UC Irvine and UC San Diego lead Big West preseason basketball polls

In the 2026 Big West preseason media poll conducted by student journalists, UC Irvine and UC San Diego emerged as the top picks for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, respectively.

UC Irvine was selected as the favorite for the men’s conference regular season title. UC San Diego took first place in the women’s poll, narrowly defeating UC Irvine by a single point.

The conference is undergoing membership changes, with Hawai’i and UC Davis departing for the Mountain West. They are being replaced by California Baptist, Utah Valley, and Sacramento State.