The 2025–26 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by seventh-year head coach Brian Barone, play their home games at the First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). They finished the regular season 19–13, 12–8 in OVC play to finish in fifth place. They lost to Eastern Illinois in the first round of the OVC tournament.
Previous season The Cougars finished the 2024–25 season 22–12, 13–7 in OVC play to finish in second place. They defeated Tennessee State and Southeast Missouri State to win the OVC tournament tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No, 16 seed in the Midwest region, the school's first-ever trip to the tournament. There they lost to Houston in the first round.
Preseason Seven players, including two medical redshirts, returned from the 2024–25 squad. They were joined by three freshmen, a junior college transfer, three transfers from other Division I programs, and a graduate student from a non-Division I school.
In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, SIUE was picked to finish third in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference.
2025–26 OVC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll Little Rock (12 first-place) - 188 points Southeast Missouri (6) - 177 SIUE (1) - 163 Tennessee State (1) - 135 Lindenwood - 100 Morehead State - 100 Tennessee Tech - 80 UT Martin - 79 Southern Indiana (2) - 67 Eastern Illinois - 63 Western Illinois - 57
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!colspan=9 style=""| Exhibition Season
!colspan=9 style=""| Non-Conference Season
!colspan=9 style=""| Conference Season
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