College basketball rankings: St. John’s headlines Top 25 And 1 as 2025-26 season gets underway

This is the last and final update of the 2025-26 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings, where St. John’s remains  No. 1.

Like I noted on Sunday’s episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, at this point, I’m ride or die with the Red Storm even though things clearly haven’t unfolded perfectly since I moved Rick Pitino’s program to the top of these rankings early in the offseason based on the return of Zuby Ejiofor and strength of what I believe was the best transfer-portal class in the sport.

I love the roster. But who is the point guard?

Back in April, Pitino said it was North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson, specifically calling him St. John’s “next great point.” But, after some practices and scrimmages, Pitino actually identified Stanford transfer Oziyah Sellers as the Red Storm’s starting point guard, with Idaho State transfer Dylan Darling serving as his backup, meaning the player Pitino once called St. John’s “next great point” is no longer expected to even play point at St. John’s.

If nothing else, it’s unusual.

Either way, the talent is still top-shelf at St. John’s, and trusting a two-time national champion and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach to figure it out doesn’t seem like the worst idea in the world. So, again, St. John’s remains No. 1, for better or worse.

The Red Storm open Monday against Quinnipiac.

I did make a few final-day changes to the Top 25 And 1, just to adjust some things I wanted adjusted for when we look back on this later. But the 26 teams ranked here are the same 26 teams that have been ranked here since June. In total, there were 26 versions of the Top 25 And 1 this offseason.

And now I’m back to updating it every morning!

Yes, I’m doing that again. So make sure to follow along on X, and I’ll have a fresh version of the Top 25 And 1 sent your way every morning through Selection Sunday. In the meantime, enjoy the first day of this season. Houston-Lehigh is on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET. Matt Norlander and I will be handling part of the halftime segment of that game from our Eye On College Basketball Podcast studios.

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Biggest Movers

Rk	Teams		Chg	Rcrd
1	St. John’s	Rick Pitino’s Red Storm should be led by Big East Preseason Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford), Dillon Mitchell (Texas), Bryce Hopkins (Providence) and Joson Sanon (Arizona State). St. John’s opens the season Monday against Quinnipiac.	—	1-0
2	Purdue	Matt Painter’s Boilermakers should be led by CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year Braden Smith, fellow returners Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer, and newcomers Oscar Cluff and Omer Mayer, the former of whom is a transfer from South Dakota State, the latter of whom is a dynamic guard from Israel. Purdue opens the season Tuesday against Evansville.	2	1-0
3	Houston	Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars should be led by Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Joseph Tugler, fellow returning starters Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp, and a freshman class headlined by five-star big Chris Cenac Jr. Houston opens the season Monday against Lehigh.	1	1-0
4	BYU	Kevin Young’s Cougars should be led by five-star freshman AJ Dybantsa, returning starters Richie Saunders and Keba Keita, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Rob Wright (Baylor). BYU opens the season Monday against Villanova.	1	1-0
5	UConn	Dan Hurley’s Huskies should be led by returners Solo Ball, Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed, a freshman class headlined by five-star guard Braylon Mullins, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Silas Demary (Georgia). UConn opens the season Monday against New Haven.	—	1-0
6	Florida	Todd Golden’s Gators should be led by returners Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyelu, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Xaivian Lee (Princeton) and Boogie Fland (Arkansas). Florida opens the season Monday against Arizona.	—	1-1
7	Texas Tech	Grant McCasland’s Red Raiders should be led by Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin, fellow returning rotation player Christian Anderson, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Donovan Atwell (UNC Greensboro), LeJuan Watts (Washington State) and Luke Bamgboye (VCU). Texas Tech opens the season Tuesday against Lindenwood.	—	1-0
8	Michigan	Dusty May’s Wolverines should be led by a transfer-portal class highlighted by Yaxel Lendenborg (UAB), Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina) and Aday Mara (UCLA), and returning starters Roddy Gayle and Nimari Burnett. Michigan opens the season Monday against Oakland.	—	1-0
9	Duke	Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils should be led by a freshman class highlighted by one-and-done candidates Cameron Boozer and Dame Sarr, and returning rotation pieces Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba. Duke opens the season Tuesday against Texas.	—	1-0
10	UCLA	Mick Cronin’s Bruins should be led by a transfer-portal class headlined by Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Donovan Dent (New Mexico) and former five-star recruit Xavier Booker (Michigan State), and returning starters Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey Jr., and Skyy Clark. UCLA opens the season Monday against Eastern Washington.	—	1-0
11	Arizona	Tommy Lloyd’s WIldcats should be led by returning starters Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell’Orso, and a freshman class headlined by Koa Peat and Brayden Burries. Arizona opens the season Monday against Florida.	—	1-0
12	Kentucky	Mark Pope’s Wildcats should be led by SEC Preseason Player of the Year Otega Oweh and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Jayden Quaintance (Arzizona State), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) and Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama). Kentucky opens the season Tuesday against Nichols.	—	1-0
13	Iowa St.	TJ Otzelberger’s Cyclones should be led by returning starters Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic, a freshman class headlined by four-star guard Jamarion Batemon, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Blake Buchanan (Virginia). Iowa State opens the season Monday against Fairleigh Dickinson.	—	2-0
14	Louisville	Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals should be led by five-star freshman Mikel Brown Jr., a transfer-portal class highlighted by Isaac McKneely (Virginia), Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State) and Ryan Conwell (Xavier), and returning starter J’Vonne Hadley. Louisville opens the season Monday against South Carolina State.	1	2-0
15	Kansas	Bill Self’s Jayhwaks should be led by five-star freshman Darryn Peterson, returning rotation piece Flory Bidunga, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Melvin Council Jr. (St. Bonaventure), Tre White (Illinois) and Jayden Dawson (Loyola Chicago). Kansas opens the season Monday against Green Bay.	3	1-0
16	Illinois	Brad Underwood’s Illini should be led by returning starters Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous, a transfer-portal class highlighted by Andrej Stojakovic (Cal), and first-year international prospect Mihailo Petrovic. Illinois opens the season Monday against Jackson State.	8	1-0
17	Alabama	Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide should be led by returning starter Labaron Philon, fellow returners Aden Holloway and Aiden Sherrell, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Jalil Bethea (Miami) and Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State). Alabama opens the season Monday against North Dakota.	3	1-0
18	Michigan St.	Tom Izzo’s Spartans should be led by returning starters Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaxon Kohler, fellow returning rotation pieces Coen Carr and Carson Cooper, and a transfer-portal class highighted by Trey Fort (Samford). Michigan State opens the season Monday against Colgate.	2	1-0
19	Oregon	Dana Altman’s Ducks should be led by returning starters Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, fellow returning rotation piece Kwame Evans Jr., and a transfer-portal class highlighted by TK Simpkins (Elon) and Devon Pryor (Texas). Oregon opens the season Tuesday against Hawaii.	2	1-0
20	Arkansas	John Calipari’s Razorbacks should be led by five-star freshman Darius Acuff Jr., returning starters D.J. Wagner and Karter Knox, fellow returning rotation piece Trevon Brazile, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Nick Pringle (South Carolina). Arkansas opens the season Monday against Southern.	—	1-0
21	Gonzaga	Mark Few’s Zags should be led by returning starters Graham Ike and Braden Huff, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Tyon Grant-Foster (Grand Canyon), Adam Miller (Arizona State) and Braeden Smith (Colgate). Gonzaga opens the season Monday against Texas Southern.	—	1-0
22	Tennessee	Rick Barnes’ Vols should be led by five-star freshman Nate Ament, returning starter Felix Okpara, fellow returning rotation piece Cade Phillips, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Maryland) and Amaree Abram (Louisiana Tech). Tennessee opens the season Monday against Mercer.	—	1-0
23	Auburn	Steven Pearl’s Tigers should be led by leading returning-scorer Tahaad Pettiford, a transfer-portal class highlighted by Keyshawn Hall (UCF), KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi State) and Kevin Overton (Texas Tech), and international prospect Filip Jovic. Auburn opens the season Monday against Bethune Cookman.	4	2-0
24	Texas	Sean Miller’s Longhorns should be led by returning starters Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Simeon Wilcher (St. John’s), Dailyn Swain (Xavier) and Matas Vokietaitis (FAU). Texas opens the season Tuesday against Duke.	1	0-1
25	N. Carolina	Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels should be led by five-star freshman Caleb Wilson, returning starter Seth Trimble, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Kyan Evans (Colorado State), Henri Veesaar (Arizona) and Jarin Stevenson (Alabama). North Carolina opens the season Monday against Central Arkansas.	—	1-0
26	Wisconsin	Greg Gard’s Badgers should be led by returning starters John Blackwell and Noah Winter, and a transfer-portal class highlighted by Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Andrew Rohde (Virginia) and Austin Rapp (Portland). Wisconsin opens the season Monday against Campbell.	—	1-0