DALLAS – WKU was voted the preseason favorite to win the 2026-27 Conference USA men’s regular season championship, as voted by the league’s 10 head coaches. Redshirt junior guard
Teagan Moore was named the Preseason Player of the Year and headlines the conference’s 10 Preseason All-Conference honorees, announced by the league Thursday.
The Hilltoppers collected five first-place votes and finished with a total of 94 points. WKU is guided by head coach
Hank Plona who enters his third season at the helm who owns a 35-29 overall mark in his first two seasons. Kennesaw State claimed three first-place votes and was picked to finish second by the coaches. Liberty came in at No. 3 while picking up the remaining two first-place votes, followed by Sam Houston and MTSU placed No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. NM State claimed the six spot, followed by Jax State, Missouri State, FIU and Delaware.
Moore returns to WKU for his redshirt junior season as the top returning scorer in Conference USA as he finished second in the league last year with a career-high 18.7 points per game. The Dry Ridge, Ky., native, also averaged 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting an incredible 52.9 percent from the field. Moore was an All-CUSA first team member in the 2025-26 campaign and recorded 13 20-point performances, while scoring in double figures in 23 of 27 contests.
Seven of the league’s 10 teams are represented on the preseason all-conference team including
Trey Simpson and
Amir Taylor, who helped guide Kennesaw State to its first CUSA tournament title. Simpson returns after leading CUSA as a true freshman with 44 total shots blocked, setting a KSU freshman record. Taylor was named to the 2026 CUSA All-Tournament Team and averaged 16.5 points over four postseason games.
Sam Houston and WKU also boast multiple honorees. Sam Houston’s
Justin Begg and
Jacobe Coleman and WKU’s Moore and
Armelo Boone are preseason members. Begg started in 22 games last season and averaged 9.5 points per game and totaled 80 assists before going down with a season-ending injury. Coleman was a key contributor off the bench for the Bearkats, averaging 8.7 points per game and a 46.4 clip from the field. Boone earned CUSA All-Freshman Team honors and returns as CUSA’s leading returning rebounder at 6.1 per game.
Missouri State’s
Trey Williams Jr. returns to Springfield after a stellar freshman campaign at the guard position. He averaged 9.4 points per game as a true freshman with 21 double-figure scoring games.
DJ Dudley returns to the league but representing different colors this time around. Dudley transferred to NM State for the 2026-27 season after earning third team honors at LA Tech last year. He averaged 13.8 points, 2.8 boards and 2.0 assists for the Bulldogs.
MTSU junior guard
Jahvin Carter made 19 starts a season ago and is prepped to continue to make his name known in CUSA. Carter averaged 10.8 points per game and led the Blue Raiders with 114 total assists. FIU’s
Tijan Saine Jr. is the lone Conference USA newcomer on the list as he earned first team All-Big Sky honors at Weber State. Saine led the Big Sky Conference in scoring during conference play at 20.8 points per game, while scoring in double figures in 27 of 32 contests.
The 2026-27 campaign tips off Monday, Nov. 2, and culminates in the 2027 Conference USA Basketball Championships March 9-13 at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. The men’s final is scheduled for Saturday, March 13, to be broadcast on
CBS Sports Network.
2026-27 CUSA Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
- WKU (5) 94 points
- Kennesaw State (3) 90 points
- Liberty (2) 79 points
- Sam Houston 64 points
- MTSU 57 points
- NM State 56 points
- Jax State 36 points
- Missouri State 28 points
- FIU 25 points
- Delaware 21 points
CUSA MBB Preseason Player of the Year
Teagan Moore, G, WKU
CUSA MBB Preseason All-Conference Honorees
Tijan Saine Jr., G, FIU
*Trey Simpson, F, Kennesaw State
Amir Taylor, F, Kennesaw State
Jahvin Carter, G, MTSU
Trey Williams Jr., G, Missouri State
*DJ Dudley, G, NM State
Justin Begg, G, Sam Houston
Jacobe Coleman, G, Sam Houston
*Armelo Boone, G, WKU
*Teagan Moore, G, WKU
* - 2025-26 All-Conference USA selection