TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference has announced the results of their Men's Basketball HCAC Preseason Poll for the 2026-27 season. The Rose-Hulman men's basketball team has been selected to finish second in the conference, earning 66 points and two first-place votes. 

The Transylvania Pioneers were selected as the favorites to win the league with 79 points and seven first-place votes. The Anderson Ravens finished in third, closely behind the Fightin' Engineers with 65 points. Mount St. Joseph and Franklin rounded out the top five teams with 57 and 53 points each. 

The Rose-Hulman men's basketball team finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 17-10 overall and 13-5 in the conference to earn the #3 seed in the HCAC Tournament. The team won their first-round game against Hanover with a final score of 71-62 to advance to the HCAC Semifinals. The Fightin' Engineers season came to an end in the semifinal round against Anderson with a final score of 74-73. 

The Fightin' Engineers return four All-HCAC student-athletes from last year's squad. Joey Schmitz and Cole Pride both earned First Team All-HCAC, while Daniel Savovic and Evan Gentile were named Honorable Mention All-HCAC, with Gentile earning Newcomer of the Year. 

Schmitz led the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game last year, totaling 74 made three-pointers with a .433 three-point percentage. Pride also averaged double figures with 12.9 points per game, adding 5.1 rebounds per game and a team-high 26 blocked shots. Both Gentile and Savovic were also efficient scorers, finishing the year averaging double digits with 10.6 and 10.0 points per game. 

The team is led by Head Coach Nick Sales in his fifth season with the Fightin' Engineers.

Rose-Hulman men's basketball will open their 2026-27 season at home against Wabash on Saturday, November 7, at 2 PM. 

HCAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL RESULTS:
1) Transylvania - 79 (7)
2) Rose-Hulman - 66 (2)
3) Anderson - 65
4) Mount St. Joseph - 57
5) Franklin - 53
6) Hanover - 45 (1)
7) Berea - 32
8) Bluffton - 23
9) Manchester - 20
10) Earlham - 10