The Emporia State basketball teams were both picked near the middle of the pack in the MIAA Basketball Preseason Polls released at MIAA Basketball Media Day today at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City. The Hornet women were selected 10th by the media and 11th by the coaches while the men were slotted 9th by the media and 10th by the coaches. Fort Hays State is the preseason pick to win the league by MIAA coaches but received only two first-place votes with Washburn slotted second with six first-place votes. Fresh off their Final Four run, Pitt State is picked third with five first-place while Central Missouri finished fourth with the last first-place vote. The media picked the defending conference champion Gorillas as their women’s champion with 13 first-place votes followed by Fort Hays State receiving five, Washburn earning three, and UCM finishing with four. First-year head coach MJ Baker said there’s plenty of newness to go around.
Newcomer Kaitlyn Sanders is the only player who has previously played for Baker and said that she has tried to lead as a first-year player.
In the men’s poll Washburn was nearly unanimously picked by both the media and coaches to win it with the Ichabods picking up 13 first-place votes in the coaches poll with Rogers State slotted second with one first-place vote. The Media also liked Washburn to the tune of 23 first-place votes with Fort Hays State second and RSU third each getting one first-place vote. Head coach Tom Billeter now knows exactly how tough the league will be.
Returning forward Dallas Bear says there’s a lot of comfort as a returning player for the Hornets.
The Emporia State teams both open up the season with cross-conference events in St. Joseph with the men at the Hillyard Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse and the women at the D2 Central Region Showcase at the St. Joseph Civic Center on November 14-15.
2025-26 MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
1. Washburn [13] – 169 points
2. Rogers State [1] – 141 points
3. Central Oklahoma – 137 points
4. Fort Hays State – 134 points
5. Pittsburg State – 127 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 106 points
7. Central Missouri – 102 points
8. Missouri Western – 79 points
9. Northeastern State – 62 points
10. Emporia State – 59 points
11. Newman – 52 points
12. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 41 points
13. Missouri Southern – 35 points
14. Northwest Missouri – 30 points
[#] – First Place Votes
2025-26 MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA POLL
1. Washburn [23] – 346 points
2. Fort Hays State [1] – 297 points
3. Rogers State [1] – 286 points
4. Pittsburg State – 280 points
5. Central Oklahoma – 229 points
6. Nebraska Kearney – 211 points
7. Central Missouri – 186 points
8. Missouri Western – 169 points
9. Emporia State – 159 points
10. Northeastern State – 132 points
11. Northwest Missouri – 108 points
12. Newman – 93 points
13. Missouri Southern – 69 points
14. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 59 points
[#] – First Place Votes
2025-26 MIAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
1. Fort Hays State [2] – 152 points
2. Washburn [6] – 148 points
3. Pittsburg State [5] – 144 points
4. Central Missouri [1] – 138 points
5. Nebraska Kearney – 135 points
6. Missouri Western – 99 points
7. Missouri Southern – 95 points
8. Northwest Missouri – 78 points
9. Northeastern State – 76 points
10. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 73 points
11. Emporia State – 48 points
12. Central Oklahoma – 44 points
13. Rogers State – 28 points
14. Newman – 16 points
[#] – First Place Votes
2025-26 MIAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA POLL
1. Pittsburg State [13] – 326 points
2. Fort Hays State [5] – 299 points
3. Washburn [3] – 276 points
4. Central Missouri [4] – 271 points
5. Nebraska Kearney – 268 points
6. Missouri Western – 227 points
7. Northwest Missouri – 187 points
8. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 185 points
9. Missouri Southern – 176 points
10. Emporia State – 127 points
11. Northeastern State – 111 points
12. Central Oklahoma – 92 points
13. Rogers State – 49 points
14. Newman – 31 points
[#] – First Place Votes
