Bleacher Report's Way-too-early 2025-26 Men's College Basketball Top 25

While the celebrations of Florida's national championship victory over Houston are ongoing, the college basketball universe is moving on.

Yes, my friends, it's Way-Too-Early Top 25 season.

If your favorite team is not listed, I may have encouraging news: These perceptions are destined to change because of the transfer portal.

On the other hand, it's possible that several teams included in these way-too-early rankings are going to lose a few important pieces. That's the nature of college basketball in the portal and NIL era.

Nonetheless, the order is a good-faith effort to identify 25 of the programs we'll be watching very closely into the 2025-26 campaign.

1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. Florida
4. Connecticut
5. Alabama
6. Michigan
7. Louisville
8. Auburn
9. Michigan State
10. BYU
11. Arizona
12. Duke
13. Arkansas
14. Texas Tech
15. St. John's
16. Kentucky
17. Iowa State
18. Gonzaga
19. Tennessee
20. Kansas
21. UCLA
22. Wisconsin
23. Ohio State
24. Creighton
25. North Carolina

Given that Ohio State narrowly missed the 2025 men's tournament, it shouldn't be a surprise to see a little offseason hype.

But the Buckeyes look pretty solid on paper.

Lead guard Bruce Thornton, who earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition, is back to oversee a familiar roster. John Mobley Jr., Devin Royal and Sean Stewart each started a majority of the recent campaign.

Rounding out the first-string group will likely be Christoph Tilly, a veteran center from Santa Clara. He averaged 12.5 points as a junior.

Wright State transfer Brandon Noel was a second-team All-Horizon League selection last season, and Indiana transfer Gabe Cupps should contribute immediately. Throw in a couple of 4-star freshmen—A'mare Bynum and Dorian Jones—and the Buckeyes are built to make the Big Dance next season.

The prominent rebuild is set to happen at Duke, where a freshmen-led roster could lose as many as seven members of a 10-player rotation.

Good thing the Blue Devils have a quartet of 5-star signees, huh? That list includes Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Nik Khamenia and Shelton Henderson for a program that is accustomed to huge offseason transition.

Another blue-blood team, Kentucky is also overhauling the roster.

Mark Pope's initial squad relieved heavily on six seniors—including Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea—who exhausted their eligibility.

Kentucky has addressed the depth concern with Pitt's Jaland Lowe, Tulane's Kam Williams, Alabama's Mouhamed Dioubate and Arizona State's Jayden Quaintance from the portal. Incoming freshmen Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno and Acaden Lewis are each top-30 prospects, too.

(Editor's note: Lewis has since decommitted from UK.)

Creighton needs to replace All-American center Ryan Kalkbrenner, along with key perimeter players Steven Ashworth and Jamiya Neal. However, the staff has quickly done excellent work in the portal by adding Iowa duo Josh Dix and Owen Freeman and Charlotte guard Nik Graves.

The list, of course, must start with Florida.

Although the Gators lose Walter Clayton Jr. and their excellent backcourt, the roster is still in good shape. Key reserve Denzel Aberdeen should slide into a first-string role alongside—in a best-case scenario—forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon with center Rueben Chinyelu back for the defending champions.

National runner-up Houston is set to return four critical pieces of the physical rotation with guards Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Terrance Arceneaux in addition to forward Joseph Tugler.

Purdue, nevertheless, is a deserving front-runner.

All-American guard Braden Smith and forward Trey Kaufman-Renn—fellow first-team All-Big Ten selection—are back. So is sharpshooter Fletcher Loyer. As is starting guard C.J. Cox. Purdue also reeled in Oscar Cluff, a first-team All-Summit League transfer from South Dakota State.