Men's college basketball rankings: Breaking down the top 25 teams after NBA Draft declaration deadline

04/06/2025 14:00

Here's our early top 25 rankings for the upcoming men's college basketball season.

After two months of portal madness and dozens of stay-or-go NBA Draft decisions, we finally have a pretty clear picture of what most rosters are going to look like for the 2025-26 men's college basketball season.

With that in mind, let's update some early rankings.

1. Houston Cougars

2024-25 Record: 36-4

2024-25 Finish: National Runners-Up

There are three, maybe four, teams I think you can make a legitimate case for being in this spot. I am a strong Houston lean.

The Cougars came within one made shot (and one avoided late-game collapse) of winning the program's first national title last season. Despite that disappointment, they aren't going anywhere in 2025-26.

Kelvin Sampson brings back three starters from that squad — Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler — and has a loaded incoming recruiting class highlighted by five-star freshman Chris Cenac Jr. The Cougars will still be terrorizing the Big 12 with their "monster" defense, but expect Sampson's team to be even more capable on offense this coming season.

2. Purdue Boilermakers

2024-25 Record: 24-12

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

Expect "roster retention" to become one of the biggest buzz phrases in this new era of college basketball. No one did it better this offseason than Matt Painter, who returns five of his top six scorers from a second weekend team.

Braden Smith (15.8 ppg/8.7 apg), Trey Kaufman-Renn (20.1 ppg) and Fletcher Loyer (13.8 ppg) are the most proven returning trio in the sport.

3. Florida Gators

2024-25 Record: 36-4

2024-25 Finish: National Champions

The reigning national champions absolutely have the pieces to take the title of "most recent back-to-back champ" away from UConn and back to Gainesville after an extremely short time away.

The transfer portal backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee will receive a ton of preseason attention, but it's the frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu that figures to be the real strength of this squad.

4. Texas Tech Red Raiders

2024-25 Record: 28-9

2024-25 Finish: Elite Eight

Perhaps no team in the country benefitted more from a "stay or go" decision this spring than Texas Tech, which will return All-American JT Toppin for one more season. Grant McCasland also returns double figure scorer Christian Anderson, who seems poised for a breakout sophomore season. Toss in a highly-touted transfer portal class headlined by Washington State import JeJuan Watts, and there's no reason for Red Raider fans to not be dreaming the biggest of dreams right now.

5. St. John's Red Storm

2024-25 Record: 31-5

2024-25 Finish: Second Round

Rick Pitino loses Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis as well as fellow starters Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and Simeon Wilcher, but hits back at those losses with arguably the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country.

Big man Zuby Ejiofor returns to provide some culture continuity, and will join forces with Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins and Cincinnati transfer Dillon Mitchell to create arguably the formidable frontcourt in the country. There are some understandable questions about the backcourt, most notably North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson being brought in to run the point, but expect the Red Storm's Hall of Fame head coach to figure out how all the pieces fit.

6. UConn Huskies

2024-25 Record: 24-11

2024-25 Finish: Second Round

Expect last season's "down year" to be a one-off for Dan Hurley and company.

Solo Ball is poised to become a star, and he'll have Georgia transfer Silas Demary in the backcourt with him to help shoulder the load. Alex Karaban returning to school after flirting with the NBA Draft means there's no reason for UConn not to be right back in the national title conversation for the third time in four years.

7. BYU Cougars

2024-25 Record: 26-10

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

Without question, BYU is going to be one of the more fascinating teams to watch this winter.

They return four key contributors from a Sweet 16 squad — Richie Saunders, Dawson Baker, Keba Keita and Mihailo Boskovic — they bring in one of the best players from the transfer portal in Baylor point guard Robert Wright, and oh yeah, they'll also have a projected top 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft in superstar freshman AJ Dybantsa.

The rumors about how much this roster cost the powers that be in Provo are all over the place, but make no mistake about it, Kevin Young's squad is stacked.

8. Michigan Wolverines

2024-25 Record: 27-10

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

Dusty May set the bar pretty high for himself after a debut season that saw Michigan win 27 games, a Big Ten Tournament championship and two games in the NCAA Tournament. He'll look to clear that bar in year two with a roster that includes three key returnees (Roddy Gayle Jr., Nimari Burnett and L.J. Cason) and an absolutely loaded group of imports headlined by Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson (Illinois) and Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina).

9. Louisville Cardinals

2024-25 Record: 27-8

2024-25 Finish: First Round

Pat Kelsey lost the three leading scorers from his overachieving first Cardinal squad, but instantly replaced them with three of the best players in the transfer portal in Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Isaac McKneely (Virginia) and Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State). Those three also happen to be three of the best shooters in the country, a notable trait for a team that took the third most shots from beyond the arc of any team in the sport last season. They'll pair in the backcourt with five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., the top-ranked floor general in the class of 2025.

Kelsey returns starting forward J'vonne Hadley as well as fellow forward Kasean Pryor, who was poised to be one of the team's top performers before tearing his ACL in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis. There are some questions on the inside, especially after the surprise defection of starting center James Scott as well as the surprise declaration by the NCAA that big man Aly Khalifa is, for the time being, ineligible to play in 2025-26.

10. Kentucky Wildcats

2024-25 Record: 24-12

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

Kentucky is loaded with size, athleticism and quickness thanks to the portal additions of Jayden Quainance (Arizona State), Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Kam Williams (Tulane) and Denzel Aberdeen (Florida). With Otega Oweh, last season's leading scorer at 16.2 ppg, returning to the fold, Mark Pope can also boast a little bit of culture continuity as well.

While the parts here all sparkle, there are legitimate questions about how some will fit with the system Pope has run effectively at Utah Valley, BYU and now Kentucky. If he can take all those pieces and turn them into a legitimate national title contender, Pope will make a large statement that he's ready to be one of those faces poised to headline the sport as it makes the leap into this brave new era.

11. Auburn Tigers

2024-25 Record: 32-6

2024-25 Finish: Final Four

Yes, the core of last season's Final Four team is either graduated or in the transfer portal, but Auburn is going to be just fine in 2025-26. Tahaad Pettiford is poised to become one of the biggest stars in the sport, and should be appointment viewing every time he steps on the court. The world will also get a chance to find out just how good UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall is.

12. Duke Blue Devils

2024-25 Record: 35-4

2024-25 Finish: Final Four

Jon Scheyer loses his entire starting five from a team seemed poised to be remembered as one of the best college basketball squads in recent memory before its Final Four collapse against Houston, but it's Duke, they're going to be fine.

Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba all return ready to make larger impacts in 2025-26. They'll join forces with a top-rated recruiting class headlines by five-star freshman Cameron Boozer.

13. UCLA Bruins

2024-25 Record: 23-11

2024-25 Finish: Second Round

Top transfers Donovan Dent (New Mexico) and Xavier Booker (Michigan State) join up with a returning core that features nearly every impactful player from last season's 23-win squad. If Dent's game can translate efficiently into Mick Cronin's system, there shouldn't be a team in the Big Ten that this squad won't be able to play with.

14. Kansas Jayhawks

2024-25 Record: 21-13

2024-25 Finish: First Round

Perhaps starting the year off in the middle of a top 25 will be good for Bill Self, who has fielded two his worst teams in back-to-back seasons after starting each of those years ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP top 25 poll.

Big man Flory Bidunga returning to Lawrence was huge. He should create one of the top inside-outside combos in the sport with five-star freshman Darryn Peterson.

15. Illinois Fighting Illini

2024-25 Record: 22-13

2024-25 Finish: Second Round

No one is recruiting Europe right now like Brad Underwood, whose projected starting five of Mihailo Petrovic, Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisicterrify and...Kylan Boswell ... should terrify play-by-play announcers all winter long. He'll bring Zvonimir Ivisic off the bench as well for good measure.

Defense is a question mark for this group, but there's little question that they'll be one of the most entertaining groups in college basketball all winter long.

16. Tennessee Volunteers

2024-25 Record: 30-8

2024-25 Finish: Elite Eight

Still in search of that ever-elusive first trip to the Final Four, Tennessee should have a shot to be back in that conversation again next season thanks in large part to the additions of Maryland transfer Ja'Kobi Gillespie and incoming five-star freshman Nate Ament.

17. Arkansas Razorbacks

2024-25 Record: 22-14

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

DJ Wagner, Karter Knox, Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III all return from an Arkansas team that got hot late and became the only double-digit seed to crash the Sweet 16. The additions of Florida State transfer Malique Ewin, South Carolina transfer Nick Pringle and five-star freshmen Darius Acuff Jr. will once again give John Calipari plenty of weapons at his disposal.

18. Ole Miss Rebels

2024-25 Record: 24-12

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

Seeing the departure list of Matthew Murrell, Jaemyn Brakefield, Sean Pedulla, JuJu Murry, Davon Barnes, Mikeal Brown-Jones and Dre Davis is jarring, but I feel like I'm the only one reasonably high on the roster that Chris Beard has put together for this season. He's got plenty of capable backcourt options, and he's earned the right to be trusted when it comes to finding the right combination.

19. Michigan State Spartans

2024-25 Record: 30-7

2024-25 Finish: Elite Eight

Tom Izzo seems to be at his best when he comes into a season flying a bit below the radar. That's probably not going to be the case in 2025-26.

The Spartans return Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler, Jeremy Fears and Carson Cooper from a regional finalist squad, and add in a couple of nice transfers in Trey Fort (Samford) and Kaleb Glenn (FAU). Expect this team to challenge for the title of best defensive squad in the sport next season.

20. Iowa State Cyclones

2024-25 Record: 25-10

2024-25 Finish: Second Round

Iowa State fizzled out a bit down the stretch, but they still return three of their top five scorers — Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey — from a team that earned a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance. T.J. Otzelberger's squads have always been among the best in the country on defense, and having that core return for another season should all but guarantee that this is the case again in 2025-26.

21. Arizona Wildcats

2024-25 Record: 24-13

2024-25 Finish: Sweet 16

Key contributors Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka, Motiejus Krivas and Anthony Dell'Orso all return from a second weekend team. With Carter Bryant staying in the NBA Draft, Tommy Lloyd will likely rely heavily on a pair of five-star freshmen (Brayden Burries and Koa Peat) to take the Wildcats even farther next March.

22. Alabama Crimson Tide

2024-25 Record: 28-9

2024-25 Finish: Elite Eight

Nate Oats has once again been busy in the portal, landing Jalil Bethea (Miami), Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State) and Patriot League Player of the Year Noah Williamson (Bucknell), among others. Labaron Philon making the surprising decision to pull his name out of the draft and return to Tuscaloosa was a huge jolt of life for the Tide.

23. North Carolina Tar Heels

2024-25 Record: 23-14

2024-25 Finish: First Round

It certainly feels like a make or break season for Hubert Davis in Chapel Hill. The good news is that he has the players needed to restore the fan base's faith in his ability to consistently position UNC as a national title threat. Seth Trimble returning is huge, as are the additions of Kyan Evans from Colorado State, Henri Veesar from Arizona, and five-star freshman Caleb Wilson.

24. Gonzaga Bulldogs

2024-25 Record: 26-9

2024-25 Finish: Second Round

Graham Ike and Braden Huff returning are reason enough to believe that Mark Few won't let the Zags slip from being top 25 good in 2025-26. There are plenty of questions about the backcourt as it currently stands, but Few almost always figures these sort of things out.

25. NC State Wolfpack

2024-25 Record: 12-19

2024-25 Finish: No Postseason

With the roster that Will Wade has assembled for his first season, there's no reason for NC State to not go from missing the ACC Tournament in 2025 to safely making the NCAA Tournament in 2026.

Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams was one of the best players in last year's Big Dance, and he'll be joined by a loaded portal class that also features Tre Holloman (Michigan State), Terrance Arceneaux (Houston), Jerry Deng (Florida State) and Ven-Allen Lubin (North Carolina).

The Next 10:

26. Creighton Bluejays
27. Oregon Ducks
28. Vanderbilt Commodores
29. Ohio State Buckeyes
30. Virginia Cavaliers
31. Indiana Hoosiers
32. Missouri Tigers
33. USC Trojans
34. Texas Longhorns
35. Baylor Bears