Andy Katz Reveals His Top 10 Comeback Contenders for the 2025-26 Men's College Basketball Season
Which struggling programs are poised to shock the college basketball world this year? Andy Katz has identified ten teams ready to transform their fortunes and make serious noise in March. But here's where it gets controversial—some of these picks might raise eyebrows among traditionalists who question whether transfer portal success can truly build sustainable programs.
Let's dive into the complete rankings of squads positioned for dramatic turnarounds:
1. NC State Wolfpack
Will Wade has orchestrated an impressive roster overhaul, bringing in key transfer additions including Darrion Williams, Tre Holloman, and Terrance Arceneaux. These strategic acquisitions could propel a team that finished seven games below .500 last season all the way to earning a single-digit seed in the NCAA tournament. That's not just improvement—that's a complete program resurrection.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) May 23, 2025 (https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1925993849286951013?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
2. Southern Cal Trojans
USC has landed two proven commodities in Rodney Rice and Chad Baker-Mazara, both of whom bring valuable NCAA tournament experience to Los Angeles. These aren't just talented players—they're battle-tested competitors who understand what it takes to perform on college basketball's biggest stage. Their presence should be enough to punch the Trojans' ticket to the Big Dance after missing out last season.
First looks at @rodneyrice__ (https://twitter.com/rodneyrice_?refsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) in the Cardinal and Gold 👀✌️ pic.twitter.com/bJnHKNAlYw (https://t.co/bJnHKNAlYw)
— USC Men's Basketball (@USCHoops) July 9, 2025 (https://twitter.com/USCHoops/status/1943007047987138907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
Here's a team that should have absolutely been dancing last March. The Buckeyes experienced a devastating late-season collapse that cost them their tournament hopes, but the silver lining is that the core roster returns intact. With that experience and the bitter taste of disappointment still fresh, expect Ohio State to come back hungry and focused on redemption.
4. Indiana Hoosiers
The Hoosiers are entering a new era following a coaching change, and they've assembled a transfer-heavy recruiting class headlined by Tucker DeVries. This fresh start, combined with proven talent from the portal, should be the recipe Indiana needs to return to the NCAA tournament after an unexpected absence last season.
5. Kansas State Wildcats
The trajectory under Jerome Tang has been interesting, to say the least. Year one brought an Elite Eight appearance, year two saw an NIT berth, and last season resulted in missing the postseason entirely. But here's the game-changer: the Wildcats landed All-American guard PJ Haggerty from Memphis. That's the kind of elite talent that can single-handedly elevate a program back to tournament status.
🏘️ MORE KATZ RANKS: Top 10 college towns in men's college basketball (https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2025-10-06/top-10-college-towns-mens-college-basketball-according-andy-katz)
6. Iowa Hawkeyes
Ben McCollum has built a reputation as a winner everywhere he's coached, and there's no reason to expect anything different in Iowa City. With Bennett Stirtz returning to lead the charge, McCollum should continue his winning ways and guide the Hawkeyes back to March Madness.
7. Washington Huskies
Talk about a dramatic turnaround opportunity! The Huskies finished dead last in the Big Ten conference standings last season—a truly disappointing campaign. However, they've pulled off a recruiting coup by landing USC's top performers from last year: Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates. These two could be the difference-makers that transform Washington from conference cellar-dweller to tournament team.
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UWMBB) June 10, 2025 (https://twitter.com/UWMBB/status/1932578489267548584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech hovered around mediocrity last season with a .500 record, but the return of Baye Ndongo changes everything. His presence in the lineup should provide the consistency and leadership needed to push the Yellow Jackets into NCAA tournament contention.
9. Georgetown Hoyas
The Hoyas have struck the right balance between returning players and strategic transfer additions, creating a roster mix that inspires genuine confidence. This combination of continuity and fresh talent should be enough to end Georgetown's tournament drought and restore some of the program's former glory.
🤯 WATCH THIS: Top blocks from the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament (https://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2025-05-15/top-blocks-2025-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournament)
10. Virginia Cavaliers
Ryan Odom brings a proven track record of success from his previous coaching stops, and he's wasted no time addressing Virginia's biggest weakness. By securing much-needed scoring punch through the transfer portal, Odom has positioned the Cavaliers to leap from finishing two games under .500 last season to earning an NCAA tournament berth this year.
And this is the part most people miss: While these predictions are exciting, they raise an important question about modern college basketball. Are we witnessing the evolution of the sport, or are we creating a system where programs can simply "buy" their way back to relevance through the transfer portal?
Do you think these transfer-heavy rosters can build the chemistry needed for deep tournament runs, or is sustainable success still built through traditional recruiting and player development? Which of these ten teams do you think will exceed expectations, and which might disappoint despite the hype? Drop your thoughts in the comments—let's debate!
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