IRVINE, Calif. – UC San Diego has been selected to finish second in The Big West as the conference unveiled its preseason men's basketball coaches' poll and preseason team on Thursday morning, In addition, Triton senior Leo Beath was named to the preseason coaches' team. The preseason poll and preseason team are voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.

Leo Beath is set to enter his second season in La Jolla following a breakout campaign in 2025-26. Beath was named Honorable Mention All-Big West by the league's head coaches and was crowned Tournament MVP of the Adventure Bracket at the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational after averaging 23.6 points in three UC San Diego victories, leading the Tritons to the championship title. Last season, Beath was UC San Diego's leading scorer at 12.2 points per game. Other accolades from a season ago include being selected by the USBWA as Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week and Lou Henson National Player of the Week in December.

Last year, the Tritons posted a 23-11 record under first year head coach Clint Allard '08. The 23 victories are the program's second-most in its Division I era. UC San Diego tips off its final Big West season with a home exhibition contest Saturday night vs. USC in La Jolla.
 
UC San Diego basketball season tickets are available online by logging on to UCSDTritons.com/tickets, by calling (858) 534-1430, or by visiting the Triton Box Office in the Price Center on the UC San Diego campus between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, e-mail the box office at triton-tix@ucsd.edu.

The full 2026-27 Big West Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and Preseason Coaches' Team run below.
 
2026-27 BIG WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL

No.	School	Pts. (First Place)
1.	UC Irvine	114 (7)
2.	UC San Diego	105 (3)
3.	UC Santa Barbara	103 (2)
4.	CSUN	86
5.	Utah Valley	85
6.	Cal Poly	75
7.	Sacramento State	65
8.	Cal State Fullerton	49
9.	California Baptist	40
10.	Cal State Bakersfield	28
11.	UC Riverside	23
12.	Long Beach State	19

 
2026-27 BIG WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES' TEAM

Player	School	Yr.	Pos.
Leo Beath	UC San Diego	Sr.	F
Josiah Davis	CSUN	5th	G
Larry Hughes II	Sacramento State	Sr.	G
Miro Little	UC Santa Barbara	Sr.	G
Hamad Mousa	Cal Poly	Jr.	G/F
CJ Shaw	UC Santa Barbara	So.	G

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.