Big West after establishing themselves as one of the top programs in the WAC. Utah Valley captured four regular-season conference championships during its time in the league, including titles in each of the past two seasons.
Cal Poly was picked sixth in the preseason poll with 75 points, followed by fellow Big West newcomer Sacramento State in seventh with 65 points. Cal State Fullerton (49), California Baptist (40), Cal State Bakersfield (28), UC Riverside (23) and Long Beach State (19) rounded out the 12-team poll.
The conference also announced its six-member Preseason All-Big West Team, which included UC San Diego's Leo Beath, CSUN's Josiah Davis, Sacramento State's Larry Hughes II, UC Santa Barbara's Miro Little and CJ Shaw, and Cal Poly's Hamad Mousa.
Utah Valley travels to St. George, Utah this weekend to play former WAC rival Utah Tech in an Old Hammer Rivalry exhibition game on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Burns Arena. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN The Fan (103.9 FM/98.3 FM/960 AM).
2026-27 BIG WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
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UC Irvine – 114 (7)
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UC San Diego – 105 (3)
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UC Santa Barbara – 103 (2)
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CSUN – 86
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Utah Valley – 85
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Cal Poly – 75
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Sacramento State – 65
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Cal State Fullerton – 49
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California Baptist – 40
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Cal State Bakersfield – 28
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UC Riverside – 23
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Long Beach State – 19
First-place votes in parentheses.
2026-27 ALL-BIG WEST PRESEASON TEAM
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Leo Beath, Sr., F, UC San Diego
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Josiah Davis, 5th, G, CSUN
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Larry Hughes II, Sr., G, Sacramento State
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Miro Little, Sr., G, UC Santa Barbara
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Hamad Mousa, Jr., G/F, Cal Poly
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CJ Shaw, So., G, UC Santa Barbara
