PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2026-27 WIAC Preseason Poll that was released on Thursday afternoon by the conference.

UW-Stevens Point was chosen to finish atop the standings, and enter the season ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25. UW-La Crosse, D3hoops.com's No. 18 team, was selected second, while UW-Whitewater rounded out the top three.
UW-Oshkosh was tabbed for fourth in the predictions, followed by UW-Platteville. UW-Stout Polytechnic, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-River Falls concluded the poll.

The Pioneers, who are receiving votes in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, are coming off an 18-10 season that included a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Jeff Gard returns for an 18th season and welcomes back 11 letterwinners but just one starter from a year ago.

The lone returning starter is senior Lucas Rameker, who averaged 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while emerging as a strong three-point shooter. Over two-thirds of Rameker's shot attempts came from beyond the arc, and he connected on 38.8 percent, the best mark on the team.

Two other returners averaged over 10 minutes a game last season in sophomore guard Kaden MacKenzie and senior forward Max Lucey. MacKenzie averaged nearly 20 minutes as a freshman and finished second on the team with 50 assists while providing strong defense. Lucey saw 16 minutes per game and averaged 3.7 points per game.

UW-Platteville will look to find what combination of players fits alongside those returners, with forward Ben Forbes being a key player to watch. Forbes showed flashes in limited minutes last season, and will likely earning playing time at the five for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers open the season on Friday, November 6 against Thiel College, with the game taking place at Carthage. The home opener will be on Sunday, November 8 against Buena Vista.