Dick Vitale reveals Way Too Early Top 12 college basketball rankings

ESPN’s Dick Vitale revealed his way-too-early top 12 teams in college basketball for the 2025-26 season. It’s early to project the best, but hey, it’s truly never too early.

As we stand in June, rosters are starting to take shape, there are offseason workouts and lineup projections and of course, scheduling announcements. But we can always look ahead.

Without further ado, let’s dive into Vitale’s preseason rankings, before the preseason! We’ll start out with a national title contender.

1. Purdue

Vitale has Purdue at the top of his rankings going into next season. Head coach Matt Painter has a team primed for a big run by the time the 2026 tournament rolls around.

The Boilermakers return five of six players that were their top scorers. That includes Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith. Purdue also added Oscar Cluff and Liam Murphy in the portal.

2. Houston

Coming off a national championship appearance, Houston could run it back in Vitale’s mind. Watch out for Kelvin Sampson and crew.

Emmanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler return to the squad and they could certainly run it back. Chris Cenac Jr. is a hyped prospect as well.

3. Florida

The defending champions are only No. 3 in Vitale’s rankings, the early ones anyway. Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh are back this coming season, so that at least gives them a boost.

The Gators also landed transfers Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland. The talent is there to repeat, just like they did nearly 20 years ago.

4. UConn

Dan Hurley already shut down any potential New York Knicks rumors, so that’s a good start! UConn tried going for a three-peat this season, but fell short early in the NCAA Tournament.

As Vitale pointed out, there is Final Four potential this season. Solo Ball and Alex Karaban are back, in addition to transfers Silas Demary Jr. and Malachi Smith.

5. St. John’s

Rick Pitino had a lot of juice last season but the Red Storm fell short of expectations in the NCAA Tournament. Vitale has them as a preseason top five team though.

Transfers Ian Jacksona and Bryce Hopkins should make a big impact. Not to mention St. John’s has Zuby Ejiofor as well.

6. Texas Tech

Vitale used a pun when describing Texas Tech here. The Red Raiders are “ready to raid again.” Nicely done.

JT Toppin and Christian Anderson are back with the squad this coming season in addition to a couple of transfers. LeJuan Watts and Josiah Moseley should provide some new life to a team that could be poised for a Final Four run.

7. BYU

This is an intriguing team going into next season. Vitale has them inside the top 10 already as we sit here in June.

Richie Saunders is back for 2025-26 and the team added Robert Wright III via the transfer portal. Not only that, but 2025 No. 1 overall prospect AJ Dybantsa is in the fold and should be a must-watch player.

8. Arkansas

John Calipari reloaded the team ahead of Year 2 with the Razorbacks. He ended up in the NCAA Tournament last season, but now there are expectations to go much further.

Why does Vitale like them a lot? Well, DJ Wagner and Trevon Brazile are back for this winter. Freshmen Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas should be players to watch for and major keys at points in the season.

9. Duke

Going from Cooper Flagg to whatever’s next is certainly tough for Jon Scheyer and crew. But the Blue Devils bring back Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster, which helps.

Vitale has Duke just inside the top 10 going into the 2025-26 season and looks like a Final Four contender. Cameron Boozer should be one of the best freshmen next year as well.

10. UCLA

UCLA was up and down last season, ending in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Mick Cronin has a talented squad though, per Vitale.

Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. are the headliners. The Bruins also added transfers Donovan Dent, Steven Jamerson II and Xavier Booker.

11. Kentucky

Mark Pope was a good success story during his first year with the Wildcats. Vitale is confident in the squad, but it’ll be how they all mesh.

There are a lot of transfers on this team going into next season. Otega Oweh and Brandon Garrison will lead that group. The highlighted transfers include Jayden Quaintance, Jaland Lowe and Mouhamed Dioubate.

12. Michigan

Vitale likes the defending Big Ten champions to make some noise in 2025-26. Dusty May led the Wolverines to the Sweet 16 last season after winning the conference tournament.

Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett are back for Michigan and they also added Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. via the transfer portal. Purdue and UCLA will be looking over their shoulders.