The 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 3, 2025. The regular season will end on March 15, 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.[1]
Rule changes
On May 9, 2025, the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee proposed a few rule changes for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 seasons.[2] These changes were approved on June 10 by the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.[3][4]
- If one of the shot clocks becomes inoperable, the shot clock at the other basket will remain on.
- Headbands up to 4 inches wide will be allowed.
- Continuous motion rule: an offensive player who ends his dribble going toward the basket and absorbs contact from the defense will be permitted to pivot or complete the step the player is on and finish the field goal attempt.
- Officials will have the option to call a flagrant 1 foul when a player is contacted to the groin.
- Bench personnel who physically assist a player with the ball will be penalized if they intentionally interfere (i.e., assisting a player to stay inbounds when their momentum is taking them out of bounds, pushing a player in a direction the coach wants the player to go).
- All fouls or violations below the free throw line extended in a team's frontcourt will result in throw-ins at the nearest-designated spot under the basket and all fouls or violations above the free throw line extended will result in throw-ins at the nearest-designated spot at the 28’ foot mark.
- If a player uses the backboard or rim to gain an advantage, it will be a basket interference violation.
- Musical instruments, amplified music, canned music or artificial noisemakers will be permitted during dead balls.
- A one-game suspension will be required for an individual who failed to serve a suspension for physical abuse of an official or fighting, and a one-game suspension for the team's head coach will be required when the individual who should have served their suspension failed to do so.
- A coach's challenge will be permitted at any point in a game to review out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted area arc.
On December 18, 2024, a United States District Court issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia after preliminarily finding that NCAA Division I by-laws 12.02.06[5] and 14.3.3[6] and the rules in the NCAA Division I 2024–25 Manual[7] constitute a commercial agreement, can be replaced by a less restrictive alternative and cause irreparable harm to Pavia. The injunction prevents the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules against Pavia and Vanderbilt University.[8] The injunction is not a final determination of the judicial system as to the NCAA's eligibility rules and specifically applies only to Pavia. Nevertheless, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved a temporary blanket waiver for student-athletes who competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years and would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024–25 academic year under existing rules. Such student-athletes are granted an additional year of eligibility for the 2025–26 academic year.[9]
Season headlines
- May 6 – New Haven announced that it accepted an invitation to join the NEC effective July 1, 2025, and begin reclassification from NCAA Division II to be eligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play in 2028–29.[10]
- June 4 – Utah Valley announced it would join the Big West Conference from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2026–27.[11]
- June 18 – Sacramento State announced it would join the Big West Conference from Big Sky Conference in 2026–27.[12]
- June 25 – Southern Utah and Utah Tech announced they would join the Big Sky Conference from the WAC in 2026–27.[13]
- June 26 – The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced a strategic alliance under which the WAC will rebrand as the United Athletic Conference (UAC) beginning with the 2026–27 academic year. The rebranding will allow the continuing conference to retain the WAC’s automatic qualification status for NCAA championship events, including basketball. Under the announced alignment:[14]
- June 30 – Texas State announced it would join the Pac-12 Conference from the Sun Belt Conference in 2026–27.[15]
- July 15 – Louisiana Tech announced it would replace Texas State in the Sun Belt Conference from Conference USA. Louisiana Tech will join the Sun Belt no later than July 1, 2027.[16]
- July 21 – The American Athletic Conference announced it had dropped the word "Athletic" from its name, becoming the American Conference. The conference also retired the "AAC" initialism, which had been used more by media than by the conference itself; the official short form is now simply the word "American".[17]
- August 13 – Tennessee Tech announced it would join the Southern Conference from the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2026–27.[18]
- September 3 – UC San Diego announced it would join the West Coast Conference (WCC) from the Big West Conference in 2027–28.[19]
- September 24 – The Loyola Phoenix, the student newspaper of Loyola University Chicago, announced that 106-year-old Sister Jean, who began her tenure at Loyola in 1991, and had been chaplain of the men's basketball team since 1994,[20] retired for health reasons.[21]
- October 2 – The Northeast Conference adopted its longstanding abbreviation of NEC as its official name.[22]
- October 9 – Loyola Chicago announced that Sister Jean, the former basketball team chaplain who first came to prominence during the Ramblers' run in the 2018 NCAA tournament, died at age 106.[23]
- October 10 – Little Rock announced it would leave the OVC for the UAC in 2026–27.[24]
- October 20 – The Associated Press named its preseason All-America team. The only unanimous selection, and also the only guard on the team, was Purdue's Braden Smith. The other honorees were Texas Tech forward JT Toppin, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, and Florida forward Alex Condon.[25]
- October 31 – The WCC announced that Denver would join from the Summit League in 2026–27.[26]
Milestones and records
- November 3 – Houston coach Kelvin Sampson earned his 800th career win following the Cougars' win in their season opener against Lehigh. The victory was also Sampson's 300th during his tenure at Houston.[27]
- November 16 – Purdue coach Matt Painter earned his 500th career win following the Boilermakers' win over Akron.[28]
- November 25–26 – Michigan became the first team to achieve consecutive victories of 30 points or more against ranked opponents with back-to-back wins over Auburn (21) and Gonzaga (12).[29]
- December 13 – Arizona became the fastest team to achieve victories over 5 ranked opponents in a season, doing so in their 9th game of the season with victories over Florida (3), UCLA (15), Uconn (3), Auburn (20), and Alabama (12).[30]
- December 16 – Duke coach Jon Scheyer surpassed Vic Bubas to become the fastest coach to reach 100 career wins in ACC history.[31]
Conference membership changes
A total of six schools joined new conferences for the 2025–26 season. Of these, five moved within Division I, and one began reclassification from NCAA Division II.
The 2025–26 will be the last season in their respective conferences for at least 30 Division I schools.
Arenas
New arenas
Arena of new D-I team
- New Haven played its first Division I home game at the Jeffrey P. Hazell Athletics Center on November 8, losing 87–43 to Penn State.[34]
Arena name changes
Other arena changes
Seasonal outlook
The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaching polls
Pre-season polls
Top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP poll Top 25.
Regular season
- Nov. 13, 2025
- Nov. 15
- Nov. 19
- Dec. 6
Conference tournament
Postseason tournament
Regular season
Early-season tournaments
| Names
|
Dates
|
Location
|
Teams
|
Champion
|
Runner-up
|
3rd-place winner
|
| Bahamas Championship
|
November 20–21, 2025
|
Baha Mar Convention Center (Nassau, Bahamas)
|
4
|
Purdue
|
Texas Tech
|
Wake Forest
|
| Hall of Fame Classic
|
November 20–21, 2025
|
T-Mobile Center (Kansas City, MO)
|
4
|
Nebraska
|
Kansas State
|
New Mexico
|
| Boardwalk Battle
|
November 20 & 22, 2025
|
Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, FL)
|
4
|
High Point
|
Incarnate Word
|
UIC
|
| Greenbrier Tip-Off
|
November 15–23, 2025
|
The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs, WV)
|
8
|
Kent State (River) Butler (Mountain)
|
Wright State (River) Virginia (Mountain)
|
Cleveland State (River) Northwestern (Mountain)
|
| Charleston Classic
|
November 21 & 23, 2025
|
TD Arena (Charleston, SC)
|
8
|
Utah State (Lowcountry) Clemson (Palmetto)
|
Davidson (Lowcountry) Georgia (Palmetto)
|
Tulane (Lowcountry) Xavier (Palmetto)
|
| Pensacola Invitational
|
November 22–23, 2025
|
Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, FL)
|
4
|
Southern Miss
|
UT Martin
|
Prairie View A&M
|
| Paradise Jam
|
November 21–24, 2025
|
Sports and Fitness Center (Charlotte Amalie West, VI)
|
8
|
Yale
|
Akron
|
Charleston
|
| Sunshine Slam
|
November 24–25, 2025
|
Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, FL)
|
8
|
George Mason (Beach) Pacific (Ocean)
|
Florida Atlantic (Beach) Jacksonville (Ocean)
|
Loyola Marymount (Beach) Stony Brook (Ocean)
|
| Coconut Hoops
|
November 24 & 26, 2025
|
Alico Arena (Fort Myers, FL)
|
4
|
Belmont
|
Toledo
|
Troy
|
| Maui Invitational
|
November 24–26, 2025
|
Lahaina Civic Center (Lahaina, HI)
|
8
|
USC
|
Arizona State
|
Seton Hall
|
| Acrisure Classic
|
November 25–26, 2025
|
Acrisure Arena (Thousand Palms, CA)
|
4
|
Iowa
|
Grand Canyon
|
Utah
|
| Acrisure Holiday Invitational
|
November 25–26, 2025
|
Acrisure Arena (Thousand Palms, CA)
|
4
|
Tulsa
|
Northern Iowa
|
San Jose State
|
| Players Era Festival
|
November 24–27, 2025
|
MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
|
18
|
Michigan
|
Gonzaga
|
Kansas
|
| ESPN Events Invitational
|
November 24–28, 2025
|
State Farm Field House (Lake Buena Vista, FL)
|
16
|
UC San Diego (Adventure) Illinois State (Imagination) BYU (Magic)
|
Towson (Adventure) Furman (Imagination) Dayton (Magic)
|
Bradley (Adventure) Richmond (Imagination) Miami (Magic)
|
| Battle 4 Atlantis
|
November 26–28, 2025
|
Imperial Arena (Paradise Island, Bahamas)
|
8
|
Vanderbilt
|
Saint Mary's
|
VCU
|
| Acrisure Holiday Classic
|
November 27–28, 2025
|
Acrisure Arena (Thousand Palms, CA)
|
4
|
Colorado
|
Washington
|
Nevada
|
| Acrisure Invitational
|
November 27–28, 2025
|
Acrisure Arena (Thousand Palms, CA)
|
4
|
Stanford
|
Saint Louis
|
Santa Clara
|
| Rady Children's Invitational
|
November 27–28, 2025
|
Jenny Craig Pavilion (San Diego, CA)
|
4
|
TCU
|
Wisconsin
|
Florida
|
| Emerald Coast Classic
|
November 28–29, 2025
|
Raider Arena (Niceville, FL)
|
4
|
LSU
|
DePaul
|
Drake
|
| Resorts World Las Vegas Classic
|
November 28–29, 2025
|
Resorts World Event Center (Winchester, Nevada)
|
4
|
UC Santa Barbara
|
Seattle
|
Lehigh
|
| Big 5 Classic
|
November 8–December 6, 2025
|
Xfinity Mobile Arena (final rounds) (Philadelphia, PA)
|
6
|
Villanova
|
Penn
|
Saint Joseph's
|
| Sun Bowl Invitational
|
December 21–22, 2025
|
Don Haskins Center (El Paso, TX)
|
4
|
UC Irvine
|
Norfolk State
|
UTEP
|
Head-to-head conference challenges
Upsets
An upset is a victory by an underdog team. In the context of NCAA Division I men's basketball, this generally constitutes an unranked team defeating a team currently ranked in the top 25. This list will highlight those upsets of ranked teams by unranked teams as well as upsets of No. 1 teams. Rankings are from the AP poll.
Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"—i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes). Italics type indicates winning teams in an early season tournament (or event). Early season tournaments are tournaments played in the early season. Events are the tournaments with the same teams in it every year (even rivalry games).
Unranked Seton Hall's neutral site win over 23rd-ranked NC State broke a streak of 96 consecutive games won by ranked teams against unranked opponents to start the season, the longest such stretch in a season in AP Poll history.[36]
Non-Division I team wins over Division I teams
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). Italics type indicates winning teams in an early season tournament (or event). Early season tournaments are tournaments played in the early season. Events are the tournaments with the same teams in it every year (even rivalry games).
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
|
Regular season first place
|
Conference player of the year
|
Conference coach of the year
|
Conference tournament
|
Tournament venue (city)
|
Tournament winner
|
| America East Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 America East men's basketball tournament
|
Campus sites
|
|
| American Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 American Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Legacy Arena (Birmingham, AL)
|
|
| Atlantic Sun Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 ASUN men's basketball tournament
|
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (Jacksonville, FL)
|
|
| Atlantic 10 Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament
|
PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, PA)
|
|
| Atlantic Coast Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 ACC men's basketball tournament
|
Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC)
|
|
| Big 12 Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Big 12 men's basketball tournament
|
T-Mobile Center (Kansas City, MO)
|
|
| Big East Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Big East men's basketball tournament
|
Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
|
|
| Big Sky Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Idaho Central Arena (Boise, ID)
|
|
| Big South Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Freedom Hall Civic Center (Johnson City, TN)
|
|
| Big Ten Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Big Ten men's basketball tournament
|
United Center (Chicago, IL)
|
|
| Big West Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Dollar Loan Center (Henderson, NV)
|
|
| Coastal Athletic Association
|
|
|
|
2026 CAA men's basketball tournament
|
CareFirst Arena (Washington, DC)
|
|
| Conference USA
|
|
|
|
2026 Conference USA men's basketball tournament
|
Von Braun Center (Huntsville, AL)
|
|
| Horizon League
|
|
|
|
2026 Horizon League men's basketball tournament
|
Quarterfinals: Campus sites Semifinals and final: Corteva Coliseum (Indianapolis, IN)
|
|
| Ivy League
|
|
|
|
2026 Ivy League men's basketball tournament
|
Newman Arena (Ithaca, NY)
|
|
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 MAAC men's basketball tournament
|
Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, NJ)
|
|
| Mid-American Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Rocket Arena (Cleveland, OH)
|
|
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 MEAC men's basketball tournament
|
Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, VA)
|
|
| Missouri Valley Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Enterprise Center (St. Louis, MO)
|
|
| Mountain West Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Thomas & Mack Center (Paradise, NV)
|
|
| NEC
|
|
|
|
2026 NEC men's basketball tournament
|
Campus sites
|
|
| Ohio Valley Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Ford Center (Evansville, IN)
|
|
| Patriot League
|
|
|
|
2026 Patriot League men's basketball tournament
|
Campus sites
|
|
| Southeastern Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 SEC men's basketball tournament
|
Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN)
|
|
| Southern Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, NC)
|
|
| Southland Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Townsley Law Arena (Lake Charles, LA)
|
|
| Southwestern Athletic Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 SWAC men's basketball tournament
|
Gateway Center Arena (College Park, GA)
|
|
| Summit League
|
|
|
|
2026 Summit League men's basketball tournament
|
Denny Sanford Premier Center (Sioux Falls, SD)
|
|
| Sun Belt Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, FL)
|
|
| West Coast Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament
|
Orleans Arena (Paradise, NV)
|
|
| Western Athletic Conference
|
|
|
|
2026 WAC men's basketball tournament
|
|
Conference standings
2025–26 America East Conference men's basketball standings
|
Conf. |
|
|
Overall
|
| Team |
W |
|
L |
|
PCT |
|
|
W |
|
L |
|
PCT
|
| Vermont |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
8 |
– |
6
|
|
.571
|
| UMBC |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
6 |
– |
6
|
|
.500
|
| UMass Lowell |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
5 |
– |
9
|
|
.357
|
| New Hampshire |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
4 |
– |
8
|
|
.333
|
| NJIT |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
4 |
– |
9
|
|
.308
|
| Albany |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
4 |
– |
10
|
|
.286
|
| Bryant |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
3 |
– |
10
|
|
.231
|
| Binghamton |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
3 |
– |
11
|
|
.214
|
| Maine |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
1 |
– |
13
|
|
.071
|
|
|
† 2026 AmEast tournament winner As of December 23, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2025–26 Big East men's basketball standings
|
Conf. |
|
|
Overall
|
| Team |
W |
|
L |
|
PCT |
|
|
W |
|
L |
|
PCT
|
| No. 4 UConn |
2 |
– |
0 |
|
1.000 |
|
|
12 |
– |
1
|
|
.923
|
| Creighton |
2 |
– |
0 |
|
1.000 |
|
|
8 |
– |
5
|
|
.615
|
| Villanova |
1 |
– |
0 |
|
1.000 |
|
|
10 |
– |
2
|
|
.833
|
| St. John's |
1 |
– |
0 |
|
1.000 |
|
|
8 |
– |
4
|
|
.667
|
| Seton Hall |
1 |
– |
1 |
|
.500 |
|
|
11 |
– |
2
|
|
.846
|
| Butler |
1 |
– |
1 |
|
.500 |
|
|
10 |
– |
3
|
|
.769
|
| Georgetown |
1 |
– |
1 |
|
.500 |
|
|
9 |
– |
4
|
|
.692
|
| Xavier |
1 |
– |
1 |
|
.500 |
|
|
9 |
– |
4
|
|
.692
|
| DePaul |
0 |
– |
2 |
|
.000 |
|
|
8 |
– |
5
|
|
.615
|
| Providence |
0 |
– |
2 |
|
.000 |
|
|
7 |
– |
6
|
|
.538
|
| Marquette |
0 |
– |
2 |
|
.000 |
|
|
5 |
– |
8
|
|
.385
|
|
|
† 2026 Big East tournament winner As of December 23, 2025 Rankings from AP poll
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2025–26 Ivy League men's basketball standings
|
Conf. |
|
|
Overall
|
| Team |
W |
|
L |
|
PCT |
|
|
W |
|
L |
|
PCT
|
| Yale |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
11 |
– |
1
|
|
.917
|
| Columbia |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
9 |
– |
3
|
|
.750
|
| Cornell |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
6 |
– |
5
|
|
.545
|
| Penn |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
6 |
– |
5
|
|
.545
|
| Harvard |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
6 |
– |
7
|
|
.462
|
| Dartmouth |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
5 |
– |
6
|
|
.455
|
| Brown |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
5 |
– |
7
|
|
.417
|
| Princeton |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
3 |
– |
11
|
|
.214
|
|
|
† 2026 Ivy League tournament winner As of December 23, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2025–26 Patriot League men's basketball standings
|
Conf. |
|
|
Overall
|
| Team |
W |
|
L |
|
PCT |
|
|
W |
|
L |
|
PCT
|
| Navy |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
8 |
– |
5
|
|
.615
|
| American |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
7 |
– |
6
|
|
.538
|
| Colgate |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
6 |
– |
6
|
|
.500
|
| Army |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
6 |
– |
7
|
|
.462
|
| Boston University |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
5 |
– |
8
|
|
.385
|
| Holy Cross |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
5 |
– |
8
|
|
.385
|
| Lehigh |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
4 |
– |
9
|
|
.308
|
| Loyola |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
4 |
– |
9
|
|
.308
|
| Bucknell |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
3 |
– |
10
|
|
.231
|
| Lafayette |
0 |
– |
0 |
|
– |
|
|
3 |
– |
10
|
|
.231
|
|
|
† 2026 Patriot League tournament winner As of December 23, 2025
|
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
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|
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Postseason tournaments
The NCAA tournament will tip off on March 17, 2026, with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, and will conclude on April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 68 teams will enter the tournament. 31 of the teams will earn automatic bids by winning their respective conferences tournaments. The remaining 37 teams will be granted "at-large" bids, which were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee.
Final Four - Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana
| Semifinals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | |
| 1
|
|
| | |
|
| 4
|
|
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
| | |
|
| |
| 3
|
|
| |
| |
| 2
|
|
| |
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.
Upsets in the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
| Round
|
West Regional
|
Midwest Regional
|
South Regional
|
East Regional
|
| First Four
|
None
|
| Round of 64
|
None
|
| Round of 32
|
None
|
| Sweet 16
|
None
|
| Elite 8
|
None
|
| Final 4
|
None
|
| National Championship
|
None
|
National Invitation Tournament
Once the NCAA tournament field is announced, the National Invitation Tournament will invite 32 teams to participate. The first three rounds will be played at campus sites, with the semifinals and final taking place at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Semifinals and finals
2026 National Invitation Tournament
College Basketball Invitational
Once the NCAA tournament field is announced, the College Basketball Invitational will invite a number of teams to participate in the event, which will take place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Semifinals and finals
2026 College Basketball Invitational
College Basketball Crown
Once the NCAA tournament field is announced, the College Basketball Crown tournament will invite 8 teams to participate in the event, the Big Ten, Big XII and Big East conferences will receive 2 bids each, the other 2 will be given at-large. The Crown will be held at various venues on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada the week before and during the Final Four.
Semifinals and finals
2026 College Basketball Crown
Award winners
2026 Consensus All-Americans
Consensus First Team
| Player
|
Position
|
Class
|
Team
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consensus Second Team
| Player
|
Position
|
Class
|
Team
|
|
|
|
|
|
Major player of the year awards
Major freshman of the year awards
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
Coaching changes
Many teams will change coaches during the season and after it ends.
| Team
|
Former
|
Interim
|
New
|
Reason
|
| Auburn
|
Bruce Pearl
|
—N/a
|
Steven Pearl
|
Bruce Pearl announced on September 22, 2025, that he was stepping down from his head coaching role after 11 seasons at Auburn and will remain with the university as an ambassador to the athletic department and serve as special assistant to the athletic director. The elder Pearl led the Tigers to 246 wins, the most as head coach of the program, and made two Final Fours.[43] His son and associate head coach Steven was named as his replacement the same day.[44]
|
| Cal State Bakersfield
|
Rod Barnes
|
Mike Scott
|
|
Barnes announced he was stepping away from CSUB on September 24, 2025, after 14 seasons. He led the Roadrunners to a 210–231 record during his tenure, including an appearance in the 2016 NCAA tournament. Assistant coach Scott was named interim head coach for the 2025–26 season.[45]
|
| Saint Joseph's
|
Billy Lange
|
—N/a
|
Steve Donahue
|
Lange resigned from St. Joe's on September 10, 2025, after six seasons to take a front-office position with the New York Knicks. Hawks associate head coach Donahue, who had been hired during the off-season, was elevated to head coach the same day.[46]
|
| Wofford
|
Dwight Perry
|
—N/a
|
Kevin Giltner
|
Wofford fired Perry, along with associate head coach Tysor Anderson, on September 12, 2025 following an alleged NCAA violation. Under Perry, the Terriers went 48–43 in his 3-year tenure, capped off with an appearance in the NCAA tournament this past season.[47] Virginia Tech assistant coach Giltner, a former assistant and alum of Wofford, was hired on September 22.[48]
|
Attendances
The top 30 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams by average home attendance:
Television viewers and ratings
See also
References
- ^ "March Madness Final Four: Future dates & sites". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- ^ Johnson, Greg (May 9, 2025). "Men's Basketball Rules Committee proposes changes to enhance the flow of the game". NCAA.org. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ "Panel approves changes to enhance the flow of the game in men's college basketball". June 10, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 and 2026-27 Men's Basketball Rules Changes" (PDF). Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ "Bylaw 12.02.6". NCAA Legislative Services Database for the Internet. August 9, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Bylaw 14.3.3". NCAA Legislative Services Database for the Internet. August 9, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ NCAA Division I 2024–25 Manual (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 9, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Pavia v. Nat'l Collegiate Athletic Ass'n (M.D. Tenn. Dec. 18, 2024)". Casetext. December 18, 2024. Archived from the original on January 12, 2025. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ Lederman, Eli (December 14, 2025). "NCAA Grants Waiver to Ex-JUCO Players While Appealing Pavia Ruling". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ "Charging Ahead: University of New Haven accepts Northeast Conference membership invite". newhavenchargers.com. New Haven Chargers. May 6, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ "Utah Valley University Joins The Big West" (Press release). June 4, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "Sacramento State Joins The Big West" (Press release). June 18, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "The Big Sky Conference Welcomes Southern Utah, Utah Tech Starting in 2026" (Press release). June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ "Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference to Forge Strategic Alliance: WAC to Rebrand as United Athletic Conference" (Press release). United Athletic Conference. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ "Texas State becomes ninth member of reborn Pac-12" (Press release). June 30, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Louisiana Tech Joins Sun Belt Conference" (Press release). July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ "American Conference Launches Modernized Brand Identity Ahead of Football Media Days" (Press release). American Conference. July 21, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ "The Southern Conference Approves Tennessee Tech Membership" (Press release). Southern Conference. August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "West Coast Conference Welcomes UC San Diego". West Coast Conference. September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Lang, Cady (March 16, 2018). "Why This 98-Year-Old Nun is Already a March Madness MVP". Time. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ "Loyola's Sister Jean announces retirement due to health concerns". ESPN.com. September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ "New Look, Same Mission: NEC Begins Fresh Chapter" (Press release). NEC. October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "A Loyola Icon with an Enduring Legacy, Sister Jean Dies at 106" (Press release). Loyola University Chicago. October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "University of Arkansas at Little Rock to Join the United Athletic Conference" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
- ^ Marshall, John (October 20, 2025). "Purdue's Smith earns unanimous AP preseason All-America honors, joined by Texas Tech's Toppin". Associated Press. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ "West Coast Conference Expands Footprint With Addition of the University of Denver" (Press release). West Coast Conference. October 31, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Kelvin Sampson wins 800th game as Houston topples Lehigh". ESPN. Associated Press. November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ "Purdue's Matt Painter earns 500th career win in 97-79 victory over Akron". Fox Sports. Associated Press. November 16, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
- ^ "@ESPNInsights status update". ESPN. November 26, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025 – via X.com.
- ^ "@ESPNInsights status update". ESPN. December 14, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025 – via X.com.
- ^ Curtis, Ben (December 17, 2025). "Against Lipscomb, Scheyer's halftime adjustments paved path to historic win". Duke Chronicle. SN Media. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "Tommies secure first win in Anderson Arena over Army, 83-76" (Press release). St. Thomas Tommies. November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ "Dior Johnson's 32 points leads Tarleton State Men's Basketball to first win in EECU Center" (Press release). Tarleton State Texans. November 9, 2025. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
- ^ "Dominick Stewart scores 18 points on 6 3-pointers and Penn State travels to beat New Haven 87-43". Associated Press. November 8, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ Johnson, Dylan. "Wells Fargo Center Will Be Renamed to "Xfinity Mobile Arena" in September". The Villanovan. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
- ^ Pereira, Richard (2025-11-25). "Seton Hall Pirates' upset vs. NC State ends wild 96-0 streak". Yahoo Sports. ClutchPoints. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
- ^ "Hawai'i Pacific 79–78 Boise State (Nov 3, 2025) Final Score - ESPN". ESPN.com. November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ "Western Michigan 85–81 Northwood (Nov 6, 2025) Final Score - ESPN". ESPN.com. November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ^ "Wilmington (DE) vs Delaware (Nov 7, 2025) Final Score – ESPN". ESPN.com. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ^ "North Greenville 92–81 Gardner-Webb (Nov 10, 2025) Final Score – ESPN". ESPN.com. November 10, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ "Virginia State 62–58 Delaware State (Nov 26, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
- ^ "Montana Tech 82–75 Montana (Dec 17, 2025) Final Score – ESPN". ESPN.com. December 17, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "Auburn's Bruce Pearl to step down as head coach" (Press release). Auburn Tigers. September 22, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ^ "Steven Pearl named Auburn men's basketball head coach" (Press release). Auburn Tigers. September 22, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ^ "Rod Barnes to step away from CSUB men's basketball after 14 seasons". KBAK-TV. September 24, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "Former BC men's basketball coach Steve Donahue to lead Saint Joseph's". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "Wofford Announces Men's Basketball Leadership Change" (Press release). Wofford Terriers. September 12, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Wofford Names Kevin Giltner as Head Men's Basketball Coach" (Press release). Wofford Terriers. September 22, 2025. Retrieved September 23, 2025.