2025-26 Men's College Basketball Season Opens With Big Expectations

The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season tips off Monday night with roughly 100 games, beginning a four-month march to Selection Sunday as teams jockey for conference crowns, NCAA seeding and postseason positioning. Preseason polls and oddsmakers have already settled on a handful of favorites, but roster turnover, high-profile freshmen and a crowded nonconference slate promise a season defined by early statement games and shifting narratives.

Purdue entered the season as the top-ranked team in both the AP and coaches polls and is viewed by many sportsbooks as the preseason favorite. Houston, Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut and defending champion Florida also sit near the top of both polls and betting boards, reflecting the mix of returning cores and high-end incoming talent across the sport. At the same time, experts note that preseason status is an unreliable predictor: recent history shows the preseason favorite rarely completes the run to a title in a normal season.

A slate of marquee nonconference matchups will provide early measuring sticks. Highlight games include Florida at Duke, Kentucky at Louisville and UConn at Kansas, with several showdowns scheduled at Madison Square...