Draft:2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
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{{AFC submission|d|v|u=2600:1700:84A6:4090:B445:3381:E1FC:E7C9|ns=118|decliner=Robert McClenon|declinets=20250401162022|small=yes|ts=20250329143249}}
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{{AFC comment|1=Repeated resubmissions without improvement. Greenman (talk) 18:33, 18 April 2025 (UTC)}}
{{AFC comment|1=This draft has been resubmitted without any visible improvement, or with very little improvement. If you do not know what is needed to improve this draft, please ask for advice rather than making minor improvements and resubmitting.
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The improvement of this draft since the last submission and decline has been minimal. One reference is still too few references, and it is still WP:TOOSOON. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:20, 1 April 2025 (UTC)}}
{{AFC comment|1=WP:TOOSOON ? ~Liancetalk 00:15, 28 March 2025 (UTC)}}
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{{Short description|Sports season}}
{{Draft topics|sports}}
{{AfC topic|other}}
{{Infobox NCAA Division I men's basketball season
| year = 2025
| gender=men
| image = NCAA logo.svg
| image_caption =
| preseason_ap =
| regular_season = November 3, 2025 − March 15, 2026
| tourney_start = March 17, 2026
| nc_date = April 6, 2026
|champ_stad=Lucas Oil Stadium
|champ_city=Indianapolis, Indiana
| champ =
| nit_champ =
| cbi_champ =
| cti_champ =
| playeroftheyear =
}}
The 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season will begin on November 3rd, 2025. The regular season will end on March 15th, 2026, with the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament beginning with the First Four on March 17 and ending with the championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6.{{Cite web |title=March Madness Final Four: Future dates & sites |url=https://www.ncaa.com/mens-final-four/future-info |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.ncaa.com |language=en}}
Rule changes
Season headlines
= Milestones and records =
Conference membership changes
A total of 4 schools joined new conferences for the 2025–26 season. Of these, 4 moved within Division I, zero began reclassification from NCAA Division II.
| class="wikitable source"
!School !Former conference !Current conference |
| Delaware
| CAA | CUSA |
| Missouri State
| CUSA |
| Seattle
| WAC | WCC |
| UMass
| A-10 | MAC |
The 2025–26 will be the last season in their respective conferences for at least 13 Division I schools.
| class="wikitable source"
!School !2025–26 conference !Future conference |
| Boise State |
| California Baptist
|WAC |
| Colorado State |
| Fresno State |
| Grand Canyon
|WAC |
| Gonzaga
|WCC |
| Hawaii |
| Northern Illinois
|MAC |
| Saint Francis
|NEC |
| San Diego State |
| UC Davis |
| UTEP
| CUSA |
| Utah State |
Arenas
=New arenas=
=Arena of new D-I teams=
=Arena name changes=
=Other arena changes=
Seasonal outlook
{{main|2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings}}
The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaching polls
=Pre-season polls=
| {| class="wikitable style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" |AP |
| Ranking
!Team |
|---|
| 1
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| 2
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| 22
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| 23
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| 24
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| 25
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|
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" |USA Today Coaches |
| Ranking
!Team |
|---|
| 1
| |
| 2
| |
| 3
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| 4
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| 5
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| 6
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| 7
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| 19
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| 20
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| 21
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| 22
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| 23
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| 24
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| 25
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|}
Top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP poll Top 25.
= Regular season =
= Conference tournament =
= Postseason tournament =
Regular season
= Early-season tournaments =
| class="wikitable
!Names !Dates !Location !Teams !Champion !Runner-up !3rd-place winner |
| |
| |align=center| | | | |
= Head-to-head conference challenges =
| class="wikitable"
!Conference matchup !Dates !Conference winner !Conference loser !Record |
| ACC–SEC Challenge
|December |align=center| |align=center| |align=center| |
| ASUN–SoCon Challenge
|November – December |align=center| |align=center| |align=center| |
| Big Sky–Summit Challenge
|December |align=center| |align=center| |align=center| |
| Big East–Big 12 Battle
|December |align=center| |align=center| |align=center| |
| Conference USA–WAC Challenge
|November − December |align=center| |align=center| |align=center| |
| MAC–SBC Challenge
|November 2025 – February 2026 |align=center| |align=center| |align=center| |
= Upsets =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Winner !Score !Loser !Date !Tournament/event ! class="sortable" |Notes |
| |
| | | | |
== Division II wins over Division I teams==
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Winner !Score !Loser !Date !Tournament/event ! class="sortable" |Notes | |||
| |
| |
In addition to the above listed upsets in which an unranked team defeated a ranked team, there have been six non-Division I teams that defeated a Division I team so far this season. Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"—i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes).
= Conference winners and tournaments =
Each of the 31 Division I athletic conferences will end its regular season with a single-elimination tournament. The team with the best regular-season record in each conference receives the number one seed in each tournament, with tiebreakers used as needed in the case of ties for the top seeding. Unless otherwise noted, the winners of these tournaments will receive automatic invitations to the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Conference standings
| cellpadding="5"
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 America East Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{2025–26 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 ACC men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 ASUN men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{2025–26 Big 12 men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Big East men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Big Sky men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Big South men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{2025–26 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Big West men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 CAA men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Conference USA men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Horizon League men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Ivy League men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 MAAC men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{2025–26 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 MEAC men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Patriot League men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 SWAC men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 Southern Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30" |{{tl|2025–26 Southland Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30" |{{tl|2025–26 Summit League men's basketball standings|normal=1}}
| valign="top" width="30" |{{tl|2025–26 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} | valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 WAC men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
| valign="top" width="30%" |{{tl|2025–26 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings|normal=1}} |
== Postseason tournaments ==
{{main|2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament}}
The NCAA tournament will tip off on March 17, 2026, with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, and will conclude on April 6 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 68 teams entered the tournament. Thirty-one of the teams earned automatic bids by winning their conferences tournaments. The remaining 37 teams were granted "at-large" bids, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.
= Final Four - [[Lucas Oil Stadium]] in [[Indianapolis|Indianapolis, Indiana]] =
File:Aerial view of Indianapolis, Indiana, with a focus on Lucas Oil Stadium, highsm.40934.jpg in Indianapolis, Indiana, will host the NCAA men's Final Four.]]
{{see also|Indianapolis, Indiana}}
{{4TeamBracket}}
=Tournament upsets=
Per the NCAA, an upset occurs when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least two seed lines better than the winning team.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"
|+Upsets in the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament !scope="col"|Round !scope="col"|West Regional !scope="col"|Midwest Regional !scope="col"|South Regional !scope="col"|East Regional |
| scope="row"|First Four
|colspan=4 align=center|None |
|---|
| align=center
!scope="row"|Round of 64 |colspan=4 align=center|None |
| align=center
!scope="row"|Round of 32 |colspan=4 align=center|None |
| align=center
!scope="row"|Sweet 16 |colspan=4 align=center|None |
| align=center
!scope="row"|Elite 8 |colspan=4 align=center|None |
| scope="row"|Final 4
|colspan=4 align=center|None |
| scope="row"|National Championship
|colspan=4 align=center|None |
=National Invitation Tournament=
{{main|2026 National Invitation Tournament}}
After the NCAA tournament field was announced, the National Invitation Tournament invited 32 teams to participate. Eleven teams were given exempt bids based on a ranking index, and 21 other teams were invited for winning their conference regular seasons or at-large bids. The first three rounds were played at campus sites, with the semifinals and final taking place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
==Semifinals and finals==
{{#section:2026 National Invitation Tournament|Semifinals}}
=College Basketball Invitational=
{{main|2026 College Basketball Invitational}}
After the NCAA tournament field was announced, the College Basketball Invitational invited 11 teams to participate at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.
==Semifinals and finals==
{{#section:2026 College Basketball Invitational|Semifinals}}
= College Basketball Crown =
{{main|2026 College Basketball Crown}}
After the NCAA Tournament field was announced, the College Basketball Crown Tournament invited 16 teams to participate at the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.
== Semifinals and finals ==
{{#section:2026 College Basketball Crown|Semifinals}}
Award winners
=2026 Consensus All-Americans=
{{main list|2026 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans}}
| style="width:600px" "border:'1' 'solid' 'gray'"
|+ Consensus First Team |
| style="background:#ccc; width:40%;"| Player
! style="background:#ccc; width:4%;"| Position ! style="background:#ccc; width:16%;"| Class ! style="background:#ccc; width:40%;"| Team |
|---|
| |
| | |
| style="width:600px" "border:'1' 'solid' 'gray' "
|+ Consensus Second Team |
| style="background:#ccc; width:40%;"| Player
! style="background:#ccc; width:4%;"| Position ! style="background:#ccc; width:16%;"| Class ! style="background:#ccc; width:40%;"| Team |
|---|
| |
| | |
= Major player of the year awards =
= Major freshman of the year awards =
= Major coach of the year awards =
= Other major awards =
- Naismith Starting Five:
- Bob Cousy Award (best point guard):
- Jerry West Award (best shooting guard):
- Julius Erving Award (best small forward):
- Karl Malone Award (best power forward):
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (best center):
- Pete Newell Big Man Award (best big man):
- NABC Defensive Player of the Year:
- Naismith Defensive Player of the Year:
- Lute Olson Award:
- Robert V. Geasey Trophy (top player in Philadelphia Big 5):
- Haggerty Award (top player in NYC metro area):
- Ben Jobe Award (top minority coach):
- Hugh Durham Award (top mid-major coach):
- Jim Phelan Award (top head coach):
- Lefty Driesell Award (top defensive player):
- Lou Henson Award (top mid-major player):
- Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award (coach with moral character):
- Academic All-American of the Year (top scholar-athlete):
- Elite 90 Award (top GPA among upperclass players at Final Four):
- Perry Wallace Most Courageous Award:
Coaching changes
Many teams will change coaches during the season and after it ends.
| class="wikitable"
!Team !Former !Interim !New !Reason |
| |
| | | |
Attendances
The top 30 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams by average home attendance:
Television viewers and ratings
See also
References
{{reflist}}