Wildcats picked 12th in preseason NSIC coaches poll

The Wildcats return one starter and seven players from last year's team that was 15-14 overall and sixth in the NSIC South Division with an 11-11 league record. WSC collected 77 points overall and 10 points in South Division voting conducted by league coaches.

Minnesota State edged defending NSIC regular-season champion St. Cloud State as the team to beat in NSIC men's basketball this season as the Mavericks garnered eight first-place votes and 216 points, just ahead of St. Cloud State's 211 points and six first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth was third at 195 points and one first-place ballot with Southwest Minnesota State (170) and Concordia-St. Paul (153) rounding out the top five teams.

Noll, a 6-7 junior forward from Sioux City, Iowa (Bishop Heelan HS), was an All-NSIC Second Team selection last year for a second straight season, leading the Wildcats in scoring at 13.7 points a game. He also led the team in assists and scored in double figures in 23 of 28 games while tying for eighth in the league in blocked shots per game (0.8) and ranking 11th in field goal percentage at 46.6 percent.

Wayne State will open the 2026-27 season at home on Monday, November 9, hosting Nebraska-Kearney in a 7 p.m. game in Rice Arena.

2026-27 preseason NSIC men's basketball coaches poll

1. Minnesota State (8) — 216 pts.
2. St. Cloud State (6) — 211 pts.
3. Minnesota Duluth (1) — 195 pts.
4. Southwest Minnesota State — 170 pts.
5. Concordia-St. Paul — 153 pts.
6. Augustana (1) — 144 pts.
7. Winona State — 144 pts.
8. MSU Moorhead — 140 pts.
9. Bemidji State — 106 pts.
10. Northern State — 98 pts.
11. Sioux Falls — 95 pts.
12. Wayne State — 77 pts.
13. Jamestown — 68 pts.
14. Minnesota Crookston — 42 pts.
15. Minot State — 42 pts.
16. University of Mary — 19 pts.

First-place votes in parentheses.

South Division

1. St. Cloud State (4) — 45 pts.
2. Minnesota State (3) — 45 pts.
3. Southwest Minnesota State — 33 pts.
4. Winona State — 28 pts.
5. Concordia-St. Paul — 25 pts.
6. Augustana (1) — 22 pts.
7. Sioux Falls — 16 pts.
8. Wayne State — 10 pts.