SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Following a successful 2025-26 campaign, University of the Pacific men's basketball team has been selected to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll on Thursday morning.
 
Santa Clara received nine first-place votes and totaled 81 points to top the ranking, followed by last year's regular season co-champion Saint Mary's with the other first-place vote and 70 points. Only five points separate third through fifth, with San Francisco (58 points), Seattle U (54 points) and Pacific (53 points) completing the top half of the poll.

In just his second season as head coach, Dave Smart began his turnaround by doubling Pacific's win total from nine in 2024-25 to 18 last season. The Tigers' 18-15 overall record also marked the program's first winning season since Damon Stoudamire led the program to a 23-10 record during the 2019-20 season.
 
Pacific enters the season featuring Jaion Pitt, who returns for his sophomore season after averaging 4.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in 18.0 minutes per game in 2025-26. The 6-8 forward from Canada totaled two double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by a season-best 16 points in the program's 85-73 win at Cal State Fullerton on November 15, 2025. Pitt was also efficient from the floor during his freshman campaign, ranking second on the team with a .667 field goal percentage.
 
Along with Pitt and fellow returner Noah Budu, Pacific welcomes 14 new players to the roster for 2026-27. Nine players enter the season with Division I experience, including Jaden Winston (Manhattan), CJ Jones (UIC/Kansas State), Dominick Harris (Gonzaga/LMU/UCLA/Loyola Chicago), Gavin Ripp (San Diego), Jacob McFarland (Houston), Adriel Nyorha (South Florida), Jaylen Thompson (Stanford), Connor Amundsen (Dartmouth), and Ivan Matlekovic (High Point/North Carolina). Damarion Vann-Kelly joins the team as a community college transfer, and Nishayne Sharpe, Vincent Osazee, Andrej Mitrevski, and Jorge Carot begin their collegiate basketball careers as freshmen.
 
Tip-off times for all Pacific games will be announced soon. Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474.  

The full 2026-27 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll and Team can be viewed here.

For updates and more information on the Pacific men's basketball program, follow the Tigers on X (@pacificmensbb), Instagram (@pacificmensbb), and the Facebook page (Pacific Men's Basketball).