Ty's 2025-2026 Men's College Basketball Preview
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My last preseason basketball thing I am going to do is a men's NCAA preview. I'm going to kind of breeze through it because, to be quite honest with you, I don't know where and who plays for almost anyone right now. With the portal and the early draft entries and some guys straight up skipping college basketball all together, it is hard to remember who plays where and who is going to be the champs. I had no idea that Florida was as good as they were last season, and they won it all. The one team I do know quite a bit about is Michigan, but that is just because I am a big fan. So keep all of this in mind as you read this preview. I'm going to go with the AP top 25, say a few things about some teams I'm interested in and then pick the Final Four, title game teams, champs and Player of the Year.
Purdue is preseason number one and they look the part. They have a pretty darn good roster, they have a preseason All American, they have a great coach and they are the favorites in what might be the toughest conference in the country. There will be ups and downs for Purdue, but the ups will be more prevalent and important.
Houston comes in at two, and Kelvin Sampson has built a pretty solid powerhouse there. He is going to have a gritty team that plays lockdown defense and they will win a ton of games. They just need to take the next step to win a title.
Florida is the defending champs, they have a preseason All American and they only have to replace one key player from last season. They should be near the top of the rankings all season long.
UConn is back in the top 5, and after a "down" season last year they will be looking to right some wrongs. They also have the best college basketball coach in the country. Danny Hurley is going to turn it around or die trying.
Rick Pitino has returned St Johns to their glory days, and I have to admit that when St Johns is at the top of men's college basketball, that makes me happy. I'm an old school fan, and seeing them in the top 10 warms my heart.
Duke is Duke. They have a ton to replace, but they don't rebuild, they reload. They have one of the best recruiting classes in the country and they will continue to win a ton of games.
Michigan is next, and I love when my favorite team is so highly sought of in the offseason. They have a great transfer class coming in, they have a preseason All American and they have some depth. I'm stoked to see them play and I think they are going to have a very good season.
BYU has the top player in the country coming in, and during his first exhibition game he looked every bit the part. Basketball is a sport where one guy can turn around the fortune of a team, and that is what is going to happen with BYU this season.
Kentucky is going to be good once again. They got a solid coach last year who did pretty good learning on the job at a blueblood. And he can recruit with the best of them.
Rounding out the top 10 is Texas Tech and they are going to play some of the best defense in the country and they have Jacob Toppin, who I believe is the front runner for POTY.
Some notable teams outside the top 10 feature Arizona, who now has Bryce James, Illinois, who is always competitive and has as intense a coach as any in the country, Kansas, who is kind of in a no man's land for them, but they will still be a tournament team and Gonzaga, who is lowly ranked, but that seems to be when they have some of their best seasons. North Carolina is right at 25, and I'm very interested to see how Hubert Davis coaches a new bunch of players. Alabama and Iowa State are as consistent as they come in college basketball. Michigan State will play as hard as any team in the country, and they get favorable calls. Creighton is the new Gonzaga. Sure, they play in a power conference, but they're the new darlings and everyone's "Cinderella". And UCLA and Arkansas have very good recruiting coaches, who may not be the best with X's and O's.
Outside of the top 25 I'm certain there will be teams that surprise all of us out there. There will also be teams that disappoint. How will Florida fans feel if they don't make a deep playoff run? What if Michigan's new players never really mesh? What if the Boozer twins aren't as dominant as Duke hopes? How does Maryland respond now that their coach and Derik Queen are gone? On the other side, Villanova should be solid after a "down" season. Clemson always seems to upset some high ranked teams and may find themselves in the top 25. Shaka Smart and Marquette remind me of old school Nolan Richardson Arkansas teams. Mizzou has some massive talent coming in. And some mid major like Montana or Memphis will inevitably make some noise. That's how men's college basketball seems to go.
As for the tournament, I fully believe that Purdue, Houston, BYU and St John's will be the top 4 seeds. As for my Final Four, give me Purdue, Michigan, Duke and BYU. As for the title game, I'll go with Duke and Purdue, and Purdue to win the whole thing. I guess I just want my sister in law to be happy with her alma mater. As for Player of the Year, give me Jacob Toppin. He is the perfect representation of what this award has become, and Toppin just happens to be an awesome basketball player.
That’s all folks. Let’s get ready for some college action on the court.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.