Illinois Springfield was picked fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) men's basketball preseason coaches' poll, released by the conference office Friday. The Prairie Stars received 144 points after reaching the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed last season.

Head coach Matt Brock enters his eighth season at the helm following a 17-12 overall record and a 13-7 mark in conference play in 2025-26. The Prairie Stars return GLVC All-Freshman selection Alex Stell and will look to build on last year's postseason appearance as they pursue another step forward in the conference standings.

McKendree was selected as the preseason favorite with 190 points and nine first-place votes. William Jewell followed closely with 186 points and six first-place votes. Upper Iowa placed third with 146 points, just ahead of Illinois Springfield in fourth.

The Prairie Stars will get an early test with an exhibition matchup at Iowa on Oct. 27 before officially opening the 2026-27 season at home against Millikin on Nov. 9.

The complete preseason poll can be found at glvcsports.com