AUGUSTA, Ga. – Five months removed from its first appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, the Lander men's basketball team has been selected to finish first and defend its Peach Belt Conference crown as the No. 1 team in the PBC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Lander's 2025-26 campaign was the most successful and historic since the program's inception 58 years ago. It featured LU's first 30-win season and along the way, Lander claimed its first outright PBC regular season championship and its sixth PBC Tournament title. It was the first time Lander won both the regular-season and tournament titles in the same year.
En route to Indianapolis, the Bearcats also won the NCAA Southeast Regional championship for the first time to complete the trifecta. Finishing 30-6, the Bearcats amassed a 17-3 record in conference play. Those 17 wins and .850 winning percentage set new Lander records. Head coach Omar Wattad earned the PBC Coach of the Year Award and earned his 100th career win on Feb. 21, 2026, at USCA. Lander won a school-record 15 consecutive games from Feb. 11 to March 27.
The Bearcats will sport a new-look roster in 2026-27 with 10 additions during the offseason while returning
Navaughn Maise,
Jake Tringone,
Desmond Evans,
Jaden Miller and
Wil Stewart from last year's roster.
Jeremiah Holloway, who sat out last season, will also return to the fold.
Maise was instrumental in Lander's Elite Eight win over Daemen when he poured in 16 points and pulled down four rebounds. He followed that up by grabbing 12 boards in the National Semifinal win over Nova Southeastern.
Among the new Bearcats is Amir Reaves, who was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Reaves comes to Lander from PBC foe Georgia Southwestern after scoring 15.7 points per game in his lone season with the Hurricanes on 46.1% shooting. He also made 37.5% of his 3s and 80.1% of his foul shots in starting all 29 games. Reaves was the PBC Player of the Week on Dec. 22.
Lander will open its much-anticipated campaign in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Nov. 7-8 in Lakeland, Fla. The Blue and Gold will play Black Hills State at 3:30 p.m. on the 7th and Oklahoma Baptist at 11 a.m. on the 8th. The Yellow Jackets made the Elite Eight last year while the Bison played in the other National Semifinal game.
2026-27 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Lander (9) |
99 |
| 2. |
Columbus State (1) |
86 |
| 3. |
Flagler |
74 |
| 4. |
North Georgia |
69 |
| 5. |
USC Beaufort |
63 |
| 6. |
USCA (1) |
60 |
| 7. |
Augusta |
43 |
| 8. |
GCSU |
42 |
| 9. |
Georgia Southwestern |
37 |
| 10. |
Middle Georgia |
20 |
| 11. |
Clayton State |
12 |
