The college basketball season is right around the corner, and all eyes will be on Purdue to start the year.
The Boilermakers were ranked No. 1 in the country in the Associated Press’ preseason poll on Monday, just three weeks before opening night. It’s the team’s first time holding the top spot to start the season.
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The Boilermakers went 24-12 last season and were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16. Most of that team is back this season, including stars Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, who averaged 20.1 points per game. Matt Painter landed Oscar Cluff from South Dakota State in the transfer portal, as well as Omar Mayer from Israel.
And 7-foot-4 center Daniel Jacobsen is back after missing nearly all of last season with a broken leg. He went down in the team’s second game of the season, but should play a major part in helping Purdue hold things down inside — which was a significant issue for them last season after Zach Edey’s departure.
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The Boilermakers are one of six teams in the Big Ten ranked in the poll. Michigan came in at No. 7, the only other team in the top 10, while UCLA, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin made the rankings.
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Houston is entering the season at No. 2, and for good reason. The Cougars, after their brutal loss to Florida in the national championship game last season, have brought back stars Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler for another run. Head coach Kelvin Sampson had the third-best Rivals.com class this offseason, and landed five-star recruits Chris Cenac and Isiah Harwell — both of whom should start right away and make a huge impact.
BYU and Texas Tech are ranked in the top 10 for the Big 12. Arizona, Iowa State and Kansas, down at No. 19, are also ranked to start the year.
Sampson has turned the Cougars into a true basketball powerhouse in recent years. They’ve earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for three straight seasons now and been to a pair of Final Fours in the past five years. He’s won at least 32 games for four straight seasons now, and dominated the Big 12. Sampson is going to break through one of these years and finally give the Cougars their first national title that’s felt so close recently. It’s just a matter of time.
Is this the year that Kelvin Sampson finally breaks through at Houston? (Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
(Jamie Schwaberow via Getty Images)What about Florida repeating?
We just did the back-to-back championship talk with UConn and Dan Hurley. But, at least for now, that conversation should be had again with Todd Golden’s group in Gainesville.
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The Gators are opening the season at No. 3 in the poll after winning the national championship last spring. Stars Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are back from that title run. Condon put up 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season, and Haugh was close behind with 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. Reuben Chinyelu is also back and should help that duo significantly in what may be the strongest frontcourt in the country.
Their issue will be with their guards, though Golden landed Boogie Fland from Arkansas and Xaivian Lee from Princeton in the transfer portal. Those two should help significantly on that front. After what they pulled off last season, don’t count the Gators out to repeat — even if things get a bit sticky early in the season.
But the SEC is once again one of the strongest in the country. Kentucky is starting the year at No. 9 in its second season under coach Mark Pope, while Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn — now under the direction of Steven Pearl after Bruce Pearls’ late retirement — are also starting ranked. The Gators have their work cut out for them to run that league.
Is this Rick Pitino’s best shot?
After what was easily his best season at the college level in years, Rick Pitino has reloaded St. John’s again this fall and seems ready to make another run at a title before he calls it a career.
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The Red Storm went 31-5 last season, though they were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the opening weekend. Center Zuby Ejiofor is back after averaging 14.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season, and Pitino brought in several big transfers to support him — including Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Dillon Mitchell from Texas and Ian Jackson from North Carolina.
But, at least for now, St. John’s isn’t the top-ranked Big East school. The Red Storm came in at No. 5, one spot behind UConn. Creighton is the only other school in the conference to start the year ranked. It’s looking like it’ll be a two-way battle between the Red Storm and the Huskies in that league.
How long Pitino continues to coach is anybody’s guess. The 73-year-old, though, is clearly still capable of holding his own in a major conference. So long as he can get this new group working together quickly, the Big East should be theirs to control this season.
2025-26 Preseason AP Men’s Basketball poll
The men’s college basketball season officially starts Nov. 3.
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1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. Florida
4. UConn
5. St. John’s
6. Duke
7. Michigan
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Texas Tech
11. Louisville
12. UCLA
13. Arizona
14. Arkansas
15. Alabama
16. Iowa State
17. Illinois
18. Tennessee
19. Kansas
20. Auburn
21. Gonzaga
22. Michigan State
23. Creighton
24. Wisconsin
25. North Carolina
Others receiving votes: NC State 101, Oregon 98, San Diego State 74, Texas 35, Ohio State 23, Kansas State 13, Mississippi 11, USC 10, Missouri 8, Washington 7, Vanderbilt 7, Iowa 6, Boise State 4, Mississippi State 3, VCU 2, Virginia 2, Saint Mary’s 2, Indiana 1, Oklahoma 1, Baylor 1