Jay Bilas Reveals Top 68 College Basketball Rankings for 2025-26 Season
The 2025-26 college basketball season officially began Monday night after a turbulent offseason full of coaching changes and Transfer Portal activity. Basketball is back with some exciting storylines this year.
Key Questions for the Season
- Can Florida become the second program in a row to repeat as National Champions?
- Will Kelvin Sampson lead Houston to its first-ever National Championship?
- Can Duke overcome last season’s Final Four disappointment to win the first title of the Jon Scheyer era?
Jay Bilas' Top Team: Purdue
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas opened the season by ranking his top 68 college basketball teams. Purdue tops his list as the best team this season.
"Head coach Matt Painter returns for his 21st season, supported by star point guard Braden Smith, sharpshooter Fletcher Loyer, skilled big man Trey Kaufman-Renn, and South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff."
The Boilermakers have solidified their roster in pursuit of returning to the National Championship Game for the second time in three years. They kicked off the regular season with an overwhelming 82-51 victory over Evansville on Tuesday.
Fletcher Loyer led the team, scoring 30 points and making 7-of-10 three-pointers. Purdue has one more warm-up game against Oakland before heading to Tuscaloosa for a rematch with a non-conference opponent they defeated last year, 87-78.
"It marks a rematch of last year’s clash between the non-conference opponents, which the Boilermakers won 87-78."
Author's summary: The 2025-26 college basketball season starts with Jay Bilas ranking Purdue as the top team, highlighting key storylines and a dominant season opener for the Boilermakers.