With a month left before March Madness 2026 begins, the top teams in the nation are looking to bolster their resumes to earn beneficial seeds in the tournament. But who are the best of the best in men’s college basketball right now? Our all-new college basketball rankings look to answer that very question.
25. Wisconsin (LW: UR)
This has been an up-and-down season for coach Greg Gard and Wisconsin. While they have gotten good seasons from guards Nick Boyd (20.2 PPG) and John Blackwell (18.7 PPG), it hasn’t stopped them from racking up losses to ranked and unranked teams this season.
However, despite their inconsistent play in 2025-26, they have scored some big wins over the last couple of months. While they have frustrating recent losses to USC and Indiana, their victories in 2026 over Michigan and Illinois are why they land in our latest college basketball rankings.
24. Louisville (LW: 24)
Louisville owns a rock-solid 18-6 record due to the strong play of its trio of talented guards. Mikel Brown Jr. could be a lottery pick (17.3 points and 5.1 assists), senior Ryan Conwell has been just as good (18.9 points and 5.0 rebounds), and Cardinals veteran Isaac McKneely is as reliable as ever.
The trio is not easy to defend, and it showed in wins over Kentucky and Indiana earlier this season. However, Louisville has gotten stiffer competition in the new year, taking losses against Duke twice and Virginia.
23. Clemson (LW: 22)
Coach Brad Brownell is in the best groove of his 16-year stint leading Clemson, and he has the 2026 Tigers in position to win 23 or more games for a fourth straight year due to some really good play from forwards Carter Welling and RJ Godfrey.
The duo is combining for over 20 points and 11 boards a night for the Tigers. Although they have suffered a pair of losses in recent weeks, they are still a formidable team due to a defense that is giving up 64.6 PPG, which is 13th best in the country.
22. BYU (LW: 15)
Led by the player who could go No. 1 in June’s NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa, BYU had a strong start to this season. The No. 1 scorer in the nation (24.5 PPG) was a force and was getting help from the impressive backcourt duo of Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III.
However, over the last month, the Cougars have steadily fallen in our college basketball rankings by losing five of their last seven, including taking Ls to four ranked teams. It suggests that BYU has an obvious ceiling this season.
21. Arkansas (LW: 19)
Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. lead an impressive all-freshman backcourt for Arkansas this season. However, Acuff has emerged as the best of the pair and the Razorbacks’ top star as he continues to generate NBA Draft buzz due to his play this season (20.8 points and 6.3 assists a night).
In year two with legendary head coach John Calipari, Arkansas has played rock-solid ball. Scoring big wins over four ranked teams. However, they are an imperfect group, and their setbacks to unranked Auburn and Kentucky show they are good but beatable.
20. Vanderbilt (LW: 17)
Vanderbilt’s backcourt duo of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles leads a Commodores offense that is scoring 88.87 PPG, which is 13th best in the nation. It’s why the team is off to one of their best starts in program history at 20-4.
For much of the season, they lacked a marquee victory over a ranked team, but finally got one last month against Alabama. However, they have struggled since that key win. Losing four of their last eight, including last week to an unranked Oklahoma.
19. Saint Louis (LW: 21)
Don’t look now, but Saint Louis may have their best team in program history. The A-10’s top program has gotten off to an outstanding 23-1 start, and it is due to a high-powered offense that is posting 91.0 PPG — which is fifth best in the nation.
Leading the way is senior big man Robbie Avila. The starting center is posting 12.8 points and 4.4 rebounds, while shooting an outstanding 42.9% from three. While they don’t have a win against a ranked school, they have fairly earned a spot in our new college basketball rankings with their high-level play.
18. Miami (OH) (LW: 20)
While it took a couple of seasons to change the program from the bottom up, Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele has put together what is turning into the greatest team in school history.
The Redhawks head into the weekend with an outstanding 24-0 record and currently sit atop the MAC. Their fantastic start is thanks to an offense that is No. 1 in the nation (92.7 PPG) and has six players posting 10 or more points a night. Miami won’t face a ranked team until the tournament, but they are a dangerous dark horse to keep an eye on.
17. St. John’s (LW: 23)
There were huge expectations for St. John’s this season after a big year in 2024-25. However, over the first two months of the season, they were inconsistent and struggled against ranked schools.
But since the calendar hit 2026, the team led by Zuby Ejiofor (16.3 PPG) and Bryce Hopkins (13.8 PPG) has gotten on a roll. The Johnnies are currently on a 10-game win streak, and the biggest came when they scored a huge upset win over UConn a week ago. That is why they make a sizable jump in our latest college basketball rankings.
16. Virginia (LW: 18)
Head coach Ryan Odom had a rough fo of it in his first year overseeing Virginia. However, year two has been far better due to the strong play of Belgian big man Thijs de Ridder. The freshman forward leads the team in points (16.1) and rebounds (6.6) for the 21-3 team.
The only thing that has stopped the Cavaliers from closing in on the top 10 is the lack of wins against ranked programs. While they finally got one last month with a victory over Louisville, they suffered a setback to UNC soon after. Nevertheless, they have won five straight and are building new momentum.
15. Texas Tech (LW: 12)
Texas Tech has progressed a lot during Grant McCasland’s first two seasons overseeing the program. And if the formidable duo of JT Toppin (No. 9 scorer in the nation) and Christian Anderson can continue to play as they have, Tech could make some serious noise in March.
While they do own wins over Duke and BYU, they have often struggled against top 25 teams this year, including a setback to Kansas to begin February. It is why they haven’t broken into the top 10 of our recent college basketball rankings.
14. Florida (LW: 16)
The first couple of months of the season for defending champs Florida were rough as they lost four of their first nine games. However, after back-to-back defeats to Duke and UConn, the Gators have played far better. Since Dec. 13, they are 13-2 with wins over Vanderbilt and Alabama.
Juniors Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh have led the way during their resurgence. However, big man Rueben Chinyelu has been the X-factor as the center is having a breakout season, as he posts 11.8 points and 11.8 rebounds a night. The Gators are an intriguing sleeper as we get closer to March.
13. Nebraska (LW: 10)
Fred Hoiberg’s 2026 team looks to be his best yet at Nebraska. The school heads into the weekend with a 21-3 record and is led by former Bradley recruit Rienk Mast. The Dutch senior is second on his team in points (14.8 PG) and rebounds (6.0). He is also getting a lot of help from junior Pryce Sandfort, who leads in scoring with 17.0 PPG.
Nebraska emerged as a potential title contender after wins over Illinois and Michigan State to begin the 2026 part of their schedule. However, they fall in our latest top 25 after losing three of their last four, and all of them against ranked conference rivals.
12. Purdue (LW: 13)
Purdue has something most elite schools lack: Top players with a boatload of experience. Seniors Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith are leading the way for the Boilermakers in 2026 and are combining for close to 30 points a night — Smith is also adding just under nine assists a game.
Early in January, Purdue fairly earned their way back into the top five. However, they hit a bit of a slump at the end of the month. Losing three straight, including to Indiana. But they have recovered since by winning three straight, including a big overtime win over Nebraska.
11. Iowa State (LW: 9)
In his final season at Iowa State, Joshua Jefferson is getting a lot of attention from NBA Draft evaluators. The Las Vegas native leads the teams in rebounds (7.7) and is second in points (17.o), assists (5.3), and blocks (0.9). But the Cyclones have also gotten strong seasons from guard Tamin Lipsey and top scorer Milan Momcilovic (18.4).
They are 21-3 due to those three and a formidable defense that is giving up 64.9 points a night. However, they have stumbled since the calendar changed to 2026, and all three of their losses have come over the last month.
10. North Carolina (LW: 12)
Hubert Davis’ North Carolina team is worthy of a spot in our college basketball rankings due to the outstanding performance of future lottery pick Caleb Wilson. The freshman leads the Tar Heels in points (19.8), rebounds (9.4), and steals (1.5). However, he is also getting big support from veterans Henri Veesaar (16.4 points and 9.0 rebounds) and Seth Trimble (13.5 points).
In the new year, the Tar Heels have been a very inconsistent team. They have losses to SMU and Stanford, but also wins over Virginia and a huge upset over Duke last week. However, they followed the win over the Blue Devils by falling to Miami. UNC is maddening in 2026.
9. Michigan State (LW: 11)
Legendary coach Tom Izzo has another good Michigan State team on his hands in 2026. This year’s team has four players averaging 10 or more points a game and a rock-solid defense. There was no better proof of the worthiness of their ranking than W over four ranked teams this season.
The biggest yet came just when they needed it in a victory over Illinois. The win stopped a potential losing streak and quieted some of the drama surrounding top star Jeremy Fears Jr.
8. Illinois (LW: 7)
Brad Underwood has turned Illinois into a top program in the Big Ten and a consistent participant in the tournament. A key reason why they are a top 10 program in our new college basketball rankings is freshman guard Keaton Wagler turning into a breakout star. The native of Kansas leads the Fighting Illini in scoring (18.5) and assists (4.3).
While Illinois hit some bumps in the road in November and December, it won 12 straight, including victories over three ranked teams. However, they lost two straight over the last week, including to Michigan State.
7. Gonzaga (LW: 5)
Mark Few’s Gonzaga squad is off to an impressive 24-2 start because of what their veteran front court of Braden Huff and Graham Ike gives them each night. The duo is averaging close to 40 points and 15 boards a game for the Bulldogs.
Following a 40-point loss to Michigan in November, Gonzaga has been a machine. Reeling off 15 straight Ws. While they were handed a stunning loss by Portland to begin the month, Gonzaga is still worthy of a top 10 spot in our latest college basketball rankings because of victories over four ranked teams this season.
6. Kansas (LW: 8)
Kansas was a frustratingly inconsistent group for much of this season. You never truly knew what you would get from week to week. However, since mid-January, the Jayhawks and top star Darryn Peterson have been one of the hottest teams in the country. Scoring victories over four ranked teams.
The program led by potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick Peterson scored its biggest win of the season last Saturday over the No. 1 team in the nation, Arizona. However, what made the W so impressive is that they did it without Peterson. Showing Kansas is more than just their top star.
5. Duke (LW: 4)
Duke is off to a vintage Blue Devils start because of the outstanding play of super prospect Cameron Boozer. The freshman, who stepped in to replace Cooper Flagg, leads the team in points (23.0) — which is also fourth best in the nation. He also tops the team in rebounds (10.0), assists (4.0), and steals (1.8).
Beyond the superb play of the man who could go No. 1 in June’s draft, Duke is also getting important minutes from sophomores Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II. The trio is the main reason why Duke has a 22-2 record. However, they weren’t enough this past weekend when they could not stop the recent hot streak of conference rivals North Carolina.
4. UConn (LW: 2)
It’s another season in college basketball, and UConn is once again among the elite programs in the country. Although they took a step back last season, they retooled by adding stud recruit Braylon Mullins and have returned to being a title contender again in 2026.
Senior big man Taris Reed Jr. (14.1 points and 7.8 rebounds) and junior guard Solo Ball (14.5 PPG) lead the way for a team that is not just a group to respect on offense, but is a handful on defense (64.8 opponents PPG). However, they were among the elite schools handed a surprising upset last weekend when they were soundly beaten by Big East rivals St. John’s.
3. Houston (LW: 6)
Kelvin Sampson’s Houston squad is again among the top teams in the nation. Senior Emanuel Sharp (16.3 PPG) has been as important as ever. However, if they make another deep run in March, it will be because of the continued growth of freshman Kingston Flemings (16.6 points and 5.4 assists a night). The star guard is fast emerging as a potential lottery pick in June.
Yet, the main reason the Cougars head into the weekend with a 22-2 record is an elite defense that is limiting opponents to just 61.2 points a night — which is currently second-best in the nation. After a tough loss to Texas Tech late in January, Houston has reeled off five straight dominant wins, including last week versus BYU.
2. Michigan (LW: 3)
After 24 games, Michigan has shown that head coach Dusty May has a team that can win the program’s first championship in close to 40 years. While former UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg is getting a lot of attention for being the tip of their scoring spear (14.3 PPG), the Wolverines have several other talented scorers on a team that is posting the seventh most points in the nation (90.8).
Their rise to elite status in 2026 features wins over five ranked teams, including Nebraska and Michigan State late in January.
1. Arizona (LW: 1)
Arizona has been a juggernaut throughout the 2025-26 season. Led by impressive freshman Brayden Burries (15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds) and stud NBA prospect Koa Peat (14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds), the Wildcats have posted wins over six top 25 teams, including UConn and BYU.
Their impressive play this season has been led by an offense posting 88.8 PPG (11th best in the nation). However, it was not enough this past week when the Wildcats were upset by Kansas. What made the defeat so stunning was that the Jayhawks were without their top star and POTY candidate Darryn Peterson.
