UConn, Houston top the Hotline’s ridiculously early Top 25 for the 2025-26 season

Projecting success seven months before the start of the regular season was arduous enough before the transfer portal and immediate eligibility for multi-time transfers collided last spring In the current surroundings accuracy is effectively impossible Which is precisely why the Hotline finds the subject endlessly fascinating That commented we ll update the rankings after the spring transfer window and NBA Draft decisions By then in theory a morsel of clarity will have emerged Also considered alphabetically Arkansas Baylor Boise State Clemson Illinois Indiana LSU Marquette Maryland Mississippi Mississippi State Missouri Oregon Saint Mary s San Diego State South Carolina Texas Texas A M Wisconsin USC and Villanova Connecticut The two-time defending champions took Florida to the wire in the second round and won games with an inexperienced leading cast But with Solo Ball and presumably Alex Karaban returning and if Georgia transfer Silas Demary makes the expected impact the Huskies should be well-positioned for a Big East title and Final Four run Houston We don t know who s staying We don t care who s leaving We didn t bother researching who s arriving As long as Kelvin Sampson is running the show in Houston the Cougars warrant a spot near the top of any forecast published anywhere at any time Duke The Blue Devils will lose Cooper Flagg to the NBA of class and supposedly Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach as well No worries The Boozer brothers are on the way Cameron and Cayden the sons of former Duke star Carlos Boozer will help offset the attrition But we wonder if the collapse Saturday night against Houston will impact the overall vibe in Durham even if the players involved have moved on St John s It took just two seasons for Rick Pitino to revitalize the Red Storm His third year will bring expectations and pressure so there s crucial downside danger to our projection But when in doubt we unfailingly side with Pitino whose class of newcomers includes Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon and Bryce Hopkins a Providence transfer whose career began at Kentucky Michigan The Wolverines will lose several key pieces from their run to the Sweet under first-year coach Dusty May But they might keep center Danny Wolf and have secured a commitment from the top player in the Sports transfer portal UAB big man Yaxel Lendeborg if he doesn t turn pro And don t forget Michigan has a commitment from North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau to bolster the backcourt Brigham Young This lofty forecast could nonetheless fall short if Richie Saunders and Egor Demin return and join mega-recruit A J Dybansta to fuel a run to the Final Four Or it could prove overly optimistic if the Cougars lose their core and have to reload around Dybansta in his one and only season in Provo Either way BYU is relevant nationally for the first time in eons Kentucky The arrival of transfer Jaland Lowe who averaged points and assists for Pittsburgh will help second-year coach Mark Pope prevent any backsliding in Lexington If leading scorer Ortega Ohew returns Big Blue could build on its momentum and win the SEC Creighton If you re not familiar with the Iowa City-to-Omaha pipeline that s understandable It wasn t a thing until this spring But with Josh Dix and Owen Freeman traversing the state line they combined for points per championship at Iowa the Bluejays should be back in the NCAAs and a threat for the Sweet Louisville From the department of big-gains-offsetting-big-losses we present the - Cardinals Coach Pat Kelsey did a first-rate job in his rookie season and despite important attrition is loading up with impact high school recruits hello Mikel Brown Jr and transfers Xavier s Ryan Conwell The sport is better when Louisville is relevant That should be the development next season Auburn The Tigers are losing SEC Member of the Year Johni Broome and several other top-line contributors If not for the expected return of star freshman Tahaad Pettiford and wing Chad Baker-Mazara they would be far closer to the bottom than the top of these rankings Texas Tech Darrion Williams just declared he s entering the portal and exploring his NBA options But if leading scorer JT Toppin returns he isn t viewed as a first-round NBA prospect the Red Raiders could be as good as the version that pushed Florida to the brink in the Elite Eight Don t be surprised if Grant McCasland is the hottest coach in the land this time next year NC State Our top sleeper pick for to the extent that a Will Wade group could be considered a sleeper The former LSU and McNeese State coach who was caught on the FBI wiretap during his tenure in Baton Rouge is one of the best in the encounter It won t take long we re talking months not years for him to turn the Wolf Pack into an upper-echelon ACC organization UCLA The Bruins landed an elite point guard when New Mexico s Donovan Dent opted to return home for his senior season he s from Riverside and nabbed a gifted big man in the portal as well Michigan State s Xavier Booker Add expected returnees Eric Dailey Jr and Skyy Clark and coach Mick Cronin should have the personnel to contend in the Big Ten and reach the second weekend of the NCAAs Alabama The Crimson Tide will lose star point guard Mark Sears but a handful of contributors are due back Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell Jr to name two If the supporting cast is ready for leading roles Alabama will thrive once again in the SEC And keep an eye on Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen whose impact could be substantial Purdue What we mentioned about Houston the head coach and practices matter more than the roster itself is also true of the Boilermakers But Matt Painter will undoubtedly benefit from another season with Braden Smith one of the top point guards in any conference Iowa State Admittedly the Hotline expected more from the Cyclones in the regular season and especially in the postseason They lost in the second round to a lower seed That sentiment could be affecting our view of ISU s ceiling in - given the possible return of Milan Momcilovic Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey But at certain point the Cyclones need to conjure a deep run in the NCAAs Arkansas Yes star freshman Boogie Fland declared for the NBA Draft but the March momentum should extend into next season for the Razorbacks who have one of the nation s top recruiting classes high school recruiting classes that is arriving in the fall Related Articles House vs NCAA antitrust lawsuit FAQs ahead of key settlement hearing Mailbag Where Oregon Washington USC fit in football super league Final Four picks Duke and Auburn are the teams to beat Pac- football schedule ideas radical ones to up media rights payout Big in March Madness Loads of units earned but more mouths to feed Tennessee Despite key personnel losses the departure list starts with standout guard Chaz Lanier the Supporters should remain highly relevant in the SEC One reason for their presumed staying power Maryland transfer Ja Kobi Gillespie points five assists per championship will run the offense Iowa Our second sleeper pick is based on the arrival of coach Ben McCollum who takes charge of the Hawkeyes after his thriving one-year run at Drake His stint with the Bulldogs followed a long profitable run at Northwest Missouri State McCollum s lineup will feature guard Bennett Stirtz who averaged points for Drake and should be one of the the bulk productive players in the Big Ten Florida The regression in Gainesville could be vital without senior guard Walter Clayton Jr The best member in the NCAA Tournament won t be easily replaced particularly in the final minutes of close games Coach Todd Golden should maintain a tournament-caliber operation given his acumen and Florida s information but the SEC is unforgiving North Carolina The roster is in flux but this much seems apparent If the Tar Heels aren t listed in the final AP poll of the - season a coaching search will be underway in Chapel Hill It s increasingly complex to defend Hubert Davis who has turned one of the bluest of blue bloods into an above-average campaign Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar will help immensely but more retooling is needed Gonzaga By March this projection could prove far too low The Bulldogs will have one of the nation s top frontlines if Graham Ike returns to join skilled sophomore Braden Huff But we wonder about the state of affairs on the perimeter where so much seemingly depends on the rise of Braeden Smith previous stop Colgate and Jalen Warley Virginia Betting against Mark Scarce is a losing proposition but it could take the Zags time to coalesce Michigan State Because Tom Izzo Arizona Who s left in Tucson Good question Caleb Love is at last out of eligibility Henri Veesaar and KJ Lewis entered the transfer portal and freshman Carter Bryant could jump to the draft Based on what we know in the current era and it could be moot in a limited hours given the pace of contestant movement faith in Tommy Lloyd s talent acquisition skills is the only reason to believe the Wildcats are worthy of a Top position Kansas We aren t sure the exodus from Lawrence is a bad thing considering the Jayhawks disappointing season They were No in the AP preseason poll but finished sixth in the Big More than enough luster remains not to mention NIL materials for coach Bill Self to reload his roster to an acceptable standard In fact that process is already underway with the arrival of guard Tre White from Illinois Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - 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