Jay Bilas unveils Top 68 college basketball rankings as 2025-26 season starts

After a wild offseason consisting of coaching changes and Transfer Portal craziness, the 2025-26 college basketball season officially kicked off Monday night. Basketball is officially back.

The storylines this season are off the charts. Can Florida become the second consecutive program to repeat as National Champions? Can Kelvin Sampson finally get over the hump and bring Houston its first-ever National Championship? Will Duke avenge last season’s Final Four meltdown for the first title of the Jon Scheyer era?

Just one game into the season, ESPN‘s Jay Bilas has ranked his top-68 teams in the sport. The entire list is below.

1. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue opens the season tabbed as the best team in college basketball by Jay Bilas. Head coach Matt Painter is back for his 21st season in charge, along with superstar point guard Braden Smith, sharpshooting guard Fletcher Loyer, talented big man Trey Kaufman-Renn and South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff. The Boilermakers have loaded up in their quest to return to the National Championship Game for the second time in three seasons.

They opened the regular season with a dominant 82-51 win over Evansville on Tuesday. Loyer led the way with 30 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three-point range. Purdue has one more tune-up game (Oakland) on the schedule before it travels to Tuscaloosa for a clash with No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 13. It marks a rematch of last year’s clash between the non-conference opponents, which the Boilermakers won 87-78.

2. Houston Cougars

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, in his 11th season in charge, finally led the Cougars back to the National Championship Game last season. They fell just shy of their first-ever National Championship, as they lost 65-63 to Florida. With a strong returning cast, including guard Milos Uzan, guard Emanuel Sharp, and forward Joseph Tugler, the Cougars are looking to avenge that loss with a National Title this season.

They opened the regular season strong with a dominant 75-57 win over Lehigh in their season opener. Sharp led the way with 24 points, while freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. recorded a double-double (12 & 10) in his first career college basketball game. They have two more tune-up games (Towson & Oakland) before they clash with fellow 2025 Final Four team Auburn in Birmingham on Nov. 16.

3. Florida Gators

The reigning National Champions took a major hit this offseason, as program cornerstones Walter Clayton Jr. (NBA), Will Richard (NBA), Denzel Aberdeen (Kentucky) and Alijah Martin (NBA) departed the program. The Gators brought in highly touted transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) to replace Clayton Jr. and Martin, along with returning starting forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon and center Rueben Chinyelu.

Florida‘s quest for back-to-back National Championships got off to a rough start, however, as the Gators fell to No. 13 Arizona 93-87 in their season opener. Haugh dominated with 27 points, but shaky guard play from Fland and Lee (who combined to shoot 8-of-26 from the field) ended up handing them an early loss.

4. UConn Huskies

UConn fell short of winning its third consecutive National Championship last season, as it fell to eventual champions Florida in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Dan Hurley‘s program returned a crop of strong players, including forward Alex Karaban, guard Solo Ball, and forward Jaylin Stewart, as it attempts to reach the top of the sport once again. Georgia transfer guard Silas Demary Jr. and Dayton transfer guard Malachi Smith help make up a strong roster in Storrs.

The Huskies opened their basketball season with a 79-55 win over New Haven on Monday, and have two more buy-games against UMass Lowell and Columbia looming over the next week. Following those games, UConn will embark on a beast of a non-conference schedule. Some of these non-conference games include No. 8 BYU, No. 13 Arizona, No. 17 Illinois, No. 19 Kansas, No. 3 Florida, and Texas.

5. Duke Blue Devils

The Jon Scheyer era reached its peak last season when Duke made a run to the Final Four. It appeared as if the Blue Devils would be returning to the National Championship game, but they blew a nine-point lead with three minutes remaining in their 70-67 loss to Houston. In an attempt to get to the final game of the season, Duke brought on five-star forward Cameron Boozer to pair with strong returners, such as guard Isaiah Evans, center Patrick Ngongba II, and guard Caleb Foster.

The Blue Devils opened their basketball season strong with a dominant 75-60 over Sean Miller and Texas Tuesday night in the Dick Vitale Invitational. In his first (official) college basketball game, Boozer contributed 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Evans led the way with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Duke will now play a trio of buy-games (Western Carolina, Army, and Indiana State) before its clash with No. 19 Kansas on Nov. 18.

6. St. John’s Red Storm

Although head coach Rick Pitino led St. John’s back to the NCAA Tournament last season for just the second time in nine years, the Red Storm were upset in the Second Round by John Calipari‘s Arkansas team. It lost some key pieces from that team, but absolutely loaded up in the Transfer Portal on its quest for its first Final Four appearance since 1985.

They opened the basketball season with a 108-74 win over Quinnipiac, led by transfers Dillon Mitchell (18 points), Ian Jackson (15 points) and Bryce Hopkins (8 points). Returning star forward Zuby Ejiofor also scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. St. John’s will now have to prepare for an early-season clash against No. 15 Alabama on Saturday in Madison Square Garden.

7. Michigan Wolverines

Head coach Dusty May is embarking on his second season with Michigan, fresh off a 27-10 campaign in his first season in charge. The Wolverines hauled in prized transfers Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina) this offseason as they look to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2018.

In its season opener against Oakland, Michigan scored a whopping 121 points in its 121-78 victory. Johnson Jr., who was just one of seven players to score in double figures, led the way with 24 points on 10/12 shooting. The Wolverines will now look ahead to their non-conference clash against Wake Forest on Tuesday.

8. Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky opened its season with a 77-51 victory over Nicholls inside Rupp Arena Tuesday night, capped off with a highlight poster dunk from sophomore guard Collin Chandler. Chandler scored a career-high 15 points in the win, leading all players. The ‘Cats also saw strong play from transfers Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama) and Denzel Aberdeen (Florida), along with freshmen Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

The ‘Cats were without prized transfer guard Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh) in their season opener, but he is expected back for their clash against No. 11 Louisville on Tuesday. Kentucky, which reportedly has the most expensive roster in college basketball, is seeking a return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.

9. Tennessee Volunteers

Although it lost star guards Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler this offseason, Tennessee reloaded with Maryland transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and five-star freshman forward Nate Ament. The Volunteers have never reached the Final Four and are finally looking to shake off that stigma this season, in the 11th year of the Rick Barnes era in Knoxville.

Tennessee opened its season with a 76-61 win over Mercer Monday night. The Volunteers will play four more buy-games before clashes against Rutgers, No. 2 Houston, Syracuse, No. 17 Illinois, and No. 11 Louisville in the coming weeks before opening SEC play.

10. UCLA Bruins

Finally, Mick Cronin‘s UCLA Bruins round out Jay Bilas‘ top-10 rankings. UCLA brought in heralded transfer guard Donovan Dent (New Mexico) this offseason as the Bruins look to be major contenders in the Big Ten Conference. They opened their season with an 80-74 win over Eastern Washington Monday night, but Cronin was less than pleased.

“There are so many mistakes, I’d like to fire myself for our defense. … Went off in shootaround today about intensity,” Cronin said. “Pros show up every day. Nick Saban 101 – the process is more important than the opponent. I lost them with three easy exhibition games. I knew I lost them, and I could tell I lost them all week. We’ll see if this will humble them a little bit tonight.”

No. 11-68

11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
12. Illinois Fighting Illini
13. Louisville Cardinals
14. Alabama Crimson Tide
15. Iowa State Cyclones
16. BYU Cougars
17. Arizona Wildcats
18. Kansas Jayhawks
19. Gonzaga Bulldogs
20. Arkansas Razorbacks
21. Creighton Blue Jays
22. Baylor Bears
23. Wisconsin Badgers
24. Ole Miss Rebels
25. USC Trojans
26. Michigan State Spartans
27. Auburn Tigers
28. North Carolina Tar Heels
29. Maryland Terrapins
30. NC State Wolfpack
31. Vanderbilt Commodores
32. Mississippi State Bulldogs
33. Texas A&M Aggies
34. Texas Longhorns
35. Missouri Tigers
36. Indiana Hoosiers
37. Georgia Bulldogs
38. Marquette Golden Eagles
39. Cincinnati Bearcats
40. Oregon Ducks
41. Clemson Tigers
42. San Diego State Aztecs
43. Ohio State Buckeyes
44. Virginia Tech Hokies
45. Utah State Aggies
46. Saint Louis Billikens
47. Nebraska Cornhuskers
48. Boise State Broncos
49. Xavier Musketeers
50. Memphis Tigers
51. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
52. Saint Mary’s Gaels
53. Virginia Cavaliers
54. Kansas State Wildcats
55. Pittsburgh Panthers
56. UCF Knights
57. Syracuse Orange
58. TCU Horned Frogs
59. West Virginia Mountaineers
60. Northwestern Wildcats
61. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
62. VCU Rams
63. Oklahoma Sooners
64. Providence Friars
65. SMU Mustangs
66. Arizona State Sun Devils
67. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
68. LSU Tigers