Men’s College Basketball Rankings: Florida, Illinois Highlight Post-Portal Top 25

More than 2,500 players flooded the men’s college basketball transfer portal this offseason, triggering a seismic shakeup across the sport. But amid all the movement, programs like Florida, Duke and Illinois worked to retain key pieces. Now, with the portal closed and the NBA early-entry deadline in the rearview mirror, the picture for next season is finally coming into focus. Who’s poised to rise, and who took a step back? Let’s get into it. Here’s my updated way-too-early men’s college basketball rankings for next season: Previous Ranking: 21 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, while Princeton transfer Caden Pierce — the 2023-24 Ivy League Player of the Year — is expected to take over one of the starting spots in the frontcourt. Previous Ranking: NR Despite losing the program’s all-time leading scorer, Bruce Thornton, to graduation, Jake Diebler should still field one of the most talented teams in the Big Ten next season. He’s bringing in a strong transfer class, highlighted by former Cal guard Justin Pippen, who is expected to join returner John Mobley Jr. in the starting backcourt. Diebler also landed five-star freshman Anthony Thompson, the highest-rated recruit to arrive in Columbus since Jared Sullinger in 2010. Losing forward Devin Royal will hurt, but rising sophomore Amare Bynum looks ready to take the next step. Previous Ranking: 17 Fresh off the most successful year in program history, Fred Hoiberg will look to build on the success his team had this past season. Pryce Sandfort, who earned All-Big Ten honors this past season, should be one of the top players in the conference next year. Hoiberg is set to bring in multiple new faces via the transfer portal. That group includes Boden Kapke (Boston College), Trevan Leonhardt (Utah Valley) and Sam Orme (Belmont), all of whom could end up in the starting five. Previous Ranking: 20 After entering the transfer portal, point guard Robert Wright III announced that he will be back at BYU for his junior season in 2026-27. He will be joined by five-star freshman standout Bruce Branch III, who is widely regarded as one of the top 2026 prospects in the nation. The Cougars will also get a boost with the addition of transfer guard Collin Chandler, who is set to return home after spending his first two seasons playing at Kentucky. Previous Ranking: NR After leading the Hurricanes to a 26-9 mark and a Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament in his first season, Jai Lucas will have an even better roster in Year 2. Lucas landed the No. 7-ranked portal class in the nation, highlighted by a pair of standout additions in Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis and former Georgia big man Somto Cyril. They will join forward Shelton Henderson, who was one of the top freshmen in the ACC last season. Previous Ranking: 18 Whether standout guard Tyler Tanner remains in the NBA Draft or not will determine how high the ceiling is for this Vanderbilt team next season. If Tanner does return to Nashville, he should be a preseason All-American and an early front-runner for SEC Player of the Year. He would be joined by an impressive five-man transfer class that includes T.O. Barrett (Missouri), Berke Buyuktuncel (Nebraska), Bangot Dak (Colorado), Ace Glass (Washington State) and Sebastian Williams-Adams (Auburn). Previous Ranking: NR Indiana head coach Darian DeVries completely retooled his roster this offseason, bringing in a six-man transfer portal class that currently ranks third in the nation, according to 247Sports.com. The class is highlighted by a dominant frontcourt duo of Aiden Sherrell (Indiana) and Samet Yigitoglu (SMU). They will be joined by former Notre Dame standout Markus Burton, who should be one of the top newcomers in the Big Ten next season if he can remain healthy. Previous Ranking: 16 Houston coach Kelvin Sampson will have to replace four starters from a team that finished 30-7 last season. That means a bigger role for forward Joseph Tugler, who averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his junior year. The Cougars do bring in the top-ranked center prospect in the nation in 7-foot-1 big man Arafan Diane. Previous Ranking: 12 Rick Barnes’ team enjoyed a memorable run to the Elite Eight last season, but the Volunteers will be tasked with replacing standout guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and freshman Nate Ament, who is projected to be a first-round pick. Barnes brought in a loaded transfer portal class, highlighted by Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU) and Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame). Previous Ranking: 6 Alabama coach Nate Oats got a contract extension earlier this month. That is perhaps the only certain thing pertaining to this roster next season. Standout guard Aden Holloway, who was arrested on felony drug charges on March 16, announced he plans to enroll at the university, with hopes to rejoin the team. Freshman forward Amari Allen is testing the NBA Draft waters, but will he stay in the draft or return to Tuscaloosa? Jaxon Richardson and Qayden Samuels are both elite recruits who will join them next season. Previous Ranking: 11 St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino made it clear that it would be near impossible to replace a player like Zuby Ejiofor, who defined everything this program is about. However, Pitino always seems to find success in the portal, and that should be no different this offseason. He has already landed an elite-level scorer in Donnie Freeman (Syracuse) and will pair European point guard Quinn Ellis with returning guard Ian Jackson. Look for Pitino to add at least one or two more players via the portal. Previous Ranking: 13 The Cavaliers 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 year. Look for Chance Mallory to take over the starting point guard role for Ryan Odom’s team. Previous Ranking: 9 After guiding Iowa State to its third Sweet 16 appearance in five years, head coach T.J. Otzelberger agreed to a new contract that will keep him leading the Cyclones through 2036. He will have to replace Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, which will not be easy, but bringing back Killyan Toure and welcoming in a five-man portal class is a great place to start. Previous Ranking: NR The Trojans might be the most interesting team in college basketball this offseason. Guard Rodney Rice is returning from injury, while standout freshman Alijah Arenas is back for his sophomore season and should benefit from a full summer in the weight room. Forward Jacob Cofie returns in the frontcourt, and the additions of Georgetown transfer KJ Lewis and UConn transfer Eric Reibe have me excited to see how Eric Musselman pieces this roster together. Previous Ranking: 23 Texas head coach Sean Miller needs center Matas Vokietatis to make the jump from good to great next season, but he won’t be alone. TCU transfer David Punch should provide valuable support up front, while Colorado transfer Isaiah Johnson is one of the best unknown players in the nation. Previous Ranking: 8 Gonzaga head coach Mark Few is returning three of his top-five scorers from a year ago, led by Braden Huff. Houston transfer Isiah Harwell is looking for a breakout sophomore campaign and the Zags always have a few diaper dandies waiting in the wings. Previous Ranking: 10 Arkansas is losing standout guard Darius Acuff, but if Meleek Thomas decides to return to college, he will join forward Billy Richmond III to make up a solid core from last year’s Sweet 16 team. Five-star freshman Jordan Smith Jr looks like the real deal. I think the Hogs are loaded. Previous Ranking: 4 Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has the best point guard in the nation in Jeremy Fears Jr. But if this team wants to reach its full potential, Izzo will need forwards Coen Carr and Cam Ward, along with shooting guard Kur Teng, to take another step forward. Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke could provide valuable help down low as well. Previous Ranking: 5 Arizona is losing a lot of talent, but head coach Tommy Lloyd has managed to retain two starters in Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov, which means this group will have a very high floor. North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon will be given some freedom to create, while five-star freshman Caleb Holt could be special. Previous Ranking: 7 Freshman standout Braylon Mullins turned down the NBA for another chance at a national title with UConn. He will be joined by point guard Silas Demary and forward Jayden Ross as key veterans. Add in Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia and Dan Hurley has real weapons at every position. Previous Ranking: NR The Cardinals went out and spent a lot of money to put together a team that I think is title worthy. Let’s start with the best defensive center in the country: Flory Bidunga. He’s flanked by Iowa transfer Alvaro Folguieras, fresh off his clutch NCAA Tournament performances. In the backcourt, Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad runs the point and Arkansas wing transfer Karter Knox rounds out a roster that has a little bit of everything. Previous Ranking: 2 The Blue Devils are set to return three starters next year, but I just feel like this group relied on Cameron Boozer so much that it’s hard for me to put them higher. Snagging Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell will help replace the scoring of Isaiah Evans, and head coach Jon Scheyer is bringing in a new crop of five-star freshman. It’s another “Final Four or Bust” year in Durham. Previous Ranking: 3 With a returning backcourt of Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, Dusty May has the foundation for another strong team. Tennessee transfer JP Estrella and Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam were brought in to replace Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara in the frontcourt. It’s hard to see them matching last year’s defensive dominance, but it will be interesting to see how it all comes together. Previous Ranking: 1 I had Illinois as the No. 1-ranked team in my way-too-early top 25 last month, but I think head coach Brad Underwood should still feel good about this group at No. 2 after returning six of his top nine scorers, led by Andrej Stojakovic and David Mirkovic. The addition of Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks should help fill the void left by Keaton Wagler’s departure. Previous Ranking: 22 The Gators jumped up to No. 1 after forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon announced they would return to Gainesville next season. Center Rueben Chinyelu is testing the NBA waters, but is expected to return as well. Adding Kentucky transfer Denzel Aberdeen to their backcourt makes them the top team in the land on paper.