Fall is in the air and it's almost time to start the road to Detroit for the Final Four. Legal proceedings, particularly in regards to a group of lawsuits by fifth-year players trying to regain eligibility and be grandfathered in to the new NCAA's 5-in-5 rule, has made things a bit complex since the last time we did a projected Top 25 ranking prior to the NBA Draft.
The official AP Top 25 preseason poll is set to drop in the coming days but before that happens it's time for a refresh on the FanSided Top 25 projection. Let's break down the teams to watch entering the campaign with some key notes on interesting squads to follow.
FanSided preseason Top 25 College Basketball projection
1. Florida Gators
2. Illinois Fighting Illini
3. UConn Huskies
4. Duke Blue Devils
5. Arizona Wildcats
6. Michigan State Spartans
7. Texas Longhorns
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Virginia Cavaliers
10. Miami Hurricanes
11. Arkansas Razorbacks
12. Michigan Wolverines
13. Gonzaga Bulldogs
14. Houston Cougars
15. Louisville Cardinals
16. Kansas Jayhawks
17. Texas Tech Red Raiders
18. St. John's Red Storm
19. Iowa State Cyclones
20. Alabama Crimson Tide
21. BYU Cougars
22. Vanderbilt Commodores
23. Missouri Tigers
24. Kentucky Wildcats
25. Purdue Boilermakers
Why Florida is No. 1
In short, no team has as much experience coming back to its locker room than the Gators do. Todd Golden has four key rotation players who had an impact on the 2025 title team, with Thomas Haugh being a viable candidate for National Player of the Year honors while Rueben Chinyelu spurned NBA riches for another year in Gainesville.
A recent court ruling also is playing in favor of the Gators, who saw guard Denzel Aberdeen get a fifth year of eligibility. Even if Aberdeen's waiver doesn't stick, Florida has more than enough firepower to not only rule the SEC but contend for their fourth national championship in the past 20 years.
Illinois, Michigan State among Big Ten favorites
Michigan (who we'll talk more about in a minute) snapped the Big Ten's infamous title drought in April and the conference has a pair of powerhouses vying to ensure the national championship stays in the league. Illinois, which made a Final Four run as a 3-seed last season, did lose Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell off last year's squad but do gain Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks running the point and top freshman Quentin Coleman set to replace Boswell at the two.
Michigan State is also running back a ton of experience, including the big challenger to Haugh for Player of the Year honors in point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. Tom Izzo also has five other returners back to go along with a big man from the portal (Anton Bonke out of Charlotte) and a Top 10 recruiting class to give his team as good a chance as anyone to go deep into March.
Duke is loaded for Jon Scheyer
The Blue Devils saw another lottery pick go pro with Cam Boozer playing for the Grizzlies now but don't expect any step back from Duke. There may not be a top lottery pick for 2027 in the crop for Scheyer, but he does have four key returning players: Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, Patrick Ngbonba II and Cayden Boozer.
Those four will be joined by Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell to form the core of the ACC favorites once again. An interesting freshman to watch is 7-foot-2 center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who reclassified into this year's class and isn't draft eligible until 2028.
Why Michigan isn't atop the poll
A couple of things are working against the defending champs here, including the departure of Dusty May for the Dallas Mavericks in June. Mike Boynton, May's top assistant, got a two-year prove-it deal to lead the program but is likely coaching for a real shot at the permanent job this season.
The Wolverines' depth also took a hit when five-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. tore his ACL in August, knocking him out for the season. The starting five, which features returners Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney alongside top transfers J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam, is strong but the reserves are a bit thin after the loss of McCoy.
Louisville is this year's portal chemistry experiment
Every year it feels like at least one program tries to buy a Sweet 16 appearance with a portal spending spree and Louisville takes home the honors this year. Pat Kelsey went big in the portal, landing big man Flory Bidunga from Kansas to be his rim protector while former Oregon guard Jackson Shelsted is set to run the point.
Iowa's Alvaro Folguieras, Arkansas' Karter Knox and North Carolina's Seth Trimble complete a very expensive starting five for the Cardinals, who are hoping to space the floor around Bidunga's rim-running game. It will take some time for this group to gel, however, so we'll see how much patience Louisville's fans have if they drop a few games early in the season.
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