It is almost time for the NCAA basketball season to begin. After what always seems like a long offseason, the 2025-26 campaign is starting soon and college hoops fans will be getting very excited about how everything might go. Rivalries, conference play and tournaments will take center stage over the next few months before we get to enjoy March Madness – The Big Dance – once again.
Obviously, there is a very long way to go before we start filling in our brackets and even thinking about betting on the outcome of the Final Four. But that won’t stop millions of hoops fans predicting, debating, and arguing about which schools might stick around long enough to make it to that stage.
Florida is the reigning champ and will be hoping to emulate UConn by winning back-to-back titles this year. With so many transfers and comings and goings at many of the top programs, predicting a winner is always a tough proposition, but here are some of the dark horses to keep an eye on this season.
BYU Cougars
The Cougars have made the NCAA Tournament for the last two years and managed a run to the Sweet Sixteen round in 2025, and there is enough potential on the roster this year to perhaps go even further. The addition of star, number one recruit, AJ Dybantsa could really make a difference and he is already being talked about as the number one pick next June.
Robin Wright III has also transferred in from Baylor who, with Richie Saunders, and will provide some elite-level shooting. There are some questions about the Cougars defense, but there has to be a possibility that BYU are still in with a shout as March Madness reaches its climax.
Iowa State Cyclones
It has been over 80 years since the Cyclones made it as far as the Final Four, but five consecutive years of progressing to March Madness fill fans with hope. After the drama of 2024, when Iowa State won the Big 12 Tournament and only exited at the Sweet Sixteen round, last year was a major disappointment.
Now there is renewed hope for this team, with head coach TJ Otzelberger really beginning to show his know-how and talent, and possessing one of the best defenses in the country. Tamin Lipsey should be back from injury in time for the season opener and he, alongside two other returning starters, should ensure that the Cyclones remain in contention.
Wisconsin Badgers
It is a new-look Badgers for the 2025-26 season, as it looks to carry on without the scoring prowess of John Tonje, who has jumped to the NBA with Utah. There should be three new starters for Wisconsin, with Nick Boyd, a three-time tournament player with San Diego State, probably the pick of the bunch.
John Blackwell will need to pick up more points now that Tonje has gone, and there is a lot expected of Nolan Winter, who is coming into his junior year as a Badger. Wisconsin lost to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament last year, before exiting the Big Dance in the second round. A deeper run might be expected this year, especially if the new faces click.
NC State Wolfpack
It has only been two years since the Wolfpack made it all the way to the Final Four, to many people’s surprise. But if NC State were to go as far this season, it is fair to say that it would not be as big a shock. New coach Will Wade is highly rated after his achievements at McNeese, and NC State could be the perfect fit for his way of playing college hoops.
Wade will certainly be doing things his way, bringing in nine transfers, with Darion Williams and Tre Holloman being the standout names. Williams averaged 15.1 points per game at Texas Tech and there is also the exciting freshman talent of Matt Able to add to the mix. He might not be in the NCAA for too long, so it will be up to Wade to get the most out of him this year.
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins have been tipped for another championship for a while now, and the repeat visits to the Sweet Sixteen after a Final Four appearance in 2021 suggested their time had come again. That’s why it was so important for UCLA to make it back to the NCAA Tournament last year, after missing out completely in 2024. The fact that it ended too early – in the second round – makes us confident of classifying the Bruins as a dark horse this time around.
There is a great core of Skyy Clark, Eric Dailey, and Tyler Bilodeau returning as starters, with the acquisition of Donovan Dent at point guard as a real potential game-changer. He averaged 20.4 points per game at New Mexico last season and brings a new style of playmaking to the Bruins roster. It has been over 30 years since UCLA last cut down the nets and it probably won’t be one of the main favorites this year. But a deep run into the tournament is possible – and at that stage, anything can happen.