Top 25 College Basketball Rankings

1. Michigan

That’s right, I don’t care that they lost. I just don’t. Contrary to the belief of some, this team has not peaked too early! This team is a complete buzzsaw, and I’m not going to let one game where Wisconsin made 15 3-pointers change my opinion of them. That type of shooting is going to be necessary to beat the Wolverines – good luck scoring on Aday Mara and Morez Johnson on the interior.

2. Arizona

The Wildcats are currently undefeated and ranked #1 in the AP poll, and I think they will stay there for a while. They only play one KenPom top-20 opponent in the next 35 days in an incredibly back-loaded schedule. This may give freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries more time to develop.

3. Iowa State

The Cyclones dodged a bullet and survived a Tamin Lipsey foul trouble game on Saturday against Oklahoma State to remain unbeaten. It’s hard to beat a team that shoots 41% from 3, which is exactly what Iowa State has done thus far this season.

4. Purdue

I don’t think there is a more predictable postseason award in College Basketball right now than the Cousy Award (given to the nation’s best point guard), which will surely go to Braden Smith. The star guard who was formerly in the (quite long) shadow of Zach Edey is now the primary option and running the show for the most efficient offense in the country.

5. Gonzaga

Because of the conference they play in, Gonzaga is a team where you really have to trust their advanced analytics as opposed to schedule or box score-watching. And right now, Mark Few’s crew has a very balanced profile, ranking in the top-12 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom.

6. Duke

A week after the Blue Devils played with their food against bottom-dweller ACC teams, they came out and beat two of their toughest competitors in the conference, Louisville and SMU, where the outcome of the game was never really in doubt. Expect Jon Scheyer’s crew to be a one seed by the time Selection Sunday comes around.

7. UConn

The Big East is really bad this year, and I don’t know what that is going to mean for UConn. What I do know is that Danny Hurley’s crew has played some close games in the last week or so, and I really think they need to start blowing these middling Big East teams out if they want to impress anyone.

8. Vanderbilt

This team keeps getting doubted and disrespected in the polls, but they have just kept winning, and winning big. Tyler Tanner’s jump from a bench player as a freshman to a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate as a sophomore is a sight to behold. I still want to see how this team handles the gauntlet of an SEC schedule.

9. Houston

The Cougars had a big week last week, defeating both Texas Tech and Baylor. In the Baylor game, Kingston Flemings got in foul trouble, and the offense did not miss a beat with Milos Uzan and Isiah Harwell running the show. This gives me confidence that this team can win in more ways than one.

10. Illinois

The game was not as close as the final score indicated when the Illini beat Iowa soundly on Sunday in Carver Hawkeye Arena. This team is as deep as they come, and Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic is starting to come into his own, scoring at least 12 points in his last 3 games.

11. BYU

The addition of former G-League player Abdullah Ahmed could be huge for BYU as the season goes on. It gives them another frontcourt body that can play a similar role as Keba Keita if he gets in foul trouble or gets injured again, and Ahmed’s minutes have increased in every game that he has been active for as he gets his sea legs.

12. Nebraska

How good has Rienk Mast been this season? His return to the lineup in 2025 is evidence that if he had been healthy last season, the Nebraska Cornhuskers could have made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament instead of winning the College Basketball Crown. However, that victory in the Crown does give Nebraska the distinction of holding the nation’s longest win streak.

13. Michigan State

I don’t know what to make of this Michigan State team quite yet. They’re literally playing to expectations. Not overwhelming or underwhelming, so… just whelming? They’re an elite defensive team that has a ton of size and an elite floor general in Jeremy Fears. Not yet a National Championship contender, but a tough out on any given night.

14. Florida

I know they have 5 losses already, but I don’t care – this team is good, and they’re coming off of wins over Georgia and Tennessee. Boogie Fland finally put it all together with a 23-3-5 stat line in the Tennessee game, giving this team a much-needed lift at the guard spot.

15. Virginia

The turnaround that has happened this season from new head coach Ryan Odom has been impressive. The Cavaliers have strategically acquired pieces via the portal and recruiting that just fit well together, and this week, they are expected to get Jacari White back from injury.

16. Louisville

Health, health, health. If this team were fully healthy, they would probably be top-10 in the nation. But Mikel Brown, Ryan Conwell, and Khani Rooths are all dealing with injuries, and Kesean Pryor is still recovering from a torn ACL from last season. We’ll be able to evaluate this team more effectively when they have everyone back.

17. Alabama

The Crimson Tide is another team that has taken some losses and dealt with injuries. Yet, they still sit here in a solid position to be in the upper echelon of the SEC yet again. I am interested to see the development of London Jemison if he continues to be a part of the starting lineup.

18. Tennessee

Talk about a week for the Volunteers. They looked like world-beaters against Texas, and looked like a borderline NCAA Tournament team against Florida. That’s going to happen to a team that relies so much on the offense of three freshmen, including stud Nate Ament.

19. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders took a small tumble in my ranks this week, not because they lost to Houston, but because they only beat a short-handed Colorado team by two! We know what we’re going to get from JT Toppin and Christian Anderson, but the wild cards for the Red Raiders are the other guards – Atwell, Petty, and Bryan.

20. Arkansas

Over the weekend, Auburn really exposed Arkansas’ weaknesses defensively en route to a 95-73 win. But I still believe in this freshman core of Darius Acuff and Maleek Thomas, and their continued development will keep Arkansas as a legitimate threat to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

21. North Carolina

The Tar Heels had the rare “bye” in ACC play as they only played one game last week, an 87-84 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. Caleb Wilson is a problem for whoever’s matching up with him, but what this team gets from their guards will determine how far they go this season.

22. St. Johns

After the loss to Providence, Rick Pitino’s Red Storm responded with two straight resounding victories, which is what we wanted to see. This team still has a point guard problem, but two breakout games from Lefteris Liotopoulos make it seem like he could be a solution.

23. Iowa

This team will go as their point guard, Bennett Stirtz, goes. And as Stirtz had a bad week (by his lofty standards), Iowa went 0-2 last week. Alvaro Folgueiras has been inserted into the starting lineup, which is something that should have happened a while ago, in my humble opinion.

24. Georgia

I am still a believer in this Georgia team, even though they got exposed a little bit by Florida last Tuesday. Mike White has built a roster that has a ton of solid pieces and multiple ways to win basketball games, and I would be shocked if this team doesn’t finish in the top-5 of the SEC this season.

25. Saint Louis

My pick for the best midmajor team in the country (I don’t consider Gonzaga a midmajor) is the 15-1 Saint Louis Billikens, whose only loss was to Stanford by 1-point at an MTE where their best players dealt with foul trouble. They have dominated their A10 games to this point, including a 9-point win over their biggest competition, VCU. And added to that, Robbie Avila is one of the most fun players in college basketball and is must-see TV.

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