76 college basketball predictions: Who will surprise, who will disappoint and who will win it all

The men’s college basketball season tips off Sunday in Rome, Italy, when Villanova faces Notre Dame in a matchup pitting Pope Leo XIV’s alma mater against a fellow Catholic power. To celebrate the start of the new season, here are 68 76 predictions sure to come true (unless they don’t).

1. This will be college basketball’s year of the asterisk. For months, opportunistic coaches have challenged the NCAA’s ability to enforce its own eligibility rules in court by targeting players who don’t fit the traditional college model — overseas pros, G league veterans, players once thought to have exhausted their college eligibility. Programs in the hunt for the national title will face questions about the fairness of the race and the legitimacy of their rosters. The team that cuts down the nets may be the one that navigates the legal system best.  

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2. Team whose outlook depends most on the outcome of eligibility battles with the NCAA: Kansas. Bill Self bolstered an underwhelming roster by adding three projected starters in the past month, including 24-year-old sixth-year senior Trey Kaufman-Renn, a second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves this past June. The Jayhawks would vault from fringe Top 25 team to national title contender if Kaufman-Renn, Melvin Council, 24, and Tre White, 23, all win their legal fights for an extra season of eligibility. 

3. Most impactful ACC eligibility cases: Seth Trimble (Louisville), Malik Reneau (Miami)

4. Most impactful Big East eligibility cases: Keyshawn Hall and Babacar Sane (St. John’s), Filip Borovicanin (Xavier), Vince Iwuchukwu (Georgetown)

5. Most impactful Big Ten eligibility cases: Roddy Gayle (Michigan), Cade Tyson (Minnesota)

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6. Most impactful Big 12 eligibility cases: Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), RJ Godfrey (Arizona), Jaxon Kohler (BYU), Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell (Texas Tech), MJ Collins (Cincinnati), Council, White and Kaufman-Renn (Kansas)

7. Most impactful SEC eligibility cases: Donovan…

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Author : Jeff Eisenberg

Publish date : 2026-10-28 13:17:00

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