Men’s college basketball rankings: Illinois, Duke highlight top 25 way too early

The confetti has barely settled on the Michigan Wolverines’ 2026 national championship run — they topped UConn, 69-63, in a thrilling NCAA Tournament title game Monday night — but it’s never too early to look to the future. I can’t help it… The Wolverines and Huskies should come back strong next season, regardless of exactly how many players return or opt for the NBA draft. They are both at the top of my very early list – but not #1. Which players are expected to return and who could be headed to the NBA or transfer portal? Let’s go. Here are 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 final 16 games and notching a memorable victory over North Carolina in the first 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 one of 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 last season, marking the first time the Red Raiders have had two All-Americans in the same season. Both have massive decisions regarding the upcoming NBA Draft. What they ultimately decide to do will dictate the standings of Grant McCasland’s team as we get closer to next season. Sean Miller’s team was one of the surprises 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 host the No. 12 ranked recruiting class in the country. Florida has four players who could leave early for the 2026 NBA Draft, which makes this exercise so difficult. Thomas Haugh is a projected first-round pick and should go to the pros, but will Alex Condon, Boogie Fland and Rueben Chinyelu follow? Few teams 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 percent of the team’s scoring last season. CJ Cox and Omer Mayer will be seen as taking a big step forward for Matt Painter’s team. Freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa will likely be a top-three pick in this spring’s NBA draft, while 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 meshes with an incoming freshman class that ranks No. 16 in the country. John Blackwell sent shockwaves 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 the chance to be a star on 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 that’s the case, Mark Byington will have one of the best goalies in the country running the show next time out. Fresh off the most successful year in program history, can Fred Hoiberg build on his team’s success last season? Pryce Sandfort, who earned All-Big Ten honors, is expected to return next season for Nebraska and should be one of the best players in the conference. Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp are expected to graduate, while Chris Cenac and Kingston Flemings are both expected to be first-round picks in the NBA draft. That means a bigger role for forward Joseph Tugler. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson will also bring in the nation’s top center prospect, Arafan Diane, a 7-foot-1 big man. The Tar Heels will usher in a new era in Chapel Hill with former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone named the school’s next head coach. Malone hasn’t coached in college since he was an assistant at Manhattan in 2001. He will be tasked with keeping intact the team’s 2026 recruiting class, which includes two blue-chip prospects, point guard Dylan Mingo and small forward Maximo Adams. With freshman phenom Darryn Peterson likely leaving for the NBA and forward Flory Bidinga announcing he will test the NBA waters or potentially transfer elsewhere, this will be a new team for Bill Self. Don’t be surprised to see the Jayhawks make a splash or two in the portal this offseason. The Cavaliers are one of the few teams in college basketball that can say this: They’re poised to return their leading scorer and rebounder next season. Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-9 forward from Belgium, had an outstanding debut campaign and should be one of the best interior players in the sport next season. Rick Barnes’ team had a memorable run to the Elite Eight this season, but they will be tasked with replacing standout guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and likely Nate Ament, who is expected to be a first-round pick. Expect veteran forward JP Estrella to take a big step forward next season. Rick Pitino made it clear that it would be nearly impossible to replace a player like Zuby Ejiofor, who defined everything this program is. The Red Strom will also need to replace Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell in the frontcourt, but expect Pitino to hit the portal and fill those holes this offseason. Ian Jackson will need to take another step next season if this group wants to compete for a Final Four next year. Losing Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas is a disappointment, but Arkansas fans needn’t worry. DJ Wagner, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III return, and coach John Calipari added the nation’s No. 2 player in guard Jordan Smith Jr. In TJ Otzelberger, we have confidence! Iowa State lost local leaders Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson, but the return of Milan Momcilovic and Killyan Toure is a great place to start. The Cyclones also bring in a top-20 recruiting class with four freshmen. The Zags move up to the new Pac-12 and bring back big man Braden Huff for a senior season. The backcourt combo of Braeden Smith and Mario Saint-Supéry needs to take a big step forward. It might be disrespectful to have UConn this low in any ranking, but the Huskies will lose 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 closeup. Alabama coach Nate Oats got a contract extension over the weekend. Even though he will lose Lebaron Philon Jr., I expect Amari Allen to come back and be ready for a great season. Aden Holloway, Aiden Sherrell and a top-10 recruiting class have me excited about the Crimson Tide. A core of returnees led by Ivan Kharchenkov and Mo Krivas is enough to warrant a top-5 ranking here for Arizona. Dwayne Aristode should break out and the prospect of five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt is legit. A few transfers are needed, but I have faith in coach Tommy Lloyd to have another stellar group. Tom Izzo’s main move this offseason will be retaining All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr., along with teammate Jordan Scott and forward Coen Carr. The combination of these three players and a top-5 recruiting class should put Michigan State in position to compete for a Big Ten title next season. Assuming Aday Mara or Morez Johnson Jr. returns, I think Michigan is in the top 3. If both are headed to the NBA, then new five-star Brandon McCoy needs to deliver immediately. The backcourt of Elliot Cadeau, LJ Cason and Trey McKinney will be excellent. Duke coach Jon Scheyer is bringing in another high-profile 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 will be one of the best and most experienced teams in the country.