Men's Basketball | 10/29/2026 12:03:00 PM
WIAC Season Preview
Madison, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team is predicted to place second in the 2026-27 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The poll was announced by the conference office Thursday.
UWL, ranked 18th on the D3hoops.com Top-25 Preseason Poll, return 10 letter winners and two starters from last year, finishing 24-7 overall and 9-5 in the WIAC under head coach
JT Gritzmacher. The 24 victories are second-most in school history after UWL won a record 25 (25-6) games in 2024-25.
Sam Grieger ranks sixth in career scoring (1,503) at UWL.
The Eagles advanced to the 2026 NCAA Division III Sweet 16, falling 83-78 at eventual national champion the University of Mary Washington (Va.). UWL earned a 75-61 victory over Hope College (Mich.) in the first round and a 79-62 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) in the second round.
Winning its first WIAC Tournament title in school history with an 81-78 victory at UW-Whitewater a year ago, UWL earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Eagles have made back-to-back appearances in the national tournament for the first time in school history after advancing to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 2024-25.
UW-Stevens Point, ranked eighth on the D3hoops.com Top 25 Preseason Poll, is predicted to win this year's regular season title. UW-Whitewater is predicted to finish third followed by UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville, UW-Stout Polytechnic, UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls.
Gritzmacher starts his fourth season as UWL's head coach, compiling an overall record of 63-25. He is joined by assistant coaches
Kenny Desrosiers,
Peter Nycz and Craig Kowal.
Senior guard
Sam Grieger of
Randolph (H.S.) earned a pair of All-America honors in 2025-26, including National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) First Team and D3hoops.com Second Team. He was also named the NABC Player of the Year. Voted the WIAC Player of the Year, Grieger finished seventh in NCAA Division III in scoring (25.7) while leading the nation in field goals made (275), third in attempts (533) and fourth in free throws made (212) and attempted (248).
He scored in double figures in all 31 games with at least 25 points in 17 contests. Grieger ranks sixth in school history in career points with 1,503. He was named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America First Team on Wednesday.
Devon Fielding played in 20 games last season.
Nine other letter winners return in 2026-27, including senior guard
Devon Fielding of
La Crosse (Central), senior forward
Ben Goedheer of
Waukesha (Catholic Memorial), sophomore forward
Hutson Hendrickson of
La Crosse (West Salem) and sophomore guards
Carson Bauer of
West Bend (West),
Jack Crowley of
Downers Grove, Ill. (North),
Griffin Hannah of
Mount Horeb (H.S.),
Eli Schroeder of
Shakopee, Minn (H.S.),
Drew Tomashek of
Green Bay (Ashwaubenon) and
Carter Wollan of
Amery (H.S.).
Fielding played in 20 games with eight starts last season for UWL after earning three letters and appearing in 65 games at Winona State University(Minn.). He averaged 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds a year ago with a season-high 15 points versus North Central University (Minn.). Appearing in 21 games last season, Goedheer averaged 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds. He scored a season-high nine points against UW-Platteville.
Hendrickson played in six games and Hannah in seven last season. Tomashek returns after missing last season. He appeared in four games in 2024-25.
Averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds last season, Bauer played in 30 games with eight starts. He shot 82.6% (38-of-46) at the free throw line and finished with a career-high 15 points versus UW-Oshkosh. Crowley returns after staring 13 games in playing 24 a year ago. He scored in double figures in four games with a career-high 21 points against UW-Stout Polytechnic, going seven-of-13 from three-point range. Crowley averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 rebounds.
Jack Crowley started 13 games last year.
Schroeder played in 22 games last year, averaging 3.4 points, including a career-high 12 versus UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout Polytechnic. Wollan appeared in 19 games with one start, averaging 2.3 points per game. He finished with a career-high 14 points against UW-Oshkosh.
The Eagles welcome eight newcomers to the roster.
The top-six teams in the league standings will qualify for the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's). The event will be held February 23, 25, and 27, with all games hosted by the higher-seeded team. The winner of the tournament will receive the league's NCAA Division III automatic bid.
UWL opens its 2026-27 season at the NBC Tip-Off Classic at UW-Superior on Friday, November 6 facing Saint John's University (Minn.). The Eagles' home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24 hosting The College of St. Scholastica (Minn.).
