The football season is about to be done, but in case you haven’t noticed, the college basketball season has been sensational.
Complain all you want about the transfer portal, and players being professionals, and professionals coming back to play, and all the other stuff that sucks the joy out of the game – the product is better.
The high-end talent is back, the top teams are incredible, and it’s all setting up for a whale of an NCAA Tournament in six weeks.
As we dive into the stretch run, how good are all 68 teams? Based on the right now, different animal than college football with a 12-game season, and every game taking on a greater importance, here’s our ranking of the 68 best teams in college basketball.
CFN Top 68 College Basketball Rankings
68 Liberty
Record: 18-3
Last Week Ranking: NR
NCAA Tournament Projection: 12
67 Boise State
Record: 13-9
Last Week Ranking: NR
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
66 West Virginia
Record: 14-8
Last Week Ranking: 64
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
65 Grand Canyon
Record: 14-7
Last Week Ranking: 67
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
64 Belmont
Record: 20-3
Last Week Ranking: NR
NCAA Tournament Projection:
63 Wake Forest
Record: 11-11
Last Week Ranking: 62
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
62 McNeese
Record: 18-4
Last Week Ranking: 66
NCAA Tournament Projection: 13
61 Nevada
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 65
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
60 Baylor
Record: 12-9
Last Week Ranking: 60
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
59 Washington
Record: 12-10
Last Week Ranking: 59
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
58 Virginia Tech
Record: 16-7
Last Week Ranking: 57
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
57 Butler
Record: 13-9
Last Week Ranking: 54
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
56 Akron
Record: 16-4
Last Week Ranking: 55
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
55 Missouri
Record: 15-7
Last Week Ranking: 53
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
54 TCU
Record: 13-9
Last Week Ranking: 48
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
53 George Mason
Record: 20-2
Last Week Ranking: 56
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
52 Cal
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 50
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
51 Miami University
Record: 22-0
Last Week Ranking: 51
NCAA Tournament Projection: 12
50 Seton Hall
Record: 14-6
Last Week Ranking: 52
NCAA Tournament Projection: 11
49 VCU
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 61
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
48 Tulsa
Record: 19-3
Last Week Ranking: 49
NCAA Tournament Projection: 11
47 LSU
Record: 13-7
Last Week Ranking: 45
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
46 New Mexico
Record: 18-4
Last Week Ranking: 47
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
45 Ohio State
Record: 14-7
Last Week Ranking: 43
NCAA Tournament Projection: 11
44 UCLA
Record: 15-7
Last Week Ranking: 46
NCAA Tournament Projection: 10
43 Miami
Record: 17-5
Last Week Ranking: 36
NCAA Tournament Projection: 10
42 Georgia
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 34
NCAA Tournament Projection: 7
41 SMU
Record: 15-6
Last Week Ranking: 35
NCAA Tournament Projection: 9
40 San Diego State
Record: 15-6
Last Week Ranking: 44
NCAA Tournament Projection: 11
39 Texas
Record: 13-9
Last Week Ranking: 39
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
38 Wisconsin
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 38
NCAA Tournament Projection: 7
37 USC
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 37
NCAA Tournament Projection: 10
36 UCF
Record: 17-4
Last Week Ranking: 40
NCAA Tournament Projection: 10
35 Saint Mary’s
Record: 19-4
Last Week Ranking: 30
NCAA Tournament Projection: 8
34 Utah State
Record: 18-3
Last Week Ranking: 32
NCAA Tournament Projection: 9
33 Santa Clara
Record: 19-5
Last Week Ranking: 41
NCAA Tournament Projection: 11
32 Indiana
Record: 15-7
Last Week Ranking: 42
NCAA Tournament Projection: Bubble/Out
31 Villanova
Record: 16-5
Last Week Ranking: 31
NCAA Tournament Projection: 9
30 Texas A&M
Record: 17-4
Last Week Ranking: 33
NCAA Tournament Projection: 9
29 Clemson
Record: 18-4
Last Week Ranking: 29
NCAA Tournament Projection: 7
28 Kentucky
Record: 15-7
Last Week Ranking: 27
NCAA Tournament Projection: 7
27 Arkansas
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 25
NCAA Tournament Projection: 5
26 NC State
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 28
NCAA Tournament Projection: 8
College Basketball Top 25: Week 14
25 Auburn
Record: 14-8
Last Week Ranking: 26
NCAA Tournament Projection: 8
It’s February, and the Tigers are still trying to put it all together. There’s a lot to like, but it’s all about whether or not the defense works, going 1-6 when allowing teams to hit more than half of their shots.
24 Alabama
Record: 14-7
Last Week Ranking: 23
NCAA Tournament Projection: 5
Does it seem like the Crimson Tide are playing a little bit distracted to you? Losing to Florida and Tennessee isn’t the end of the world, but they’re now 3-4 in their last seven.
23 Saint Louis
Record: 21-1
Last Week Ranking: 16
NCAA Tournament Projection: 6
Holy defense. The Billikens continue to lock down on everything, but it’s been a long, long time since they’ve played anyone who’s any good. You have as many power conference wins as they do.
22 St. John’s
Record: 16-5
Last Week Ranking: 22
NCAA Tournament Projection: 6
The red-hot Red Storm (sorry for that) might be flawed, but they keep winning. As long as they keep their focus, everything else should be a breeze, other than the two dates with UConn – the first is in MSG this Friday.
21 Iowa
Record: 16-5
Last Week Ranking: 24
NCAA Tournament Projection: 8
Welcome back, Iowa. On a four-game winning streak after a three-game losing streak, the Hawkeyes are stepping up their game. The wins will keep coming until the Valentine’s Day showdown against Purdue.
20 Louisville
Record: 15-6
Last Week Ranking: 18
NCAA Tournament Projection: 4
Just 4-4 in the last eight games, the Cardinals might be dropping a bit, and there are a few too many games away from KFC Yum! over the next few weeks, but if they can handle NC State next Monday, look out for a run.
19 Virginia
Record: 18-3
Last Week Ranking: 21
NCAA Tournament Projection: 4
Yeah, it’s been a while now, but it’s still weird to see people in Virginia basketball uniforms scoring a lot. Things have been a wee bit shaky lately, but don’t be shocked if February treats the team well.
18 North Carolina
Record: 17-4
Last Week Ranking: 20
NCAA Tournament Projection: 6
The losing run appears to be over with the offense taking things up a few notches. The regular season won’t be defined by the date with Duke on Saturday, but it’ll be a moment to see if the Tar Heels are true players.
17 Texas Tech
Record: 16-5
Last Week Ranking: 11
NCAA Tournament Projection: 4
Losing at UCF was a blip – the threes and frees weren’t falling. There will be more losses with a schedule that includes road dates at Arizona, Iowa State, and BYU, but the Red Raiders have Elite Eight potential.
16 Tennessee
Record: 15-6
Last Week Ranking: 17
NCAA Tournament Projection: 6
After beating Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn, now is when the Vols should go off and start to look the part, but the defense has to find a groove in a hurry. Fortunately, the schedule is relatively light for the next few weeks.
15 Vanderbilt
Record: 17-3
Last Week Ranking: 14
NCAA Tournament Projection: 5
That’s how you get over a three-game losing streak. The Commodores ripped through Kentucky as part of a nice little winning run, but they’re about to get into a whole slew of shootouts over the rest of the SEC schedule.
14 Florida
Record: 16-6
Last Week Ranking: 19
NCAA Tournament Projection: 4
Which is it, Florida Are you the team that looked unstoppable with 90 points or more in nine of the last 12 games, or are you the one that couldn’t hit anything in the loss to Auburn? (Hint: it’s the former – look out for the Gators.)
13 BYU
Record: 17-4
Last Week Ranking: 13
NCAA Tournament Projection: 3
So you lost to No. 1 Arizona in a great fight, and against a charged-up Kansas – it’s fine, even with losses in three of the last four games. Get it back fast, Cougars, because the schedule is about go next-level nasty.
12 Michigan State
Record: 19-3
Last Week Ranking: 6
NCAA Tournament Projection: 3
We’re about to find out just how good the Spartans are. After going to Minnesota – be careful of that – Illinois, and at Wisconsin will be the chances to see if there’s teeth to Tom Izzo’s bunch, or if it’s being record-ranked.
11 Nebraska
Record: 20-2
Last Week Ranking: 5
NCAA Tournament Projection: 2
Don’t get into a twist over the two-game losing streak – the Huskers fought hard against Michigan and Illinois. Watch out with a relatively light schedule the rest of the way. They might not lose again for a long time, if at all.
10 Kansas
Record: 16-5
Last Week Ranking: 15
NCAA Tournament Projection: 5
If Darryn Peterson can just stay healthy for two more months, Kansas might be playing in Indianapolis. The Jayhawks will be battle-tested, but they have to face Arizona twice, Iowa State, and Houston
9 Purdue
Record: 18-4
Last Week Ranking: 10
NCAA Tournament Projection: 3
Is that it? Are we done with the losing now after the easy win over Maryland? The schedule is about to get brutal, so any issues and concerns need to be worked on against Oregon before going to Nebraska.
8 Houston
Record: 19-2
Last Week Ranking: 12
NCAA Tournament Projection: 2
As we good now after the tough loss to Texas Tech a few weeks ago? This isn’t the killer of a team that almost won the national title, but it can certainly play some defense.
7 Iowa State
Record: 20-2
Last Week Ranking: 9
NCAA Tournament Projection: 2
The glitch from mid-January has been fixed. The Cyclones have just one road game in the next three weeks, but Kansas and Houston are coming to town soon. This bunch should be ready to make a huge statement.
6 Gonzaga
Record: 22-1
Last Week Ranking: 4
NCAA Tournament Projection: 2
No, the Bulldogs aren’t playing anyone great, and yes, that was way too close against USF, but wow, is this defense fantastic. Be stunned if they’re not 30-1 before the WCC Tournament.
5 Illinois
Record: 19-3
Last Week Ranking: 7
NCAA Tournament Projection: 3
There’s a bit too much of a reliance on the three, but the size, rebounding, and all-around talent are there to be special. This ten-game winning streak – with the win over Nebraska terrific – should be just the start, but there’s no letting up with the February schedule.
4 UConn
Record: 21-1
Last Week Ranking: 8
NCAA Tournament Projection: 1
A blowout over Creighton was nice, but it’s taken too many close calls to get by over the last few weeks. Everything is ramping up for when it really matters, but this Friday’s game at St. John’s should be telling.
3 Duke
Record: 20-1
Last Week Ranking: 3
NCAA Tournament Projection: 1
Who’s playing better than the Blue Devils right now? It held a light scrimmage against Louisville, rolled easily at Virginia Tech, and hasn’t been challenged in weeks.
2 Michigan
Record: 20-1
Last Week Ranking: 2
NCAA Tournament Projection: 1
There shouldn’t be any issues until going to Purdue and then dealing with Duke in a few weeks. If you can’t shoot over the top of the Wolverine D – there’s a reason Wisconsin has the lone win, making the most threes anyone has against the Maize and Blue – don’t bother.
1 Arizona
Record: 22-0
Last Week Ranking: 1
NCAA Tournament Projection: 1
The win at BYU was far closer than it should’ve been late, but it was still a win, and so what? It’s still the only unbeaten power program going.
However, after what should be a layup against Oklahoma State … at Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU, at Houston, at Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State. Game on, and Bear Down.
Related: NCAA Tournament Bracket Projections for Week 14: Bubble Teams, Top Seeds
This story was originally published by College Football News on Feb 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.