College basketball is officially back. The 2026-27 season tipped off this week, and this college basketball preview breaks down everything fans, players, and coaches need to know: the preseason favorites, the stars to watch, and the storylines that could shape March.
For youth basketball players, college hoops is more than entertainment. It is a front-row seat to the skills, habits, and team culture that separate good programs from great ones.
Quick answer: Florida opens the 2026-27 men’s season as the preseason No. 1, followed by Duke, Illinois, UConn, and Arizona. South Carolina leads the women’s preseason poll ahead of UConn, USC, Duke, and Michigan. Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. and UConn’s Sarah Strong were the top vote-getters on the AP preseason All-America teams.
Who are the top men’s college basketball teams in 2026-27?
Florida is the clear favorite. The Gators earned 47 of 59 first-place votes and start at No. 1 for the first time since the 2006-07 season. They return four of five starters from a team that went 16-2 in the SEC. Here is the top 10 from the AP preseason men’s poll:
| Rank | Team | First-place votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 47 |
| 2 | Duke | 10 |
| 3 | Illinois | 2 |
| 4 | UConn | 0 |
| 5 | Arizona | 0 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 0 |
| 7 | Texas | 0 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 0 |
| 9 | Virginia | 0 |
| 10 | Houston | 0 |
The rest of the top 25: Louisville, Arkansas, St. John’s, Miami, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Alabama, USC, UCLA, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and BYU.
Who are the top women’s college basketball teams in 2026-27?
South Carolina starts at No. 1 for the fifth time in seven years, collecting 23 first-place votes. Dawn Staley’s team faces one of the toughest early schedules in the country, with UConn, USC, and Duke all on the slate in the first month. Here is the top 10 from the AP preseason women’s poll:
| Rank | Team | First-place votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 23 |
| 2 | UConn | 6 |
| 3 | USC | 2 |
| 4 | Duke | 0 |
| 5 | Michigan | 0 |
| 6 | Texas | 0 |
| 7 | Louisville | 0 |
| 8 | Vanderbilt | 0 |
| 9 | LSU | 0 |
| 10 | Iowa | 0 |
Defending national champion UCLA opens at No. 11. Close to home for TeamGenius, Minnesota is ranked No. 17, its first preseason ranking since 2019.
Who are the best college basketball players to watch?
The AP preseason All-America teams give a strong snapshot of the season’s stars.
Men’s preseason All-Americans
- Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State: The junior point guard averaged 15.2 points and 9.4 assists last season and was named on 57 of 58 ballots.
- Thomas Haugh, Florida: The senior forward averaged 17.1 points and 6.1 rebounds for the preseason No. 1 team.
- Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt: A junior guard who averaged 19.5 points and recorded 86 steals.
- David Mirkovic, Illinois: A sophomore forward who averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds.
- Motiejus Krivas, Arizona: A senior center who blocked 73 shots last season.
Women’s preseason All-Americans
- Sarah Strong, UConn: The junior forward was named on 30 of 31 ballots after averaging 18.4 points and 7.7 rebounds.
- Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: The senior guard averaged 25.3 points and 5.2 assists.
- Madison Booker, Texas: A senior who averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds.
- Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt: The junior guard averaged 27 points and made 93 three-pointers.
- JuJu Watkins, USC: One of the sport’s biggest stars returns after missing last season with a torn ACL.
See the full AP preseason All-America teams for voting details.
What are the biggest college basketball storylines this season?
- Michigan’s reset. The defending men’s national champion starts at No. 16 after losing its head coach and four of five starters to the NBA.
- Kentucky’s milestone. The Wildcats are close to becoming the first program to reach 1,000 total weeks in the AP Top 25.
- Big Ten women’s depth. Nine Big Ten women’s teams are ranked in the preseason, the most ever for one conference.
- JuJu Watkins’ return. Her comeback makes USC a real national title threat.
- The SEC’s strength. The SEC placed seven teams in the men’s preseason poll and seven in the women’s.
What can youth basketball players learn from college basketball?
Every college star started as a youth player at tryouts. What separates them is rarely just talent. It is the habits they built early. When you watch games this season, look for:
- Decision-making. Elite point guards like Jeremy Fears Jr. make the right read under pressure, not just the flashy one.
- Effort on defense. Steals, deflections, and closeouts are often what earn players minutes.
- Versatility. Players who can rebound, pass, and defend multiple positions are more valuable to a team.
- Resilience. Comebacks from injury, like Watkins’, show how much mental toughness matters.
- Team-first play. Great teams share the ball and trust each other.
Coaches can turn these traits into clear evaluation criteria and measurable goals for athlete development. Want to put them into practice? Try these drills to run at basketball tryouts.
Looking for more? See basketball evaluation trends shaping modern tryouts and fun basketball drills that actually build skills. Hockey fans can catch up with our 2026-27 NHL season preview.
How TeamGenius helps basketball programs develop the next generation
TeamGenius is player evaluation software that helps youth basketball clubs, schools, and leagues run fair tryouts and develop players all season. The same traits that define college stars, including decision-making, defensive effort, versatility, and coachability, can be measured and tracked from the youth level up.
With TeamGenius basketball evaluation software, programs can:
- Run organized tryouts. Evaluators score players on their phone or tablet, and results rank automatically.
- Evaluate the whole player. Build custom criteria for shooting, ball handling, defense, basketball IQ, and effort.
- Track growth across seasons. Use in-season evaluations to show players how they are improving.
- Communicate clearly with families. Share consistent feedback and defend roster decisions with data.
Learn more about everything TeamGenius offers on our features page.
Get your basketball program ready for tryout season
The college season is just getting started, and so is youth basketball tryout season. Give every player a fair evaluation and every coach the data they need to build great teams.
Start your free TeamGenius trial today or view pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Florida is No. 1 in the men’s AP preseason poll with 47 first-place votes. South Carolina is No. 1 in the women’s AP preseason poll with 23 first-place votes.
Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. and UConn’s Sarah Strong led their AP preseason All-America teams in votes. Other stars include Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, and USC’s JuJu Watkins.
The SEC placed seven teams in both the men’s and women’s preseason polls. The Big Ten set a record with nine ranked women’s teams.
Michigan is the defending men’s national champion, and UCLA is the defending women’s national champion.
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