160. Harvard Crimson- Last Season Ranking: 232
Conference: Ivy League
Player to know: Robert Hinton
The Crimson have struggled over the last few seasons, and the problem has been that Harvard hasn't had the same level of talent as the top Ivy League schools. Harvard has also been destroyed by the transfer portal over the last few seasons. This year, the Crimson returns all of its top scorers and will return to Ivy Madness.
159. UTEP Miners- Last Season Ranking: 177
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Kaseem Watson
The Miners have been trending up under Joe Golding. They play aggressive defense and run an efficient offense, but the problem has been depth and competing reasonably within Conference USA. This year, all of that changes. There is a lot to like about the UTEP roster. There is a lot of scoring and depth with this team. The Miners will be a factor in the CUSA.
158. Cal State Northridge Matadors- Last Season Ranking: 249
Conference: Big West
Player to know: Jai Chisolm
Coach Andy Newman is responsible for two of the best years that Matadors have ever had, and it is only his third season at the helm of Northridge. Northridge may have a new roster this year, but they will score points and likely finish near the top of the Big West. Trust coach Newman.
157. San Jose State Spartans- Last Season Ranking: 192
Conference: Mountain West
Player to know: JaVaughn Hannah
It is tough to win at San Jose State, and what Tim Miles has turned the program into should be celebrated. They have not won a ton, but the Spartans have had far more success than they ever did before coach Miles showed up. San Jose State has a lot of high upside transfers who will compete in the Mountain West. The Spartans could be sneaky.
156. Davidson Wildcats-Last Season Ranking: 128
Conference: Atlantic 10
Player to know: Josh Scovens
At this point, we all know how Davidson will play. They are going to load the roster with efficient offensive players who are catch-and-shoot guys. They will find a very competent point guard who won't turn the ball over and rarely fouls. That has led to a winning recipe for a long time. The Wildcats won't make the tournament again, but they will have a winning record.
155. Arkansas State Red Wolves- Last Season Ranking: 118
Conference: Sun Belt
Player to know: Matt Hayman
Head coach Ryan Pannone begins his first year as the Red Wolves' head coach, and Arkansas State fans are going to be pleased. Pannone comes from Alabama and is known for a high-powered offense and player development. Those are things to remember because the Red Wolves do not have a single player returning from last year's Sun Belt Championship team.
154. Toledo Rockets- Last Season Ranking: 172
Conference: MAC
Player to know: Sonny Wilson
Toledo had no problem scoring last year, but they didn't play a lick of defense. The defense was so bad that it allowed over 80 points a night, ranking 346th out of 364 teams in Division 1. It's fantastic with defense that bad that Toledo still had a winning record. The Rockets have improved their offense through the transfer portal this year, but their defense remains a question mark.
153. UC San Diego Tritons- Last Season Ranking: 132
Conference: Big West
Player to know: Alex Chaikin
The Tritons were the only team to outplay my ranking last year massively. UC San Diego won 30 games, blew through the Big West, and had one of the best defenses in the country. The Tritons made their first NCAA Tournament in school history. Unfortunately, that excellent season saw their coach leave for New Mexico and most of the players enter the transfer portal. UC San Diego is starting over this year, but it still has a ton of young talent.
152. Richmond Spiders- Last Season Ranking: 137
Conference: Atlantic 10
Player to know: Will Johnston
The Spiders won 10 games last year, a season after winning the Atlantic 10. That has been the problem during Chris Mooney's tenure with the Spiders. He will have a good season and then a bad one. Richmond went out and added some scoring in the transfer portal, hoping to win more games. The Spiders don't look like a team that will improve that much from last year.
151. Winthrop Eagles- Last Season Ranking: 166
Conference: Big South
Player to know: Daylen Berry
Winthrop is a team you can trust because, no matter who they have on their roster or who the Eagles have as a coach, they always seem to win. The home-court advantage is big time; when the Hill gets rocking, no one comes out of there alive. The roster is completely new this season, but I still expect Winthrop to compete.
150. UTSA Roadrunners- Last Season Ranking: 227
Conference: American
Player to know: Vasean Allette
It might be time for the Roadrunners to become the following program from the American to start competing for league championships every year. Head coach Austin Claunch built up the Nicholls program, and with the transfers and talent he has brought in to play for UTSA, he will do the same for the Roadrunners.
149. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers- Last Season Ranking: 127
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Ryan Myers
Western Kentucky is in good hands under head coach Hank Plona. He ran one of the best JUCO programs in the country at Indian Hills Community College. His ties to JUCO basketball have helped him immensely on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. The Hilltoppers have a roster that will compete, but is likely a middle-of-the-league team.
148. Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders- Last Season Ranking: 187
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: James Dent Jr.
It has been a good few years for the Blue Raiders in the Conference USA, even though they have not made the NCAA Tournament. However, heading into the 2025-2026 season, Middle Tennessee has to replace four double-digit scorers. Few teams can overcome that even in the transfer portal era.
147. Tulsa Golden Hurricane- Last Season Ranking: 153
Conference: American Athletic
Player to know: Miles Barnstable
Tulsa has been through some tough times over the last few seasons, but current head coach Erik Konkol is the guy many believe will get the Golden Hurricane out of its funk. The time for that to happen may be this year; the roster is full of new faces, but all of them have been stars for winning programs and will bring the winning formula to Tulsa. Don't be surprised when the Golden Hurricane finishes in the middle of the league.
146. Little Rock Trojans- Last Season Ranking: 242
Conference: Ohio Valley
Player to know: Johnathan Lawson
The Trojans made the Ohio Valley title game last year and lost, but never fear, Little Rock fans: the Trojans' style of play is sustainable, and they will likely be back this season. The defense is always going to be one of the top in the country, the offense is efficient, and the Trojans have the two best players in the league.
145. Jacksonville State Gamecocks- Last Season Ranking: 219
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Mostapha El Moutaouakkil
Head coach Ray Harper has turned the Gamecocks into an annual contender in the Conference USA. Jacksonville State did make the NIT last season and won a game in the event. Heading into the season, the Gamecocks have loaded up on talent in the transfer portal and will have a nice mix of scoring and defense. They will finish near the top of the conference again.
144. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs- Last Season Ranking: 110
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Scooter Williams
Talvin Hester is one of the best young coaches in the game, and he will win no matter the roster. I don't want to say ignore the roster, because every team needs some talent, but few coaches are as good at getting the most out of their roster as Hester is. Louisiana Tech lost a ton of talent last year, but will still be competitive in the Conference USA.
143. Illinois-Chicago Flames- Last Season Ranking: 229
Conference: Missouri Valley
Player to know: Ahmad Henderson
The Flames are another team that had a great season but didn't get talked about nearly enough. Heading into the 2025-2026 season, Illinois-Chicago is hoping to change that narrative and make a lot of noise in the MVC. The problem is they have a ton of transfers who will have to gel for Illinois-Chicago to meet their potential.
Conference: American
Player to know: Jordan Riley
The Pirates play extremely fast on offense, get to the free-throw line, are an elite rebounding team in the conference, protect the rim, and rarely turn the ball over. All of those things have led to East Carolina basketball being competitive again under head coach Michael Schwartz. The roster has some talent, but that kind of thing doesn't usually matter for teams that play the Pirates' style. If they execute, they will win.
141. Temple Owls- Last Season Ranking: 142
Player to know: CJ Hines
Temple is one of the game's outstanding programs and historically has won a lot. Lately, the Owls have not done much winning. They don't win much in the American, and it's usually a lack of depth. That was the case last year, and it had one of the worst defenses in the country. Temple bolstered the roster with quality transfers who play sides of the ball. Hopefully, the results improve and the Owls can start winning consistently.
140. Loyola Marymount Lions- Last Season Ranking: 130
Conference: West Coast
Player to know: Jalen Shelley
Loyola Marymount has been a popular destination for big-time transfers under head coach Stan Johnson. Unfortunately, the Lions have not been able to turn that into wins. I know that everyone is playing for third place in the West Coast Conference, and Loyola Marymount can't even do that. This season, the Lions have a ton of talent and one of the better teams Coach Johnson has had. Can they win enough?
139. East Tennessee State Buccaneers- Last Season Ranking: 152
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Milton Matthews III
East Tennessee State won 19 games last year and finished in the top three of the Southern Conference, yet many college basketball fans forgot how good the Buccaneers were. Heading into the 2025-2026 season, head coach Brooks Savage bolstered the scoring and returned a lot of developmental pieces. East Tennessee State will be just as good again.
138. New Mexico State Aggies- Last Season Ranking: 156
Conference: Conference USA
Player to know: Jemel Jones
The Aggies won games on the back of their defense a season ago. It was one of the best in the country, and Jason Hooten coached teams that always are. New Mexico State won 17 games on the backs of its defense, but if it didn't have one of the nation's worst offenses, it could have won the Conference USA. The roster this year is loaded with scorers, and scoring will no longer be a problem.
137. Florida Atlantic Owls- Last Season Ranking: 106
Conference: American Athletic
Player to know: Isaiah Elohim
Florida Atlantic struggled at times last year under head coach John Jakus, and the problems stemmed from Jakus's style of play. The Owls want to play as fast as possible and take as many shots as possible throughout the game. Coach Jakus went out and brought in players from the transfer portal who will thrive in his system. The Owls will make the postseason again.
136. Southern Illinois Salukis- Last Season Ranking: 144
Conference: Missouri Valley
Player to know: Isaiah Stafford
Scott Nagy is entering his second year as the coach of Southern Illinois, and we are sitting on eggshells waiting for the Salukis to rise and win the Missouri Valley and then put a stranglehold on the league for the next 10 years like he did at Wright State. There are some building blocks for that this season, but the Salukis may still be a year away.
135. Furman Paladins- Last Season Ranking: 170
Conference: Southern
Player to know: Cooper Bowser
Furman won 25 games again last year and was a factor in the Southern Conference race. The Paladins being good has become the norm for head coach Bob Ritchie. The 2025-2026 season may be anything but normal, though, as Furman lost a ton of talent and has a roster full of true freshmen.
134. Kennesaw State Owls- Last Season 226
Conference: Atlantic Sun
Player to know: Simeon Cottle
Head coach Antoine Pettway is one of the best young recruiters in the game, and Kennesaw State has an elite freshman class again to pair with their veterans. The Owls are an extreme sleeper in the conference because of their overall talent level. Don't be surprised if Kennesaw State makes a run at the NCAA Tournament.
133. Washington State Cougars- Last Season Ranking: 111
Conference: West Coast
Player to know: Tomas Thrastarson
The Cougars played in the College Basketball Crown tournament and won 19 games in their first year in the West Coast Conference. It would have been interesting to see if they could have pushed Gonzaga and Saint Mary's had they not had so many injuries. Heading into the 2025-2026 season, the roster was gutted by the transfer portal, which could make for a long year for Wazzu.
132. Illinois State Redbirds-Last Season Ranking: 200
Conference: Missouri Valley
Player to know: Chase Walker
Illinois State won 22 games last season and won the Purple College Basketball Invitational. The Redbirds and head coach Ryan Pedon return their entire roster from last season. That is one of the main reasons that Illinois State was picked to win the Valley in the preseason. Illinois State is good enough to beat some primary conference schools.
131. College of Charleston Cougars- Last Season Ranking: 145
Conference: Coastal Athletic
Player to know: Mister Dean
It was only a matter of time before Chris Mack got Charleston consistently back to the NCAA Tournament and dominating the Coastal Athletic Conference. He only needed one year with Charleston to build a dominating roster. The team has a lot of transfers, but they are all extremely talented and can all score. How well they gel will determine how well the Cougars play.