PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team was selected to finish second in the 2025-26 WIAC Preseason Poll it was announced on Friday afternoon.
UW-La Crosse, ranked No. 7 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25, was picked to finish atop the standings. The Pioneers, the two-time defending regular season champions, was next, with UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire rounding out the top half of the poll. UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, UW-River Falls, and UW-Stout concluded the preseason predictions.
Head coach
Jeff Gard will guide the program for his 17th season after back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Pioneers graduated several key players but still return 11 letterwinners and a pair of starters from last season's team.
Two-time First Team All-WIAC selection
Max Love headlines an experienced group of returners that has played on big stages. Love averaged 9.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last season, and was at his best in conference play, posting 11.1 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc.
In the frontcourt, seniors
Joey Fuhremann and
Miles Hettinger offer UW-Platteville strong play in the post. Fuhremann, a WIAC Honorable Mention honoree, averaged 9.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on a conference-best 71.1 shooting percentage. Hettinger came off the bench and scored 8.9 points and grabbed 4.0 boards across 17.0 minutes per game.
Junior
Bristol Lewis and senior
Aiden Wieczorek will likely step into starting roles in the backcourt after playing meaningful minutes in the rotation last season. Lewis was at 7.9 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor, while Wieczorek pitched in with 3.6 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Other returners include juniors
Lucas Rameker and
Max Lucey. Rameker appeared in 26 games off the bench, and Lucey looks to bounce back after an early-season injury.
The Pioneers begin the 2025-26 season at home on Sunday, November 9 at 2 p.m. against Nebraska Wesleyan. Conference play starts on January 3 at UW-Stout.
