CANTON, Ga. - Centre has been selected as the 25-26 favorite for the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) crown.
The Colonels earned 50 points and two first place votes, followed by No. 2 Trinity with 49 points and three first place nods. Defending champion Berry came in tied for No. 3 with Rhodes each with 42 points. The Vikings tabbed two first place votes and the Lynx tabbed one. Oglethorpe rounded out the top five with 28 points
Voting was conducted among the SAA’s eight head coaches.
2025-6 MBB PRESEASON POLL RESULTS
1. Centre - 50 (2)
2. Trinity - 49 (3)
T3. Berry - 42 (2)
T3. Rhodes - 42 (1)
5. Oglethorpe - 28
T6. Millsaps - 26
T6. Sewanee - 26
8. Southwestern - 17
Centre looks to capture its first conference title since the 2019-20 season and end Berry’s five-year reign atop the league. Last season, the Colonels entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, defeating Sewanee to advance to the championship game, where they ultimately fell to the Vikings. The team returns standout guard Landen Hamilton, a member of both the SAA All-Tournament Team and Second Team All-SAA. Hamilton averaged 16.0 points and 4.5 assists per game and turned heads in the conference tournament with a career-high 35 points against Sewanee.
Trinity, a new face in the SAA, impressed last season with a 22-5 overall record and a 14-2 mark in the SCAC, advancing to the conference championship before falling narrowly to St. Thomas (TX). Under the direction of first-year head coach Marwan Elrakabawy, the Tigers return just one All-Conference performer from last year, Dean Balo.
Berry and Rhodes finished tied for third. The Vikings graduated Player of the Year and All-American Braxton Benham, along with two other key contributors from last season’s championship squad. Meanwhile, the Lynx bring back their top two leading scorers Trevor Lombard and Phil Dotson, who averaged 11.7 and 16.3 points per game last season, respectively.
The 2025-26 season tips off on Friday, November 7, with a few programs hitting the court early. By Friday, November 14, all teams will have opened their campaigns.
The 2026 SAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is set for February 26–28 in Mount Berry, Georgia, hosted by Berry College.
SAA Men’s Basketball Champions
2024-25 - Berry (10-2)
2023-24 - Berry (13-1)
2022-23 – Berry (14-0)
2021-22 – Berry (11-1)
2020-21 – Berry (11-1)*Covid altered season
2019-20 – Centre (10-3)
2018-19 – Centre (12-2)
2017-18 – Centre (12-2)
2016-17 – Rhodes (11-3)
2015-16 – Birmingham-Southern (14-0)
2014-15 – Centre/Rhodes (11-3)
2013-14 – Centre (13-1)
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at
www.saa-sports.com. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Southern Athletic Association news by following @SAA_Sports on Twitter (X) and @SAA_Sports on Instagram.