GREENVILLE, S.C. – UNC Pembroke was picked to finish sixth in the race for the 2026 Conference Carolinas championship in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches, league officials announced Friday afternoon.

2025 Conference Carolinas regular season champion, Francis Marion, and North Greenville each picked up four first-place votes and 149 total points to settle into a tie for first, while Young Harris earned three first-place votes and 145 points to slot into third. 2025 Conference Carolinas tournament champion, Belmont Abbey, also picked up three first-place votes and 136 points to sit fourth, while Mount Olive garnered 126 points to round out the top five. The Braves tallied 118 points to take sixth.
 
Points were compiled on a 13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, and coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
 
UNCP will embark on its 26^th season under the direction of head coach Paul O'Neil on January 30-31, when they host Tusculum for a three-game set. 

Place	Team	Total Points (First Place Votes)
T1	Francis Marion	149 (4)
T1	North Greenville	149 (4)
3	Young Harris	145 (3)
4	Belmont Abbey	136 (3)
5	Mount Olive	126
6	UNC Pembroke	118
T7	Barton	92
T7	Emmanuel	92
9	Shorter	75
10	Erskine	58
11	King	48
12	Southern Wesleyan	40
T13	Chowan	23
T13	Ferrum	23