250. Manhattan Jaspers - Last Season Ranking: 319
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Devin Dinkins
Year 1 under head coach John Gallagher was a success, and the Jaspers were back to playing competitive basketball. Year 2 under coach Gallagher is set up to be a big one for the Jaspers. Manhattan returns its two top scorers from last year and enters 2025-2026 as a top-tier MAAC team.
249. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks - Last Season Ranking: 330
Conference: Ohio Valley
Player to know: Luke Almodovar
Southeast Missouri State has turned itself into an Ohio Valley powerhouse, making the NCAA Tournament and winning the league regular-season championship over the last three seasons. Head coach Brad Korn is one of the best defensive coaches in the country. The Redhawks have reloaded this offseason and have the best roster in the Ohio Valley.
248. Evansville Purple Aces - Last Season Ranking: 206
Conference: Missouri Valley
Player to know: Connor Turnbull
The Aces had enough talent to compete last year, at least in their starting five. After the starting five, the production for Evansville dropped off a cliff. Head coach David Ragland did what every other coach in America would do and went to find talent quickly in the transfer portal. The Purple Aces' talent level has improved, but depth remains a question.
247. Idaho Vandals - Last Season Ranking: 287
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Kolton Mitchell
The Vandals are trending up, and head coach Alex Pribble guided Idaho to their best season since 2017. Idaho brings back most of its scoring from last season and adds a few key pieces from the transfer portal. The Vandals are a big sleeper in the Big Sky this season.
246. Jacksonville Dolphins - Last Season Ranking: 181
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Player to know: Jaylen Jordan
Jacksonville has been resurrected under head coach Jordan Mincey; they still haven't made the NCAA Tournament under his tutelage, but the Dolphins have been close. The roster has a lot of new faces, and this team will have to win by slowing the game down and keeping games low-scoring.
245. Sacred Heart Pioneers - Last Season Ranking: 341
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Anquan Hill
The Pioneers' first season in the MAAC went relatively well. Usually, the jump from the NEC to a better conference comes with some growing pains, but Sacred Heart finished middle of the pack. Sacred Heart, with its heavy three-point offense, has many of its pieces back from last season, but it lacks star power.
244. Tennessee State Tigers - Last Season Ranking: 300
Conference: Ohio Valley
Player to know: Carlous Williams
Former head coach Brian Collins turned the Tigers into a perennial force in the Ohio Valley, but he left for the NBA. Tennessee State hired former Duke staffer Nolan Smith, who inherited one of the best rosters in the OVC. Most of the Tigers' roster returns from last year, and with additions from the transfer portal, the Tigers can win the OVC.
243. Pepperdine Waves - Last Season Ranking: 228
Conference: West Coast
Player to know: Yassine Gharram
Pepperdine is currently in a rebuild, but has still been able to fill the roster with some talent from the transfer portal. The Waves are unlikely to compete for the West Coast Conference title any time soon, given how good the top of the league is, but they are good enough to finish .500 or a little better.
242. Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers- Last Season Ranking: 272
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Xavier Lipscomb
The Mount made the NCAA Tournament last season, and then most of their roster — those who contributed — entered the transfer portal. Head coach Donny Lind is a good coach, but he will have to hope that the depth pieces from last year can become stars. Otherwise, the Mountaineers won't have a chance at repeating.
241. Cal St. Bakersfield Roadrunners - Last Season Ranking: 296
Conference: Big West
Player to know: CJ Hardy
Bakersfield is an old-school style basketball team; they don't take many threes and get the ball inside the paint. The problem is that the Roadrunners are not very efficient. If head coach Rod Barnes could fill the roster with more offensive efficiency, the Roadrunners could finally reach their ceiling.
240. UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros- Last Season Ranking: 311
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Marvin McGhee III
The first year under head coach Kahil Fennell was a success. The Vaqueros showed signs of becoming a dominant force in the Southland and took the second-most three-point attempts in the country. Year 2 for coach Fennell brings an incredible roster in the Southland, loaded with shooters. If UTRGV consistently makes shots, they can be dangerous.
239. Norfolk State Spartans- Last Season Ranking: 222
Conference: MEAC
Player to know: Anthony McComb III
Head coach Robert Jones has turned the Spartans into a MEAC dynasty, doing so with an efficient offense. There are few teams as efficient as Norfolk State is every season, and it has led to a ton of wins. The Spartans are going to play their minimal-efficiency, three-point offensive style and win the MEAC again.
238. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks - Last Season Ranking: 149
Conference: WAC
Player to know: Keon Thompson
Matt Braeuer is the new coach of the Lumberjacks and is tasked with bringing the program back to the prominence it reached in the first few seasons of the Kyle Keller era. Every new coach will experience growing pains because the roster typically flips. That is the case this year for Stephen F. Austin, and the roster is made up of JUCO players who have a ton of question marks.
237. Iona Gaels- Last Season Ranking: 203
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Denver Anglin
The Gaels were getting their footing under head coach Tobin Anderson, but he then took a job as the special assistant at South Florida. Iona hired former NBA coach Dan Geriot, who is known for player development. The Gaels have a lot of talent, and it has the potential to be the roster that gets them back to the NCAA Tournament.
236. Eastern Washington Eagles - Last Season Ranking: 281
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Andrew Cook
It was odd to watch Eastern Washington struggle, considering they are the premier program in the Big Sky. All programs go through a rebuild, and the Eagles are currently in their rebuild. Head coach Dan Monson bolstered the offense through the transfer portal, but I have questions about how well they will defend and how well they shoot.
235. Mercer Bears- Last Season Ranking: 211
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Zaire Williams
Mercer hired Ryan Ridder to restore the program's prominence and make the NCAA Tournament every season. The players the Bears brought in from the transfer portal are a fantastic step towards that goal. Mercer has a lot of talent, and they are going to make noise in the Southern Conference.
234. Drexel Dragons - Last Season Ranking: 215
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: Shane Blakeney
Drexel lost a lot of talent after last year and didn't do much to replace it heading into the 2025-2026 season. The Dragons do not have a single player who averaged double digits at the Division 1 level, but many players have high ceilings and can develop into stars. The CAA isn't a conference conducive to developing players slowly.
233. SIU-Edwardsville Cougars - Last Season Ranking: 314
Conference: Ohio Valley
Player to know: Ring Malith
The Cougars finally got it done. SIU Edwardsville qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season out of the Ohio Valley. The Ohio Valley is always wide open, and even with the retooled roster under head coach Brian Barone, the Cougars have optimism that the transfer additions will be enough to reach the summit of their league for the second straight year.
232. Fresno State Bulldogs - Last Season Ranking: 276
Conference: Mountain West
Player to know: Zaon Collins
The Bulldogs were one of the worst defensive teams in the country last season. They allowed over 80 points per game. The current roster has 10 freshmen, and this season won't be much better, at least on paper. Fresno State will be lucky if it climbs out of the basement of the Mountain West.
231. UNC Greensboro Spartans - Last Season Ranking: 183
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Justin Neely
UNC Greensboro finished second in the Southern Conference last year, which I did not expect. The Spartans have done it the same way for years, no matter who the coach is. The defense is always elite, and the offense does just enough to win games. This year, the defense will still be great, but the offense got a massive upgrade in the transfer portal.
230. Florida International Panthers - Last Season Ranking: 277
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Brit Harris
The Panthers have had some tough years under head coach Jeremy Ballard, largely because Florida International has lost a ton of talent in the transfer portal each year. The 2025-2026 season is different. Florida International secured a ton of talented scorers in the transfer portal and will be one of the most improved teams in the country.
229. Wofford Terriers - Last Season Ranking: 105
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Alessandro Perotti
Wofford made the NCAA tournament last year and was trending toward being one of the top teams in the Southern Conference this year, until the Terriers' coach, Dwight Perry, was let go after violations involving student meal plans for the team. New head coach Ryan Giltner has to motivate his squad despite all that.
228. Hampton Pirates - Last Season Ranking: 313
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: Kody Williams
It has been a struggle for Hampton in the CAA. Last year was an improvement, but the Pirates still only had two go-to scorers for the entire season. Heading into the 2024-2025 season, head coach Ivan Thomas has flipped the roster in hopes of a more balanced team on both sides of the ball.
227. UNC Asheville Bulldogs - Last Season Ranking: 190
Conference: Big South
Player to know: Toyaz Solomon
There are guarantees with the Bulldogs under head coach Mike Morrell. UNC Asheville has one of the best offenses in the country. It's a guarantee they play fast, they run an efficient offense, and they get to the line. In addition to the offense, Asheville is an elite rebounding team and will protect the rim. They head into the season as one of the favorites in the Big South.
226. Nicholls State Colonels - Last Season Ranking: 188
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Jaylon Searles
Tevon Saddler is a great young coach who will get Nicholls State to the NCAA Tournament, but it probably won't be this year. This season, Nicholls has a retooled roster with many guys who have never had to be relied on as primary scoring options. They'd better develop quickly, or it will be a rebuilding year for Nicholls.
225. North Alabama Lions- Last Season Ranking: 213
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Player to know: Dallas Howell
The Lions are quickly becoming one of the best teams in the Atlantic Sun each season. They do it by playing extremely fast and running an efficient offense. The only thing missing for North Alabama is a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Tony Pujol may have lost a ton of talent, but the roster is still loaded, and the Lions will be good again.
224. Dartmouth Big Green - Last Season Ranking: 318
Conference: Ivy League
Player to know: Brandon Mitchell-Day
Dartmouth made Ivy Madness for the first time, even though the Big Green got smoked by Cornell, and it was still a massive step for the program. The 2025-2026 season may result in more of the same for Dartmouth. A good portion of the roster returns, and the Ivy League is not overly deep this year.
223. Siena Saints - Last Season Ranking: 333
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Justice Shoats
It took a while, but towards the end of last season, it finally started to look like Siena basketball again. Head coach Gerry McNamara enters year two of his tenure with a loaded roster. The Saints return a lot of talent from last season and have added some high-quality transfers. The Saints look to be a formidable opponent in the MAAC again.
222. Longwood Lancers- Last Season Ranking: 196
Conference: Big South
Player to know: Elijah Thomas
Longwood reached program heights under former head coach Griff Aldrich. Aldrich is on staff at Virginia, and the Lancers have elevated Ronnie Thomas to head coach. The Lancers are naturally going to step back with their new coach, but should still be competitive enough to finish in the middle of the Big South.
221. Lamar Cardinals - Last Season Ranking: 284
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Andrew Holifield
Lamar keeps getting better every year under head coach Alvin Brooks. The Cardinals eclipsed the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2018-2019 season. Lamar lost some talent last season and should be in a bit of a rebuild, but coach Brooks is a good coach who will likely have a tremendous defense again. The defensive prowess will win Lamar many games.
220. Robert Morris Colonials - Last Season Ranking: 282
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Cam Wilds
The Colonials made the NCAA Tournament last year with a loaded roster, only to have all their players transfer. There was no other team in the sport who were destroyed by the transfer portal like Robert Morris was. The roster is inexperienced at the Division 1 level and might struggle this year.
219. Delaware Blue Hens - Last Season Ranking: 247
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Cavan Reilly
Delaware almost completed the dream season but lost in the CAA finals. The Blue Hens finished with 16 wins, but most of those came at the end of the year in the conference tournament. Coach Martin Inglesby lost much of his talent from last year, but did bring in some players with high ceilings from the transfer portal but will have to move differently in the new league.
218. Fort Wayne Mastodons -Last Season Ranking: 138
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Corey Hadnot
Jon Coffman-coached teams have been known to put points on the board at a high clip. The problem arises at the defensive end of the floor. The Mastodons still do enough every year to compete in Horizon League, but it's a one-bid league, so if you don't win the conference tournament, no NCAA tournament. Heading into this season, the Mastodons got a lot younger, and that isn't usually a good thing.
217. Queens Royals - Last Season Ranking: 294
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Player to know: Chris Ashby
The Royals won 20 games last year but struggled, finishing 7th in the Atlantic Sun conference. The 2025-2026 season isn't as good as last year. The roster is young and inexperienced, and Queens lost a lot of talent from last year. I wasn't high on the Queens roster the previous year either.
216. Princeton Tigers - Last Season Ranking: 70
Conference: Ivy League
Player to know: Dalen Davis
Everyone thought Princeton was a lock to run the table in the Ivy League last year. It was only an offseason removed from the Tigers making the Sweet 16. Princeton never got it together, finished third in the Ivy League, and then lost the Ivy League's best player to Florida. Princeton will still make Ivy Madness, but it isn't the team to beat anymore.
215. Quinnipiac Bobcats - Last Season Ranking: 198
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Amarri Monroe
Tom Pecora has guided his team to over 20 wins and two regular-season MAAC titles over the last two seasons. The only thing missing is the NCAA Tournament, which Quinnipiac has never made. The Bobcats have the best player in the MAAC and a roster that is good enough to make the NCAA Tournament.
214. Louisiana Ragin Cajuns - Last Season Ranking: 155
Conference: Sun Belt
Player to know: Karris Bilal
Quannas White is the new coach for Louisiana, and he is known in the industry for his recruiting prowess. Looking at the current 2025-2026 roster, you can see the influence he had on recruiting. The players on the roster may not have done much yet in their careers, but all were highly ranked and all have tremendous ceilings.
213. Long Beach State 49ers - Last Season Ranking: 261
Conference: Big West
Player to know: Shaquil Bender
Long Beach State enters year 2 under Chris Acker after winning only seven games in 2024-2025. Teams that don't win flip the roster to find anything they can see that might lead to a winning recipe. The 49ers are the next team to flip their entire roster in the transfer portal, hoping to find a winning formula.
212. Northeastern Huskies - Last Season Ranking: 208
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: LA Pratt
The Huskies had their first winning season since 2020, but it still didn't result in a postseason appearance for Northeastern. The 2025-2026 season looks to be another rebuild for head coach Bill Coen. The Huskies lost their top three scorers and have many new faces.
211. Milwaukee Panthers - Last Season Ranking: 176
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Amat Aguillard
Head coach Bart Lundy has turned Milwaukee into a perennial power in the Horizon League. The Panthers have yet to make the NCAA Tournament under Lundy, but they have won 20 games each year and enter the current season as one of the favorites in the Horizon League again. He found a ton of talent in the transfer portal, and the depth may be better than any other team's.
210. North Dakota State Bison - Last Season Ranking: 218
Conference: Summit League
Player to know: Damari Wheeler-Thomas
Don't ever sleep on the Bison. Over the last few seasons, North Dakota State has lost a lot of talent to Power 5 schools and still managed to win enough to finish near the top of the Summit League. This season, the Bison flipped a lot of the roster in the transfer portal, but they are still going to be good enough to finish near the top of the league.
209. Navy Midshipmen - Last Season Ranking: 295
Conference: Patriot League
Player to know: Austin Beningi
The Navy made the Patriot League title game last year before getting blasted by American. The Midshipmen return their entire team from 2024-2025 and enter the 2025-2026 season as one of the favorites in the Patriot League. The Navy is trying to make the tournament for the first time since the 1997-1998 season.
208. Monmouth Hawks - Last Season Ranking: 217
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: Kavion McClain
Monmouth started last season 0-8 before finishing 13-11, making the record a little more respectable. Head coach King Rice enters the season with a younger roster full of question marks. The Hawks lost one of the best scorers in the country to the transfer portal and are hoping that the returning players can develop quickly and win some games.
207. Campbell Fighting Camels - Last Season Ranking: 306
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: Cam Gregory
The Fighting Camels have been so close to winning the Big South a lot over the last decade, but have never been able to get over the hump. That led Campbell to bring in John Andrzejak to coach the team. The Fighting Camels were able to retain some key pieces, but they are primarily in a rebuild mode for a few seasons.
206. Colgate Raiders - Last Season Ranking: 214
Conference: Patriot League
Player to know: Jalen Cox
It was odd to see someone else win the Patriot League last year while Colgate finished third. The Raiders didn't have their usual depth, and it showed in a few close games down the stretch. Head coach Matt Langel didn't lose anyone to the transfer portal, and Colgate has an experienced roster that can win the league again this year.
205. Marist Red Foxes - Last Season Ranking: 243
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Elijah Lewis
Marist was 20-5 and in the driver's seat in the MAAC until they promptly lost their last 5 games of the season. 20-10 is still the best record the Red Foxes have had in the previous 18 years. The 2025-2026 team is running it back, with almost everyone returning from last season's 20-win team. This could be the year for Marist.
204. La Salle Explorers - Last Season Ranking: 168
Conference: Atlantic 10
Player to know: Josiah Harris
Fran Dunphy has retired, and the Explorers decided to hire Darris Nichols, who is now the former coach of the Radford Highlanders. Nichols brought many of his former teammates with him to La Salle to try to compete in the Atlantic 10. It may take a few seasons for the Explorers to start trending upwards, but Nichols will get them to play hard and play smart basketball.
203. Lipscomb Bisons - Last Season Ranking: 143
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Player to know: Mateo Esmeraldo
The Bison ran the table in the Atlantic Sun last season and made the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, that was a one-year deal because the roster was gutted by graduation and the transfer portal, and former coach Lennie Acuff is off to Samford. New head coach Kevin Carroll won at Trevecca, but that was Division II. This roster isn't going to win much this year.
202. Western Carolina Catamounts - Last Season Ranking: 258
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Cord Stansberry
It is hard to win at a high level when your team has one of the worst offenses to go along with one of the worst defenses in the country. Head coach Tim Craft needed to fix that quickly, and he went out to the transfer portal and did just that. He adds quality talent from the portal, with two of his top two scorers from last year. The Catamounts will be much improved.
201. Northern Colorado Bears - Last Season Ranking: 193
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Brock Wisne
The Bears have been a force under head coach Steve Smiley, and they do it with efficient offense. Northern Colorado made just over half of its shots last season, which was the best rate in the country. Unfortunately, many of those players are no longer on campus, and the Bears have many new pieces.