CANTON, Ga. - The Trinity Tigers have been selected to capture the 2026-27 Men’s Basketball title.
Trinity captured seven first-place votes for 71 points while Centre and Rhodes each earned a first-place nod for 64 and 58 points, respectively. Maryville and Millsaps rounded out the top five in a close fashion with 47 and 45 points.
Voting was conducted among the SAA’s nine head coaches.
2026-27 MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL RESULTS
1. Trinity - 71 (7)
2. Centre - 64 (1)
3. Rhodes - 58 (1)
4. Maryville - 47
5. Millsaps - 45
6. Berry - 33
7. Sewanee - 29
8. Southwestern - 28
9. Oglethorpe - 21
Trinity shared the regular-season title with Rhodes last season and earned the No. 2 seed in the SAA Tournament. The Tigers fell in the championship game but made a strong run in the NCAA Tournament, defeating Whitworth before falling to in-state rival St. Thomas.
Centre entered last season’s SAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed, defeating Sewanee before falling to Trinity in the semifinals. The Colonels return a roster made up largely of upperclassmen, including SAA All-Conference selection Kalib Thomas.
Rhodes posted an impressive 12-2 record last season, defeating Trinity twice during the regular season to secure the No. 1 seed in the SAA Tournament. The Lynx went on to capture their first conference title since the 2016-17 season. In the NCAA Tournament, Rhodes battled Roanoke in a hard-fought contest in Atlanta, ultimately falling by just four points.
The 2027 SAA Men’s Basketball Championship is slated for February 25-27 in Maryville, Tennessee, hosted by Maryville College.
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
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