ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE: Men's Basketball Preview Nov. 2-4

Folllow the ASUN on www.jaxsportsnews.com

CURRENT ASUN STANDINGS

Team OVR CONF

Bellarmine 0-0 0-0

FGCU 0-0 0-0

Jacksonville 0-0 0-0

Lipscomb 0-0 0-0

North Florida 0-0 0-0

Queens 0-0 0-0

Stetson 0-0 0-0

West Florida 0-0 0-0

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STARTING FIVE

• After claiming its first ASUN Championship as a 3-seed last season, the Queens Royals start the 2026-27 season as the coaches’ favorite to win the league. Grant Leonard’s crew earned five first-place votes while Jacksonville finished second with two first-place votes.

• Queens’ Avantae Parker was voted as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Parker, who earned Third Team All-ASUN honors last season, averaged 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while ranking second in the conference with 45 total blocks - 28 of them coming during league play.

• Stetson’s Collin Kuhl was voted as the Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Hatters last season. The senior forward recorded eight double-doubles while leading the ASUN in field goal percentage (.656) while ranking sixth in the country for his sharp-shooting.

• West Florida joins the ASUN this season after a move from Division II. Head coach Tanner Smith enters his first season at the helm of the Argos. Smith returns Tim Hall Jr., a 6-7 forward who held the Argos in rebounds (8.3 per game) while ranking fourth on the team with 10.0 points per game.

• ASUN men’s basketball is getting after it from the jump playing top opponents such as Vanderbilt, Clemson, UCF, Iowa, South Carolina, Indiana, Florida, UCLA, West Virginia and Oklahoma State in the opening week of the 2026-27 season.

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ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

Monday, November 2

Queens at Winthrop // Rock Hill, S.C. // 9 a.m. ET // Youtube

West Florida vs. Southeastern Baptist // Pensacola, Fla. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+

Bellarmine at Vanderbilt // Nashville, Tenn. // 7 p.m. ET // SEC Network

Lipscomb at Southeast Missouri State // Cape Girardeau, Mo. // 7:30 p.m. ET // ESPN+

Stetson at Clemson // Clemson, S.C. // 7 p.m. ET // ACC Network

Jacksonville vs. Trinity College // Jacksonville, Fla. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+

FGCU at UCF // Orlando, Fla. // 7 p.m. ET // ESPN+

Tuesday, November 3

Lipscomb at Iowa // Iowa City, Iowa // TBD // Big 10 Network

Stetson at South Carolina // Columbia, S.C. // 7 p.m. ET // SEC Network+

North Florida at Cal Baptist // RIverside, Calif. // 10 p.m. ET // ESPN+

Wednesday, November 4

Queens at Loyola Marymount // Los Angeles, Calif. // 10 p.m. ET // ESPN+

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AROUND THE ARC 

PRESEASON COACHES POLL | To no surprise of anyone, Queens was the top choice in the Preseason Coaches Poll. The Royals, following a storybook postseason in 2025-26, won the ASUN Tournament last year as a three-seed to earn the program’s first ASUN Championship and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in the department’s first eligible season since making the jump to Division I. Jacksonville was picked second in the poll after the Dolphins young roster won three of the team’s final five games of the regular season to move up to the No. 9-seed in the ASUN Tournament. Lipscomb checked in at No. 3 following a 19-13 record during the 2025-26 season. The Bisons return Mateo Esmeraldo and Titas Sargiunas while adding in Oregon transfer Takai Simpkins, all three being Preseason All-ASUN selections.

WEST FLORIDA JOINS THE ASUN | On April 2, the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and the United Athletic Conference (UAC) announced that the University of West Florida would transition to the NCAA Division I level and join both leagues beginning Fall 2026. UWF will compete in the ASUN as a full multi-sport member, in addition to joining the UAC as a football-playing affiliate. UWF became the 17th member of Unisun Sports.

STATISTICAL LEADERS | Following the end of the 2025-26 season, two ASUN programs were ranked in the top-10 in statistical categories; Bellarmine finished the season ranked first in the country in field goal percentage (.521), fourth in free throw percentage (.792), and sixth in effective field goal percentage (.599) while North Florida ranked eighth in three-pointers per game (11.0)

POSTSEASON AT THE DESTINATION | The 2025-26 season was the time the Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments were held at a single site since the 2013 season. Held downtown Jacksonville at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, the ASUN Basketball Tournaments will make its way back to the 904 March 4-8, 2027.

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Division I Men’s Basketball Rankings: Associated Press

1. Florida (47)

2. Duke (10)

3. Illinois (2)

4. UConn

5. Arizona

6. Michigan State

7. Texas

8. Tennessee

9. Virginia

10. Houston

11. Louisville

12. Arkansas

13. St. John’s

14. Miami (FL)

15. Gonzaga

16. Michigan

17. Kansas

18. Iowa State

19. Texas Tech

20. Alabama

21. USC

22. UCLA

23. Kentucky

24. Vanderbilt

25. BYU

Others receiving votes: Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Ohio State, North Carolina, TCU, Saint Louis, VCU, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Texas A&M, Villanova, Auburn, Nevada, Grand Canyon, Utah State, Santa Clara