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.