6 men’s college basketball teams who got better this offseason, and 2 who got worse

College basketball has never been more of a year-to-year sport than it is right now. The days of recruiting a high school player and slowly developing them over four years aren’t completely over, but they sure do feel like a relic of the past. In the NIL and transfer portal era, teams are trying to identify two or three players to retain as part of the core, then going to the portal to fill out the rest of the roster.

In some ways, there’s more continuity in men’s college hoops right now than there has been since the pre- one-and-done days. Players like UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas, and Florida’s Thomas Haugh all would have been first-round 2026 NBA draft picks if they weren’t lured back to school by millions in NIL money. Retention is just one part of the team-building puzzle at this point, because if teams really want to take a leap, they better crush the portal and pick out the right incoming freshmen.

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There are already some teams poised to be way better than last season entering the new year, and a few who are clearly going to take a step back. Let’s look at the risers and fallers entering the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season.

Men’s college hoops teams who will be better than last season

Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes went from a 7-win team to a 26-win team in head coach Jai Lucas’ first season, and now they’re ready to take another step. Shelton Henderson returns for his sophomore season as a bruising two-way guard who is a jump shot away from being one of the better players in the sport. He’ll have a ton of talent around him. Acaden Lewis transfers in from Villanova for his sophomore season to be a true table-setting point guard. Somto Cyril enters from Georgia with a crazy combination of length (7’7 wingspan) and strength for a big man, and he could dominate the rim at both ends. Incoming McDonald’s All-American Caleb Gaskins has a great frame for a four and should excel at doing the dirty work from day one. Dante Allen is…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/6-men-college-basketball-teams-120000073.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-18 12:00:00

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