With simply over a month to go within the men’s college basketball 2025-26 season, groups are jockeying for place inside their conferences and for seeding on this spring’s NCAA Event.
There are many high-quality packages that might vie for a Last 4 journey in March Insanity, though 5 squads look like in the very best form to probably lower down the nets when all is alleged and carried out.
Issues may ebb and circulation within the coming weeks based mostly on league battles and postseason convention tournaments, however at this juncture, there are 5 main candidates to seize the 2026 title.
21-0 general
AP top 25 ranking: No. 1
NCAA NET ranking: No. 1
KenPom ranking: No. 1
Solely two groups stay undefeated in males’s hoops, and Arizona is one among them. The Massive 12 Convention powerhouse is rolling by its schedule, sporting a 9-0 document in Quadrant 1 video games and a 6-0 mark in opposition to Related Press top-25 foes. The Wildcats are extraordinarily well-balanced, with a top-five rating in adjusted offensive and adjusted defensive effectivity, by way of KenPom.
19-1 general
AP prime 25 rating: No. 4
NCAA NET rating: No. 2
KenPom rating: No. 3
Duke is the clear favorite within the Atlantic Coast Convention to win that league’s crown, and the Blue Devils possess the country’s best player in freshman large man Cameron Boozer. Duke’s solely blemish this season is by one level to a top-15 Texas Tech group at a impartial web site. Plus, the Blue Devils be a part of Arizona as the one squads that boast top-five offenses and defenses, in response to KenPom.
19-1 general
AP prime 25 rating: No. 3
NCAA NET rating: No. 3
KenPom rating: No. 2
On Tuesday night time at house, Michigan snuck previous No. 5 Nebraska, 75-72, handy the Cornhuskers their first lack of the 2025-26 marketing campaign. That end result additionally pushed the Wolverines’ document to 4-0 in opposition to ranked opponents, with a number of blowout triumphs.
Michigan, 5-0 in Quadrant 1 encounters, has a top-10 offense, per KenPom, and the Wolverines’ adjusted defensive effectivity score is No. 2 across the nation. On Jan. 30, Michigan will journey to East Lansing in an enormous Massive Ten Convention showdown in opposition to in-state rival Michigan State, which is one other big-time nationwide championship contender.
20-1 general
AP prime 25 rating: No. 2
NCAA NET rating: No. 8
KenPom rating: No. 13
Since falling by 4 factors to Arizona in Storrs in November, UConn has rattled off 16 consecutive victories. Head coach Dan Hurley, who gained nationwide titles with the Huskies in 2023 and 2024, has his program primed for an additional deep March Insanity run.
Protection wins championships, and the Huskies are No. 5 in adjusted defensive effectivity, in response to KenPom. UConn permits simply 64.3 factors per recreation, which hovers across the top 10 nationwide.
19-2 general
AP prime 25 rating: No. 7
NCAA NET rating: No. 9
KenPom rating: No. 6
The Spartans are on a roll, having gained seven in a row. Michigan State’s solely two setbacks this season are in opposition to top-five groups Duke and Nebraska by a mixed eight factors. In Quadrant 1/Quadrant 2 contests, the Spartans are a stable 10-2.
Over at KenPom, Michigan State is No. 1 across the nation in adjusted defensive effectivity. Greater than anything, although, the Spartans are led by head coach Tom Izzo, who is likely one of the greatest coaches ever by way of his March Insanity success.
