2026–27 ASUN Men's Basketball Preview: Queens Leads a New Eight-Team League
2026-10-06
The ASUN looks different this season. Seven members return, five of last year's schools have moved to the United Athletic Conference, and West Florida arrives from Division II. The remaining eight play a 14-game league schedule beginning January 7. Queens enters as the defending tournament champion after winning its first Division I NCAA bid. That history matters, but the 2026–27 race starts with the players each team actually has now. ASUN schedule and membership · North Florida schedule details
MMH projected order
| MMH | Team | Blue Ribbon | Torvik national rank | The question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queens | 1 | 208 | Can Jordan Watford turn last year's playmaking into a leading role? |
| 2 | Lipscomb | 2 | 225 | Can Takai Simpkins and the returning guards replace the departed scoring? |
| 3 | Jacksonville | 3 | 222 | How quickly do 11 newcomers settle around Hayden Wood? |
| 4 | FGCU | 4 | 280 | Who becomes the primary creator for a reworked rotation? |
| 5 | Bellarmine | 5 | 302 | Can a strong returning offense defend well enough to climb? |
| 6 | Stetson | 7 | 289 | Will the returning frontcourt offset the loss of perimeter creation? |
| 7 | North Florida | 6 | 322 | Can its returning wings and new guards produce steadier defense? |
| 8 | West Florida | 8 | 363 | How fast does a new coach's group adapt to Division I? |
This is an MMH editorial projection, primarily based on the current school rosters, verified prior-season production, and the supplied Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook 2026–27 ASUN scouting (pp. 107–114). Blue Ribbon's forecast and Bart Torvik's 2027 preseason T-Rank appear as cross-checks. The Torvik column is a national rank, not an ASUN finish prediction; a reader-supplied screenshot of its ASUN filter was checked October 6. Projected roles are estimates, and the MMH order is separate from the site's game-odds model. The league's old 12-team standings cannot be treated as this eight-team preseason order.
1. Queens
The Royals have the strongest combination of a proven backcourt organizer and an established defensive frontcourt player. Jordan Watford averaged 11.8 points and 3.9 assists in just 20.8 minutes as a freshman, then helped Queens win the tournament. Avantae Parker averaged 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 67.1 percent from the field. Those two give Grant Leonard a reliable foundation on both ends. Isaiah Henry has a larger potential role, and newcomers Nasir Mann and Corbin Pack add experience on the perimeter. The question is whether Watford can sustain his efficiency and decision-making with more possessions running through him. Queens roster · Watford bio · Parker bio
2. Lipscomb
Mateo Esmeraldo is the most dependable returning table-setter in the league: he totaled 223 assists in 32 games last season. Lipscomb lost its four leading scorers, but its current roster includes Oregon transfer Takai Simpkins, who started 31 games and averaged 12.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists there last season. His proven scoring and secondary creation materially improve the Bisons' outlook. Titas Sargiunas and Kennedy Okpara return, while Truman Byrne adds frontcourt size. The question is how quickly this new combination replaces the departed production without asking Esmeraldo and Simpkins to carry every possession. Lipscomb roster · Simpkins bio · Esmeraldo bio
3. Jacksonville
Hayden Wood started 31 games as a freshman and led the Dolphins with 11.8 points per game and 57 made threes. He is a sensible anchor for a roster that Jacksonville says has 11 newcomers. Caleb Williams averaged 15.6 points at Lafayette, and Jamie Phillips Jr. averaged 16.0 at Stetson in an injury-shortened season. Nehemiah Turner adds an experienced interior presence. The upside is substantial if the guards and frontcourt learn each other's timing. We are cautious about assigning exact starting roles because Jacksonville's current roster page still says its 2026–27 roster is forthcoming. Jacksonville schedule release · Wood bio · Williams stats · Williams stats · Current roster page
4. FGCU
Pat Chambers brings back eight players, including Darren Williams, George Washington III and Tristen Guillouette, and has added Elijah Brooks, Bryson Lucas, CJ Outlaw and seven-footer Justin Houser. The extra size and athleticism are real assets. Our question is who reliably creates offense when games tighten: Williams averaged 6.2 points last season, while the incoming guards must establish larger Division I roles in a new system. Blue Ribbon also projects fourth, and Torvik has the Eagles fourth in the ASUN. FGCU can challenge the top three if its new backcourt clicks. FGCU roster release · FGCU roster · 2025–26 statistics
5. Bellarmine
Kenyon Goodin, Tyler Doyle and Sam Donald give Doug Davenport more established offensive roles than most of the league can claim. Goodin averaged 11.6 points and shot 41.8 percent from three; Doyle averaged 10.0 points and 3.8 assists; Donald shot 42.1 percent from three. Jacob Wassler and Valparaiso transfer Tucker Tornatta are options inside after Jack Karasinski's departure. Bellarmine's offense can challenge anyone in this conference, but the defense could keep it in the bottom half. Torvik projects the league's weakest adjusted defense among the seven returning members (116.5 points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted), a useful caution against moving the Knights higher simply because they return skilled scorers. Bellarmine roster · Doyle bio · Donald bio
6. Stetson
Collin Kuhl and Finley Sheridan give the Hatters an experienced frontcourt. Kuhl averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds across 32 games last season; Sheridan became a useful starter later in the year. Donnie Jones added Thiago Sucatzky, Makhi Myles and Magnus Entenmann, among others. The major change is on the perimeter: Jamie Phillips Jr. is now projected at Jacksonville, and Stetson needs its guards to replace that creation. Torvik has the Hatters fifth among ASUN teams; we are one place more cautious because the reconfigured backcourt has to prove itself. Stetson roster · 2025–26 statistics
7. North Florida
Bobby Kennen has a core of BJ Plummer, Mason Lee and Kent Jackson and several new ways to fill out the backcourt. Plummer averaged 7.7 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman. Newcomers Eddie Placer and Elijah Elliott bring prior Division I experience; Ayuba Bryant Jr. adds size and passing potential. The Ospreys can play their way into the upper half if those pieces complement the returning wings and improve the defense. They start seventh because the prospective lead-guard and interior combinations have more to prove than the contenders above them. North Florida roster · Newcomer announcement · 2025–26 statistics
8. West Florida
The Argonauts are the league's biggest unknown. Tanner Smith takes over a program that won 25 games and reached the Division II tournament last season. Tim Hall Jr. averaged 10.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks; the new roster also lists Jay King, DJ Shine and Alex Godley Jr. Experience and an active frontcourt give West Florida a path to competitive league games. An entirely new coach and the jump to Division I make eighth the prudent starting point, not a ceiling. West Florida roster · Hall bio · Smith bio
What could change this order?
Bellarmine has the clearest route upward if its returning guards generate even average defense. Jacksonville has the wider range of outcomes because Wood and Phillips have high-end scoring potential, but 11 new players require a working rotation. Stetson can rise through Kuhl and Sheridan if the reconfigured backcourt holds together. West Florida deserves patience: its first Division I season provides much less directly comparable evidence than the other seven teams.
Research note: Official conference membership and available school rosters, plus a reader-supplied screenshot of Torvik's 2027 ASUN preseason table, were checked October 6, 2026. Jacksonville's official roster page was still a placeholder, so its projected personnel should be rechecked before the season. The supplied Blue Ribbon ASUN forecast is a scouting reference, not a source for current historical standings. Prior-season averages describe past production and are not 2026–27 projections.