RADIO
Mike's final college basketball rankings of the 2025-26 season. Where are perennial contenders like Duke, Houston, Arizona, and Gonzaga ranked at the end of the season?
The NCAA Tournament didn't see a lot of first-round upsets. Two of the biggest upsets of the first weekend were made by major conference teams with low seeds (Texas and Iowa).
Part of that is the committee "rewarding" the top mid-major teams with eight and nine seeds, pitting them against one of the four best teams in the first weekend. That practice needs to stop. It's insulting.
Some teams made good runs through the tournament to better their rankings. Some teams bowed out early and fell out of the rankings completely. What do the final rankings look like? Not much like the AP. They haven't all season. I feel a weird sense of pride about that.
25. Texas (21-15)
Last week: NR
Results: W 68-66 vs. North Carolina State, W 79-71 vs. BYU, W 74-68 vs. (14) Gonzaga, L 79-77 vs. (6) Purdue
Texas Shooting Guard Tramon Mark named to the All-Regional (West) team in the NCAA Tournament
Mark’s averages in the Tournament:
🔸17.8 PPG
🔸4.0 RPG
🔸47% 3PT
🔸50% FG
🔸1.2 SPG
🔸1.5 BPG#Hookem | #Texas pic.twitter.com/TtIny0BIaE— Jalen Brown (@jalenpolobrown) March 29, 2026
Tramon Mark had a tournament for the ages. That's the only reason that Texas made it out of the play-in game. He kept doing it, though, even against markedly better competition.
Mark put up 29 points on one good ankle in the narrow loss to Purdue. I stand by the saying that the team around him should have been better. Maybe Texas can get a little more bang for its NIL buck next season.
24. Louisville (24-11)
Last week: NR
Results: W 83-79 vs. South Florida, L 77-69 vs. (7) Michigan State
Louisville hung on against arguably the best 11-seed and hung with a good Michigan State team. That's enough to get it back in the rankings.
I made concessions to teams that were missing a key component for parts of the season. Louisville wasn't the same even with Mikel Brown Jr. back, but the third-best team in the ACC is still good enough to be ranked.
23. Utah State (28-6)
Last week: 24 (⇑1)
Results: W 86-76 vs. Villanova, L 78-66 vs. (1) Arizona
This was a brutal and bogus draw for the Aggies. Winning the Mountain West regular season and tournament champions -- the sixth-ranked league out of 31 leagues -- should mean more than a nine seed.
Utah State should have at least been a seven seed, and likely a six. I'm not going to dock it for performing reasonably well in a horrible situation.
22. Miami (FL) (26-9)
Last week: 22 ⇔
Results: W 80-66 vs. Missouri, L 79-69 vs. (6) Purdue
Winning the first-round game and staying within 10 points of a highly ranked Purdue team is enough for the Hurricanes to hold their ranking. It was a solid season for Miami, but nowhere near the heights of where it was a couple of years ago.
21. Texas Tech (23-11)
Last week: 19 (⇓2)
Results: W 91-71 vs. Akron, L 90-65 vs. Alabama
Yes, I feel like we were robbed. JT Toppin deserved to make a run with this team. His loss left a gaping hole in Lubbock. The win in Ames was a fluke.
Outside of that game, Texas Tech really struggled without Toppin. That's why I'm not docking it much for getting smacked by Bama. The big-time wins in the regular season still matter.
20. Gonzaga (31-4)
Last week: 14 (⇓6)
Results: W 73-64 vs. Kennesaw State, L 74-68 vs. Texas
The Bulldogs lost to a Texas team that probably could have been left out of the tournament. It looks silly to say that in hindsight since Texas made the Sweet 16, but the Longhorns had 14 losses coming into the tournament.
They could have been left out with the way that they finished the season, and only SEC people would have been upset.
This isn't to take away from the run Texas made, especially since it almost ousted Purdue, but Gonzaga wasn't as close to Texas as the score indicated. It wasn't a great showing for a team that is supposed to be the elite mid-major.
19. Virginia (30-6)
Last week: 13 (⇓6)
Results: W 82-73 vs. Wright State, L 79-72 vs. Tennessee
It was not a great ending for Virginia. The Wahoos had all they could handle against Wright State and folded down the stretch against Tennessee.
This year's tournament proved that the ACC was a paper tiger and that the middle of the SEC was better than the top. We just didn't know because they didn't really play each other.
Oh, and the Big 12 wasn't nearly as good outside of the top three as many, including yours truly, thought.
18. Vanderbilt (27-9)
Last week: 18 ⇔
Results: W 78-68 vs. McNeese State, L 74-72 vs. (12) Nebraska
This close.... 🤏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/lEtY7T1WX1
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026
It was a bitter ending for Vanderbilt, but a strong showing overall. If the Commodores can hang onto Tyler Tanner, this team is a threat to win the SEC next year.
Reports say that it's the NBA or Vandy for Tanner. He's not going anywhere if he stays in school. I suppose there is a non-zero chance that he goes to Tennessee, but Vandy was his dream school. If the rivalry means anything, he won't.
I tend to think he'll return just because of how good this freshman class is going into the NBA. One more year in Nashville could be golden for Tanner and the team.
17. Florida (27-8)
Last week: 11 (⇓6)
Results: W 114-55 vs. Prairie View, L 73-72 vs. Iowa
The AP having Florida in the top 10 is a total joke. It wasn't the best team in the SEC this year, and it was far from the best SEC team in the NCAA Tournament.
If you think I'm being harsh, I'm not. Losing to teams with double-digit losses will cost you a lot. Iowa State dropped like a stone despite missing its best player. Florida wasn't missing anyone ... it just didn't show up. That might be worse.
16. Kansas (24-11)
Last week: (⇓1)
Results: W 68-60 vs. Cal Baptist, L 67-65 vs. (9) St. John's
I guess I can't dock Kansas too much for losing to a team that it wasn't expected to beat anyway. If you expected Kansas to win, you weren't paying enough attention this year.
St. John's was underseeded. UConn's run to the championship and the Johnnies giving Duke everything they could handle proved that.
It's not often that Kansas runs into a team that is unequivocally better than it in March, especially in the first weekend. Such is the state of Kansas basketball right now.
15. Iowa (24-13)
Last week: NR
Results: W 67-61 vs. Clemson, W 73-72 vs. (11) Florida, W 77-71 vs. (12) Nebraska, L 71-59 vs. (10) Illinois
Iowa advanced to its first Elite Eight since 1987. Unlike Tennessee, Iowa was far different from the team that lost 12 games in the regular season.
We've got a good one in Houston 🍿
Iowa beats the buzzer to cut the lead to 3 at halftime 👀#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/ZhSu1cjVP0
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026
NCAA Tournament heroes Alvaro Folgueiras, Cooper Koch, and Tate Sage only averaged a combined 22.3 points per game during the regular season. Their emergence when it counted shows that Iowa is going in the right direction.
14. Tennessee (25-12)
Last week: NR
Results: W 78-56 vs. Miami (OH), W 79-72 vs. (13) Virginia, W 76-62 vs. (5) Iowa State, L 95-62 vs. (3) Michigan
Yes, I'm gagging having a 12-loss team this high in the rankings, but Tennessee went to its third consecutive Elite Eight.
I'm not quite as impressed by this run since it beat Iowa State without Joshua Jefferson, but it was still an impressive win over Virginia. Even without Jefferson, Iowa State is a solid team. Tennessee deserves to be back in the rankings.
13. Alabama (25-10)
Last week: 21 (⇑8)
Results: W 90-70 vs. Hofstra, W 90-65 vs. (19) Texas Tech, L 90-77 vs. (3) Michigan
We need to have a really uncomfortable conversation. Alabama was better without Aden Holloway. It shouldn't be true, but it is.
The Tide smoked Texas Tech and were the only team aside from UConn to stay within 20 points of Michigan. Some could argue that I should have Alabama higher. If it hadn't lost 10 games, it would be.
12. Arkansas (28-9)
Last week: 17 (⇑5)
Results: W 97-78 vs. Hawaii, W 94-88 vs. High Point, L 94-88 vs. (1) Arizona
How the Hogs ended the season has to matter. So what if the SEC Tournament wasn't as much of a bear for them as many thought it should be? So what if they only had to beat a 12 seed to get to the second weekend?
Wins are wins, and the Hogs still lost to the top-ranked team coming into the tournament. There is no way that Duke should have been the No. 1 overall seed. I will die on that hill.
11. Nebraska (28-7)
Last week: 12 (⇑1)
Results: W 76-47 vs. Troy, W 74-72 vs. (18) Vanderbilt, L 77-71 vs. Iowa
Losing to your most bitter rival in a rubber match in the Sweet 16 is a tough way to go, but this was still Nebraska's best basketball team in history. I hope the fans choose to remember the good instead of the blown lead in the loss to Iowa in Houston.
10. Iowa State (29-8)
Last week: 5 (⇓5)
Results: W 108-74 vs. Tennessee State, W 82-63 vs. Kentucky, L 76-62 vs. Tennessee
The Cyclones looked unstoppable in the first weekend, but the loss of Joshua Jefferson caught up to them against Tennessee.
They needed a presence inside, like Jefferson, to counteract Tennessee. The Cyclones were dominated on the glass in that game because they didn't have one.
9. St. John's (30-7)
Last week: 9 ⇔
Results: W 79-53 vs. Northern Iowa, W 67-65 vs. (15) Kansas, L 80-75 vs. (2) Duke
St. John's had chances to beat Duke and led for a lot of the game. The Johnnies were given a bad draw, and they made the best of it.
I could give plenty of reasons to rank them ahead of Houston and Michigan State, but beating UConn twice doesn't override the much tougher schedules of Michigan State and Houston.
8. Michigan State (27-8)
Last week: 7 (⇓1)
Results: W 92-67 vs. North Dakota State, W 77-69 vs. Louisville, L 67-63 vs. (8) Connecticut
Iowa State had a better regular season than Michigan State, but it didn't get rolled in the regional semifinals by a lower-seeded team. The Spartans hung with eventual runner-up UConn until the very end.
It was a fitting way for this team to go out. The Spartans were tough but unspectacular all season long.
7. Houston (30-7)
Last week: 4 (⇓3)
Results: W 78-47 vs. Idaho, W 88-57 vs. Texas A&M, L 65-55 vs. (10) Illinois
The Illinois defense clamped down on Houston, which is something that Houston usually does to other teams. It was an inauspicious exit for a team that bordered on dominant in the regular season.
Kelvin Sampson is still looking for that elusive title. It's a good run to make a Sweet 16, but it feels bittersweet for a Houston team that made it to the national championship game last year.
6. Illinois (28-9)
Last week: 10 (⇑4)
Results: W 105-70 vs. Penn, W 76-55 vs. VCU, W 65-55 vs. (4) Houston, W 71-59 vs. Iowa, L 71-62 vs. (8) Connecticut
Illinois only beat one ranked team en route to the Final Four. Granted, it was a very good team, and it did so with a defensive performance for the ages, but I feel like a four-spot jump in the rankings is enough of a reward.
I know that teams can only play those who are in front of them, but Illinois benefited a lot from a busted bracket.
5. Purdue (30-9)
Last week: 6 (⇑1)
Results: W 104-71 vs. Queens, W 79-69 vs. (22) Miami (FL), W 79-77 vs. Texas, L 79-64 vs. (1) Arizona
MOST ASSISTS ALL TIME
Braden Smith now has the most assists all time in men's Division 1 college basketball history.
What a moment for the @boilerball legend 👏 pic.twitter.com/6ELyneAFIN
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2026
Ok, you're going to have to work with me a little bit here. Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament, beat Illinois in the regular season, and lost to the top-ranked team in the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois had a much easier road to the Final Four. Seeding is imperfect, and the Illini had to beat freaking Iowa to get to the Final Four. I'm giving credit to Purdue for a better overall season.
4. Duke (35-3)
Last week: 2 (⇓2)
Results: W 71-65 vs. Siena, W 81-58 vs. TCU, W 80-75 vs. (9) St. John's, L 73-72 vs. (8) Connecticut
This was the second straight NCAA Tournament in which Duke had blown a lead of 15 or more points in the second half to get knocked out. The Blue Devils could have held the ball with less than 10 seconds remaining, but they panicked and turned it over.
Give a lot of credit to Connecticut's press, but some of the blame has to go to Duke coaches and players. That was horrible game management and showed absolutely zero game awareness. This is why freshman-dominant teams don't win titles.
It wasn't just the gaffe at the end. Duke was living on the edge of disaster for the entire tournament. It was the only No. 1 seed to trail by double digits at halftime of a first-round game.
The blown lead against UConn made Duke the only one-seed in tournament history to blow a lead of 15 points or more. All other one seeds were 134-0 when leading by at least 15 points.
3. Arizona (36-3)
Last week: 1 (⇓2)
Results: W 92-58 vs. Long Island, W 78-66 vs. (24) Utah State, W 109-88 vs. (17) Arkansas, W 79-64 vs. (6) Purdue, L 93-71 vs. (3) Michigan
Arizona had a tougher road in the tournament, and I would have had it back in the two slot if it had hung with Michigan.
Connecticut's performance against the Wolverines in the championship, particularly on defense, is why the Huskies are No. 2. Arizona couldn't hold Michigan in transition like UConn did.
2. Connecticut (34-6)
Last week: 8 (⇑6)
Results: W 82-71 vs. Furman, W 73-57 vs. UCLA, W 67-63 vs. (7) Michigan State, W 73-72 vs. (2) Duke, W 71-62 vs. (10) Illinois, L 69-63 vs. (3) Michigan
This was Connecticut's first loss in a national championship game. The Huskies were 5-0 in championship games before this season.
You can't say that the Huskies had an easy road. They took out the top overall seed in Duke and two more top-10 teams to get back into the title game for the third time in four years.
CRAZY: Taris Reed Jr. played 2 years for Michigan and 2 years for UConn.
Those 2 schools won 3 Championships in those 4 years.
He didn’t win any of them. pic.twitter.com/jKtTzYS38t
— ProphetX Hoops (@ProphetXHoops) April 7, 2026
1. Michigan (37-3)
Results: W 101-80 vs. Howard, W 95-72 vs. St. Louis, W 90-77 vs. (21) Alabama, W 95-62 vs. Tennessee, W 91-73 vs. (1) Arizona, W 69-63 vs. (8) Connecticut
Michigan's 541 points scored in the NCAA Tournament were the most since UNLV in 1989-90. The 37 wins are a school record, and tied a Big Ten record held by 2004-05 Illinois.
Michigan is the first team ever to win a national championship with five starters who were all transfers. None of them started at Michigan. This is where college basketball is heading, folks.
