ASUN Sleeper: Stetson Has a Path Into the Top Four
2026-10-06
Stetson is sixth in MMH's ASUN projected order, while Blue Ribbon places it seventh. Bart Torvik's reader-supplied 2027 preseason table ranks the Hatters fifth among ASUN teams, No. 289 nationally. The gap between those views makes Stetson a sensible sleeper: a top-four finish would be a meaningful jump without requiring a title. The case starts with a frontcourt that has already produced in this league.
Why the jump is plausible
Collin Kuhl scored 13.1 points per game, grabbed 6.3 rebounds and shot 65.6 percent from the field in 32 appearances last season. He finished with 31 points at Jacksonville in late February. Finley Sheridan gives Donnie Jones another established interior option; after moving into the starting lineup, he averaged 9.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in that role according to Blue Ribbon's season review. Those two are a sturdier offensive starting point than a seventh-place forecast alone suggests. Stetson season statistics · Kuhl bio
The backcourt has changed. Jamie Phillips Jr. moved out of the program and is projected at Jacksonville, and Stetson's current roster lists Thiago Sucatzky and returning Daniel Macgregor as ballhandling options. Makhi Myles adds an athletic forward, while Magnus Entenmann supplies another experienced body inside. An early rotation could use Sucatzky and Macgregor with Myles, Kuhl and Sheridan, then bring Roman Miller, Sean Morgan and Entenmann off the bench. These are MMH role estimates, not announced starters. Stetson 2026–27 roster
What could hold the Hatters back
Phillips scored 16.0 points per game in his 17 appearances a year ago. Replacing that perimeter creation is the biggest question. Torvik's preseason projection also puts Stetson's adjusted defense at 113.1, near the bottom of Division I. Interior scoring alone will not lift the Hatters if opponents consistently get open threes or the guards turn the ball over under pressure. Phillips's Stetson bio · Torvik preseason rankings
The early tell
Watch whether Sucatzky and Macgregor can get Kuhl and Sheridan the ball in useful spots without sacrificing spacing, and whether Myles helps create more stops. If the guards stabilize and the defense improves modestly, Stetson has a path past Bellarmine and FGCU into the top four. If neither changes, sixth is more likely. That is the sleeper case.
Research note: Official Stetson roster and season statistics, Blue Ribbon's ASUN scouting, and a reader-supplied Torvik ASUN screenshot were checked October 6, 2026. Projected lineups and outcomes are editorial estimates.