75 College Basketball Teams Ranked as Court Dates Decide Rosters

The college basketball season begins in a few weeks, but for many top programs, the roster is still being decided by judges rather than coaches.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf have published a preseason tier list for the 2026-27 season, sorting 75 teams into 11 distinct groups. The structure moves away from the traditional top 25 format, which the writers argued collapses too quickly when legal rulings change team compositions.

The list starts with a small group of national championship favorites. Florida, Duke, and Illinois occupy the top tier. All three schools retained most of their key players from the previous season. Florida returned four starters from its 2025 championship team, including Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon. Duke brought back four key players and added Wisconsin’s John Blackwell from the transfer portal. Illinois kept five of its main contributors, including David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic.

The second tier includes Arizona, UConn, Texas, Michigan State, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas. These teams have high ceilings but face specific hurdles. Arizona is waiting on a decision regarding RJ Godfrey’s fifth-year eligibility. UConn replaced its top three scorers from last season but retained Braylon Mullins through a new name, image, and likeness deal. Texas added Marcus Spears Jr., the top recruit in the 2027 class, to its roster.

A dedicated tier addresses the uncertainty caused by ongoing lawsuits. Hundreds of players across the country do not yet know if they can play. Texas Tech and St. John’s sit at the top of this category. Both teams could be Final Four contenders if their players in limbo are cleared to play. St. John’s is waiting on decisions for Keyshawn Hall, Babacar Sane, and Reed Bailey. Texas Tech is awaiting rulings for Darrion Williams, Donovan Atwell, and Jamichael Stillwell.

The list extends to the bottom of the pyramid, where 10 mid-major teams are grouped as Cinderella candidates. These programs are considered threats to win at least one game in the NCAA tournament. The middle tiers contain teams whose postseason status depends entirely on how specific legal cases resolve by November.

The rankings reflect a season where retention was a primary factor for the top teams, but legal eligibility remains the wildcard. The list provides a framework for tracking which teams are solid, which are risky bets, and which are waiting for a gavel to fall.

Borzello and Medcalf noted that the tier system allows for more flexibility than a linear ranking. This is because the outcomes for these teams vary widely depending on the court dates. The full list is available on the ESPN website.