280. Bryant Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking: 147
Conference: America East
Player to know: Ashley Sims II
Bryant dominated the America East, gave Michigan State all they could handle in a first-round game, then lost most of their roster. Their former coach, Phil Martelli Jr., went to VCU. The leftovers for head coach Jamion Christian didn't contribute much, and the roster currently has nine freshmen. The Bulldogs won't win the America East this year.
279. Georgia Southern Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 189
Conference: Sun Belt
Player to know: Tyren Moore
Things are starting to trend up for head coach Charlie Henry. Georgia Southern won more games than it lost last season after beginning the first season under coach Henry so badly. The Eagles play fast and shoot a ton of threes. The roster now has the horses to compete and make some noise in the Sun Belt.
278. Tarleton State Texans- Last Season Ranking: 210
Conference: WAC
Player to know: Chris Mpaka
The Texans avoided having to hire a coach this close to the season. Head coach Billy Gillispie had been placed on leave amid an investigation into his treatment of players, but was reinstated shortly thereafter. Gillispie and Tarleton State are built to play defense, slow the game down, and keep it low-scoring.
277. Cal Poly Mustangs- Last Season Ranking: 349
Conference: Big West
Player to know: Peter Bandelj
If you have never seen Cal Poly play under head coach Mike DeGeorge, know this: they are never out of a game because they will shoot more threes than just about any team in the country. Over half of the shots the Mustangs take will be from deep. The offense will be elite, the defense will be awful. That is Mustang basketball.
276. Eastern Michigan Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 292
Conference: MAC
Player to know: Addison Patterson
Eastern Michigan and head coach Stan Heath have been big players in the transfer portal the last few offseasons. The Eagles are usually a popular destination for low-major stars looking to level up. The roster is made up of the same kind of players this season. Will the results be any better than .500 overall?
275. Elon Phoenix- Last Season Ranking: 290
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: DeMarco Johnson
The Phoenix have made tremendous progress under head coach Billy Taylor; however, that was until this year. Elon lost four players who all averaged 15 points per game last year to the transfer portal, and that is hard to replace for any team in the country. The Phoenix will take a step back this year.
274. Southern Utah Thunderbirds- Last Season Ranking: 197
Conference: WAC
Player to know: Dylan Jones
The Thunderbirds have struggled under head coach Rob Jeter, who is trying to find the right guys to win in the WAC. Southern Utah has a roster full of freshmen and transfers, and most of the transfers were not impact players at their last spot. There are a lot of question marks with Southern Utah.
273. UC Riverside Highlanders- Last Season Ranking: 174
Conference: Big West
Player to know: Osiris Grady
The Highlanders won 21 games last year, despite every metric saying they should have lost more than they won. Riverside rebounds the ball at an elite level, rarely turns the ball over, and plays at a high pace. Those are all things they do to win, and given this roster is brand new, Riverside will need to be excellent with the fundamentals this year.
272. Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 322
Conference: Ohio Valley
Player to know: Trey Thomas
In the current era of College Basketball, if your roster doesn't win, then go ahead and hit the transfer portal and get a new one. That is precisely what the Screaming Eagles did. Southern Indiana replaced almost every player from last year. We will find out soon if it worked and they are better.
271. Merrimack Warriors- Last Season Ranking: 223
Conference: MAAC
Player to know: Todd Brogna
At this point, it doesn't matter what the roster looks like for Merrimack; as long as Joe Gallo is the head coach, the Warriors will win games and compete for league championships. Merrimack will play some of the most physical, smothering defense in the country and will provide just enough offense most nights.
270. Penn Quakers- Last Season Ranking: 202
Conference: Ivy League
Player to know: Ethan Roberts
Penn made a home run hire when they were able to secure the services of former Iowa coach Fran McCaffery. The Quakers are going to play as fast as possible, shoot a ton of threes, and likely play little defense. Coach McCaffery wins and will win at Penn in due time.
269. Texas A & M Corpus Christi Islanders- Last Season Ranking: 235
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Daniel Michelini-Jackson
The Islanders are a lot of fun to watch and can light up a scoreboard. Corpus Christi does it without shooting threes but runs a highly efficient offense. Coach Jim Shaw may have a new roster, but expect the same old Islanders out there. They are a top-half Southland team.
268. Montana State Bobcats- Last Season Ranking: 194
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Christian King
The Bobcats struggled last year and were not a threat for the first time in a long time. The unfortunate part of that is that Montana State lost a ton of talent from last year's team that didn't even win the Big Sky. Head coach Matt Logie built the roster with many transfers who are moving down for a change of scenery. If it works, they will be perfect.
267. Air Force Falcons- Last Season Ranking: 205
Conference: Mountain West
Player to know: Wesley Celichowski
The Falcons won 4 games all year last year and only 1 in the Mountain West. The Air Force couldn't score and doesn't play fast enough or have enough possessions to give up 74 points per game and still win. Air Force doesn't look like they are going to be a whole lot better this year. Expect another last-place finish in the conference.
266. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers- Last Season Ranking: 293
Conference: Sun Belt
Player to know: Joshua Beadle
Last season, the Chanticleers won only 10 games, but in year two, they are ready to compete in the Sun Belt. Coach Justin Gray found a ton of talent in the transfer portal and has built a sleeper team in the Sun Belt that is capable of winning the league. If nothing else, Coastal will win far more than 10 games.
265. Portland Pilots- Last Season Ranking: 270
Conference: WCC
Player to know: Riley Parker
Offense isn't the problem for Portland and head coach Shantay Legans. The problem lies on the defensive end, where the Pilots have allowed over 80 points per game for two seasons in a row. Coach Legans remade the roster with a little less scoring and more defense to see if he can flip the record. Portland is still a bottom-feeder in the WCC.
264. UC Davis Aggies- Last Season Ranking: 179
Conference: Big West
Player to know: Brayden Fagbemi
The Aggies play an old-school brand of basketball that slows the pace way down and isn't reliant on the three-point shot. For UC Davis to be successful, it has to be efficient on offense. Last year, the Aggies were one of the least efficient teams in the country. That has to change, or it will be another long year.
263. Sacramento State Hornets- Last Season Ranking: 307
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Prophet Johnson
If nothing else, this year the Hornets will be a lot of fun to watch. Mike Bibby is the head coach, Shaquille O ' Neal is the basketball general manager, and Sacramento State has a pretty good roster in the Big Sky. The Hornets have a lot of transfer talent that, if it comes together quickly, could lead to many conference wins.
262. Northwestern State Demons- Last Season Ranking: 326
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Kordrick Turner
The Demons were .500 last season but finished in the top half of the Southland. Heading into the 2025-2026 season, anything close to last year's would be a success, given that the roster has flipped, there is almost no star power, and there are many question marks. This season will be one of the most challenging coaching jobs Rick Cabrera has ever had.
261. Boston University Terriers- Last Season Ranking: 234
Conference: Patriot League
Player to know: Kyrone Alexander
The Terriers are among the few low-major teams to bring back all their key pieces from the 2024-2025 season. That may be bad news for the rest of the Patriot League, as Boston University finished in third place in the league last year. They head into the 2025-2026 season as one of the favorites in the league.
260. Southern Mississippi Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 220
Conference: Sun Belt
Player to know: Dylan Brumfield
Southern Mississippi is trying to find the right formula for getting back to the top of the Sun Belt. Head coach Jay Ladner went the JUCO route. He completely flipped the roster from last season. The Eagles need to win because Ladner is on the hot seat.
259. Utah Tech Trailblazers- Last Season Ranking: 268
Conference: WAC
Player to know: Marvel Allen
The Trailblazers were a mess last year. They couldn't score, couldn't defend, and were extremely talent-deficient. Utah Tech and head coach Jon Judkins got better quickly in the transfer portal. This could be the best Trailblazers team since they transitioned to Division 1.
258. Jackson State Tigers- Last Season Ranking: 323
Conference: SWAC
Player to know: Daeshun Ruffin
The Tigers went 14-4 in the SWAC last year but came up just short in the SWAC Championship finals. The 2025-2026 season is one with expectations for Jackson State and head coach Mo Williams. Jackson State returns most of its roster from last season, including the best player in the SWAC.
257. Ball State Cardinals- Last Season Ranking: 240
Conference: MAC
Player to know: Armoni Zeigler
Ball State lost a lot of talent from last season on a team that only won 14 games. This year, the Cardinals' roster was flipped, with most players either seeking a fresh start or moving up from a low major to a mid-major. The roster isn't good enough to make sufficient noise in the MAC.
Conference: Southland
Player to know: Jeremy Elyzee
The Lions have become one of the Southland's perennial powers. They are in a mix to win the league every season, and there is no reason to believe it won't be the same for head coach David Kiefer and the Southeastern Louisiana program this year.
255. Columbia Lions- Last Season Ranking: 239
Conference: Ivy League
Player to know: Kenny Noland
Columbia started 11-1 and then went 1-13 in the Ivy League to finish in last place. The finish cost coach Jim Engles his job, and the Lions brought in Kevin Hovde to lead Columbia into the future. The current-year roster features many of last year's players who hope to have a better showing in Ivy play.
254. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks- Last Season Ranking: 256
Conference: Big Sky
Player to know: Diego Campisano
The Lumberjacks were a team I had much higher expectations for last season, and their roster screamed sleeper. That never came to be, but Northern Arizona did win 18 games, its best season under head coach Shane Burcar. The 2025-2026 roster is young and has lost a ton of talent. It might be a struggle again this year.
253. Albany Great Danes- Last Season Ranking: 238
Conference: America East
Player to know: Aboulaye Fall
The Great Danes finished one game over .500 last year and finished near the top of the America East. Then they lost their entire starting five and most of their bench players. The transfers were not significant at their last school. All of that looks like it will be a struggle for Albany.
252. VMI Keydets- Last Season Ranking: 360
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Rickey Bradley Jr.
The Keydets won 15 games last season, and while they still had a losing record, it was a drastic improvement from the 4 games they won the previous year. VMI returns much of its roster from 2024-2025 and is a sleeper in the Southern Conference this season. Bradley Jr. is a game-changer.
251. Cleveland State Vikings- Last Season Ranking: 186
Conference: Horizon League
Player to know: Ice Emery
It will be a season of firsts for the Vikings. New head coach Rob Summers will be coaching his first game at Cleveland State. In addition, the entire roster will be playing their first-ever games in Cleveland State green and white when the season kicks off. There is still a lot of talent for a completely new roster.