Tops picked to win CUSA; Moore, Boone earn preseason honors
Published 1:36 pm Thursday, October 8, 2026
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Western Kentucky’s Teagan Moore (30) drives to the basket during Western Kentucky’s 820-80 win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. (Caleb Lowndes / Daily News)
(Caleb Lowndes)
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Western Kentucky freshman guard Armelo Boone (12) shoots a layup around Tulsa sophomore forward Ian Smikle (35) in the Hilltoppers’ 82-81 loss to the Golden Hurricane at E. A. Diddle Arena on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
(Grace McDowell)
Western Kentucky was picked to win Conference USA in the league’s 2026-27 men’s basketball preseason poll, while returning redshirt junior guard Teagan Moore was named the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year.
Moore and sophomore guard Armelo Boone also earned spots on the All-CUSA Preseason Team.
This marks the fourth time WKU has been picked to win CUSA in the preseason poll since joining the league in 2014-15. The Hilltoppers previously topped the poll in three consecutive seasons: 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.
WKU received five first-place votes, followed by defending CUSA tournament champion Kennesaw State with three and defending regular-season champion Liberty with two. The Hilltoppers finished third in the league standings in 2025-26.
The 6-foot-6 redshirt junior Moore was named to the All-CUSA First Team and earned NABC All-District Second Team honors last season after averaging 18.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 27 games, including 25 starts. He shot 52.9% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range and 80.0% from the free-throw line. The Dry Ridge native ranked second in CUSA in scoring and third in field goal percentage.
Moore scored in double figures in 23 games and recorded 13 20-point performances. His 18.7 points per game marked WKU’s highest single-season scoring average since Courtney Lee averaged 20.4 in 2007-08. He also earned consecutive CUSA Player of the Week honors and closed the season with 27 points, seven rebounds and two assists against eventual tournament champion Kennesaw State in the CUSA Championship quarterfinals.
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This marks Moore’s second preseason player of the year honor, as Chris Dortch’s Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook also named him its CUSA Preseason Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore Boone was named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team last season after averaging 10.9 points, a team-high 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 29 games, including 11 starts. WKU’s fourth-leading scorer, Boone tied for the league lead with four CUSA Freshman of the Week honors.
Boone recorded three double-doubles, becoming the first WKU freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Charles Bassey in 2018-19. He scored a season-high 22 points in a win over Wichita State and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds in a victory at UTEP. Boone also became the first WKU freshman in program history to record four or more steals in his collegiate debut, accomplishing the feat in the season-opening win over Tennessee Tech.
WKU will officially open the 2026-27 season on Nov. 2 when the Hilltoppers host Morehead State at E.A. Diddle Arena. The opener follows a pair of exhibition contests, beginning Oct. 20 with the “Battle for Bowling Green” against Bowling Green State at Diddle Arena before WKU faces Indiana on Oct. 25 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
2026-27 CUSA Preseason Poll (First-Place Votes)
WKU (5)
Kennesaw State (3)
Liberty (2)
Sam Houston
MTSU
NM State
Jax State
Missouri State
FIU
Delaware
2026-27 CUSA Preseason Player of the Year
Teagan Moore, G, WKU
2026-27 All-CUSA Preseason Team
Tijan Saine Jr., G, FIU
Trey Simpson, F, Kennesaw State
Amir Taylor, F, Kennesaw State
Jahvin Carter, G, MTSU
Trey Williams Jr., G, Missouri State
DJ Dudley, G, NM State
Justin Begg, G, Sam Houston
Jacobe Coleman, G, Sam Houston
Armelo Boone, G, WKU
Teagan Moore, G, WKU
