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2025-26 GAC MBB Preseason Coaches Poll

Men's Basketball By: Daniel Gallegos

Wonder Boys picked fourth in GAC Preseason Coaches Poll

Men's Basketball By: Daniel Gallegos

Wonder Boys picked fourth in GAC Preseason Coaches Poll

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference released its annual preseason coaches poll for men's basketball on Thursday, and in that release, the Arkansas Tech men's basketball team was picked to finish the 2025-26 season fourth with 81 points and one first-place vote.
 
Last year's regular season champion, Southern Nazarene was picked to finish first in the poll with 119 total points and nine first-place votes. Oklahoma Baptist and tournament champion Harding received the other two first-place votes to slot second and third in the poll. Oklahoma Baptist was second with 103 total points while Harding was third with 95 points.
 
Just below Tech and picked fifth was Southwestern Oklahoma. SWOSU totaled 79 points. Cross-street rivals Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist were separated by one point. Henderson claimed the sixth spot with 65 points while Ouachita was seventh with 64 points.
 
Northwestern Oklahoma (56 pts), Southeastern Oklahoma (49 pts), and Southern Arkansas (30 pts) make up slots 8-10, while Arkansas-Monticello (27 pts) and East Central (24 pts) rounded out the poll, coming in at 11th and 12th, respectively.
 
This year, the Wonder Boys will be virtually a brand-new team as they return three players who were a part of the program a year ago with only one seeing action on the court. Those returning to the fold are Aiden Underdown, Damon Augustus and Bryce Beavers. Underdown appeared in 16 games and shot 75% from the floor in limited action. Augustus missed last season due to injury while Beavers spent the year as a student assistant coach.
 
With the low number of returners, the Wonder Boys will incorporate 15 new players. Four of those are coming to Tech from the prep ranks while the remaining 11 are transferring into the program. Of those transfers, four are set to take the court in their final year of eligibility. Listed among those are Kiran Oliver (Chicago, Ill./Morgan State Univ.), Devin Foster (Morrilton, Ark./Central Baptist College), D'Mari Johnson (Wiggins, Miss./Miles College) and Connor Davis (Naperville, Ill./Culver-Stockton College)
 
The Wonder Boys will begin their season with a road exhibition game against Little Rock on Tuesday, October 28. Tip-off for the game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip-off from the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
 
The regular season starts in earnest in Joplin, Missouri at the GAC/MIAA Crossover Challenge. This year's challenge will be played Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15. Tech is set to play host Missouri Southern at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and then Newman at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

 
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