Coming into the 2025-26 college basketball season, there was a lot of hype around the Michigan Wolverines, ranked in the top 10 in most polls. But few saw their ceiling: dominating for 95% of the season, beating quality teams in blowout fashion, and several teams in the NCAA Tournament. One included leading 1-seed Arizona by nearly 30 points in the Final Four in a blowout win, before beating Michigan 69-63 to win the program’s first national title since 1989.
Now that the season’s over, what better than to already look ahead to the 2026-26 campaign?
Yes, it’s a pointless thing to do, considering the transfer portal officially opened at midnight, while the NBA Draft process is just getting started. Still, it’s a good barometer for which teams have good rosters right now, and how it changes throughout the offseason.
This piece will focus on those with clear projections on returning or leaving the draft. Those with consensus lottery projections are viewed as leaving, while others in the 50/50 range are still projected to stay… for now.
Here’s a look at my way-too-early top-25, including some honorable mentions.
* Latest class of 2026 recruiting rankings are from 247sportsComposite
Vanderbilt Commodores
Head coach Mark Byington is back, and right now, should have All-American guard Tyler Tanner (19.5 ppg and 5.1 apg) back for another year. The issue is that the rest of the roster were either seniors or have already entered the portal, leaving the roster with basically Tanner. But once it’s filled out, the Commodores will be in the top-25.
Purdue Boilermakers
The top four scorers are gone for the Boilermakers, including a trio of four-year seniors for the program. All-American guard Braden Smith has been one of the best guards in the nation, so replacing him will be difficult. Omer Mayer and CJ Cox can be a good backcourt, and the team already landed Princeton transfer forward Caden Pierce to the roster, but there are definitely questions in terms of how big a step back they’ll take.