PORTLAND, Ore. — The Montana State Billings men's basketball team is picked to finished third in the 2025-26 Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, which was released by the league on Thursday.
The Yellowjackets, under third-year coach Luke Fennelly, are two years removed from winning the GNAC championship and went 21-12 overall last season with an 11-7 mark in conference play. They were knocked out in the GNAC semifinals last year in a one-point loss to Central Washington.
The Jackets received 75 total voting points in this year's preseason poll, including one first-place vote. Central Washington, with six first-place votes, is picked to win the title.
2025-26 GNAC men's basketball preseason poll
First-place votes in parentheses
1, Central Washington, 90 points (6)
2, Northwest Nazarene, 85 (2)
3, Montana State Billings, 75 (1)
T4, Western Washington, 67 (1)
T4, Saint Martin's, 67
6, Alaska Anchorage, 50
7, Seattle Pacific, 43
8, Alaska, 39
9, Simon Fraser, 20
10, Western Oregon, 14
With no returning starters, MSUB's lineup for the new season is made up almost entirely of new faces. A pair of intra-conference transfers in senior Mason Landdeck (G, 6-3, Seattle Pacific) and junior Jonas La Tour (G/F, 6-6, Seattle Pacific) have joined the team. Landdeck was the 2025 GNAC tournament MVP after leading the Falcons to their record fifth tourney title.
Sonoma State transfer Jakob Milling (G/F, 6-8) has also come in to bolster the Yelowjackets.
The biggest departures from MSUB are guard Jalen Tot, the 2023-24 GNAC player of the year, and forward Kael Robinson, a first-team All-GNAC selection last season.
The Yellowjackets host the D2CCA Tip Off Classic at the Trailhead Nov. 7-9 at Alterowitz Gym in Billings to begin the season.
