CARMEL, Ind. – With the 2025-26 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Men’s Basketball season set to tip-off, in a vote amongst league coaches, Anderson University finished in the first-place slot in the preseason poll.
The Ravens earned the first place slot with 78 points overall, snagging seven first-place votes. The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Fightin' Engineers claimed second place with 72 points and the remaining three first-place votes. The Hanover College Panthers claimed third with 62 points. The Transylvania University Pioneers found themselves in fourth with 56 points. The Franklin College Grizzlies rounded out the top half of the poll in fifth place with 46 points.
Listed below is the 2025-26 HCAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, the 2024-25 HCAC All-Conference Returners and the 2025-26 Other Athletes to Watch. For more information on HCAC Men's Basketball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the Internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on X and Instagram and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.
HCAC 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
(#) Denotes Number of First-Place Votes
| 1. |
Anderson University |
78 (7) |
| 2. |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
72 (3) |
| 3. |
Hanover College |
62 |
| 4. |
Transylvania University |
56 |
| 5. |
Franklin College |
46 |
| 6. |
Mount St. Joseph University |
43 |
| 7. |
Berea College |
36 |
| 8. |
Bluffton University |
27 |
| 9. |
Manchester University |
20 |
| 10. |
Earlham College |
10 |
HCAC All-Conference Returners from Last Season:
Anderson
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Bryce Williams |
Junior |
Fishers, Ind. |
Guard |
| Rob Davidson |
Junior |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Wing |
| Kenney Troutman |
Senior |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Guard |
| Elijah Mattingly |
Senior |
Beech Grove, Ind. |
Wing |
Berea
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Bryce Riley |
Senior |
Bardstown, Ky. |
Guard/Forward |
Bluffton
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Nevin Robson |
Senior |
Kenton, Ohio |
Wing |
Franklin
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Cooper Matthews |
Junior |
Hamilton, Ohio |
Guard |
Rose-Hulman
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Joey Schmitz |
Sophomore |
Bargersville, Ind. |
Guard |
2025-26 HCAC Men's Basketball Other Athletes to Watch:
Anderson
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Nolan Swan |
Sophomore |
Tipton, Ind. |
Guard |
| Axel Laby |
Senior |
Champaign, Ill. |
Wing |
| DeMonte Ferguson |
Senior |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Wing |
| Will Jamison |
Sophomore |
Fort Wayne, Ind. |
Guard |
Berea
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Bryce Riley |
Senior |
Bardstown, Ky. |
Guard/Forward |
Bluffton
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Andre Irvin |
|
Columbus, Ohio |
Guard |
| Ian Snelling |
Graduate |
Erlanger, Ky. |
Guard |
| JD Stokes |
Junior |
West Harrison, Ind. |
Forward |
| William Layfield |
Senior |
West Chester, Ohio |
Guard |
Franklin
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Dylan Beverly |
Junior |
Greenwood, Ind. |
Forward |
| Will Spellman |
Sophomore |
Greenwood, Ind. |
Forward |
| Jesse Faires |
Junior |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Forward |
| Braylon Russell |
Junior |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
Guard |
Hanover
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| CJ Walls |
Junior |
Louisville, Ky. |
Forward |
| Malachi McNair |
Sophomore |
Evansville, Ind. |
Forward |
Manchester
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Ty Lynas |
Graduate |
Crawfordsville, Ind. |
Guard |
| Clay McCorkle |
Graduate |
Converse, Ind. |
Guard |
Mount St. Joseph
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Matthew Menninger |
Senior |
Cleves, Ohio |
Forward |
| Michael Loftis |
Sophomore |
Louisville, Ky. |
Guard |
| Jason Lavender |
Junior |
West Chester, Ohio |
Guard |
| Joe Brand |
Sophomore |
Dayton, Ohio |
Guard |
Rose-Hulman
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Cole Pride |
Junior |
Osgood, Ind. |
Forward |
| Daniel Savovic |
Junior |
Everett, Wash. |
Guard |
| Kobe Stoudemire |
Senior |
Jeffersonville, Ind. |
Guard |
Transylvania
| Name |
Class |
Hometown |
Position |
| Drew Marshall |
Junior |
Nicholasville, Ky. |
Guard |
| Hunter Barr |
Junior |
Hardinsburg, Ky. |
Forward |
| Dakota Capps |
Senior |
Louisville, Ky. |
Guard |
| Ian Reesor |
Sophomore |
Lexington, Ky. |
Forward |