Now that Michigan has lifted the national championship trophy and put a final stamp on the 2025-26 season, every fan across college basketball has started to wonder what their team will look like in 2026-27. That is why it is never too early for the way-too-early Top 25 rankings to release its first edition.<\/p>\n
Before getting into the top contenders next season, there are some rules to the exercise which must be noted. Some teams, players and coaches still have decisions to make before the tip off, so the list is always in flux. Here are the guidelines you need to know:<\/p>\n
Not all NBA Draft decisions will be made for the player. They are considered back unless they currently ranked inside the Top 25 of Rivals expert Jamie Shaw<\/a>\u2019s current NBA Draft Big Board. Any other decisions will be accounted for when the player announces their plan moving forward.<\/p>\n There are still a number of players whose eligibility for next season remains in question. While most players running out of eligibility face a clear picture, some will still apply for waivers hoping to gain another year.<\/p>\n Teams without a full rotation of returning and incoming players (eight scholarship athletes) at the time of ranking were not considered. They will be added into the mix after adding to the roster on the recruiting trail or through the transfer portal. Same for teams currently without a coach.<\/p>\n These rankings will repeatedly be updated as rosters shift throughout the offseason, starting with transfer portal decisions already under way. Here is a way-too-early look at what the Top 25 rankings could look like in the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n 1. Michigan<\/p>\n Key returns: Elliot Cadeau<\/a>, LJ Cason<\/a>, Aday Mara<\/a>, Trey McKenney<\/a> Michigan looks likely to stay near the top of college basketball next season, with key pieces currently projected to return at guard and center. There is plenty to fill out in the rotation, but a strong recruiting class has given them a platform to build in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n 2. Duke<\/p>\n Key returns: Cayden Boozer<\/a>, Isaiah Evans<\/a>, Caleb Foster<\/a>, Nikolas Khamenia<\/a>, Patick Ngongba<\/a>, Dame Sarr<\/a> Duke puts together another top-end recruiting class with multiple top prospects, all slotting in different areas of the court. They could be surrounding by a deep group of returning talent if the Blue Devils can retain key pieces.<\/p>\n 3. UConn<\/p>\n Key returns: Solomon Ball<\/a>, Silas Demary<\/a>, Eric Reibe<\/a> UConn could get back the core of a talented backcourt next season, also hitting the recruiting trail for a talented group of players. The Huskies will lose some veteran talent, but look to have replacements ready to fill in.<\/p>\n 4. Florida<\/p>\n Key returns: Isaiah Brown<\/a>, Rueben Chinyelu<\/a>, Alex Condon<\/a>, Boogie Fland<\/a>, Urban Klavzar<\/a> Florida has plenty talent set to return for the 2026-27 season, potentially bringing back valuable pieces to the backcourt and frontcourt. Even likely to lose some talent to the NBA Draft, they have enough to compete at the top of the sport.<\/p>\n 5. Michigan State<\/p>\n Key returns: Coen Carr<\/a>, Jeremy Fears<\/a>, Jordan Scott<\/a>, Kur Teng<\/a>, Divine Ugochukwu<\/a>, Cameron Ward<\/a> Michigan State will bring back plenty talent to the backcourt and the wings next season, although the frontcourt will see big turnover. The incoming recruiting class will help will gaps, but it will be a position to watch in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n 6. Illinois<\/p>\n Key returns: Jake Davis<\/a>, Tomislav Ivisic<\/a>, Zvonimir Ivisic<\/a>, David Mirkovic<\/a>, Andrej Stojakovic<\/a> Illinois can bring back a good chunk of its talent next season, setting them up to bring in a talented freshmen ready to run the backcourt. The middle of the team remains in order, with plenty pieces set to return.<\/p>\n 7. Houston<\/p>\n Key returns: Mercy Miller<\/a>, JoJo Tugler<\/a> Houston remains a top team year after year, bringing in another talented recruiting class to complement a returning group. However, the Cougars will replace significant production in the backcourt with its top options on the way out.<\/p>\n 8. Arizona<\/p>\n Key returns: Ivan Kharchenkov<\/a>, Motiejus Krivas<\/a> Arizona projects to lose plenty talent from its Final Four run, including two freshman with lottery potential in the NBA Draft. However, the Wildcats could retain important pieces on the wing and in the frontcourt, with another star-studded list of freshmen on the way.<\/p>\n 9. Arkansas<\/p>\n Key returns: Malique Ewin<\/a>, Billy Richmond<\/a>, Meleek Thomas<\/a> Arkansas will lose leading scorer Darius Acuff to the NBA Draft, but keeps the bulk of its core eligible for another season. The Razorbacks will need to fill out the frontcourt in the transfer portal, but the backcourt and wings are stocked by returning talent and incoming players.<\/p>\n 10. Purdue<\/p>\n Key returns: CJ Cox<\/a>, Daniel Jacobsen<\/a>, Omer Mayer<\/a> Purdue is set to see star point guard Braden Smith leave after setting the NCAA assist record, along with the starting frontcourt. The Boilermakers reload is already underway, with a solid recruiting class, an early transfer hit and plenty returning talent which will take on increased roles.<\/p>\n Ranking 11-25<\/p>\n 11. Vanderbilt 12. Iowa State 13. Gonzaga 14. North Carolina 15. Texas Tech 16. St. John\u2019s 17. Alabama 18. Miami 19. UCLA 20. Nebraska 21. Iowa 22. Texas 23. BYU 24. Missouri 25. Kentucky Disclaimer: Virginia does not have a full rotation of players currently on the roster for the 2026-27 season, but would rank inside the Top 10.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Now that Michigan has lifted the national championship trophy and put a final stamp on the 2025-26 season,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":706198,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3723],"tags":[7,217,231,772,1544],"class_list":{"0":"post-706197","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-ncaa","11":"tag-ncaa-basketball","12":"tag-ncaab"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116371949388755313","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Key additions: Lincoln Cosby<\/a>, Quinn Costello<\/a>, Brandon McCoy<\/a>
Key departures: Nimari Burnett<\/a>, Roddy Gayle<\/a>, Morez Johnson<\/a>, Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Bryson Howard<\/a>, Deron Rippey<\/a>, Cameron Williams<\/a>
Key departures: Cameron Boozer<\/a>, Maliq Brown<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Junior County<\/a>, Colben Landrew<\/a>
Key departures: Alex Karaban<\/a>, Braylon Mullins<\/a>, Tarris Reed<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Thomas Haugh<\/a>, Xaivian Lee<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Jasiah Jervis<\/a>, Ethan Taylor<\/a>
Key departures: Carson Cooper<\/a>, Jaxson Kohler<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Quentin Coleman<\/a>, Lucas Morillo<\/a>
Key departures: Kylan Boswell<\/a>, Ben Humrichous<\/a>, Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Ikenna Alozie<\/a>, Arafan Diane<\/a>
Key departures: Chris Cenac<\/a>, Kingston Flemings<\/a>, Emanuel Sharp<\/a>, Milos Uzan<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Cameron Holmes<\/a>, Caleb Holt<\/a>
Key departures: Tobe Awaka<\/a>, Jaden Bradley<\/a>, Brayden Burries<\/a>, Anthony Dell\u2019Orso<\/a>, Koa Peat<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: JJ Andrews<\/a>, Jordan Smith<\/a>, Abdou Toure<\/a>
Key departures: Darius Acuff<\/a>, Trevon Brazile<\/a>, Karter Knox<\/a>, DJ Wagner<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Luke Ertel<\/a>, Caden Pierce*<\/a>
Key departures: Oscar Cluff<\/a>, Trey Kaufman-Renn<\/a>, Fletcher Loyer<\/a>, Braden Smith<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Tyler Tanner<\/a>
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Frankie Collins<\/a>, Tyler Harris<\/a>, Devin McGlockton<\/a>, Duke Miles<\/a>, Tyler Nickel<\/a>, AK Okereke<\/a>, Jalen Washington<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Jamarion Batemon<\/a>, Blake Buchanan<\/a>, Nate Heise<\/a>, Milan Momcilovic<\/a>, Killyan Toure<\/a>
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Joshua Jefferson<\/a>, Tamin Lipsey<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Davis Fogle<\/a>, Braden Huff<\/a>, Mario Saint-Supery
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Tyon Grant-Foster<\/a>, Graham Ike<\/a>, Emmanuel Innocenti<\/a>, Adam Miller<\/a>, Braeden Smith<\/a>, Steele Venters<\/a>, Jalen Warley<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Luka Bogavac<\/a>, Jarin Stevenson<\/a>, Henri Veesaar<\/a>
Key additions: Maximo Adams<\/a>, Dylan Mingo<\/a>
Key departures: Derek Dixon<\/a>, Seth Trimble<\/a>, Caleb Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Christian Anderson<\/a>, Josiah Moseley<\/a>, Jaylen Petty<\/a>, JT Toppin<\/a>
Key additions: Dakari Spear<\/a>
Key departures: Donovan Atwell<\/a>, Tyeree Bryan<\/a>, LeJuan Watts<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Dylan Darling<\/a>, Ian Jackson<\/a>, Joson Sanon<\/a>
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Zuby Ejiofor<\/a>, Bryce Hopkins<\/a>, Dillon Mitchell<\/a>, Oziyah Sellers<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Aden Holloway<\/a>, London Jemison<\/a>
Key additions: Jaxon Richardson<\/a>, Qayden Samuels<\/a>
Key departures: Amari Allen<\/a>, Taylor Bol Bowen<\/a>, Houston Mallette<\/a>, Labaron Philon<\/a>, Aiden Sherrell<\/a>, Noah Williamson<\/a>, Latrell Wrightsell<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Dante Allen<\/a>, Marcus Allen<\/a>, Shelton Henderson<\/a>
Key additions: Caleb Gaskins<\/a>
Key departures: Tre Donaldson<\/a>, Malik Reneau<\/a>, Ernest Udeh<\/a>, Tru Washington<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Xavier Booker<\/a>, Eric Dailey<\/a>, Trent Perry<\/a>
Key additions: Joe Philon<\/a>
Key departures: Tyler Bilodeau<\/a>, Skyy Clark<\/a>, Donovan Dent<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Berke Buyuktuncel<\/a>, Braden Frager<\/a>, Pryce Sandfort<\/a>
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Connor Essegian<\/a>, Sam Hoiberg<\/a>, Ugnius Jarusevicius<\/a>, Jamarques Lawrence<\/a>, Rienk Mast<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Kael Combs<\/a>, Alvaro Folgueiras<\/a>, Isaia Howard<\/a>, Cooper Koch<\/a>, Cam Manyawu<\/a>, Tate Sage<\/a>
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Tavion Banks<\/a>, Bennett Stirtz<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Camden Heide<\/a>, Matas Vokietaitis<\/a>, Simeon Wilcher<\/a>
Key additions: Austin Goosby<\/a>, Bo Ogden<\/a>
Key departures: Tramon Mark<\/a>, Jordan Pope<\/a>, Dailyn Swain<\/a>, Chendall Weaver<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Kennard Davis<\/a>, Rob Wright<\/a>
Key additions: Bruce Branch<\/a>
Key departures: Dawson Baker<\/a>, AJ Dybantsa<\/a>, Keba Keita<\/a>, Richie Saunders<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Trent Pierce<\/a>
Key additions: Toni Bryant<\/a>, Jason Crowe<\/a>
Key departures: TO Barrett<\/a>, Jacob Crews<\/a>, Sebastian Mack<\/a>, Mark Mitchell<\/a>, Shawn Phillips<\/a>, Jevon Porter<\/a>, Anthony Robinson<\/a>, Jayden Stone<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Collin Chandler<\/a>, Malachi Moreno<\/a>, Kam Williams<\/a>
Key additions: N\/A
Key departures: Denzel Aberdeen<\/a>, Mo Dioubate<\/a>, Andrija Jelavic<\/a>, Jaland Lowe<\/a>, Otega Oweh<\/a>, Jayden Quaintance<\/a><\/p>\n