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.<\/p>\n
The Cougars came within one made shot (and one avoided late-game collapse) of winning the program\u2019s first national title last season. Despite that disappointment, they aren\u2019t going anywhere in 2025-26.<\/p>\n
Kelvin Sampson brings back three starters from that squad \u2014 Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler \u2014 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 \u201cmonster\u201d defense, but expect Sampson\u2019s team to be even more capable on offense this coming season.<\/p>\n
Expect \u201croster retention\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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, with Smith being the almost certain consensus preseason National Player of the Year.<\/p>\n
2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: National Champions<\/p>\n The reigning national champions absolutely have the pieces to take the title of \u201cmost recent back-to-back champ\u201d away from UConn and back to Gainesville after an extremely short time away.<\/p>\n The transfer portal backcourt of Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee will receive a ton of preseason attention, but it\u2019s the frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu that figures to be the real strength of this squad.<\/p>\n SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – APRIL 07: Head coach Todd Golden of the Florida Gators celebrates after defeating the Houston Cougars in the National Championship of the NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on April 07, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n 4. Texas Tech Red Raiders<\/strong><\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Elite Eight<\/p>\n Perhaps no team in the country benefitted more from a \u201cstay or go\u201d 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\u2019s no reason for Red Raider fans to not be dreaming the biggest of dreams right now.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Second Round<\/p>\n Expect last season\u2019s \u201cdown year\u201d to be a one-off for Dan Hurley and company.<\/p>\n Solo Ball is poised to become a star, and he\u2019ll 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\u2019s no reason for UConn not to be right back in the national title conversation for the third time in four years.<\/p>\n 6. St. John\u2019s Red Storm<\/strong><\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Second Round<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Hall of Fame head coach to figure out how all the pieces fit.<\/p>\n Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; St. John\u2019s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) dunks against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Billy Richmond III (24) and guard Johnell Davis (1) during the second half of a second round men\u2019s NCAA Tournament game at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll 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).<\/p>\n Without question, BYU is going to be one of the more fascinating teams to watch this winter.<\/p>\n They return four key contributors from a Sweet 16 squad \u2014 Richie Saunders, Dawson Baker, Keba Keita and Mihailo Boskovic \u2014 they bring in one of the best players from the transfer portal in Baylor point guard Robert Wright, and oh yeah, they\u2019ll also have a projected top 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft in superstar freshman AJ Dybantsa.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s squad is stacked.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: First Round<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll pair in the backcourt with five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., the top-ranked floor general in the class of 2025.<\/p>\n Kelsey returns starting forward J\u2019vonne Hadley as well as fellow forward Kasean Pryor, who was poised to be one of the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s leading scorer at 16.2 ppg, returning to the fold, Mark Pope can also boast a little bit of culture continuity as well.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s ready to be one of those faces poised to headline the sport as it makes the leap into this brave new era.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Final Four<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Duke, they\u2019re going to be fine.<\/p>\n Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba all return ready to make larger impacts in 2025-26. They\u2019ll join forces with a top-rated recruiting class headlines by five-star freshman Cameron Boozer.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Second Round<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 23-win squad. If Dent\u2019s game can translate efficiently into Mick Cronin\u2019s system, there shouldn\u2019t be a team in the Big Ten that this squad won\u2019t be able to play with.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: First Round<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND – MARCH 20: KJ Adams Jr. #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks celebrates after a dunk by Flory Bidunga #40 during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 20, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n 14. Illinois Fighting Illini<\/strong><\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Second Round<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll bring Zvonimir Ivisic off the bench as well for good measure.<\/p>\n Defense is a question mark for this group, but there\u2019s little question that they\u2019ll be one of the most entertaining groups in college basketball all winter long.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Elite Eight<\/p>\n 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\u2019Kobi Gillespie and incoming five-star freshman Nate Ament.<\/p>\n Key contributors Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka, Motiejus Krivas and Anthony Dell\u2019Orso 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 26: Head coach John Calipari of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks on while his team practice during a practice session ahead of the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men\u2019s Basketball Tournament at Chase Center on March 26, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Elite Eight<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Second Round<\/p>\n Iowa State fizzled out a bit down the stretch, but they still return three of their top five scorers \u2014 Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey \u2014 from a team that earned a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance. T.J. Otzelberger\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: Second Round<\/p>\n Graham Ike and Braden Huff returning are reason enough to believe that Mark Few won\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 21. North Carolina Tar Heels<\/strong><\/p>\n 2024-25 Finish<\/strong>: First Round<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n BROOKLYN, NY – MARCH 28: McDonalds High School All American Caleb Wilson (8) poses during a photo shoot at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge on March 28, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Brian Spurlock\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"SAN](\"https:\/\/platform.sbnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/gettyimages-2209104885.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.0049144879103622,0,99.990171024179,100\")
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