With the transfer portal window set to close Tuesday night, there are plenty of changes left before college basketball rosters are set in stone. With plenty more to fill out, many teams have already assembled the core pieces they will rely on in 2026-27 via the transfer portal or returning talent thought to have NBA interest.<\/p>\n
Before getting into the top contenders next season, there are some rules to the exercise that 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<\/a> decisions will be made for the player. They are considered back unless they are 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 to 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 underway. Here is a third look at what the way-too-early Top 25 rankings could look like in the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n 1. Florida<\/p>\n Key returns: Isaiah Brown<\/a>, Rueben Chinyelu<\/a>, Alex Condon<\/a>, Boogie Fland<\/a>, Thomas Haugh<\/a>, Urban Klavzar<\/a> Florida has plenty of talent set to return for the 2026-27 season, potentially bringing back valuable pieces to the backcourt and frontcourt. The latest news that Thomas Haugh will return for another season alongside Alex Condon is enough to push them into the top spot.<\/p>\n 2. 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 the Wolverines a platform to build in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n 3. Duke<\/p>\n Key returns: Cayden Boozer<\/a>, Isaiah Evans<\/a>, Caleb Foster<\/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. The Blue Devils have confirmed the return of Cayden Boozer and Patrick Ngongba while adding a pair of highly-rated transfers.<\/p>\n 4. UConn<\/p>\n Key returns: Solomon Ball<\/a>, Silas Demary<\/a>, Braylon Mullins<\/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 addition of Najai Hines was backed up by the return of star freshman Braylon Mullins, while offseason surgery for Solo Ball will hurt.<\/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 of talent to the backcourt and the wings next season, although the frontcourt will see big turnover. The incoming recruiting class will help fill gaps, but it will be a position to watch in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n 6. 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. The Cougars also did early work in the transfer portal, quickly building out a solid rotation.<\/p>\n 7. 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 it up to bring in a talented freshman class ready to run the backcourt. The middle of the team remains in order, with plenty of pieces set to return.<\/p>\n 8. Arkansas<\/p>\n Key returns: 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 9. Arizona<\/p>\n Key returns: Ivan Kharchenkov<\/a>, Motiejus Krivas<\/a> Arizona projects to lose plenty of talent from its Final Four run, including two freshmen 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 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\u2019 reload is already underway, with a solid recruiting class, an early transfer hit and plenty of returning talent, which will take on increased roles.<\/p>\n Ranking 11-25<\/p>\n 11. Indiana 12. Alabama 13. Texas Tech 14. Texas 15. Tennessee 16. Gonzaga 17. Iowa State 18. Vanderbilt 19. Missouri 20. Nebraska 21. Iowa 22. North Carolina 23. St. John\u2019s 24. UCLA 25. USC Disclaimer: Louisville, Miami and Virginia do not have a full rotation of players currently on the roster for the 2026-27 season, but project to move into the Top 25 once they reach the eight-player minimum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the transfer portal window set to close Tuesday night, there are plenty of changes left before college…\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-715636","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\/116446780585289952","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715636","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=715636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715636\/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=715636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Key additions: Denzel Aberdeen*<\/a>
Key departures: Xaivian Lee<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Lincoln Cosby<\/a>, Quinn Costello<\/a>, JP Estrella*<\/a>, Brandon McCoy<\/a>
Key departures: Nimari Burnett<\/a>, Roddy Gayle<\/a>, Morez Johnson<\/a>, Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: John Blackwell*<\/a>, Bryson Howard<\/a>, Deron Rippey<\/a>, Drew Scharnowski*<\/a>, Cameron Williams<\/a>
Key departures: Cameron Boozer<\/a>, Maliq Brown<\/a>, Nikolas Khamenia<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Junior County<\/a>, Najai Hines*<\/a>, Nikolas Khamenia<\/a>*, Colben Landrew<\/a>
Key departures: Alex Karaban<\/a>, Tarris Reed<\/a>, Eric Reibe<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Jasiah Jervis<\/a>, Ethan Taylor<\/a>
Key departures: Carson Cooper<\/a>, Jaxson Kohler<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Ikenna Alozie<\/a>, Arafan Diane<\/a>, Braden East*<\/a>, Delrecco Gillespie*<\/a>, Corey Hadnot*<\/a>, Dedan Thomas*<\/a>
Key departures: Chris Cenac<\/a>, Kingston Flemings<\/a>, Emanuel Sharp<\/a>, Milos Uzan<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Quentin Coleman<\/a>, Lucas Morillo<\/a>, Stefan Vaaks*<\/a>
Key departures: Kylan Boswell<\/a>, Ben Humrichous<\/a>, Keaton Wagler<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: JJ Andrews<\/a>, Cooper Bowser*<\/a>, Jordan Smith<\/a>, Abdou Toure<\/a>, Jeremiah Wilkinson*<\/a>
Key departures: Darius Acuff<\/a>, Trevon Brazile<\/a>, Malique Ewin<\/a>, Karter Knox<\/a>, DJ Wagner<\/a><\/p>\n
Key additions: Derek Dixon*<\/a>, Cameron Holmes<\/a>, Caleb Holt<\/a>, JJ Mandaquit*<\/a>
Key departures: Tobe Awaka<\/a>, Jaden Bradley<\/a>, Brayden Burries<\/a>, Anthony Dell\u2019Orso<\/a>, Koa Peat<\/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: N\/A
Key additions: Markus Burton*<\/a>, Bryce Lindsay*<\/a>, Jaeden Mustaf*<\/a>, Aiden Sherrell*<\/a>, Samet Yigitoglu*<\/a>
Key departures: Sam Alexis<\/a>, Reed Bailey<\/a>, Tayton Conerway<\/a>, Tucker DeVries<\/a>, Nick Dorn<\/a>, Lamar Wilkerson<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Aden Holloway<\/a>, London Jemison<\/a>
Key additions: Drew Fielder*<\/a>, Jaxon Richardson<\/a>, Qayden Samuels<\/a>
Key departures: Amari Allen<\/a>, Taylor Bol Bowen<\/a>, Houston Mallette<\/a>, Labaron Philon<\/a>, Aiden Sherrell<\/a>, Latrell Wrightsell<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Christian Anderson<\/a>, Josiah Moseley<\/a>, JT Toppin<\/a>
Key additions: Cruz Davis*<\/a>, Damarion Dennis*<\/a>, Dakari Spear<\/a>
Key departures: Donovan Atwell<\/a>, Tyeree Bryan<\/a>, Jaylen Petty<\/a>, LeJuan Watts<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Matas Vokietaitis<\/a>
Key additions: Elyjah Freeman*<\/a>, Austin Goosby<\/a>, Isaiah Johnson*<\/a>, Bo Ogden<\/a>, David Punch*<\/a>
Key departures: Camden Heide<\/a>, Tramon Mark<\/a>, Jordan Pope<\/a>, Dailyn Swain<\/a>, Chendall Weaver<\/a>, Simeon Wilcher<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: N\/A
Key additions: Dai Dai Ames*<\/a>, Jalen Haralson*<\/a>, Terrence Hill*<\/a>, Tyler Lundblade*<\/a>, Miles Rubin*<\/a>
Key departures: Nate Ament<\/a>, Bishop Boswell<\/a>, Jaylen Carey<\/a>, JP Estrella<\/a>, Ja\u2019Kobi Gillespie<\/a>, Felix Okpara<\/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: Jamarion Batemon<\/a>, Blake Buchanan<\/a>, Killyan Toure<\/a>
Key additions: Leon Bond*<\/a>, Jaquan Johnson*<\/a>, Ryan Prather*<\/a>, Tre Singleton*<\/a>
Key departures: Joshua Jefferson<\/a>, Tamin Lipsey<\/a>, Milan Momcilovic<\/a>, Nate Heise<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns:\u00a0Tyler Tanner<\/a>
Key additions: Berke Buyuktuncel*<\/a>, Bangot Dak*<\/a>, Ace Glass*<\/a>, Sebastian Williams-Adams*<\/a>
Key departures:\u00a0Frankie Collins<\/a>,\u00a0Tyler Harris<\/a>,\u00a0Devin McGlockton<\/a>,\u00a0Duke Miles<\/a>,\u00a0Tyler Nickel<\/a>,\u00a0AK Okereke<\/a>,\u00a0Jalen Washington<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Trent Pierce<\/a>
Key additions: Toni Bryant<\/a>, Jaylen Carey*<\/a>, Jason Crowe<\/a>, Jamier Jones*<\/a>, Bryson Tiller*<\/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: Braden Frager<\/a>, Pryce Sandfort<\/a>
Key additions: Boden Kapke*<\/a>, Trevan Leonhardt*<\/a>, Sam Orme*<\/a>
Key departures: Berke Buyuktuncel<\/a>, Connor Essegian<\/a>, Sam Hoiberg<\/a>, Ugnius Jarusevicius<\/a>, Jamarques Lawrence<\/a>, Rienk Mast<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Kael Combs<\/a>, Isaia Howard<\/a>, Cooper Koch<\/a>, Cam Manyawu<\/a>, Tate Sage<\/a>
Key additions: Tyreek Coleman*<\/a>, Andrew McKeever*<\/a>
Key departures: Tavion Banks<\/a>, Alvaro Folgueiras<\/a>, Bennett Stirtz<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns:\u00a0Jarin Stevenson<\/a>,\u00a0Henri Veesaar<\/a>
Key additions:\u00a0Matt Able*<\/a>, Maximo Adams<\/a>, Neoklis Avdalas*<\/a>, Terrence Brown*<\/a>
Key departures:\u00a0Luka Bogavac<\/a>,\u00a0Derek Dixon<\/a>,\u00a0Seth Trimble<\/a>,\u00a0Caleb Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns:\u00a0Ian Jackson<\/a>
Key additions: Quinn Ellis<\/a>, Donnie Freeman*<\/a>
Key departures:\u00a0Dylan Darling<\/a>,\u00a0Zuby Ejiofor<\/a>,\u00a0Bryce Hopkins<\/a>,\u00a0Dillon Mitchell<\/a>,\u00a0Oziyah Sellers<\/a>,\u00a0Joson Sanon<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Xavier Booker<\/a>, Eric Dailey<\/a>, Trent Perry<\/a>
Key additions: Filip Jovic*<\/a>, Sergej Macura*<\/a>, Jaylen Petty*<\/a>, Joe Philon<\/a>, Azavier Robinson*<\/a>
Key departures: Tyler Bilodeau<\/a>, Skyy Clark<\/a>, Donovan Dent<\/a><\/p>\n
Key returns: Alijah Arenas<\/a>, Jacob Cofie<\/a>, Rodney Rice<\/a>
Key additions: Christian Collins<\/a>, KJ Lewis*<\/a>, Adonis Ratliff<\/a>, Darius Ratliff<\/a>, Eric Reibe*<\/a>
Key departures: Ezra Ausar<\/a>, Chad Baker-Mazara<\/a>, Jaden Brownell<\/a>, Jordan Marsh<\/a>, Kam Woods<\/a><\/p>\n