CANYON, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Men's Basketball open their 2026-27 campaign this weekend as they travel to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin to compete in the Midwest Tip-Off Challenge. They will take on RV Lincoln Memorial on Friday, October 30, Central Oklahoma on Saturday, October 31, and No. 17 Grand Valley State on Sunday, November 1. Friday and Saturday's games will tip-off at 3:45 p.m. while Sunday's game is set for 8:15 p.m.
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All three games will be streamed live on
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LSC Preseason Poll
The Buffaloes come into this season projected to finish seventh in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Preseason Poll.
2026-27 Preseason Poll
- DBU (841 points, 35 first place votes)
- Eastern New Mexico (751 points, six first place votes)
- Lubbock Christian (735 points, two first place votes)
- St. Edward's (670 points, one first place vote)
- Western New Mexico (657 points, four first place votes)
- St. Mary's (615 points)
- West Texas A&M (596 points, one first place vote)
- Angelo State (499 points, one first place vote)
- Texas A&M-Kingsville (439 points)
- UT Tyler (399 points, one first place vote)
- Oklahoma Christian (333 points)
- UT Dallas (316 points)
- UT Permian Basin (294 points)
- Midwestern State (260 points)
- Texas A&M International (200 points)
- Cameron (125 points)
- Sul Ross State (73 points)
The 2025-26 season saw West Texas A&M produce a 20-11 record with a 12-8 mark in the LSC as they finished seventh in the standings. WT reached the LSC Tournament where their season would end with an 84-73 loss to No. 11 Eastern New Mexico.
Head Coach
Tom Brown enters his 13th with the Buffaloes ahead of the 2026-27 season. Brown has guided WT to the NCAA Tournament in nine of the past 10 seasons while making the LSC Tournament every season. He reached the 300-win milestone at West Texas A&M last season after defeating Cameron and became the fastest coach in program history to do so.
Junior guard
Jailyn Sledge was named the Player to Watch for the Buffaloes. After making the LSC All-Freshman Team in 2025, Sledge produced another solid season in the Maroon & White last season. He averaged 7.8 points and team-highs of 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 stocks. The Amarillo, Texas product shot 47.5% from the field to go with two double-doubles.
Four other Buffs return from the 2025-26 squad including junior
TJ Brown, senior
James Parlow Jr., sophomore
Zach Brown, and senior
Kemper Jones. TJ made his knack on the defensive end as he appeared in 29 games. Parlow Jr. played in 26 games and averaged 10.0 points while shooting 50.3% from the field to go with 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals. Zach led the team in three-pointers made with 66 on a 40.0% clip. He scored 9.6 points per game as he would be named to the LSC All-Freshman Team. Jones appeared in 26 games as he averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds.
2026-27 will feature nine new players for West Texas A&M with three transfers and six freshman. For the transfers, local Amarillo product
KJ Thomas returns home after spending the previous two seasons at Texas El Paso. Thomas made 24 starts this past year with the Miners and averaged 5.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. The two other transfers are junior
Max George and sophomore
Ryder Cheesman who come from Baylor and Missouri State.
The six freshmen for the Buffs include
Kaden Hooker,
Sean Jimmy-Ducksworth,
Joel Robinson,
Ben Walton,
Austin Prosser, and
Logan Gibson.
Hammer Time
Jailyn Sledge enters his junior campaign ranked tied for 15th all-time in steals (95) and 11th in blocks (61) at West Texas A&M. His next steal will push him past Matt Madison (1999-2003) for sole possession of 15th where he will then be six steals away from passing Ron King (1995-97) for 14th. Sledge is three blocks from passing Carl White (2014-15, 16-17) for 10th all-time. The Amarillo, Texas product is on pace to crack into the top five in both categories.
Series History
Friday's game against Lincoln Memorial will be the third all-time meeting between the programs with WT leading the series 2-0. The teams last played in the Final Four in 2021 where
Zach Toussaint hit a buzzer beating three to send the Buffs to the National Championship game.
Saturday's game against Central Oklahoma will be game 51 between the Buffs and Bronchos with WT leading the series 28-22. West Texas A&M has won three straight games over UCO including last year's matchup in Canyon.
Big Second Half Propels the Buffs Past Central Oklahoma, 81-70- November 22, 2025
The first half opened with tight competition, as both teams exchanged leads early on. The Buffs found success from the free-throw line, converting eight of ten attempts, which helped them keep pace with Central Oklahoma.
James Parlow Jr. made a significant contribution with a defensive rebound and a steal, which led to scoring opportunities. Despite the efforts, the Bronchos managed to edge ahead by the end of the half, leading 36–34.
The Buffs took control early in the second half, building momentum with a series of successful plays that began with
Brock Mishak's free throws at 19:26 to tie the score.
Jailyn Sledge was instrumental during this stretch, securing a steal, a putback, and a fastbreak dunk to push the lead further. Parlow Jr. contributed significantly with a timely three-pointer at 17:32 and a layup at 5:49, extending the advantage.
Central Oklahoma struggled to keep pace as the Buffs' defense forced multiple turnovers, while
Fontaine Williams capitalized on free throws. Mishak sealed the half with a three-pointer at 2:56. The Buffs outscored UCO 47–34 in the second half, concluding the game with an 81–70 victory.
Mishak led the team with 18 points, connecting on 6 of 9 field goals and adding four rebounds. Parlow Jr. contributed 15 points while recording three steals and three rebounds. Williams scored 17 points and dished out four assists, converting 7 of 14 shots from the field.
Brendan Ballard was perfect from the free-throw line, making 6 of 6 attempts, and collected six rebounds.
Sunday's game against Grand Valley State will be the first ever meeting between the programs.
Scouting Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters will also be opening their season in Wisconsin Dells. LMU is coming off a 2025-26 season where they went 19-12 and finished fourth in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) behind a 14-8 mark. They would fall to Anderson in the SAC semifinals but still reached the NCAA Tournament. Their season would end in the first round following a loss to the eventual National Runner-Up in Lander. Lincoln Memorial comes into this season receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Poll.
The Railsplitters lost their four leading scorers from last season but return Armon Jarrard who averaged 8.3 points on 40.7% from the field and 31.6% from three. He also added 2.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 stocks.
Scouting Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos take on RV Northern Michigan on Friday before facing the Buffaloes on Saturday. The Bronchos are coming off a 2025-26 campaign where held a 17-16 record with a 9-10 mark in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). They would reach the playoffs after finish eighth in the standings. UCO took down Pittsburg State before falling to Washburn as their season ended. Central Oklahoma comes into this season projected to finish ninth in the MIAA Preseason Poll.
The Bronchos lost their two leading scorers in the offseason but return Jacobi Sebock who averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 stocks while shooting 53.8% from the field and 33.3% from three.
Scouting Grand Valley State
The Grand Valley State University Lakers will play Harding and RV Lincoln Memorial before facing WT on Sunday. GVSU is coming off 2025-26 season where they went 26-7 and placed third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings behind a 15-5 mark. The Lakers won the GLIAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they beat Ashland before falling to Michigan Tech. Grand Valley State were co-favorites to win the GLIAC in their Preseason Poll and were ranked No. 17 in the NABC Preseason Poll.
The Lakers lost their four leading scorers from last season but had Dylan Smith and Shamus Thompson as Preseason First Team All-GLIAC Honorees. Smith averaged 10 points on 54% shooting to go with 6.4 points at Davenport before transferring. Thompson tallied 5.2 points, a team-high 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 stocks while shooting 50.5% from the field.
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