CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team was selected to finish fourth in the 2025-26 Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced today (Oct. 21). Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) was selected to the Preseason All-MAC First Team, while redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAC Second Team. 

Ohio earned 108 points and earned one vote to win the 2026 MAC Tournament. 
 
Akron was selected to win the regular season and the tournament with 143 total points, 11 first-place votes and eight to win the tournament. Miami was selected second with 133 points and two first-place votes, while Kent State was picked third with 122 points. 
 
Behind the Bobcats was new MAC member UMass (98), Toledo (95), Bowling Green (73), Ball State (62), Eastern Michigan (52), Western Michigan (46), Buffalo (37), Central Michigan (31) and Northern Illinois (14). 
 
Paveletzke earns a spot on the Preseason All-MAC First Team after putting together a stellar first season in a Bobcat uniform. Paveletzke played and started all 32 games for Ohio during the regular season and averaged 13.8 points a game. Paveletzke shot 51.4 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three and 76.7 percent from the line. He averaged 4.1 rebounds and a team-high 4.7 assists per game. In MAC play, Paveletzke averaged 14.4 points a game and shot 57.3 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from three and 75.4 percent from the line. He also added 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game during the conference season. Paveletzke also earned a spot on the All-MAC Third Team after the season and was named to the MAC Blue Ribbon Forecast Preseason All-Conference team.
 
Simmons earns a spot on the Preseason Second Team as he gears up for his first season in the Green and White. Last season, Simmons started all 33 games for Toledo where he ranked third on team with 12.5 points per game and fifth in MAC with team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. He also topped MAC with 3.2 offensive rebounds per game and posted team-high 56.3 field goal percentage. Simmons averaged 13.4 points per game and a team-high 8.1 rebounds with 82.3 three throw percentage in MAC play. He scored in double digits in 22 contests, including the final seven games of season. He also scored a career-high 22 points twice last season and was named 2024-25 All-MAC Honorable Mention following the regular season. 

Ohio opens the 2025-26 season on Monday, Nov. 3 when the Bobcats host Arkansas State in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Season Tickets and Mini Plans are available here.

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