Image – Hoops Rumors
The countdown to tipoff is almost over, and a new season of men’s college basketball brings another round of big expectations and bigger questions. Which teams will live up to the preseason hype? Who will emerge as a surprise contender? And which players will become household names on the road to March?
From marquee nonconference matchups to rivalry games and conference championship races, the 2026-27 season offers plenty to look forward to. Before the action begins, my preview breaks down the major conferences, highlights the games to circle on the calendar and makes predictions for the teams and players that will define the season.
Conference Projections:
Image – CBS Sports
ACC
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers
No. 3 Miami Hurricanes
No. 4 Louisville Cardinals
No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels
No. 6 Florida State Seminoles
No. 7 Clemson Tigers
No. 8 SMU Mustangs
No. 9 North Carolina State Wolfpack
No. 10 Boston College Eagles
No. 11 Virginia Tech Hokies
No. 12 Syracuse Orange
No. 13 Stanford Cardinal
No. 14 California Golden Bears
No. 15 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
No. 16 Pittsburgh Panthers
No. 17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
No. 18 Georgia Tech Yellowjackets
Best Non-Conference Games:
No. 1 UConn vs. Duke (Las Vegas) (Nov. 25)
No. 2 Illinois at Duke (Nov. 17)
No. 3 Duke vs. Michigan State (Nov. 10; Chicago; Champions Classic)
No. 4 Arkansas vs. Virginia (Capital Showcase)
No. 5 Louisville at Kentucky (Dec. 12)
Best Conference Games:
No. 1 Duke vs. North Carolina (Feb. 13; March 6)
No. 2 Duke vs. Virginia (Feb. 6; March 2)
No. 3 Duke at Louisville (Feb. 24)
No. 4 Miami at Louisville (Jan. 19)
No. 5 Louisville at Virginia (Feb. 15)
Conference Tournament Champion: Miami Hurricanes
Image – The Daily Wildcat – The University of Arizona
Big 12
No. 1 Arizona Wildcats
No. 2 Houston Cougars
No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks
No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders
No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones
No. 6 BYU Cougars
No. 7 TCU Horned Frogs
No. 8 Baylor Bears
No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers
No. 10 Cincinnati Bearcats
No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys
No. 12 UCF Golden Knights
No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils
No. 14 Colorado Buffaloes
No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats
No. 16 Utah Utes
Best Non-Conference Games:
No. 1 UConn at Arizona (Nov. 18)
No. 2 Houston vs. Alabama (Dec. 8; New York City; Jimmy V Classic)
No. 3 Kansas at UConn (Dec. 12)
No. 4 Illinois at Texas Tech (Nov. 10)
No. 5 Kentucky vs. Kansas (Nov. 10; Chicago; Champion’s Classic)
Best Conference Games:
No. 1 Arizona vs. Houston (Feb. 6, March 6)
No. 2 Kansas at Houston (Feb. 1)
No. 3 Arizona at Texas Tech (Jan. 22)
No. 4 Iowa State vs. Kansas (Feb. 13, March 1)
No. 5 Arizona vs. BYU (Jan. 12, Feb. 22)
Conference Tournament Champion: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Image – USA Today
Big East
No. 1 UConn Huskies
No. 2 St. John’s Red Storm
No. 3 Villanova Wildcats
No. 4 Providence Friars
No. 5 Creighton Blue Jays
No. 6 Marquette Golden Eagles
No. 7 DePaul Blue Demons
No. 8 Xavier Musketeers
No. 9 Georgetown Hoyas
No. 10 Seton Hall Pirates
No. 11 Butler Bulldogs
Best Non-Conference Games:
No. 1 UConn vs. Duke (Las Vegas) (Nov. 25)
No. 2 Michigan vs. UConn (Boston) (Nov. 6)
No. 3 Kansas at UConn (Dec. 12)
No. 4 Arizona vs. St. John’s (Dec. 5; New York City; Hall of Fame Series – New York)
No. 5 St. John’s vs. Alabama (Dec. 12; Birmingham)
Best Conference Games:
No. 1 UConn vs. St. John’s (Jan. 29, March 2)
No. 2 UConn vs. Villanova (Feb. 3, Feb. 14)
No. 3 UConn vs. Providence (Jan. 20, Feb. 27)
No. 4 Providence vs. St. John’s (Dec. 30, Jan. 13)
No. 5 Creighton vs. Providence (Feb. 3, March 6)
Conference Tournament Champion: St. John’s Red Storm
Image – Detroit Free Press
Big Ten
No. 1 Michigan State Spartans
No. 2 Illinois Fighting Illini
No. 3 Michigan Wolverines
No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers
No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers
No. 6 USC Trojans
No. 7 UCLA Bruins
No. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes
No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers
No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes
No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers
No. 12 Maryland Terrapins
No. 13 Minnesota Golden Gophers
No. 14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
No. 15 Oregon Ducks
No. 16 Northwestern Wildcats
No. 17 Washington Huskies
No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions
Best Non-Conference Games:
No. 1 Illinois at Duke (Nov. 17)
No. 2 Duke vs. Michigan State (Nov. 10; Chicago; Champion’s Classic)
No. 3 Arkansas vs. Michigan State (Nov. 26; Detroit; CareSource Invitational)
No. 4 Michigan vs. UConn (Boston) (Nov. 6)
No. 5 Illinois at Texas Tech (Nov. 10)
Best Conference Games:
No. 1 Illinois at Michigan State (Feb. 5)
No. 2 Michigan vs. Michigan State (Feb. 13, Feb. 26)
No. 3 Illinois vs. Purdue (Jan. 5, Feb. 12)
No. 4 UCLA vs. USC (Feb. 13, March 6)
No. 5 Iowa vs. Nebraska (Jan. 16, Jan. 30)
Conference Tournament Champion:
Image – Hail Florida Hail
SEC
No. 1 Florida Gators
No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks
No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide
No. 4 Texas Longhorns
No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers
No. 6 Vanderbilt Commodores
No. 7 Missouri Tigers
No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats
No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies
No. 10 Auburn Tigers
No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels
No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners
No. 13 Mississippi State Bulldogs
No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs
No. 15 LSU Tigers
No. 16 South Carolina Gamecocks
Best Non-Conference Games:
No. 1 Duke at Florida (Dec. 1)
No. 2 Arkansas vs. Michigan State (Nov. 26; Detroit; CareSource Invitational)
No. 3 Houston vs. Alabama (Dec. 8; New York City; Jimmy V Classic)
No. 4 St. John’s vs. Alabama (Dec. 12; Birmingham)
No. 5 Miami vs. Florida (Nov. 2; Tampa)
Best Conference Games:
No. 1 Florida vs. Texas (Jan. 2, Feb. 6)
No. 2 Alabama vs. Arkansas (Jan. 9, Feb. 13)
No. 3 Florida at Arkansas (Feb. 27)
No. 4 Alabama at Tennessee (Feb. 20)
No. 5 Alabama vs. Auburn (Jan. 30, March 6)
Conference Tournament Champion:
National Preview
Best Non-Conference Games:
No. 1 Duke at Florida (Dec. 1)
No. 2 UConn vs. Duke (Las Vegas) (Nov. 25)
No. 3 Duke vs. Michigan State (Nov. 10; Chicago; Champions Classic)
No. 4 UConn at Arizona (Nov. 18)
No. 5 Arkansas vs. Michigan State (Nov. 26; Detroit; CareSource Invitational)
Best Conference Games:
No. 1 Illinois at Michigan State (Feb. 5)
No. 2 Arizona vs. Houston (Feb. 6, March 6)
No. 3 Kansas at Houston (Feb. 1)
No. 4 Florida vs. Texas (Jan. 2, Feb. 6)
No. 5 UConn vs. St. John’s (Jan. 29, March 2)
National Player of the Year: Thomas Haugh, Forward, Florida Gators
National Champion: Duke Blue Devils
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