KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team will open the 2026-27 season as the No. 2 ranked team in the NABC Preseason Poll released today by the coaching organization. Washburn will open the season Nov. 7-8 at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Fla. where the Ichabods will face No. 11 Point Loma in the opener on Saturday and then No. 4 West Liberty the following night.
The No. 2 preseason ranking marks the second-straight season the Ichabods were tabbed in the No. 2 slot in the NABC poll and the third time overall joining the 2012-13 squad. The Ichabods were also preseason No. 5 in the 2024-25 preseason poll.
The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team enters the 2026-27 season with a new-look roster, a veteran backcourt and expectations that remain high following one of the most successful back-to-back season runs in program history collecting 61 wins over the last two seasons.
NABC Division II Coaches Poll (Oct. 27, 2026 – Pre-Season Poll)
Record Points Previous Season Opener
1. Nova Southeastern, Fla. (7) 31-2 387 1 Nov. 13 vs. Montevallo*
2. Washburn, Kan. (3) 31-2 362 3 Nov. 7 vs. #11 Point Loma*
3. Gannon, Pa. (6) 34-3 342 6 Nov. 7 vs. #19 Central Missouri*
4. West Liberty, W.Va. 27-5 283 7 Nov. 7 at Florida Southern
5. DBU, Texas 29-7 276 15 Nov. 13 vs. Colorado Christian*
6. Black Hills State, S.D. 30-5 261 10 Nov. 7 vs. #7 Lander*
7. Lander, S.C. 30-6 260 23 Nov. 7 vs. #6 Black Hills State*
8. Cal State East Bay 33-1 228 2 Nov. 7 vs. #12 Oklahoma Baptist*
9. Minnesota State 21-12 198 NR Nov. 13 vs. Missouri S&T*
10. West Alabama 27-6 185 17 Nov. 13 vs. Lane
11. Point Loma, Calif. 27-6 183 19 Nov. 7 vs. #2 Washburn*
12. Oklahoma Baptist 31-4 181 8 Nov. 7 vs. #8 Cal State East Bay*
13. Palm Beach Atlantic, Fla. 26-6 164 11 Nov. 13 vs. Trevecca Nazarene*
14. Walsh, Ohio 29-4 162 9 Nov. 9 at Wayne State (Mich.)
15. Daemen, N.Y. 33-2 151 4 Nov. 9 at Saint Anselm
16. Eastern New Mexico 26-6 133 13 Nov. 13 vs. Fort Lewis*
17. Grand Valley State, Mich. 26-7 131 22 Oct. 30 vs. Harding*
18. Anderson, S.C. 29-3 129 5 Nov. 9 vs. Morehouse
19. Central Missouri 24-10 112 NR Nov. 7 vs. #3 Gannon*
20. McKendree, Ill. 22-8 107 NR Nov. 13 vs. Tiffin
21. Saint Martin's, Wash. 26-6 100 18 Nov. 13 vs. Hawai'I Hilo
22. St. Cloud State, Minn. 26-7 95 25 Nov. 9 at Minnesota Crookston
23. Lubbock Christian, Texas 27-6 94 14 Oct. 30 vs. Montana State Billings*
24. Fairmont State, W.Va. 26-6 70 12 Nov. 14 vs. Bloomsburg
25. Alabama Huntsville 23-10 56 NR Nov. 9 vs. Harding
*Neutral site game
Others receiving votes: Cal State San Bernardino 54, Michigan Tech 51, Saint Michael's (Vt.) 44, Lake Superior State (Mich.) 41, Fayetteville State (N.C.) 37, Lake Erie (Ohio) 28, Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) 28, William Jewell (Mo.) 28, Minnesota Duluth 22, CSU Pueblo (Colo.) 20, Columbus State (Ga.) 18, Missouri Western 17, Bentley (Mass.) 16, Florida Southern 14, Morehouse (Ga.) 14, Indiana (Pa.) 12, Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 11, Miles (Ala.) 10, Missouri Southern 10, St. Edward's (Texas) 10, Northern Michigan 9, Cal Poly Humboldt 8, Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 8, Catawba (N.C.) 7, Cal State Dominguez Hills 6, Westmont (Calif.) 6, Felician (N.J.) 5, Jefferson (Pa.) 4, Rockhurst (Mo.) 4, Charleston (W.Va.) 3, Shepherd (W.Va.) 2, Southern New Hampshire 2, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 1, Saint Anselm (N.H.) 1.
Records are final from 2025-26 season. Previous ranking was from final ranking of the 2025-26 season.
