The University Athletic Association (UAA) is gearing up for another exciting season of NCAA Division III men's basketball after sending four teams to the 2026 NCAA Tournament and watching Emory come within one basket of a national championship.
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The 2026-27 season brings new opportunities for returning stars, major roster changes for last year's top contenders and another competitive conference race. From Emory's unfinished business to the UAA's unusual history, here are five things to know before the season tips off.
1. Emory Was One Basket Away From A National Championship
Emory's 2025-26 season was one for the history books, just not quite the ending the Eagles wanted.
Head coach Jason Zimmerman guided Emory to a 27-4 record, a 12-2 conference finish and an appearance in the NCAA Division III national championship game. The Eagles ultimately fell to Mary Washington, 75-73, on a putback at the buzzer.
Now comes the challenge of replacing two major contributors.
Ben Pearce, the reigning UAA MVP and a 2026 Jostens Trophy recipient, and Jair Knight were both seniors last season. Their departures leave significant offensive production to replace.
Returning forward Ethan Fauss, along with AJ Harris and Mario Awasum, gives Zimmerman experienced pieces as Emory looks to make another run.
2. Chicago And WashU Aren't Going Anywhere
Emory won the conference, but Chicago wasn't far behind.
The Maroons finished 11-3 in UAA play and 24-5 overall, just one conference game behind the Eagles. Under longtime head coach Mike McGrath, Chicago established itself as one of Division III's strongest teams.
However, the departures of Shane Regan and Nick Roper, two of Chicago's leading scorers, create an interesting challenge entering 2026-27.
Meanwhile, WashU finished 8-6 in conference play and 20-8 overall. Head coach Pat Juckem will have some rebuilding to do after losing key contributors, including first-team All-UAA selection Connor May, who transferred to Yale ahead of the 2026-27 season.
With two national championships in program history, including back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009, WashU knows what it takes to compete at the highest level of Division III basketball.
3. The UAA Sent Four Teams To March Madness
The UAA isn't just competitive within its own conference. Its teams regularly make noise nationally.
Emory, Chicago, WashU, and NYU all earned spots in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.
Emory made it all the way to the national championship game, while Chicago reached the Sweet 16. WashU and NYU both advanced to the second round.
Earlier in the season, FloHoops highlighted the conference's national strength, with Emory ranked No. 3, Chicago No. 4 and WashU No. 8 in January.
That depth makes conference play particularly challenging. A team can put together an impressive overall record and still face a difficult path through the UAA schedule.
4. These Returning Players Could Make Some Noise
With several established stars departing, the next generation of University Athletic Association talent has an opportunity to step forward.
Here are a few names worth watching:
- Ethan Fauss, Emory: The 6-foot-9 senior forward returns after averaging 15.0 points last season and earning second-team All-UAA honors.
- Jordan Owusu, Rochester: The reigning UAA Rookie of the Year averaged 11.9 points during his freshman campaign.
- Mario Awasum, Emory: The 6-foot-6 junior forward is another returning piece from Emory's national runner-up squad.
- Luke Smith, Chicago: The 6-foot-9 senior forward returns to a Maroons team replacing several major contributors.
With several of last season's biggest names gone, returning contributors such as Fauss and Owusu have an opportunity to take on larger roles in the UAA championship race.
5. The UAA Is Unlike Most College Basketball Conferences
Most college athletic conferences are built around geography. The UAA took a different approach.
Founded in 1986, the conference brought together academically prominent research universities from major metropolitan areas across the country. Basketball competition began during the 1987-88 academic year.
Today, the conference features eight NCAA Division III institutions:
- Brandeis University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Emory University
- New York University
- University of Chicago
- University of Rochester
- Washington University in St. Louis
The league is sometimes nicknamed the "Egghead Eight," a nod to its members' academic reputations.
There are no membership changes entering 2026-27, meaning the same eight schools will battle for another UAA championship.
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