STARTING FIVE
- The UAC is starting the season off with a bang, playing big-name opponents such as Colorado, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Arkansas in the first two weeks of the 2026-27 season.
- Little Rock announced Travis Ford as the new head coach of the Trojans back in March. One of college basketball's most accomplished program builders, Ford has been to the NCAA Tournament seven times and brought in nearly three decades of coaching experience to Little Rock.
- Tarleton State brought in a new head coach in Eric Haut during the offseason. Haut, one of the top names in the NCAA coaching world, was named the 16th Texans' head coach back in early March. Prior to his move to Stephenville, Haut was the Associate Head Coach for two seasons at Utah State where he helped lead the Aggies to a 51-14 record.
- UT Arlington got a big-time transfer in Niko Bundalo. A former McDonald's All-American and consenus top 40 recruit coming out of high school, the 6'10" forward signed with the Mavericks following one season at Ole Miss.
- A.W. Hamilton, head coach at EKU, had a little more than basketball on the mind this offseason. The Colonels' leader announced in September the release of a children's book he wrote, Dream Big with Coach A.W. Hamilton. The book encourages children to dream big, never quit, be a good listener, use your words for good and punch your opportunity clock. Hamilton plans to gift a copy of the book to every elementary school library in the state (1,464).
ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Monday, November 2
Little Rock at VCU // Richmond, Va. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+
EKU vs. Kentucky Christian // Richmond, Ky. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Tarleton State vs. Cameron // Stephenville, Texas // 8 p.m. ET // ESPN+
UT Arlington vs. UNT Dallas // Arlington, Texas // 8 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Austin Peay vs. Lane College // Clarksville, Tenn. // 8 p.m. ET // ESPN+
West Georgia at DePaul // Chicago, Ill. // 8 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Central Arkansas vs. Oral Roberts // Conway, Ark. // 8:30 p.m. ET // ESPN+
Abilene Christian at Colorado // Boulder, Colo. // 9 p.m. ET // ESPN+
North Alabama at UC Davis // Davis, Calif. // 10 p.m. ET // Mountain West+
AROUND THE ARC
UAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL | The Bears were the coach’s favorite in the poll with four first-place votes. Central Arkansas finished with a 22-12 overall record while going 15-3 in ASUN play last, including winning eight of the team’s final nine games of the regular season.
John Shulman’s crew played their way into the ASUN Championship game.
MARSHALL IS THE MAN | Austin Peay’s
Rashaud Marshall was voted as the Preseason Player of the Year following a Second Team All-ASUN performance last season. The senior forward averaged 27.2 points per game in the Govs final five games of the season last year while averaging 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season.
A REBRANDED LOOK | The United Athletic Conference (UAC) is in its first season after rebranding from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in July. The conference, with members from Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas, blend a mixture of schools who competed in the former WAC, the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and newly joined members.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR | The 2026-27 Preseason All-UAC Team was made up of top talent in the conference;
Noah Bolanga (Abilene Christian),
Zyree Collins and
Rashaud Marshall (Austin Peay),
Tucker Anderson and
Ty Robinson (Central Arkansas),
Aaron Clark,
Bradyn Hubbard, and
Jah’Likai King (Little Rock),
Caleb Blackwell (Tarleton State) and
Chas Lewless (West Georgia)