NEW YORK - Defending CUNY Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion Lehman was voted first in the 2026-27 CUNYAC men's basketball preseason coaches' poll released Thursday morning.  The Lightning garnered five of eight first place votes and totaled 47 points.

CCNY, which reached the conference championship game as a No. 6 seed last season, grabbed the other three first place votes and finished with 41 points.  Brooklyn was voted third overall with 36 points, while Baruch (31) was slotted fourth.  John Jay (26) rounded out the top five.

York (19), Hunter (17) and Medgar Evers (7) rounded out the poll.

The 2026-27 men's basketball Players to Watch were also announced Thursday morning.

Lehman, which captured its first conference championship since 2004 last winter, finished the season 21-7 overall and with a perfect 14-0 mark in CUNYAC play, the first unbeaten CUNYAC season in men's basketball since 2016-17.  The Lightning then battled Weslyan (Conn.) in the opening round of the NCAA tournament before falling 76-66.

CCNY, which was the first No. 6 seed to reach the conference final since 2012 last season, finished 5-9 in conference play a season ago.  Brooklyn finished second in the regular season standings at 9-5 last season before being outlasted by the Beavers in double overtime in the conference semifinals.

The 2027 CUNYAC Men's Basketball Championship begins with first round games on Saturday, February 20.  The semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, February 23, with the title game Friday, February 26 at 8 pm at Brooklyn's West Quad Gymnasium in a doubleheader with the women's basketball championship game earlier that evening.

2026-27 CUNY Athletic Conference
Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
(first place votes in parentheses)

1. Lehman (5) - 47
2. CCNY (3) - 41
3. Brooklyn - 36
4. Baruch - 31
5. John Jay - 26
6. York - 19
7. Hunter - 17
8. Medgar Evers - 7

Players to Watch

Trevon Coppin, Baruch

As a sophomore, Coppin started 24 games for the Bearcats and averaged 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 48% from the floor.

D'aze Hunter, Brooklyn

A Second Team All-Conference selection for the Bulldogs last season, Hunter averaged 9.0 points and a team-high 3.5 assists per game.

Abdias Carcamo, CCNY

Carcamo started 18 games for CCNY last season. He was the team's fourth-leading scorer at 9.8 points per game while grabbing 4.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.2 assists per contest.

Sloan Ireland, Hunter

Ireland averaged 19 minutes per game over 24 games for the Hawks in 2025-26 and recorded 7.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, while blocking a team-high 33 shots.

Aidony Nivar, John Jay

A former CUNYAC Rookie of the Year, Nivar averaged 13.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 16 contests for the Bloodhounds in 2025-26.

Kesean Tracey, Lehman

Tracey dished out 132 assists for the conference champions a season ago (4.7 apg) while also adding 7.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Justin Rosario, Medgar Evers

Rosario came off the bench in 20 games for Medgar Evers last season, contributing 2.9 points per game as a freshman. He had a season-best 15 points against Hunter late in the season.

Jonte Wallace, York

Wallace, a six-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week last season and the Rookie of the Year, averaged 13.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, helping lead York to the No. 4 seed in the conference championship.

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