The WashU Bears went 23-7 and made it to the D3 Final Four last season. (Photo courtesy: WashU Athletics )
The NCAA college basketball season will begin in a week and a half, but for the Washington University Bears, the season will begin in more like two weeks, when the team will host Carroll University at the WashU Field House, on Friday, November 7.
On Wednesday though, the NCAA Division III Top 25 preseason poll was released by D3Hoops.com, and in that poll, WashU was ranked the No. 5 team in the country, with many considering the Bears one of the favorites to win the University Athletic Association league title this season.
WashU is coming off an incredible season last year, when the Bears went 23-7, won the D3 Midwest Regional championship, and advanced to the D3 Final Four.
This year, WashU is a team many believe might be the best defensive team in the country. The Bears have lots of length, size, and physicality at every position and is a group expected to make it difficult for opponents to score.
WashU might also have the best three-point shooting team in the country, with several top stars returning from last year.
Senior Will Grudzinski will be back to lead the No. 5-ranked WashU Bears this season. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
Defending national champion Trinity College of Connecticut was the preseason No. 1 team in the D3Hoops.com poll. The Titans received 23 of 25 first-place votes, after going 30-3 and winning it all last season.
Randolph-Macon got one of the other first-place votes and came in second in the voting. WashU rival, Emory University, was voted the preseason No. 3 team, just ahead of Tufts College, which came in fourth.
The Bears were fifth, followed by Redlands, which got the other first-place vote, the Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Carthage, Chirstopher Newport, and Roanoke, in spots six through 10, respectively.
The University of Chicago, another UAA foe, came in 11th, and Illinois Wesleyan landing at No. 16.
D3HOOPS.COM PRESEASON MEN’S BASKETBALL POLL
| # | School (No. 1 votes) | W-L | Pts. |
| 1. | Trinity (Conn.) (23) | 30-3 | 623 |
| 2. | Randolph-Macon (1) | 24-5 | 537 |
| 3. | Emory | 23-6 | 529 |
| 4. | Tufts | 22-6 | 520 |
| 5. | WashU | 23-7 | 499 |
| 6. | Redlands (1) | 25-5 | 492 |
| 7. | UW-La Crosse | 25-6 | 397 |
| 8. | Carthage | 21-7 | 396 |
| 9. | Christopher Newport | 23-6 | 394 |
| 10. | Roanoke | 25-6 | 341 |
| 11. | Chicago | 18-8 | 340 |
| 12. | Calvin | 21-7 | 310 |
| 13. | Wesleyan | 30-2 | 278 |
| 14. | Virginia Wesleyan | 22-7 | 262 |
| 15. | Mary Washington | 15-15 | 239 |
| 16. | Illinois Wesleyan | 24-6 | 227 |
| 17. | Hampden-Sydney | 23-6 | 220 |
| 18. | UW-Platteville | 26-3 | 213 |
| 19. | WPI | 26-4 | 187 |
| 20. | Hardin-Simmons | 20-10 | 176 |
| 21. | Maryville (Tenn.) | 21-6 | 151 |
| 22. | Catholic | 25-6 | 112 |
| 23. | Montclair State | 22-7 | 111 |
| 24. | TCNJ | 20-8 | 84 |
| 25. | St. Joseph (Conn.) | 19-8 | 69 |
Others receiving votes: Williams 63; St. Joseph’s (Maine) 53; Keene State 48; Stockton 42; Franklin & Marshall 35; Yeshiva 32; Hamilton 16; Denison 15; St. Thomas (Texas) 14; MSOE 12; Whitworth 12; St. John’s 11; UW-Oshkosh 11; Mount Union 9; Trine 9; Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6; Concordia (Wis.) 6; Gettysburg 6; Berry 5; Wisconsin Lutheran 3; Clark 2; Ithaca 2; UW-Whitewater 2; York (Pa.) 2; Chapman 1; Trinity (Texas) 1.
2025-26 WASHU BEARS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 7, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Carroll University | WashU Field House |  | |
| November 14, 2025 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Eureka College | WashU Field House | | 41st Annual Lopata Classic |
| November 15, 2025 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Lopata Championship or Consolation | WashU Field House | | 41st Annual Lopata Classic |
| November 24, 2025 (Monday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Wabash | WashU Field House | | |
| November 29, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Colorado College | WashU Field House | | All-Academic Classic |
| November 30, 2025 (Sunday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Rhodes | WashU Field House | | All-Academic Classic |
| December 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Webster University | WashU Field House | | |
| December 9, 2025 (Tuesday) | 5:30 p.m. | Away | Rose-Hulman | Terre Haute, Ind. | ||
| December 18, 2025 (Thursday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Illinois Wesleyan | WashU Field House | | |
| January 2, 2026 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Hope College | Holland, Mich. | Glenn Van Wieren Classic | |
| January 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Neutral | Olivet | Holland, Mich. | Glenn Van Wieren Classic | |
| January 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | University of Chicago* | Chicago, Ill. | ||
| January 16, 2026 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | Carnegie Mellon* | Pittsburgh, Pa. | ||
| January 18, 2026 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Case Western Reserve* | Cleveland, Ohio | ||
| January 23, 2026 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | New York University* | WashU Field House | | |
| January 25, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Brandeis* | WashU Field House | | |
| January 30, 2026 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Emory* | WashU Field House | | |
| February 1, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Rochester* | WashU Field House | | |
| February 6, 2026 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | Emory* | Atlanta, Ga. | ||
| February 8, 2026 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Rochester* | Rochester, N.Y. | ||
| February 13, 2026 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Carnegie Mellon* | WashU Field House | | |
| February 15, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Case Western Reserve* | WashU Field House | | |
| February 20, 2026 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | New York University* | New York, N.Y. | ||
| February 22, 2026 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Brandeis* | Waltham, Mass. | ||
| February 28, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | University of Chicago* | WashU Field House | |
Bears gonna be good this year! Finish the job from last year and win it all!!