The 2026-27 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) men's basketball season is poised to be a great one. The league is coming off a year in which it placed two teams in the NCAA Division III men's basketball semifinals, including 2027 NCAA Division III national champion Mary Washington. The reigning Division III champions enter the year as the conference favorite and are in search of their third straight league title. The Eagles earned 36 points in the preseason coaches poll, including six first-place votes.
UMW continues to garner national attention as it was also picked as the preseason No. 1 in the D3hoops.com Men's Top 25.
Joining Mary Washington in the national rankings is No. 2 Christopher Newport, which was the other C2C team in the Final Four last season. In addition to their No. 2 national ranking, the Captains also claimed the No. 2 spot in the C2C poll with 30 points and the final first-place vote.
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Looking to make a run at the conference crown are UC Santa Cruz and Salisbury, which finished third and fourth in the poll, respectively. The Banana Slugs secured 26 points, while the Sea Gulls claimed 22.
Regent, Warren Wilson and Johnson & Wales Charlotte closed out the poll with respective point totals of 13, 11 and 9.
The season tips off on Friday, Nov. 6, beginning the quest for a C2C tournament berth. At the end of the year, the top six teams will qualify for the 2027 C2C men's basketball championship. Christopher Newport will serve as the host for this year's tournament, which is set to take place from Feb. 25-27.
2026-27 C2C men's basketball preseason poll
- 1. Mary Washington – 36 (6)
- 2. Christopher Newport – 30 (1)
- 3. UC Santa Cruz – 26
- 4. Salisbury – 22
- 5. Regent – 13
- 6. Warren Wilson – 11
- 7. JWU Charlotte – 9
Mary Washington returns deep championship roster
Defending national champion Mary Washington welcomes back 13 players in all, including four starters, as the Eagles look to claim their third straight conference title. Consensus All-America junior guard Kye Robinson (Alexandria, Va.) leads the way, with All-C2C seniors Kaden Bates (Bristow, Va.) and Jay Randall (Bristow, Va.) and junior guard Ulysses Young (Chesapeake, Va.) also returning as starters.
Other returnees include junior Colin Mitchell (Chesterfield, Va.), who made the buzzer-beating, championship-winning shot a year ago, senior forward Cam Jones (Falls Church, Va.), juniors Scott Van Antwerp (Fairfax, Va.) and Owen Pottenburgh (Jacksonville, Fla.), and sophomores Josh Sewordor (Culpeper, Va.), Anthony Lewis (Chesapeake, Va.), Ben Lichter (Baltimore, Md.), Preston White (Gainesville, Va.) and Ethan Kacou (Bristow, Va.).
Newcomers include transfer Shane Crissman (Ashburn, Va.), as well as freshmen Max Lawson (Leesburg, Va.), Colin Stemberger (Chantilly, Va.), Hayden Collins (Leesburg, Va.) and Jackson Wallace (Stafford, Va.).
