Oct. 16—Despite having a new coach and an overhauled roster, College of Charleston was picked to finish second in the Coastal Athletic Association's preseason poll that was released on Oct. 15.
UNC Wilmington claimed the league's top spot in the preseason poll with 143 points and 11 first-place votes, while Charleston was picked second with 130 points. The league's defending champion Hofstra earned two first-place nods and was picked third with 125 points.
Voting was conducted in a poll of the CAA's 13 head coaches ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.
Charleston was chosen as the league's runner-up as it enters the 2026-27 season under new head coach John Groce.
Stepping away from Akron with 379 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances across nine seasons, Groce is hoping to duplicate that success in the Lowcountry.
"We have really good dudes on this team and that makes it fun to come to work every day," Groce said. "They want to be good. I think we've got a lot of talent. I think we've got a lot of versatility, especially when we're healthy.
"We've kind of battled through some stuff in the offseason with court cases and injuries, but the guys keep right on rolling. They don't use that as any type of excuse. It's next man up and figure it out and they've been able to do that."
The Cougars had two players selected to the preseason teams. South Carolina transfer Eli Ellis was named to the CAA preseason first team, while former Northeastern standout Xavier Abreu was picked for the second team.
Ellis will look to build off a solid freshman campaign in the SEC with 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Abreu is also coming off a stellar first collegiate season highlighted by 12.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest for Northeastern last season.
"I like it that there are expectations for me," Ellis said. "It's something for me to live up to and people are expecting me do big things and I like that there are a lot of eyes on me because that puts pressure on me and hopefully takes some pressure off of my teammates.
"It gives me a chance to get things rolling and show what I can do at this level. Living up to those expectations will be huge for my growth and development as a player."
Towson (110) was picked as the favorite last season was selected fourth by the league coaches, followed by Monmouth (95), William & Mary (78), Stony Brook (69), Elon (63), Drexel (58), Hampton (48), Northeastern (42), Campbell (35) and North Carolina A&T (18) complete the order of finish.
UNCW is fresh off its fifth consecutive 20-win campaign, going 27-7 last season.
The Seahawks also claimed the regular season title with a 15-3 mark in league play. UNCW took down Yale with their sixth double-digit comeback of the season, surging in the second half to secure a 68-67 win over the Bulldogs in the opening round of the 2026 National Invitation Tournament. The Seahawks have produced a CAA-best 126 victories over the last five years under coach Takayo Siddle.
UNCW's Patrick Wessler was named the preseason player of the year and CJ Luster was picked to the first team.
The 2027 CAA Men's Basketball Championship returns to CareFirst Arena on March 5-9. The league's championship event will be held in Washington, D.C., for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
Meanwhile, Monmouth's women's team was unanimously selected as the favorite in the preseason poll, collecting 12 first-place votes and 144 points.
Charleston, the reigning CAA champion, was picked eighth with 71 points. Cougars senior guard Tyja Beans was named to the All-CAA preseason second team.
Elon was picked second with 116 points, while Drexel earned 109 points to rank third. William & Mary received the remaining first-place vote and was picked fourth with 108 points.
Towson completed the top five with 99 points, followed by North Carolina A&T with 89. Stony Brook tallied 88 points, while Hofstra landed ninth with 56 points.
Hampton followed in 10th with 51 points. Northeastern earned 35 points, and Campbell earned 30 points. UNCW rounded out the 13-team poll with 18 points.
2026-27 CAA Preseason Men's Poll
Team (1st Place Votes) Points
UNCW (11) 143
Charleston 130
Hofstra (2) 125
Towson 110
Monmouth 95
William & Mary 78
Stony Brook 69
Elon 63
Drexel 58
Hampton 48
Northeastern 42
Campbell 35
North Carolina A&T 18
Preseason Player of the Year — Patrick Wessler, UNCW
Preseason All-CAA First Team
Player, Team
Eli Ellis, Charleston
Justin Moore, Hofstra
CJ Luster II, UNCW
Patrick Wessler, UNCW
Rashad King, Northeastern
Preseason All-CAA Second Team
Player, Team
Xavier Abreu, Charleston
Bryson Cokley, Elon
Deywilk Tavarez, Hofstra
Jaden Daughtry, Stony Brook
Zion Stanford, Towson
2026-27 CAA Preseason Women's Poll
Monmouth (12) 144
Elon 116
Drexel 109
William & Mary (1) 108
Towson 99
North Carolina A&T 89
Stony Brook 88
Charleston 71
Hofstra 56
Hampton 51
Northeastern 35
Campbell 30
UNCW 18
Reach Andrew Miller at 843-937-5599. Follow him on Twitter @APMILLER_PandC