304. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 244
Conference: Summit League
Player to know: Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams
Oral Roberts is in a full-on rebuild, and Kory Barnett expects to be the guy to make sure the Golden Eagles start playing like the class of the Summit League again, something they have not done in the post-Paul Mills era. The roster isn't going to win much this year, but there is a lot of talent for the future.
303. Howard Bison- Last Season Ranking: 216
Conference: MEAC
Player to know: Bryce Harris
Howard is going to score points, and they are going to do it by shooting a high percentage from the three-point line. In addition to the three-point makes, there will be a fast-paced offense that scores points. The questions are still on the defensive end, especially given how young the Bison roster is.
302. Georgia State Panthers- Last Season Ranking: 184
Conference: Sun Belt
Player to know: Jelani Hamilton
Georgia State has taken a step back under head coach Jonas Hayes, mainly because the Panthers have struggled on defense. The defense has gotten worse under Hayes, but the offense has gotten better. This year looks like more of the same: the Panthers will score, but questions remain about their defense.
301. Weber State Wildcats- Last Season Ranking: 167
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Viljami Vartiainen
It has been a long time since Weber State was as bad as they were last year. They are after one of the game's most historic programs. The Wildcats struggled so badly last year because of a lack of depth. Head coach Eric Duft had only five guys he knew he could rely on. Duft hopes to alleviate that problem in the transfer portal, and hopefully, it will lead to many more wins for Weber State.
300. South Dakota Coyotes- Last Season Ranking: 267
Conference: Summit League
Player to know: Isaac Bruns
South Dakota was a lot of fun to watch last year. They were one of the best offensive teams in the country, while also being one of the worst defensive teams. The Coyotes had many pieces who would be top transfer targets, and South Dakota left the Coyotes via the transfer portal. The roster has a lot of depth questions heading into the season.
299. New Orleans Privateers- Last Season Ranking: 344
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Jakevion Buckley
New Orleans is in a rebuild, and year 1 went worse than expected. The Privateers won 4 games and head into the 2025-2026 season losers of 13 in a row. On the plus side, New Orleans heads into this season with a talented roster headlined by one of the best guards in the Southland Conference. The Privateers have a chance if they can defend.
298. Detroit Mercy Titans- Last Season Ranking: 343
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Orlando Lovejoy
The Titans may have won only 8 games last season, but that was a vast improvement from two seasons ago, when Detroit Mercy won only 1 game. The Titans have most of their roster back from last season and enter year two under head coach Mark Montgomery. The Titans should be better and may finish in the middle of the pack
297. Maine Black Bears- Last Season Ranking: 259
Conference: America East
Player to know: Killian Gribben
Chris Markwood has turned the Maine program into one of the best programs in the America East conference. The Black Bears won 20 games last year for the first time in 21 years, and the unfortunate part of that is that most of the roster graduated. Maine has one of the youngest, most inexperienced rosters in the America East.
296. UMass-Lowell River Hawks- Last Season Ranking: 114
Conference: America East
Player to know: Darrel Yepdo
The River Hawks are going to make the NCAA Tournament sooner rather than later and have been close over the last few seasons. Unfortunately, the current state of college basketball has hurt the roster continuity for head coach Pat Duquette and the Lowell basketball program. As a result, the River Hawks do not have a single player on the 2025-2026 season who logged a minute in 2024-2025. Lowell is in a rebuild.
295. Loyola Maryland Greyhounds- Last Season Ranking: 347
Conference: Patriot League
Player to know: Jordan Stiemke
The Greyhounds only won 12 games last season, and the biggest concern for second-year head coach Josh Loeffler is the team's ability to score points. Loyola Maryland was one of the worst offensive teams in the country. The roster returns most of its stars, and year 2 in the Loeffler offense yields better results.
294. Western Michigan Broncos- Last Season Ranking: 305
Conference: MAC
Player to know: Justice Williams
The Broncos have won 12 games in a row over the past two seasons, and that has been good enough for the middle of the pack in the MAC. Western Michigan should strive for more, and it appears that is the case this year. The roster is extremely young, but the older pieces are all quality transfers, and the star has NCAA tournament experience.
293. Bucknell Bison- Last Season Ranking: 246
Conference: Patriot League
Player to know: Ruot Bijiek
The Bison ran through the Patriot League regular season, tied for first with American, and earned the second seed in the tournament, where they lost to Navy. After the heartbreak, Bucknell heads into the 2025-2026 season with a retooled roster that lost a ton of talent. Bucknell is still good enough to finish near the top of the league.
292. Morehead State Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 252
Player to know: Chase Dawson
Morehead State didn't finish in the top three of the Ohio Valley last year for the first time in a long time. Some regression was to be expected given that the Eagles were breaking in a new coach and a new roster last year. It will be more of the same this season as the roster has a ton of question marks.
291. UMBC Retrievers- Last Season Ranking: 285
Conference: America East
Player to know: Josh Odunowo
UMBC has not lived up to its standards over its last few seasons, and it hasn't been because of its offense. Head coach Jim Ferry has had an elite offense during his time with the Retreivers, but the defense has been awful. The roster will score a lot, but will they defend?
290. Saint Peter's Peacocks- Last Season Ranking: 233
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Bryce Eaton
The Peacocks are going to play extremely slow and add a smothering defense. The style of play is what everyone expects from Saint Peter's at this point. The only question that remains every season is, will they win enough? Either way, the Peacocks will always give you a physical game.
289. Stony Brook Seawolves-Last Season Ranking: 273
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: Rob Brown III
8 wins is all the Seawolves could muster last year, and when you look into the stats, the one glaring number is that Stony Brook was one of the worst offensive teams in the country last season. Head coach Geno Ford hopefully alleviated that problem by going out and getting three players who can score at a high clip to help the offense.
288. Idaho State Bengals- Last Season Ranking: 317
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Connor Hollenbeck
The Bengals finished in the top half of the Big Sky last year for the first time in a long time. Idaho State may have lost the Big Sky Player of the Year, but head coach Ryan Looney has acquired some fantastic talent from the transfer portal that should make the Bengals more balanced and a threat in the Big Sky.
287. Houston Christian Huskies- Last Season Ranking: 359
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Will Wilson
The Huskies had a new look last season. They played much more slowly and started playing some defense. Some suggest it was due to last year's roster construction. This season, head coach Craig Doty went to Division II and the Juco ranks. He found scorers, but will it be enough for the Huskies to make noise in the Southland finally?
286. Alabama State Hornets- Last Season Ranking: 283
Conference: SWAC
Player to know: Tyler Byrd
Alabama State made the NCAA Tournament last season, won a game, and had one of the best overall seasons in Hornets history. The 2025-2026 season looks different for Alabama State. The roster lost a lot of talent from last season, but head coach Tony Madlock is a program builder who has brought in talent from the transfer portal. The Hornets will finish near the top of the SWAC again.
285. Austin Peay State Governors- Last Season Ranking: 274
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Player to know: Creighton Morisch
Corey Gipson has been the perfect coach to oversee Austin Peay's rebuild. He is a fantastic recruiter and gets the absolute most out of his players. Heading into this season, the Governors have a sneaky roster with a lot of talent from outside Division 1. Austin Peay is a team to watch as a sleeper in the Atlantic Sun.
284. Northern Kentucky Norse- Last Season Ranking: 157
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Kael Robinson
Full disclosure, I don't know how good Northern Kentucky will be from year to year because they are always extremely hard to scout. Head coach Darrin Horn saw a ton of talent leave last season, but then brought in a ton of lower-division talent from the transfer portal. The years where the Norse look to have a ton of question marks are the years they outperform every expectation.
283. Valparaiso Beacons- Last Season Ranking: 224
Conference: Missouri Valley
Player to know: Isaiah Barnes
The Beacons seem to be in a perpetual rebuild at this point, and in the NIL era, that may not be that far from the truth. Valpo has a fantastic coach in Roger Powell, who is a good player development guy and can get the most out of this team. The Beacons are a little light on talent to compete in the Valley.
282. Long Island University Sharks- Last Season Ranking: 355
Conference: Northeast
Player to know: Malachi Davis
The Sharks were impressive in the Northeast Conference last year, finishing second. The 2025-2026 season comes with massive expectations for Long Island and head coach Rod Strickland. The Sharks have most of their roster back from last season, including their stars. Long Island is the overwhelming favorite in the NEC.
281. Presbyterian Blue Hose- Last Season Ranking: 298
Conference: Big South
Player to know: Jonah Pierce
Last season was supposed to be the year for Presbyterian to get over the hump. The Blue Hose ended up finishing 14-19 overall with no postseason again. They lost a ton of talent in the offseason, and head coach Quinton Ferrell has to coach one of the youngest teams in the country.