HELENA — Rocky Mountain has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the 2026-27 Frontier Conference men's basketball championship, according to the league's coaches' preseason poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their team.
The Battlin' Bears received 10 of the 12 first-place votes and accumulated 119 points to claim the top spot in the 12-team conference preseason poll. Rocky Mountain finished 19 points ahead of Bellevue (Neb.) and Montana Tech, which shared second place.
Bellevue and Montana Tech each collected 100 points and one first-place vote to finish in a tie for second place. The three programs were the only teams to receive first-place votes in this year's preseason poll.
Carroll was selected fourth with 93 points, followed by MSU-Northern in fifth place with 85 points.
Rocky Mountain won the Frontier Conference regular-season and tournament titles last season. The Battlin’ Bears, who defeated MSU-Northern in the Frontier tournament championship game, advanced to the NAIA national tournament’s quarterfinals last season, finishing with an overall record of 31-4.
Bellevue, Montana Tech and Carroll each advanced to the NAIA national tournament last year.
Dakota State (S.D.) secured sixth spot in the preseason poll with 76 points, followed by Montana Western in seventh place with 58 points.
Dickinson State (N.D.) was picked eighth with 51 points, while Mayville State (N.D.) followed in ninth place with 43 points.
Valley City State (N.D.) rounded out the top 10 with 32 points, followed by Providence in 11th place with 20 points. Bismarck State (N.D.) completed the preseason rankings in 12th place with 15 points.
The 22-game Frontier Conference schedule — 11 games at home and 11 games on the road — will begin in mid-November and runs through February.
The 2026-27 Frontier Conference postseason tournament is scheduled for Feb. 26-March 1, 2027, in Butte at the Civic Center. The men’s basketball tournament kicks off with the quarterfinal round (four games) on Friday, Feb. 26, followed by an off day on Saturday, Feb. 27. The action returns on Sunday, Feb. 28 with two semifinal games, followed by the championship game on Monday, March 1 at 5 p.m.
The league awards two automatic bids to the NAIA national tournament, with the first automatic bid to the regular-season title winner. The second automatic berth will be awarded to Frontier Conference tournament champion. In the event the regular-season champion is the tournament champion, then the second berth will be awarded to the tournament’s runner-up.
2026-27 Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll
First-place votes are listed in parentheses
1. Rocky Mountain — 119 points (10)
T2. Bellevue — 100 (1)
T2. Montana Tech — 100 (1)
4. Carroll — 93
5. MSU-Northern — 85
6. Dakota State — 76
7. Montana Western — 58
8. Dickinson State — 51
9. Mayville State — 43
10. Valley City State — 32
11. Providence — 20
12. Bismarck State — 15
