Miles' men's and women's basketball teams were feted by the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as part of the preseason ramp-up to the 2025-26 basketball campaigns for both squads.

The Lady Bears, who are the reigning back-to-back champions of the SIAC, were chosen to win the West Division and be in the mix for another conference title. One of the players who will lead the charge for Miles is Makayla Rieves, who was named to the Preseason All-SIAC Third Team. Rieves, a 6-foot senior from Columbus, Miss., averaged 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists last season in 29 games. She is the top returner in each of those categories for Miles and really came on down the stretch, with four double-digit scoring outputs in a five-game stretch, culminating with a 10-point, 12-rebound outing against Savannah State in the opening round of the SIAC Tournament.

The Golden Bears, who have won a share of the last six West Division titles, were again selected to win the West this season. The lone returner from last season's squad is senior Najashi Tolefree, who was selected to the Preseason All-SIAC Third Team. The forward from Milwaukee averaged 9.1 points on 51 percent shooting along with 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 27 games. He scored in double figures in 14 of those contests, including a stretch where he had at least 10 points in 11 of 13 games. His best performance came in the regular-season finale against Kentucky State, where he scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

The preseason All-Conference teams and the predicted order of finish were done by selection of the league's coaches.