50. Maryland Terrapins- Last Season Ranking: 46
Conference: Big Ten
Player to know: Pharrel Payne
Buzz Williams takes over the Maryland program after Kevin Willard bailed on the Terrapins to take the job at Villanova. Coach Williams brought some of his top players to College Park. The rest of the roster has a lot of experience, but no one who would be considered a star at their former school. Maryland doesn't have the juice to make the NCAA Tournament, at least not yet.
49. Cincinnati Bearcats- Last Season Ranking: 23
Conference: Big 12
Player to know: Shon Abaev
The Bearcats were extremely overrated in the preseason last year, but it makes sense given how many of their roster members returned from the 2023-2024 season and the stars Cincinnati had. The Bearcats never found their footing, and the offense was dreadful most of the time. Cincinnati has a great freshman class and got a lot of older transfers. The Bearcats should be a bubble team.
Conference: ACC
Player to know: Tre’Von Spillers
Honestly, I have no idea what to expect from Wake Forest. There were some nights when the Demon Deacons looked like the best team in the ACC and others when they didn't. Wake won 21 games a season ago, but didn't have much in the quality win department, which led to them staying home in March. Head coach Steve Forbes has a lot of new pieces to incorporate this year, which hopefully can help find some quality wins.
47. Iowa Hawkeyes- Last Season Ranking: 50
Conference: Big Ten
Player to know: Bennett Stirtz
Ben McCollum is the new coach at Iowa, and the Hawkeyes are a potential looming juggernaut in the Big Ten. McCollum has won everywhere he has coached and can coach a team in multiple ways. Don't expect Iowa to play like Drake did last year; the team has too many weapons. They should open it up, play smothering defense, and make a ton of threes, while playing efficient offense.
46. Kansas State Wildcats- Last Season Ranking: 45
Conference: Big 12
Player to know: PJ Haggerty
After two down seasons at Kansas State, the luster has worn off the Wildcats' head man, Jerome Tang. Never fear, though, Wildcat fans, because this team has the makings of a special one and has all of the things that coach Tang needs to win. Kansas State has a ball-dominant guard, the skilled bigs, and the complementary pieces to win. This team resembles the Elite Eight team a lot.
45. Nebraska Cornhuskers- Last Season Ranking: 54
Conference: Big Ten
Player to know: Rienk Mast
Nebraska won the first College Basketball Crown tournament, but only after blowing their chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. The roster last year wasn't good enough, especially in the post. The Huskers and coach Fred Hoiberg loaded up on shooters in the transfer portal and got their star Mast back from injury. Nebraska will push for the tourney again and might lead the country in three-point attempts.
44. Dayton Flyers- Last Season Ranking: 29
Conference Atlantic 10
Player to know: Keonte Jones
I know Anthony Grant has led Dayton to the NCAA Tournament only once. Still, he was the coach responsible for the best season in Flyers history, and the last three years of Dayton basketball have been among the best in program history. Always trust Dayton to win games and be a factor on the national stage. It's a new roster, but it is not devoid of talent. Coach Grant has a dangerous team again.
43. Washington Huskies- Last Season Ranking: 72
Conference: Big 10
Player to know: Desmond Claude
Washington finished last in the Big Ten last year, but head coach Danny Sprinkle built a roster this year that is going to finish nowhere near the bottom of the league. I am not like others who want to pencil the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament this year, even though coach Sprinkle is one of the best coaches in the game. I need to see how Washington looks in big games.
42. SMU Mustangs- Last Season Ranking: 77
Conference: ACC
Player to know: Jaron Pierre Jr.
The Mustangs finished 4th in the ACC and then won a NIT game with an ultra-efficient offense that averaged about 80 points per game. The Mustangs improved their roster in the transfer portal by adding one of the game's best scorers. The depth is all talented freshmen, and unless they all develop quickly, SMU might take a step back.
41. Boise State Broncos- Last Season Ranking: 49
Conference: Mountain West
Player to know: Andrew Meadow
Boise State won 26 games last year and didn't make the NCAA Tournament, but did make the College Basketball Crown, where they fell to Nebraska in the tournament semifinals. The Broncos lost one of their best players of all time, but head coach Leon Rice reloaded in the transfer portal, and Boise State has one of the best teams in the Mountain West again. Can the Broncos finally win a tournament game?
40. Georgia Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking: 66
Conference: SEC
Player to know: Jeremiah Wilkinson
Georgia was a surprise last year, as I didn't expect them to be good enough to make the tournament. The Bulldogs did it, had a lottery pick, and played fantastic defense. Georgia returned some key pieces from its run to the tournament last year and improved its roster through the transfer portal. The Bulldogs are a team that should make the tournament again.
39. USC Trojans- Last Season Ranking: 56
Conference: Big Ten
Player to know: Amarion Dickerson
USC got a lot better as the year went on last year. The Trojans qualified for the College Basketball Crown and won a game before losing to Villanova in the second round. Enough about last year; this year, the Trojans and head coach Eric Musselman have a roster with some second-weekend sleeper potential in the NCAA Tournament. This team will play elite defense!
38. Vanderbilt Commodores- Last Season Ranking: 97
Conference: SEC
Player to know: Tyler Nickel
Vanderbilt was a team I didn't expect much out of last year. I underestimated how talented the roster was; most importantly, the ability of head coach Mark Byington to win games and bring a roster full of transfers together was grossly underestimated. Vanderbilt made the NCAA Tournament, lost their top scorer, and reloaded in the transfer portal. The Commodores are dangerous again.
37. Clemson Tigers- Last Season Ranking: 31
Conference: ACC
Player to know: Carter Welling
Clemson dominated the ACC last year, finishing second behind Duke. However, the year left a sour taste in everyone's mouth, including head coach Brad Brownell. The Tigers were eliminated in the first round by McNeese State, a year after making the Elite Eight. This season, coach Brownell flipped the roster with a lot of mid-major stars who will be relied on to carry Clemson. The Tigers will take a step back this year.
36. Utah State Aggies- Last Season Ranking: 75
Conference: Mountain West
Player to know: Mason Falslev
Last year, the Aggies broke in Jerrod Calhoun by doing what they always do—dominating in the Mountain West, having a prolific offense, and not allowing much on the defensive end of the floor. Utah State made the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row with its third different coach. There is nothing that shows Utah State is going to let up.
35. Texas Longhorns- Last Season Ranking: 16
Conference: SEC
Player to know: Tramon Mark
The first season in the loaded SEC did not go according to plan for Texas. I had them ranked in the top 20 last year, but the 19-16 finish and the loss in the First Four is not how anyone envisioned this would go. Last season cost former coach Rodney Terry his job. The Longhorns hired Sean Miller, who is looking to rebuild the program back to prominence, just as he did with Arizona. The Texas roster this year has some talent and should make the tournament fairly easily.
34. Mississippi State Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking: 33
Conference: SEC
Player to know: Josh Hubbard
Chris Jans has been in Starkvegas for three full seasons, and the Bulldogs have made the tournament for three straight seasons. It will likely be four straight after this year. The Bulldogs can and will protect the rim and get steals, but they are still allowing too many points for Coach Jans' liking. This is the best roster coach Jans has had in his tenure at Mississippi State, and they will defend and shoot much better from the three-point line. The Bulldogs are just outside the top 25 to begin the year.
33. Ohio State Buckeyes- Last Season Ranking: 32
Conference: Big Ten
Player to know: Bruce Thornton
Excuse me if I don't exactly buy the hype with Ohio State. I do understand that they have a lot of talent on paper and should make the tournament pretty easily, but this is the same team that won 17 games last year and didn't play in a postseason tournament. The offense will be prolific, especially from beyond the arc. The depth is still a question for me, as is head coach Jake Diebler. The Buckeyes are a bubble team.
32. Texas A & M Aggies- Last Season Ranking: 10
Conference: SEC
Player to know: McKenzie Mgbako
The Aggies hired Bucky McMillan to lead them into the future after former head coach Buzz Williams left to join Maryland. Texas A&M needs to get ready to have a lot of fun. Bucky Ball is going to fit right in with the rest of the teams in the SEC and the speed at which they play. The roster was put together quickly, but Bucky Ball always wins a lot.
31. San Diego State Aztecs- Last Season Ranking: 37
Conference: Mountain West
Player to know: Magoon Gwath
It was a down year for San Diego State last season — at least by their standards — but they still qualified for the tournament. The NCAA Tournament didn't go well for the Aztecs, but that was last year. San Diego State is going to be back at the top of the Mountain West and play their brand of physical basketball, smothering defense, and winning. They will get a single-digit seed.
30. Oregon Ducks- Last Season Ranking: 40
Conference: Big 10
Player to know: Jackson Shelstad
Oregon was a huge surprise last year. They were always supposed to make the tournament, but no one picked them to go 12-1 with wins over Alabama and Texas A&M in the non-conference. That happened, and the Ducks headed back to the NCAA Tournament. The 2025-2026 season will be more of the same, with the core returning for head coach Dana Altman.
29. Mississippi Rebels- Last Season Ranking: 24
Conference: SEC
Player to know: Malik Dia
Head coach Chris Beard guided the Rebels to their best season in school history. Ole Miss got hot in the NCAA Tournament and saw their season end in the Sweet 16. Coach Beard was able to reload the roster with good talent from the transfer portal. Ole Miss won't be as good, but playing in the SEC will allow them to get enough quality wins to wind up in the tournament again.
28. Missouri Tigers- Last Season Ranking: 53
Conference: SEC
Player to know: Mark Mitchell
The Tigers made the NCAA Tournament again last season after having an awful year the season before. The resurgence of Missouri's previous season can largely be attributed to acquiring a ton of talent in the transfer portal and turning that into one of the most prolific offenses in the country. Head coach Dennis Gates has acquired a lot of talent from the transfer portal this year, and Missouri looks like an NCAA Tournament lock.
27. Baylor Bears- Last Season Ranking: 8
Conference: Big 12
Player to know: Juslin Bodo Bodo
Baylor flipped its entire roster, which is strange considering head coach Scott Drew guided the Bears to another NCAA Tournament appearance and had a lottery pick on last year's team. The facts were that Baylor finished 20-15, which is not up to snuff for coach Drew. The roster this year is loaded with talented front-court players and a back court with some question marks, but it is still Big 12-level. This Baylor team is sneaky and will be great on defense.
26. North Carolina State Wolfpack- Last Season Ranking: 57
Conference: ACC
Player to know: Darrion Williams
The Kevin Keatts experiment didn't work out for the Wolfpack, and North Carolina State did something that every other team was afraid to do: hire Will Wade. Wade has had some shady dealings in the past, but he is one of the best coaches in the country, and the roster he has built in year 1 will be one of the best in the ACC.