WINTHROP, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College of Maine has been tabbed as the clear favorite in the 2025–26 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches. The Monks, who earned the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, received 168 points and 12 first-place votes after entering last season as the top seed and advancing to face nationally-ranked Redlands in the opening round. SJC also appears on the national radar, garnering votes in the D3Hoops.com Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Nationally-ranked #25 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) follows closely in second with 149 points. The Blue Jays, who finished third in the GNAC last season before making a strong postseason push, return poised to contend for another NCAA berth.
Albertus Magnus claims the third slot with 143 points and one first-place vote. A perennial contender, the Falcons are no strangers to competing on championship weekend.
Last year's runner-up, Lasell University, lands fourth in the poll with 137 points and will look to build on its deep postseason run. Norwich University rounds out the top five with 105 points and is expected to remain in the playoff conversation.
The rest of the top eight includes Rivier (101 points) in sixth, Mitchell (76) in seventh, and Regis (71) in eighth.
The bottom half of the poll features New England College (66) in ninth, followed by Colby-Sawyer (61), Elms (61), Dean (30), and Anna Maria (17).
The 2025–26 men's basketball season tips off on Friday, November 7 with non-conference action, while GNAC play begins on Saturday, January 10. Each program will compete in a 12-game, single round-robin schedule. The top eight teams will advance to the 2025–26 GNAC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament, beginning with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 24. The semifinals are set for Thursday, February 26, with the championship game on Saturday, February 28. The winner will earn the GNAC crown and the league's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll Results
| 1) |
Saint Joseph's (Maine) |
168 (12) |
| 2) |
University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) |
149 |
| 3) |
Albertus Magnus |
143 (1) |
| 4) |
Lasell |
137 |
| 5) |
Norwich |
105 |
| 6) |
Rivier |
101 |
| 7) |
Mitchell |
76 |
| 8) |
Regis |
71 |
| 9) |
Emmanuel |
68 |
| 10) |
Dean |
62 |
| 11) |
Elms |
57 |
| 12) |
Colby-Sawyer |
29 |
| 13) |
New England College |
17 |
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The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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