Rocky Mountain has the clearest endorsement in the Frontier Conference’s preseason race. The Battlin’ Bears received 10 of 12 first-place votes in the league’s 2026–27 men’s basketball coaches poll, released October 19.
The official Frontier announcement puts Rocky Mountain first with 119 points. Bellevue and Montana Tech tied for second with 100 apiece, and each received one first-place vote. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.
The Full Coaches Poll
- Rocky Mountain
- Bellevue (tie)
- Montana Tech (tie)
- Carroll
- MSU-Northern
- Dakota State
- Montana Western
- Dickinson State
- Mayville State
- Valley City State
- Providence
- Bismarck State
Carroll’s 93 points and MSU-Northern’s 85 rounded out the top five. Dakota State followed with 76, ahead of Montana Western’s 58 and Dickinson State’s 51. Mayville State received 43, Valley City State 32, Providence 20 and Bismarck State 15.
A Favorite With a Championship Standard
Rocky Mountain’s position follows a 31–4 season, a sweep of the Frontier’s regular-season and tournament championships and a trip to the NAIA quarterfinals. Bellevue, Montana Tech and Carroll also reached the national tournament.
The poll sets up two useful questions for the conference race: Can Rocky Mountain maintain that standard, and which of the two second-place teams can create separation? The voting does not distinguish Bellevue from Montana Tech, making their results against the favorite especially worth watching.
With 22 conference games, the preseason order is only a starting point. Rocky Mountain carries the strongest expectations, but the next tier has an entire league schedule to challenge that judgment.
