College Basketball Rankings: CBS Sports shakes up Top 25 and 1 after Donnie Freeman injury at St. John's

During a workout this week, St. John’s forward Donnie Freeman suffered an Achilles injury which required surgery, head coach Rick Pitino announced. He will miss the rest of the season as a result, and it led to a shakeup in CBS Sports’ way-too-early Top 25 and 1 college basketball rankings.

Freeman was a major transfer portal pickup for St. John’s this offseason after a standout sophomore season at Syracuse. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds across 23 games, including 21 starts, and chose the Red Storm over Kentucky after entering the transfer portal.

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Without Freeman in the lineup, St. John’s took a fall in CBS Sports’ updated Top 25 and 1 rankings ahead of the 2026-27 college basketball season. Here is how things currently look.

1. Florida (-)

Standing pat at No. 1, Florida is widely considered the top team in college basketball for the 2026-27 season. The Gators have a slew of key pieces back in the fold, headlined by forward Thomas Haugh.

UF was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year, but suffered an upset loss to Iowa that led to an early exit. But in addition to Haugh, the Gators also have Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon back in the fold as they look to return to the mountaintop.

2. Duke (-)

Despite losing Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans to the NBA Draft, Duke reloaded this offseason. The Blue Devils retained key pieces such as Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba, but also made a splash in the transfer portal.

Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell is making his way to Duke as a highly rated portal prospect. He joins a group of newcomers that also includes highly rated recruits Cam Williams and Deron Rippey Jr., as well as Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski.

3. Illinois (+1)

Up one spot to No. 3 in CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1, Illinois was another program that retained key talent. David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic and both Ivisic brothers, Tomislav and Zvonimir, are back in the fold after last year’s Final Four run.

All told, the Fighting Illini have six of their top nine scorers returning, along with a group of newcomers headlined by Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks. As a result, Brad Underwood’s crew is likely to be toward the top of the college basketball rankings this season.

4. UConn (+1)

Following last year’s national championship appearance, UConn will have a blend of old and new faces in 2025-26. But that group comes in at No. 4 in CBS Sports’ updated Top 25 and 1 rankings ahead of the college basketball season.

Braylon Mullins is one of the most notable returners for the Huskies in 2026-27, along with Silas Demary. Additionally, UConn has Duke transfer Nik Khamenia coming in as part of its transfer portal haul.

5. Michigan State (+1)

Michigan State got a huge boost with Jeremy Fears Jr. returning for the 2026-27 season. In fact, the Spartans have five of their top eight scorers back, maintaining most of a group that made a run to the Sweet Sixteen this past season.

Michigan State also has a Top-10 recruiting class on the way to bolster that core. As a result, the Spartans round out the Top 5 of CBS Sports’ updated Top 25 and 1 college basketball rankings.

6. Texas (+1)

Year 1 of the Sean Miller era was impressive as Texas rattled off a run to the Sweet Sixteen. With key pieces coming back, the Longhorns could be a Top-10 team entering the 2026-27 season.

Matas Vokietaitis’ return provides a big lift for Texas after he became the centerpiece of last year’s group. The Longhorns also brought in the No. 2-ranked transfer portal class, headlined by former TCU forward David Punch.

7. Arizona (+1)

For the first time in 20 years, Arizona made a Final Four appearance, and the Wildcats also kept coach Tommy Lloyd despite interest from North Carolina. UA is also still squarely in the Top 10 of CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1 even as key pieces headed to the NBA in the draft.

Arizona notably has Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov coming back, but added a slew of highly rated players to the fray. North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon and highly touted recruit Caleb Holt are among the fresh faces making their way to Tucson.

8. Michigan (-5)

Michigan was one of the big fallers in the updated Top 25 and 1 after Dusty May’s departure, down five spots to No. 8. The Wolverines have retained key pieces, though, as Mike Boynton takes over as the interim head coach.

Highly rated transfers Moustapha Thiam and JP Estrella are expected to stay in Ann Arbor after May left for the NBA. Additionally, Trey McKenney is also still coming back after emerging as a key part of last year’s national title team.

9. Gonzaga (-)

Keeping Braden Huff was key for Gonzaga was key after he finished second on the team in scoring last season. Add in some fresh faces and the Bulldogs come in as a Top-10 team in college basketball, according to CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1 rankings.

Gonzaga also made a splash in the transfer portal by landing former Arizona State big man Massamba Diop, who was a Top-5 player in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings. He joins a class of newcomers that also includes Top-60 prospect Luca Foster ahead of the 2026-27 season.

10. Virginia (-)

Rounding out the Top 10 of CBS Sports’ updated Top 25 and 1 rankings, Virginia also did a good job retaining talent for the 2026-27 college basketball season. The Cavaliers have five of their Top 10 scorers in Year 2 under Ryan Odom.

UVA also landed three transfers this offseason, led by former UC Irvine forward Jurian Dixon. The Hoos are coming off a Round of 32 appearance last year as part of an impressive debut campaign for Odom.

Top 25 and 1: Nos. 11-25

11. Arkansas (+1)
12. Iowa State (+1)
13. Houston (+1)
14. Louisville (+1)
15. Tennessee (+1)
16. Kentucky (+1)
17. St. John’s (-6)
18. USC (-)
19. Alabama (-)
20. Purdue (-)
21. Miami (-)
22. Indiana (-)
23. BYU (-)
24. Ohio State (-)
25. North Carolina (-)
26. Vanderbilt (-)

Of course, there’s still plenty of time to go before the 2026-27 college basketball season gets underway. But there’s already been a wave of change as the offseason continues.