As the 2025-26 NCAA Basketball season tips off, most fans are focused on powerhouses like Kansas, Duke, and Purdue. At the other end of the spectrum, a different story unfolds with programs fighting just to stay competitive. Here’s a look at the ten worst teams in the country entering the new season.
356. Canisius Golden Griffins
The Golden Griffins managed just three wins a year ago after earning 14 the previous season. Reggie Witherspoon was dismissed after eight years, and Jim Christian stepped in, only to start his tenure with 11 straight non-conference losses. Located in Buffalo, New York, Canisius hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 1996, when they lost 72-43 to Utah. The program’s six NCAA Tournament victories all came before 1960, and the 2,196-seat Koessler Center rarely sees many wins these days.
357. Stetson Hatters
After a 22-13 campaign in 2023-24 that included a rare NCAA Tournament trip, Stetson fell hard to 8-24 last year. Based in DeLand, Florida, the Hatters are led by Donnie Jones, the 22nd coach in program history, who owns 86 wins in six seasons. The 2024 season was easily his worst, and the Hatters must regroup fast to escape the bottom tier.
358. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
Once the ultimate Cinderella, shocking Purdue in 2023, the Knights have tumbled since Tobin Anderson’s departure. Jack Castleberry’s first two seasons have produced just 28 total wins. Based in Hackensack, New Jersey, FDU still plays in front of fewer than 2,000 fans at the Bogota Savings Bank Center. That March magic feels like a lifetime ago.
359. West Georgia Wolves
West Georgia officially joined Division I in 2024 and predictably struggled through growing pains, finishing with only seven wins under Dave Moore. A former Division II Elite Eight participant, the Wolves are trying to find their footing in the ASUN. Moore, entering his eighth season, will need time to build a competitive roster at this level.
360. Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks
Maryland Eastern Shore is no stranger to lopsided losses. Last season, the Hawks went 6-25, including a 2-14 mark in the MEAC. Coach Cleo Hill Jr. returns for his second year hoping to change that narrative. The program has never reached the NCAA Tournament and continues to search for relevance from its home in Princess Anne, Maryland.
361. Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions
Solomon Bozeman’s Golden Lions stumbled to six wins last season, including just three in SWAC play. Bozeman, now in his fifth year, was once the Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2011, but his coaching career has yet to mirror his playing success. Without major roster upgrades, Pine Bluff will remain stuck near the bottom.
362. Louisiana Monroe War Hawks
The War Hawks ended last season at 7-25, finishing near the bottom of the Sun Belt and parting ways with longtime coach Keith Richard. New head coach Phil Cunningham, who was an assistant last year, takes over with hopes of injecting life into the program. He brings head coaching experience from Troy, but ULM’s road back to respectability will be long.
363. Coppin State Eagles
Coppin State’s 6-26 campaign kept them deep in the MEAC cellar. Larry Stewart, now 8-51 in two seasons, has been unable to turn things around. The Eagles’ last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2008, with their only tourney win back in 1997, a stunning upset over South Carolina. That magic is long gone for now.
364. Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils
KenPom’s worst team of 2024, Mississippi Valley State hasn’t come close to climbing out of the basement. Coach George Ivory begins his fourth season with just nine total wins. The Delta Devils haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2012 and are 0-5 all-time in March Madness. Wins will again be hard to find in Itta Bena, Mississippi.
365. Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash
Saint Francis earned a rare tournament berth last season, then promptly announced they’re dropping to Division III. After reaching the First Four, coach Rob Krimmel departs, and the Red Flash now face a massive talent drop. Playing in the President’s Athletic Conference next year, this program’s final Division I campaign will likely be brutal.
The Race to the Bottom
These ten programs, along with perpetual struggler Chicago State, will be in a race no one wants to win: fewest victories in America. It’s a reminder that for every powerhouse chasing a title, there’s a team just fighting to stay afloat.