KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced the results of its men’s and women’s preseason coaches and media polls for the 2026-27 seasons. Washburn, the defending MIAA men’s regular season and tournament champion, was picked the easy favorite in both preseason polls.
 
Washburn collected 168 points and received 12 first-place votes to secure the top spot in the 2026-27 MIAA men’s basketball preseason coaches poll. The Ichabods were picked the unanimous MIAA favorite by media representatives who cover MIAA teams, with 392 points and all 30 of the media’s first-place selections.
 
Washburn ranked No. 1 in Division II for the majority of the 2025-26 season and ended the year 31-2 overall. The Bods finished 18-1 in the MIAA to be crowned back-to-back regular season champions and went on to win the 2026 MIAA tournament title — the program’s first since 2021. Washburn returns All-MIAA First Team selection Jack Bachelor, who led the Ichabods’ offense with 512 points and 151 assists last season. He also ended the season with an MIAA-leading 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, and his 15.5 points, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game all ranked in the league’s top 10.
 
Central Missouri was selected second by MIAA head coaches and third by media members. The Mules finished the 2025-26 season 24-10 overall and finished second in the regular season standings with an MIAA record of 14-5. The Mules also received an at-large bid into the NCAA postseason — their first trip since 2015 — and were the only MIAA team to advance to the regional semifinals.
 
The complete results for both 2026-27 MIAA men’s basketball preseason coaches and media polls are listed below.
   

PRESEASON COACHES POLL	PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. Washburn [12] – 168 points	1. Washburn [30] – 392 points
2. Central Missouri [1] – 154 points	2. Rogers State – 326 points
3. Missouri Western – 123 points	3. Central Missouri – 322 points
4. Missouri Southern [1] – 120 points	4. Missouri Western – 293 points
5. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 114 points	5. Fort Hays State – 253 points
6. Rogers State – 111 points	6. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 252 points
7. Pittsburg State – 104 points	7. Missouri Southern – 241 points
8. Fort Hays State – 103 points	8. Pittsburg State – 206 points
9. Central Oklahoma – 90 points	9. Central Oklahoma – 193 points
10. Northwest Missouri – 59 points	10. Northwest Missouri – 155 points
11. Nebraska Kearney – 43 points	11. Nebraska Kearney – 101 points
12. Emporia State – 36 points	12. Northeastern State – 86 points
13. Northeastern State – 35 points	13. Emporia State – 79 points
14. Newman – 14 points	14. Newman – 41 points

 
MIAA coaches, student-athletes, officials, administrators and media members are in downtown Kansas City today for the 2026 MIAA Basketball Media Day, presented by Seigfreid Bingham, at the College Basketball Experience. All MIAA head coaches will participate in 15-minute press conferences to share their thoughts on the upcoming season. Basketball fans can watch all the action from the 2026 MIAA Basketball Media Day live, for free, on theMIAANetwork.com/MIAA.  
 
The first official games of the 2026-27 NCAA Division II men’s and women’s basketball seasons begin on November 9, but teams selected to play in designated showcases will play their first games as early as October 30. The first MIAA contests of the season are scheduled to begin on December 3.  
 
The 2027 MIAA Basketball Championships return to Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium March 3-7. To view the week-by-week schedules for all 14 MIAA men’s basketball programs, visit theMIAA.com/mensbasketball.