The 2025-26 college basketball season is underway, and the top programs around the country are starting to separate themselves from the pack. So who are the best of the best in the sport right now? We look to answer that question with our updated men’s college basketball rankings, showcasing the top 25 teams at the start of December.
25. Texas Tech (LW: 24)
Texas Tech has progressed yearly during Grant McCasland’s first two seasons overseeing the Red Raiders program. Meaning 2025-26 has a lot of potential and could see the team win 30 games for the first time in 30 years. If the impressive duo of JT Toppin (eighth-best scorer in the nation) and Christian Anderson can continue to play like they already have, Texas Tech can be a tough out for teams in the Big 12.
Yet, they still have much to prove after suffering first-month losses to ranked teams Illinois and Purdue.
24. Iowa (LW: Unranked)
Iowa has looked impressive under new head coach Ben McCollum. After several seasons of being overshadowed by their female counterparts, the Hawkeyes kicked off the 2025-26 season by winning their first seven. While they fell to Michigan State in their most recent game, Drake transfer Bennett Stirtz is continuing his strong play from last season, which was also with McCollum.
23. Kentucky (LW: 19)
Mark Pope has a deep and talented Kentucky roster, but they are still missing a key part of it with Jayden Quaintance expected to be out for a lot of the 2025-26 season. Against lower-tier teams, they have looked impressive. However, they have struggled against ranked teams this year. Suffering setbacks to Louisville, Michigan State, and North Carolina. This Wildcats team is good, but it isn’t showing any signs of being one that can eventually make a deep run in March.
22. Arkansas (LW: 25)
Arkansas is going with a pair of freshmen in the backcourt in 2025-26, and so far, the duo of Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. has been pretty good, and each is posting over 17 points per game. In year two with legendary head coach John Calipari, the Razorbacks are a team to keep an eye on. Despite a Feast Week loss to Duke, the team bounced back with a big win over No. 6 Louisville. Showing they are a sleeper team in the college basketball rankings.
21. Indiana (LW: 23)
In year one for new head coach Darian DeVries, Indiana has looked good and warrants a spot in our latest top 25 by kicking off the season 7-0. While they haven’t beaten any world beaters and fell to Minnesota recently, senior Lamar Wilkerson and the coach’s son Tucker DeVries lead a balanced group. They will have a big test this weekend when they take on a Louisville team sure to be nasty after also suffering their first loss of the season this week.
20. Florida (LW: 20)
Following a tough loss to Arizona to open the year, defending champions Florida rebounded and got on a bit roll by winning four straight. However, they have lost two of their last three, including to TCU and a down-to-the-wire setback to Duke.
Juniors Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh have been asked to carry a bigger load in 2025-26, and the pair of veteran forwards has shown they are up to the task by putting up career-best numbers for a 5-3 Gators team.
19. Auburn (LW: 21)
Senior Keyshawn Hall is making a statement early in the new season for Auburn. He is averaging a double-double (21 points and 9 boards), is top 15 in the nation in scoring, and has spearheaded a 7-2 Tigers team. While they came up short against Houston and Michigan, they are top-10 squads in 2025, so there is no shame in those setbacks. But they showed their upside with a bounce-back win over a top-15 St. John’s team following their defeat to the Wolverines.
18. Kansas (LW: 16)
After a disappointing 21-13 result and a first-round ouster in the tournament last year, Bill Self and Kansas are hoping things can get better in 2025-26. But after three early-season losses to top-25 teams, North Carolina, Duke, and UConn, there is understandable concern about this year’s team. However, sophomore Flory Bidunga and the Jayhawks have had very positive moments this season, including a big Feast Week win over Tennessee.
17. Vanderbilt (LW: 22)
Vanderbilt’s backcourt duo of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles has gotten off to a really good start to the new season, and they are leading a Commodores offense (96.8 PPG) that is No. 3 in the nation to begin December. While they haven’t faced stiff competition, they have started the season 9-0 and have blowout victories in all but two of those games, including a 50-point win to start the season.
16. USC (LW: 17)
Year one for Eric Musselman at USC wasn’t what anyone hoped for as they finished the season 17-18. But transfers Chad Baker-Mazara and Rodney Rice have been dynamite for the Trojans this year, with each averaging 20 points per game. It’s why they are tied for first in the Big Ten after beginning the season unbeaten after eight games. Their spot in the college basketball rankings this week is well-deserved.
15. Tennessee (LW: 11)
Tennessee freshman Nate Ament is proving why he is a top prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft. He is second on the team in points (17) and leads in rebounds (7) per game. The combo of him and senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is why the Vols have been one of the SEC’s best to begin the season.
However, they have hit some bumps in the road after a huge Feast Week win over Houston. Their losses against Kansas and then Syracuse are why they fall in our updated top 25.
14. North Carolina (LW: 15)
Hubert Davis’ North Carolina team is off to a very good start in large part due to the strong play of freshman Caleb Wilson. The Atlanta native leads the Tar Heels in points (19), rebounds (10), and steals (2) after the first month of the season. However, he is also getting big support from veterans Henri Veesaar and Seth Trimble.
While they were blown out by Michigan State, a recent win over Kentucky shows they are deserving of a spot in our latest college basketball rankings.
13. Illinois (LW: 14)
Brad Underwood has turned Illinois into a top program every season in the Big Ten, and nothing is changing in 2025-26. Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic has immediately become one of the team’s top scorers. But the player that makes this Illinois team more dangerous than recent seasons is talented freshman David Mirkovic. The big man is averaging an impressive 14 points and 10 boards a night.
Although they came up short against Alabama and UConn this season, they do own a decisive win over Texas Tech.
12. Alabama (LW: 13)
Alabama set up a tough schedule for itself to begin the season, and it has navigated facing four top 10 teams by splitting those matchups, including wins over St. John’s and Illinois when they were in the top 10. Their two losses came against an elite Purdue and a strong Gonzaga squad, so there is no shame in those setbacks.
They are a talented team led by NBA lottery prospect Labaron Philon Jr., who has looked very good and is top 15 in scoring in the nation. Furthermore, Alabama is an elite scoring team in the nation, averaging 94.9 points a night.
11. Gonzaga (LW: 10)
Mark Few’s Gonzaga squad is off to a fast start to the season due to high-level play from their veteran front court of Braden Huff and Graham Ike. The Bulldogs have a lot more experience than most teams, and it has shown in their 7-1 start. However, while they beat Alabama this season, getting smashed by Michigan in a 40-point loss shows they still have some work to do.
10. Iowa State (LW: 12)
In his final season at Iowa State, Tamin Lipsey is getting the attention of NBA Draft evaluators. The home state great leads the team in points (18), assists (5), and steals (3). Furthermore, the Cyclones have gotten good play from the front-court duo of Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic. It’s why they started the year 8-0 and scored a nice win over St. John’s this season. A massive test comes this weekend when they visit, arguably, the top team in the nation, Purdue.
9. Houston (LW: 4)
Kelvin Sampson and his Houston team are again one of the very best teams in the nation to begin the new season. Senior Emmanuel Sharp has been as important as ever and is leading the way in scoring. However, they have serious potential to get back to the championship game in March if freshmen Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. can continue to develop into the elite talents many believe they are.
They have had a good start to the season, but their recent loss to Tennessee shows they are still second-best in the conference to Arizona.
8. BYU (LW: 9)
BYU is seen as a real title contender this season because of the talents of future NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa. However, the Cougars also have a very good backcourt combo in Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III, who are putting up close to 40 points per night. Although they suffered an early-season loss to UConn, the Cougars bounced back with a dominant win over a rock-solid Wisconsin team and head into the weekend with a 7-1 record.
7. Louisville (LW: 6)
Louisville has kicked off its campaign with a 7-1 record due to the strong play of its trio of talented guards. Mikel Brown Jr. is getting a lot of buzz about being a top 10 pick in next year’s NBA Draft. However, senior Ryan Conwell has been just as good, and fellow Cardinals veteran Isaac McKneely is as reliable as ever.
These three are why they are a top 10 scoring team in the nation (94.6 PPG), and it showed in a big early-season win over a top-10 Kentucky team. However, their surprising Feast Week loss to Arkansas is why they slip in our latest top 25.
6. Michigan State (LW: 8)
Legendary coach Tom Izzo unsurprisingly looks to have another very good Michigan State team on his hands. They have a deep squad that has proven to be a handful for opponents this season. There is no better proof of their potential than scoring a pair of big wins over ranked teams, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. has been impressive as one of the leaders of their offense, ranking first in the country in assists (9.4 per game). The Spartans get a huge test this weekend at home when they take on Duke.
5. UConn (LW: 5)
What a surprise. It’s another season in college basketball, and UConn is among the elite teams in the nation. While they took a bit of a step back last season, they looked primed for another deep run in March.
Senior big man Taris Reed Jr. has been great, as well as front-court partner Alex Karaban. What is so fascinating about the Huskies is that they have been this good and just recently got star freshman Braylon Mullins on the court. Despite a loss to the top team in our college basketball rankings, Arizona, they have big wins over three top 25 teams, including BYU.
4. Michigan (LW: 7)
To begin the new season, Michigan is showing that head coach Dusty May may have a juggernaut in his second season overseeing the program. A major reason is the addition of Yaxel Lendeborg from the transfer portal. While the former UAB star is getting a lot of early attention, the Wolverines’ front line, in general, is arguably the best in the nation and a major reason they are in striking distance of the top spot in our updated college basketball rankings.
There is no better proof of their serious potential than a pair of dominant wins this season over Auburn and Gonzaga.
3. Duke (LW: 3)
Duke is off to another classic Blue Devils start in 2025-26 because of the outstanding play of super prospect Cameron Boozer. The freshman, who had to take over for another super prospect in Cooper Flagg, leads the team — and is second in the nation — in points (23), rebounds (9), assists (4), and blocks (2).
Duke will go as far as Boozer takes them, and he already has them into the top five of our college basketball rankings after wins over three top 25 teams, including defending champions Florida. They get a huge road test this weekend in Michigan State.
2. Purdue (LW: 2)
Purdue is ranked among the top teams in the nation to begin the 2025-26 season because it has something most top 25 teams lack: Top players with a boatload of experience. Seniors Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn are off to very nice starts and are combining for over 30 points a night.
Their ability to use their veteran savvy to outwit opponents will make them a problem all season long. That has already become apparent in big early-season wins over ranked squads Alabama and Texas Tech.
1. Arizona (LW: 1)
Arizona has been outstanding to begin the season and looks primed for a serious run at a championship in March. Led by star senior Jaden Bradley and big-time NBA prospect and freshman Koat Peat, the Wildcats have already posted wins over three top 15 teams to begin the year, including UConn. Arizona is showing why there is so much hype around them this season, and has usurped the top spot in the Big 12 from conference powerhouse Houston.
