The 2026 men’s college basketball season is heating up as conference championship tournaments begin and early March Madness brackets are beginning to see predictions of which teams might make it to the national title game – and which teams will shock with upset picks.
In NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball, there are five conferences considered the ‘Power Five’ which include the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southeastern Conference (SEC), Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East. With both conference titles and the national title on the line this month, there are still several regular season games to be played that could change the rankings – for better or worse.
Here are the current NCAA men’s basketball rankings and the upcoming games that could change brackets and seedings.
Top 25 NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings – March 2026
GettyDetail of a Wilson Evo NXT basketball with the March Madness logo during a practice day ahead of the Sweet 16 in the Birmingham Regional of the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 27, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama.
With just a few matchups left on the court ahead of title tournaments, the NCAA men’s basketball rankings are increasingly indicative of each team’s likely seed. Going into the games that will be played on March 3, 2026 through the start of the conference tournaments for all of the Power Five conferences, here are the current AP Top 25 rankings:
- Duke (28-2)
- Arizona (28-2)
- Michigan (27-2)
- UConn (27-3)
- Florida (23-6)
- Iowa State (24-6)
- Houston (24-5)
- Michigan State (24-5)
- Nebraska (25-4)
- Texas Tech (22-7)
- Illinois (22-7)
- Gonzaga (28-3)
- Virginia (25-4)
- Kansas (21-8)
- Purdue (22-7)
- Alabama (22-7)
- UNC-Chapel Hill (23-6)
- St. John’s (23-6)
- Miami Ohio (29-0)
- Arkansas (21-8)
- St. Mary’s CA (27-4)
- Miami FL (23-6)
- Tennessee (20-9)
- Vanderbilt (22-7)
- Saint Louis (26-3)
Upcoming Games That Could Change Conference & March Madness Brackets, Seedings
GettyAlex Karaban #11 of the Connecticut Huskies protects the ball from Elijah Fisher #22 of the Seton Hall Pirates during the second half of an NCAA men’s basketball game at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on February 28, 2026 in Storrs, Connecticut.
A list of all conference tournaments can be found here and March Madness information here.
There are only a handful of games left before tournament brackets begin. Here are the top NCAA men’s basketball matchups being played this week.
Tuesday March 3, 2026
- #23 Tennessee vs South Carolina, 6:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM CT / 3:00 PM PT
- #16 Alabama vs Georgia, 6:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM CT / 3:30 PM PT
- Georgetown vs #18 St. John’s, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- Toledo vs #19 Miami Ohio, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- Wake Forest vs Virginia, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- TCU vs #10 Texas Tech, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- Clemson vs #17 UNC-Chapel Hill, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- Mississippi State vs #5 Florida, 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM PT
- #24 Vanderbilt vs Ole Miss, 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM PT
- Oregon vs #11 Illinois, 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM PT
- #14 Kansas vs Arizona State, 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM PT
- #9 Nebraska vs UCLA, 11:00 PM ET / 10:00 PM CT / 8:00 PM PT
Wednesday March 4, 2026
- Texas vs #20 Arkansas, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- #22 Miami FL vs SMU, 7:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM PT
- Loyola IL vs #25 Saint Louis, 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM PT
- #15 Purdue vs Northwestern, 8:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM CT / 5:30 PM PT
- Baylor vs #7 Houston, 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM PT
Thursday March 5, 2026
- Rutgers vs #8 Michigan State, 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM PT
- #3 Michigan vs Iowa, 8:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM CT / 5:00 PM PT
Friday March 6, 2026
- #19 Miami Ohio vs Ohio, 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM PT
- #18 St. John’s vs Seton Hall, 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 6:00 PM PT
Current Rankings of Top 25 NCAA Men’s Basketball Teams Revealed – Full Schedule