BILLINGS, Mont.- Under first-year head coach Danny Neville, the Battlin' Bears were picked to finish sixth in the Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. 

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.  The Frontier Conference has expanded to 12 full-time institutions this year.

First place is worth 11 points, second place is worth 10 points, third place is worth nine points, and so on to the last place with one point.

The Battlin' Bears earned 73 points to slot in sixth overall. Montana Tech, the defending Frontier Conference Champions, earned 11 first-place votes as the favorites entering the 2025-26 season. 

The Rocky Men finished the 2024-25 season with an overall record of 19-11, including a conference record of 7-8, placing fifth overall in the conference. After winning their first matchup in the tournament against Montana Western, Rocky's season ended in the Frontier Conference Semifinals against top-seeded Montana Tech. 

Despite 2025-26 being the first year of Coach Danny Neville's tenure, the Battlin' Bear roster returns multiple familiar faces. Leading the returners is 2024-25 Second Team All-Conference honoree Omari Nesbit in his senior season. A season ago, Nesbit increased his production as the season progressed, averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. He was Rocky's leading scorer during conference play, averaging 12.9 points per game, and started the final 22 games of the season. 

Other returning starters include redshirt sophomore Royce Robinson and senior Carter McCoy. McCoy led the conference in field goal percentage a season ago (56.6%) and ranked second in offensive rebounds per game (3.0), fifth in total rebounds per game (6.9), and sixth in steals per game (1.2). Robinson became a key piece on both sides of the ball, particularly late in the season for Rocky, scoring a season-high 24 points in Rocky's semifinal loss and scoring ten or more points in 10 of 17 of Rocky's matchups against conference opponents a season ago. 

Other returning contributors from a season ago include guards Mekhi Jourdan and Luca Brooks, and forwards Kade Erickson and Cameron Quinnell. A pair of redshirts from a season ago look to add to the production this season, including guard Drew Bowman, who appeared in three games last season, including a 21-point performance against Northwest Indian College, as well as Jacob Bilodeau, who missed the majority of the season due to injury but played in the final six regular-season games. 

Rocky's roster in 2025-26 also includes four transfers new to the program. Kyle Jones (Sauk Valley CC), Achilles Woodson (Skyline College), Micah Garrett (University of Minnesota-Crookston), and Sherman Royal III (Lower Columbia College). 

The Battlin' Bears tip off their season in less than two weeks, hosting Walla Walla University in the Fortin Education Center on Sunday, November 2nd. They will play two other non-conference matchups in the Taco Bell Shootout, hosted by the College of Idaho on November 7th & 8th. They will take on the 2024-25 National Champions, the College of Idaho, and Northwest University before beginning their conference schedule on November 14th against Carroll College.

Along with a pair of matchups against Rimrock Rivals MSU Billings, the Battlin' Bears will also play three non-conference games in the Cactus Classic in December, taking on Park University-Gilbert, Ottawa University-Arizona, and Hope International. Hope International qualified for the NAIA National Tournament a season ago with a 22-8 record, falling in the First Round to Morningside University. 

The full preseason poll can be found below. 
 

2025-26 Frontier Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank	School (First Place Votes)	Total Points
1	Montana Tech (11)	121
T2	Carroll (Mont.)	89
T2	Montana Western (1)	89
4	Providence (Mont.)	81
5	Dickinson State (N.D.)	75
6	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)	73
7	Bellevue (Neb.)	71
8	Mayville State (N.D.)	53
9	Dakota State (S.D.)	50
10	Montana State-Northern	39
11	Valley City State (N.D.)	34
12	Bismarck State (N.D.)	17