WESTERVILLE, Ohio — The Marietta College men's basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the Ohio Athletic Conference preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches and announced Tuesday (Oct. 20) by the conference office.
 
"The OAC is one of the best conferences in the country," said Marietta head coach Andy Bucheit. "Every night is a fight and the teams who are physical, connected, and handle the adversity of the season are the ones who will find themselves at the top of the league. We will challenge our players every day to compete."
 
The University of Mount Union received six first place votes and led the poll with 62 total points. Otterbein University received two first place votes and received 54 points in the voting.  Ohio Northern University got the other first-place vote and totaled 45 points in the poll.
 
Muskingum University and Capital University tied for fourth in poll and both earning 32 points apiece. Wilmington College was sixth with 31 points, while Heidelberg University was seventh with 30 points.
 
The Pioneers received 21 points in the poll for eighth place and Baldwin Wallace University placed last with 17 points.
 
Marietta will look to improve upon a 9-16 regular season record, including a 4-12 record in the OAC, last year. They will open the 2026-27 season at home against Bethany College in a matchup scheduled for 8 p.m.
 
"We are excited about the work our team has put in so far," concluded Coach Bucheit. "We are young. There will be highs and lows this season, but we are committed to helping them learn, grow, and continue to come together as a team."
 
The complete poll is below. First place votes are in parenthesis.
 
OAC Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Mount Union (6) — 62
2. Otterbein (2) — 54
3. Ohio Northern (1) — 45
T4. Capital — 32
T4. Muskingum— 32
6. Wilmington — 31
7. Heidelberg — 30
8. Marietta — 21
9. Baldwin Wallace — 17