The college basketball season is a month from March, with conference tournaments coming, and eventually the big dance. Illinois and Michigan are rising, while Purdue and Michigan State are falling, Arizona looks unbeatable as ever, and Miami of Ohio remains perfect. Teams are making a name for themselves, or revealing that they are not the team that they looked to be. Now is the time for teams to make a name in order to compete in March.
1. Arizona (22-0)
Arizona escaped a scare against Brigham Young thanks to the contributions from guards Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley. Arizona had a 13-point halftime lead and held on to survive BYU’s late push. Arizona also beat in-state rival Arizona State on the road by 13. Arizona has some tough opponents up ahead in Kansas, Houston, Texas Tech and Iowa State, but so far they have answered every challenge.
2. Michigan (20-1)
Michigan had two top-five matchups this past week, and looked sharp as a tack. On Tuesday the Wolverines faced off against No. 5 Nebraska and played two very different halves of basketball — a shootout in the first and a slugfest in the second half — but ultimately the Wolverines prevailed with a 75-72 win. Then Michigan faced in-state rival Michigan State in East Lansing. It’s never easy to win at the Breslin Center, but head coach Dusty May got a feel for the crowd pregame, and silenced that same crowd postgame with a 83-71 win led by Yaxel Lendeborg.
3. Duke (20-1)
Duke has been an almost unstoppable force this year led by freshman Cameron Boozer. They destroyed a ranked Louisville team, then beat a solid Virginia Tech team. This will set up a fun matchup against arch rival North Carolina on Saturday night.
4. UConn (21-1)
Head coach Dan Hurley has his team right back into the national championship conversation after taking a hiatus last season. The Huskies have five players averaging double digits, while also having a top-five defensive efficiency rating according to advanced analytics. Hurley has his team back the way he wants them to be.
5. Illinois (19-3)
Largely driven by the emergence of freshman guard Keaton Wagler, the Illini have the top-rated offense in CBB. Recently they have wins at No. 4 Purdue and at No. 5 Nebraska. They are tied with Michigan at the top of the Big Ten and are probably the hottest team in the league.
6. Iowa State (20-2)
The Cyclones are led by forwards Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, they have been one of the top teams all year long. They had a mid-season lull against Kansas and Cincinnati, but since then they are winners of four straight. All of those wins by double digits. Head coach TJ Otzelberger’s teams will always play with elite defensive pressure, but this year they follow that up with a top-10 offense as well.
7. Nebraska (19-2)
Head coach Fred Hoiberg has Nebraska looking in great shape to get their first ever NCAA tournament win. They had the hardest week in the Big Ten losing to both No. 3 Michigan and No. 9 Illinois, but as Hoiberg said, it proved that they can compete with anyone. All eyes will now be on how Nebraska responds to the adversity of these tough defeats.
8. Gonzaga (22-1)
Being led by the big man duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff, head coach Mark Few has Gonzaga yet again in the title conversation. Cruising through West Coast Conference play so far, they played the toughest opponent remaining on the schedule in Saint Mary’s and won handily.
9. Houston (19-2)
After coming off of a national title appearance, head coach Kelvin Sampson has his Cougars in position to compete for a title again. Questions still remain about if the Houston defense plays up to Sampson’s elite standard. However, freshman guard Kingston Flemings has inserted himself as a top player in the sport.
10. Kansas (16-5)
There are two different versions of head coach Bill Self’s 2026 Kansas Jayhawks: when Darryn Peterson is on the court, and when he isn’t. Only appearing in 12 games thus far the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft has been sensational when on the court. The question still remains if he will be able to stay healthy for a tournament run.
11. Michigan State (19-3)
This team is no different from a normal Tom Izzo coached team. They out work their opponents, play defense and rebound. Coming off of a home loss to rival Michigan, questions arise on if this Michigan State team will have enough shooting to go on a run in the tournament. However there is never a doubt that Izzo will have his team ready to compete with anyone.
12. North Carolina (17-4)
Head coach Hubert Davis has North Carolina back in the national conversation this season. Freshman forward Caleb Wilson averaging 20 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds per game provides them a consistent interior presence. There are lots of questions to be answered about if they have the defense to compete in March, but the test is coming this Saturday in the rivalry battle against No. 4 Duke.
13. Vanderbilt (19-3)
The Commodores started out hot, winning their first 16 games. Then they got punched in the mouth leading to a three-game lull. Since then they have bounced back for three straight conference victories. The strength of this Vandy team lies with the balance of scoring from their three stars, Tyler Tanner, Duke Miles and Tyler Nickel.
14. Purdue (18-4)
After losing three straight to UCLA, Illinois and Indiana, head coach Matt Painter’s team got a much needed bounceback victory, toppling Maryland. Braden Smith is an All-American point guard leading the charge for Purdue’s top-five offense, but the questions lie with Purdue’s defensive woes. Questions also wonder how this year's team will separate themselves from last year's.
15. Texas Tech (16-5)
Led by the elite duo of JT Toppin and Christian Anderson, Texas Tech has a very high ceiling, but had a rough week. A tough road loss at UCF and then a home loss to Kansas leads the Red Raiders needing a bounce back week. A team that relies heavily on star power taking them to victory, and has high goals of winning a national championship.
16. Saint Louis (21-1)
The Billikens aren’t a sneaky mid-major, they are an actual title contender. They are the best mid-major in men’s basketball since the 2020 Obi Toppin led Dayton Flyers team. The Bilikens are led by Robbie Avila or “Cream Abdul-Jabaar” who won over basketball fans' hearts with Indiana state in the 2023-2024 season. They have eight players who average eight or more points per game. The offensive depth is the weapon and what can lead this Saint Louis team to a run in March.
17. Florida (16-6)
The reigning national champions had a rough start to the season, but have started to take form as the team they believe they should be. Coach Todd Golden has rebuilt the roster and made another national title contender. All the advanced metrics suggest that Florida is a top-10 team, but some inconsistencies have prevented them from actually being in the top 10. Their blowout win against Alabama shows what the ceiling of this Florida team is as they look to win in March.
18. BYU (17-4)
The Cougars have a high-powered offense led by the big three of freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa, senior guard Richie Saunders and sophomore Robert Wright III. All of these players average 17 or more per game. The inconsistencies come from bench depth, which the Cougars lack. This has led to them losing three of their last four games.
19. Virginia (18-3)
Virginia plays a slow paced, balanced basketball style which makes them hard to rank. They win a good amount of games, but also they allow some inferior opponents to stay close with them due to style of play. As winners of eight of the last nine they certainly deserve a spot on this list, even if it feels like they are susceptible to an early exit in March.
20. Arkansas (16-6)
Head coach John Calipari once again has a very talented, and very inconsistent young team. Darious Acuff Jr. is an elite freshman guard, and is exactly the type of player Calipari loves. The playing experience leads to a very inconsistent team. All eyes are on if Calipari will flip the correct switches to make a tournament push.
21. St. John’s (16-5)
Head coach Rick Pitino built his roster only using the portal, and had a lot of early struggles this season. Now they are on an eight game win streak in the Big East, and all eyes are on the upcoming game against UConn. The downfall of the Johnnies last year was perimeter shooting and it seems like that is their kryptonite again.
22. Iowa (17-5)
First-year head coach Ben McCollum has his Iowa Hawkeyes team competing against the best of the Big Ten in year one. Bennett Stirtz is the second best guard in the Big Ten and it’s only because Braden Smith exists. Iowa has won four straight conference games. Iowa ranks 341st in pace, and wins by slowing down the game and scoring late in the shot clock.
23. Clemson (18-4)
Clemson has quietly won 11 of the last 12. They have a balanced offensive attack with nobody scoring more than 12 points per game. They are deep and can defend well. The recent slip up to NC State in OT is what keeps them lower on this list than some of the other teams, but they are very much alive in the ACC title race.
24. Alabama (15-7)
Nate Oats plays a fast paced, lots of 3-point volume offense that leads to a lot of points scored by both teams in every game Alabama plays. They have lost two of the last three after adding Charles Bediako to the roster. They can beat anyone when they are hitting shots, and lose to anyone when they aren’t.
25. Miami OH (23-0)
The record doesn’t make a lot of sense. They rank 329th in strength of schedule and eighth in total luck on KenPom. There’s just something magical about the RedHawks that leaves them on this list. Four of their last five victories have been either one score or overtime wins. They have a balanced scoring attack with six players all averaging double digits, and have set program records for attendance.
Whether you are a true blue blooded program, or a surprising story, the month of February is when you make your push to insert yourself into the NCAA tournament. Everyone wants their one shining moment, but only one team will hold that trophy at the end of the year.
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