SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Big West announced the 2026-27 Preseason Coaches' Poll and All-Big West Team today. For UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball, the Gauchos have been voted to finish third in the conference, earning 103 points and two first place votes. Additionally, the Gauchos' backcourt was recognized on the Preseason team with Miro Little and CJ Shaw earning Preseason All-Big West honors.

The Gauchos are coming off their ninth consecutive winning season under Head Coach Joe Pasternack. They finished last season 18-14 overall and 11-9 in The Big West. Last season the Gauchos cracked the top 10 in program history in total points scored, field goals made, three-point field goals made, free throws made, free-throw percentage, rebound margin,  and steals.

2026-27 Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UC Irvine -- 114 points (7)
2. UC San Diego -- 105 points (3)
3. UC Santa Barbara -- 103 points (2)
4. CSUN -- 86 points
5. Utah Valley -- 85 points
6. Cal Poly -- 75 points
7. Sacramento State -- 65 points
8. Cal State Fullerton -- 49 points
9. California Baptist -- 40 points
10. Cal State Bakersfield -- 28 points
11. UC Riverside -- 23 points
12. Long Beach State -- 19 points
*First-place votes in parentheses

Miro Little, despite battling injuries for the majority of the season, ranked top five on the team in points per game, total rebounds, defensive rebounds, rebounds per game, assists, steals, made free throws, and free-throw percentage. Without Little in the starting lineup, the Gauchos went 5-9 last season and were 13-5 with him starting.

CJ Shaw is coming off one of the best freshman seasons in UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball history. The rising sophomore earned Honorable Mention All-Big West recognition last year while cracking the top 10 in freshman season single-season records in made field goals, three-point field goals made, assists and steals. He broke the freshman single-season record for made free throws, tied the single-season freshman mark in total points scored and ranked second in points per game, free-throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage.

2026-27 All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team
Leo Beath -- Forward -- UC San Diego
Josiah Davis -- Guard -- CSUN
Larry Hughes II -- Guard -- Sacramento State
Miro Little -- Guard -- UC Santa Barbara
Hamad Mousa -- Guard/Forward -- Cal Poly
CJ Shaw -- Guard -- UC Santa Barbara

Little, Shaw and the Gauchos open the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2 as they host San Fransisco State at 6 p.m. in The Thunderdome. Don't miss an exciting time to be a part of Gaucho basketball. Season and single-game tickets are on sale now and you can purchase your seat today by visiting ucsbgauchos.com/tickets or contacting the UC Santa Barbara Athletics ticket office at 805-893-8272 or emailing them at athletics-tickets@ucsb.edu.