Too-Early Men’s College Basketball Top 25 for 2025-2026

The 2024-25 college basketball season is firmly in the rearview mirror, and now the focus has shifted onto the transfer portal as well as incoming recruits. Roster construction is constantly changing right now due to the flurry of moves that seemingly happen every day. However, a lot of the top transfers have found a new home and things are taking shape for the 2025-26 season.

That means we can now debut our first iteration of the FTN way-too-early-top-25-rankings. This is subject to change, and we will update periodically throughout the offseason. Despite Jon Rothstein’s proclamation of “We sleep in May,” we never truly sleep in the college sports world. 

I present to you way-too-early top 25 rankings for 2025-26.

2025-2026 Early College Basketball Top 25

No. 1: Houston Cougars

Coach Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars are coming off an incredible season where they made it to the national championship game. That title window isn’t closing anytime soon for this team though, and they’re easily my favorite team coming into next season. They have a strong mix of veteran experience infused with high-end freshmen talent. Milos Uzan has declared for the NBA Draft, but I’m not convinced he is done with college basketball just yet. His return along with JoJo Tugler and Emanuel Sharp would be enough to make them a top-five squad, but they’ve also added three-level scorer Pop Pop Isaacs from Creighton. Additionally, a trio of top-20 recruits are on their way in Chris Cenac Jr., Kingston Flemings and Isiah Harwell. Don’t be surprised if this program is cutting down the nets next April.

No. 2: Texas Tech Red Raiders

I’m higher on the Red Raiders than probably anyone else in the industry besides their actual fanbase. Grant McCasland’s squad was on the cusp of a Final Four appearance, and they’ve proven they’ll do whatever it takes to get back to that position. Star JT Toppin is putting the NBA on hold and will be back after a very generous NIL offer was sent his way. Rising star Christian Anderson will be on every breakout list on the internet and you simply can’t overlook the tournament experience he got as a freshman. Darrion Williams declared while also entering the portal but there is a very real possibility of getting him back. They’ve been one of the more active teams in the portal with LeJuan Watts (WSU), Donovan Atwell (UNCG) and Tyeree Bryan (Santa Clara) committing recently. They’re rumored to be in on several other high-profile players as well.

No. 3: BYU Cougars

The administration and leaders of BYU have made it clear they’re placing a high priority on the basketball program. Hiring Kevin Young as head coach last year was key and he runs a system that will continue to attract high level talent. There is plenty of excitement around BYU as they landed the highest-rated recruit in program history, AJ Dybansta (No. 1 in ESPN 100). Baylor transfer Rob Wright was brought in to play point guard while March hero Richie Saunders will be returning for one more ride. Keba Keita, Dawson Baker and Mihailo Boskovic are back as well, which makes this team one of the more formidable groups in the country.

No. 4: Purdue Boilermakers

Continuity is key in the current era of college basketball, and few teams in the sport will have better chemistry than the Boilermakers. The duo of Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn will give opposing coaches nightmares all season long. The supporting cast includes Fletcher Loyer, CJ Cox and Daniel Jacobsen. The notable addition of South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff pushes this team into the upper echelon of college basketball.

No. 5: Louisville Cardinals

The Kenny Payne era seems like a bad dream at this point, as head coach Pat Kelsey has the Cardinals thinking about the Final Four next year. They’ve been the clear winner of the portal so far with Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State), Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Isaac McKneely (Virginia) joining the team along with top-10 recruit Mikel Brown Jr. They also check the right boxes with continuity as Kasean Pryor, J’Vonne Hadley, James Scott and Aly Khalif are all back.

No. 6: Duke Blue Devils

The expectation is that Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach are off to the NBA, and Sion James is out of eligibility. The status of Tyrese Proctor and Isaiah Evans are up in the air, but it would be a surprise if they didn’t return. Coach Jon Scheyer has been an amazing recruiter since taking over for Coach K, and they’re bringing in a top-three freshmen class. The Boozer Twins, Shelton Henderson and Nikolas Khamenia are big time prospects. Sophomore Patrick Ngongba could be primed for a breakout at the center position as well.

No. 7: Michigan Wolverines

Dusty May has been aggressive in the portal, adding brand-favorite Morez Johnson (Illinois), Aday Mara (UCLA), Elliott Cadeau (North Carolina) and Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB). They have a top-10 recruiting class featuring Trey McKenney and Winters Grady. I will say that Michigan admissions are notoriously difficult, and they’ve lost recruits like Terrence Shannon and Caleb Love because of it before. If they do in fact keep this transfer class intact and LJ Cason makes a leap in his second season, they’re going to be a dangerous team.

No. 8: UConn Huskies

The Huskies were unable to 3-peat, but they’re still a program that the rest of the college basketball world should fear. Solo Ball, Alex Karaban, Jaylin Stewart and Tarris Reed form a solid nucleus of returners which will be joined by a top-five recruiting class. Silas Demary (Georgia) and Malachi Smith (Dayton) will give Dan Hurley’s squad a level of guard play that was missing from last season.

No. 9: St. John’s Red Storm

The most glaring weakness for Rick Pitino’s Johnnie’s was 3-point shooting last year, and it was especially prevalent in their second-round loss to Arkansas. They went out and immediately addressed this problem by adding sharpshooters Joson Sanon (ASU) and Oziyah Sellers (Stanford). They’re heavily in the mix for Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and Ian Jackson (North Carolina) as well. Bryce Hopkins was brought in from Providence and if he can be healthy for a full season this is a championship caliber team. Zuby Ejiofor is back at center and is a legitimate Wooden Award contender now that the team has shooters around him.

No. 10: Auburn Tigers

The media has proclaimed that Bruce Pearl and the Tigers may have missed their window at a title now that Johni Broome is out of eligibility, but sleeping on this team would be a massive mistake. Tahaad Pettiford is going to be a superstar in his sophomore season and polarizing figure Chad Baker will also be back due to the new rule that gives former JUCO players an extra year of eligibility. They’ve been a big winner in the portal thus far, adding Keyshawn Hall (UCF), Abdul Bashir (JUCO star) and KeyShawn Murphy (Miss State). Pearl and the Tigers will be in the championship picture once again.

No. 11: Arkansas Razorbacks

John Calipari’s Hogs made some noise in the tournament and had a major infusion of talent coming into the program. Top-10 recruits Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas will be on the court immediately while transfers Malique Ewin (FSU) and Nick Pringle (SC) solidify things on the interior. DJ Wagner, Karter Knox, Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond are all back which gives Coach Cal a ridiculously intriguing rotation. There is some chatter about Adou Theiro possibly returning but he is currently testing the draft waters right now. If Theiro returns, this team bumps into the top-five range for me.

No. 12: Kentucky Wildcats

Mark Pope did an impressive job revamping the entire in his first year, and he has somehow outdone himself in year 2. Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh), Kam Williams (Tulane), Jayden Quaintance (ASU) and Mo Dioubate (Alabama) are marquee additions from the portal. Top-20 freshman Jasper Johnson is going to play a lot even if Otega Oweh decides to return from the draft. A potential backcourt of Lowe, Oweh and Johnson would be a great problem to have.

No. 13: Iowa State Cyclones

The hallmark of the Cyclones will be their defense, but they’ll need someone to step up on offense with Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert gone. Josh Jefferson should have a big season, and their chemistry will be strong with Nate Heise, Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey returning. Portal gets Blake Buchanan (Virginia), Eric Mulder (Fort Wayne) and Mason Williams (EWU) shore things up at multiple positions.

No. 14: Florida Gators

The defending national champions are losing the trio of Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard but will return plenty of firepower. Denzel Aberdeen could have started for just about any other program last year but was a key piece off the bench for the Gators and will be stepping into a starting gig that he will surely thrive in. Alex Condon is expected to test the NBA draft waters, but I’m certain he will return along with Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, Urban Klavzar, Sam Alexis and Micah Handlogten. There is a very good chance they land Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, and he would be the ideal guard to tie this roster together for another title run.

No. 15: Kansas Jayhawks

It’s easy to be down on the Jayhawks after two straight down years, but I actually like this team a lot more now that the Hunter Dickinson era is over. Flory Bidunga is going to be a star at the center position and incoming frosh Darryn Peterson is a tailor-made guard for Bill Self’s system. He is the No. 2 recruit in the upcoming class and is considered by many as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Tre White (Illinois) and Jayden Dawson (Loyola Chicago) are the portal additions that give this team much needed toughness.

No. 16: Alabama Crimson Tide

Head coach Nate Oats has a major overhaul on his hands as they lose nearly 80% of their roster due to the draft, transfers or players exhausting their collegiate eligibility. Aden Holloway and Aiden Sherrell are the most intriguing returners. Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette should be important pieces as well now that they’re healthy. Jalil Bethea (Miami), Taylor Bol Bowen (FSU) and Noah Williamson (Bucknell) are excellent fits from the portal.

No. 17: Arizona Wildcats

I may be too low on the Cats, but they’re definitely a team that I like overall for next season. Caleb Love and Trey Townsend are out of eligibility while Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis have transferred to other programs. Tobe Awaka, Motiejus Krivas, Anthony Dell’Orso and Jaden Bradley have all announced that they’ll be back, but we are still waiting on confirmation from Carter Bryant. That’s a solid nucleus on its own but they have a monster recruiting classing coming in that includes 5-stars Koa Peat and Brayden Burries. LeBron’s other son Bryce James is also part of this class which means Arizona will inevitably get even more attention.

No. 18: Texas Longhorns

Sean Miller is the new head coach at Texas, and it seems like too many in the industry are overlooking what he has done in terms of roster construction already. He was able to retain Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope and Chendall Weaver from last year’s team which was crucial. Meanwhile, they’ve had a lot of success through the portal with Dailyn Swain (Xavier), Lassina Traore (Xavier), Camden Heide (Purdue) and Matas Vokietaitis (FAU) joining the program. This is a much better roster than people realize.

No. 19: Oregon Ducks

Kwame Evans has announced he will return, and that’s a key returner for the Ducks overall. The duo of Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle are also expected back, which is a huge chunk of their production from last season. They’ve been relatively quiet in the portal but did nab Elon transfer TK Simpkins, a 16.4 PPG scorer that will fill the TJ Bamba role. They have plenty of moves to make but their potential starting five looks very good on paper.

No. 20: Michigan State

Tom Izzo added another masterful coaching performance to the resume taking a balanced Spartans team to the Elite Eight. They’re losing Jase Richardson, Frankie Fidler, Tre Holloman and Jaden Akins but are returning enough at various positions to be good once again. Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr, Carson Cooper and Jeremy Fears make up their core. The addition of FAU transfer Kaleb Glenn is sneaky good.

No. 21: Wisconsin Badgers

John Tonje enjoyed a monster season for Wisconsin, and the team actually played at a much faster pace than usual under coach Greg Gard. It would be wise to replicate that style once again, but they’ll have to do so without Tonje as he is out of eligibility. John Blackwell and Nolan Winter are back which is a great core on its own, but they’ve also plucked Andrew Rohde (Virginia), Austin Rapp (Portland) and Nick Boyd (SDSU) from the portal.

No. 22: UCLA Bruins

I actually think the Bruins are being overrated by the masses as they’re inside the top-10 on multiple top-25 rankings. They’ve done well for themselves by adding Donovan Dent (New Mexico), Steven Jamerson (San Diego) and Xavier Booker (MSU) to the roster. They’ll also get Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey, Trent Perry and Skyy Clark back for another run, which gives them a key ingredient that I keep harping about, continuity. 

No. 23: Baylor Bears

Baylor will be returning exactly zero players from last season. That would normally spell disaster, but they’ve done a fantastic job of rebuilding through the portal. Dan Skillings (Cincy), Caden Powell (Rice), Juslin Bodo Bodo (High Point), JJ White (Omaha), Obi Agbim (Wyoming) and Michael Rataj (Oregon State) is a fascinating group of players, but they’ll have to build chemistry throughout the summer. Top-25 recruit Tounde Yessoufou is equipped to give the team big minutes right away. They had a distinct lack of depth last year, especially in the frontcourt, but that clearly won’t be a problem going forward.

No. 24: Creighton Bluejays

It will be weird not seeing Ryan Kalkbrenner around anymore, but don’t feel too sorry for the Bluejays as they’ve restocked the shelves with some legitimate talent. Nik Graves (Charlotte), Owen Freeman (Iowa) and Josh Dix (Iowa) give Creighton offensive firepower to go along with returning flamethrower Jackson McAndrew. If Fedor Zugic can make a big jump in his sophomore season the upside for this team is into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

No. 25: Murray State Racers

Don’t believe what they say — mid-majors are not dead, and the Racers are going to be a team nobody wants to see in the tournament next March. New coach Ryan Miller was an assistant at Creighton and is considered by many to be one of the best talent evaluators in the nation. He brought Frederick King and Mason Miller with him from Creighton but has also added KJ Tenner (West Virginia), JJ Traynor (DePaul), Javon Jackson (UIC), Layne Taylor (Central Arkansas), Brock Vice (North Texas) and Ben Shtolzberg (UCSB) from the portal. Miller is building something in Kentucky.