The Most Surprising College Basketball Conference Contenders in 2025-26 Season
While the 2025-26 men's college basketball season nears its most exciting moments, there are several unexpected teams atop the conference standings.
In today's era of widespread player movement, predicting successāor lack thereofāis especially difficult. The talent on a roster may have looked underwhelming on paper, but it turns out these coaching staffs identified the right pieces.
Yes, about a month or so still remains in the regular season. It's possible a few of the following programs tail off down the stretch.
As things stand, though, they are firmly in the running for a conference title.
Austin Peay Governors
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Though the coaches in the Atlantic Sun held a slightly more favorable opinion of Austin Peay, conference media picked the Governors to finish seventh.
That ship, in the best way, has sailed.
Standing atop the ASUN with an 11-1 league mark and 17-6 overall, Austin Peay is trending toward one of the best years in its history. The program hasn't reached 20 wins since the 2019-20 campaign, but the Governors should reach that and could make a run at surpassing their current single-season best of 24 wins.
One essential piece of Austin Peay's success is a disruptive defense, one that is among the nation's best in steal percentage.
If the Governors can navigate the ASUN tournament and punch a ticket to March Madness, they'll be a pesky opening-round opponent.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
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It's fair to say, collectively, Big Ten media did not anticipate this Nebraska team.
Within the 18-team conference, the Cornhuskers landed 14th in the preseason projections. They won 20-plus games in each of the last two seasons but needed to replace four of their top five scorers this year.
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg addressed those vacancies admirably and has unleashed a nuisance in the Big Ten.
Pryce Sandfort (Iowa) and Jamarques Lawrence (Rhode Island) are averaging double figures, while Rienk Mast has impressed in his return from a knee injury with freshman Braden Frager providing an immediate impact. Sam Hoiberg has made a valuable leap as a complementary guard, too.
Nebraska rattled off a 20-0 start before falling to Michigan and Illinois, but Saturday's win over Rutgers put the Huskers back on track.
Santa Clara Broncos
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Not since the 1995-96 campaign has Santa Clara appeared in the Big Dance. The program has endured a bunch of near-misses in recent years, winning 20-plus games in five of the last six seasons yet always falling short.
That streak may continueāGonzaga and Saint Mary's remain top teamsābut there's genuine hope for the Broncos.
Santa Clara crashes the boards hard, securing second-chance opportunities at a tremendous clip. Four different players have at least 1.5 offensive rebounds per game. Plus, the Broncos are elite at generating turnovers with a handful of players at a steal per night or better.
After a tight win at Washington State, Santa Clara boasts a 21-5 record and is a half-game ahead of Gonzaga atop the West Coast Conference standings.
Winning the WCC will require an upset of Gonzaga in mid-February (and no bad losses), but Santa Clara has a chance to become the first regular-season champion not named Gonzaga or Saint Mary's in a staggering 24 years.
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
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Stephen F. Austin is one of many portal success stories, having quickly risen to contention after the dismissal of longtime coach Kyle Keller last season.
The school hired Texas Tech assistant Matt Braeuer, who overhauled the roster following a 14-17 year. The only returning players from the 2024-25 group are Region products Keon Thompson and Crishawn Christmas.
Braeuer pushed the right buttons in the portal, as SFA is 21-3 overall with a Southland-leading 14-1 league mark.
While the Jacks are an efficient three-point shooting team, their key strength is defense. The unit is adept at forcing tough perimeter looks, also ranking among the nation's best in opponent assist rate. Jerald Colonel is a high-level shot-blocker, and both he and Christmas average 2.5-plus offensive rebounds.
Recent victories over McNeese State and Lamar have given the Jacks a two-game cushion in their pursuit of a conference title.
Texas A&M Aggies
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Bucky Ball, baby!
The former coach at Samfordāwhich won SoCon regular-season crowns in his last two yearsāBucky McMillan brought his high-energy style to College Station and has seen it pay off immediately. Texas A&M plays a fast tempo, shoots a bunch of threes and creates a whole lot of chaos defensively.
At least for 25-26, however, SEC media believed A&M would not contend. The preseason poll pegged the Aggies at 13th in the 16-team league.
Here in early February, McMillan's team is 17-6 with a 7-3 record in the SEC.
Saturday's loss to Florida bumped the Aggies one game behind UF in the standings, but A&M is soundly a part of the conference race.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
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Entering his fourth year at Tulsa, coach Eric Konkol made sweeping changes. That transition led to a No. 8 spot in the American coaches poll.
As with a few other programs in this territory, however, the Golden Hurricane have enjoyed a rapid improvement. They are 20-4 overall and co-lead the American with South Florida at 8-3 in league play.
The catalyst is David Green, who previously played for Konkol at Louisiana Tech and reunited with him at Tulsa this offseason. Between him and Miles Barnstable (St. Thomas), Tylen Riley (Cal Baptist), Myles Rigsby (Troy) and Ade Popoola (JUCO), all five of the team's top scorers are transfers.
Although the defense is average, Tulsa is thriving because of its efficient scoring attack. The unit boasts a top-10 national rate in true shooting percentage.
Tulsa has a thin margin for error relative to the NCAA tournament, but a first conference title in six seasons is well within reach.
Vanderbilt Commodores
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Pretty fun cycle for Vanderbilt athletics, huh?
After the football team surged to a program-best 10 wins in the fall, the basketball team has followed suit. Vandy, projected 11th in the preseason SEC poll, rattled off a remarkable 16-0 start to the campaign.
Mark Byington, who propelled the Commodores to March Madness last year in his debut as the coach, has them on the path to another NCAA trip.
Three returning players and five transfersāwhen healthy, at leastāhave keyed Vandy's continued ascent. The offense is excellent at avoiding giveaways, and the defense is among the stingiest in the country on the perimeter.
Vandy's upside is contingent on the returns of Duke Miles and Frankie Collins, a pair of vital distributors and defenders. That much is undeniable.
Even after Saturday's loss to Oklahoma, though, the 'Dores are 19-4 and just two games back in the SEC standings.
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