Men’s College Basketball Rankings: Illinois, Duke Highlight Way-Too-Early Top 25

The confetti has barely settled on the Michigan Wolverines’ 2026 national championship — they topped UConn, 69-63, in a thrilling Men’s NCAA Tournament title game Monday night — but it’s never too early to look ahead. Can’t help it… Both the Wolverines and the Huskies should come back strong next season, regardless of exactly how many players return or opt for the NBA Draft. They’re both toward the top of my extra-early list — but not No. 1. Which players are expected to return, and who might be headed for the NBA or the transfer portal? Let’s get into it. Here’s my way-too-early men’s college basketball rankings for next season: VCU closed out the 2025-26 season with a bang, winning 15 of its last 16 games and notching a memorable upset win over North Carolina in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Losing Terrence Hill Jr. to the transfer portal hurts, but there are plenty of veterans returning to Phil Martelli Jr.’s team, which should make this group among the favorites in the A-10. What’s next for Texas Tech’s dynamic duo of Christian Anderson and JT Toppin? Both received All-American honors this past season, marking the first time the Red Raiders have had a pair of All-Americans in the same season. Both have massive decisions surrounding the upcoming NBA Draft. What they ultimately decide to do will dictate where Grant McCasland’s team ranks as we get closer to next season. Sean Miller’s team was one of the surprise stories of this year’s NCAA Tournament. As a No. 11 seed, Texas upset BYU and Gonzaga before falling to Purdue in the Sweet 16. The Longhorns will welcome the No. 12-ranked recruiting class in the nation. Florida has four players that could depart early for the 2026 NBA Draft, which is what makes this such a difficult exercise. Thomas Haugh is a projected first-round pick and is expected to leave for the pros, but will Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and Rueben Chinyelu follow? There aren’t many teams that will have to replace more talent next year than Purdue. Gone are Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kauffman-Renn, who contributed more than 52% of the team’s scoring this past season. C.J. Cox and Omer Mayer will be looked at to take a big step forward for Matt Painter’s team. Freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa will likely be a top-3 pick in this spring’s NBA Draft, while both Richie Saunders and Keba Keita were honored at this year’s senior night. It will be interesting to see if Robert Wright returns to BYU next season, and if so, how he will gel with an incoming freshman class that ranks No. 16 in the country. John Blackwell sent shock waves through the college basketball world Monday morning when he announced his intention to enter the transfer portal while going through the NBA Draft process. Nolan Winter will have a chance to be a star for Greg Gard’s program next season. Vanderbilt’s roster was built around a group of seniors, outside of standout guard Tyler Tanner. Will he forgo the NBA Draft and return to school for his junior season? If so, Mark Byington will have one of the top guards in the country leading the show next time around. Fresh off the most successful year in program history, can Fred Hoiberg build on the success his team had this past season? Pryce Sandfort, who earned All-Big Ten honors, is expected to return next season for Nebraska and should be one of the top players in the conference. Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp are set to graduate, while Chris Cenac and Kingston Flemings are both expected to be first-round NBA Draft picks. That means a bigger role for forward Joseph Tugler. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson will also bring in the top-ranked center prospect in the nation in 7-foot-1 big man Arafan Diane. The Tar Heels will usher in a new era in Chapel Hill with former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone being named the school’s next head coach. Malone hasn’t coached in college since he was an assistant at Manhattan back in 2001. He will be tasked with keeping the team’s 2026 recruiting class intact, which includes a pair of blue-chip prospects in point guard Dylan Mingo and small forward Maximo Adams. With freshman phenom Darryn Peterson likely off to the NBA and forward Flory Bidinga announcing he will test the NBA waters or potentially transfer elsewhere, this will be a new-look team for Bill Self. Don’t be surprised to see the Jayhawks make a big splash or two in the portal this offseason. The Cavaliers are one of the few teams in college basketball that can say this: They are set to return their leading scorer and rebounder next season. Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-9 forward from Belgium, enjoyed a breakout freshman campaign and should be one of the top interior players in the sport next season. Rick Barnes’ team enjoyed a memorable run to the Elite Eight this season, but it will be tasked with replacing standout guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and likely Nate Ament, who is projected to be a first-round pick. Look for veteran forward J.P. Estrella to take a big step next season. Rick Pitino made it clear that it will be near impossible to replace a player like Zuby Ejiofor, who defined everything this program is about. The Red Strom will also have to replace Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell in the front court, but look for Pitino to go to the portal and fill those voids this offseason. Ian Jackson will need to take another step next season if this group is going to compete for a Final Four next year. Losing Darius Acuff Jr.and Meleek Thomas is a bummer, but Arkansas fans don’t need to worry. D.J. Wagner, Karter Knox, and Billy Richmond III return, and coach John Calipari has added the No. 2-ranked player in the nation in guard Jordan Smith Jr. In T.J. Otzelberger we trust! Iowa State lost hometown leaders Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson, but the return of Milan Momcilovic and Killyan Toure is a great place to start. The Cyclones also are bringing in a top-20 recruiting class with four freshmen. The Zags move to the new Pac-12, and they bring big man Braden Huff back for a senior season. The backcourt combo of Braeden Smith and Mario Saint-Supéry need to take a big step forward. It might be disrespectful to have UConn this low on any ranking, but the Huskies will be losing Alex Karaban — aka “Captain America” — Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins. If Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. stick around, UConn’s backcourt should be solid, and center Eric Reibe is ready for his close-up. Alabama coach Nate Oats got a contract extension over the weekend. Even though he’ll lose Lebaron Philon Jr., I expect Amari Allen to return and be poised for a great season. Aden Holloway, Aiden Sherrell and a top-10 recruiting class have me excited about the Crimson Tide. A core group of returnees led by Ivan Kharchenkov and Mo Krivas is enough to justify a top-5 ranking here for Arizona. Dwayne Aristode is expected to break out and five-star shooting guard prospect Caleb Holt is legit. A couple of transfers are needed, but I trust coach Tommy Lloyd to have another stellar group. Tom Izzo’s top initiative this offseason will be to retain All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., as well as fellow backcourt mate Jordan Scott and forward Coen Carr. The combination of those three players and a top-5 recruiting class should have Michigan State in position to compete for a Big Ten title next season. Assuming that either Aday Mara or Morez Johnson Jr. return, I think Michigan is a top-3 team. If both head to the NBA, then incoming five-star Brandon McCoy must deliver immediately. The backcourt of Elliot Cadeau, L.J. Cason, and Trey McKinney will be excellent. Duke coach Jon Scheyer is bringing in another top recruiting class, highlighted by Cameron Williams and Bryson Howard, to go along with returnees Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster and Dame Sarr. Yes, Illinois will lose Keaton Wagler, but if David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic and Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic return, this is going to be one of the best and most experienced teams in the land.