One of the trickiest parts of following college basketball is the sheer number of teams. Sure, only true junkies keep tabs on all 365 squads in Division I, but even if you narrow it down to the top five conferences, you’re still looking at nearly 80 teams to track. And if you want to watch some exciting mid-majors, too, it can get overwhelming quickly.
Six weeks into the 2025-26 season, we’ve seen enough to build this guide to your college hoops viewing priorities as the new year approaches and conference play heats up. If you can only watch a few college basketball games each week, the squads detailed below are likely to deliver an aesthetically pleasing performance that could provide terrific foundational knowledge for conference tournaments and March Madness.
1. Alabama
The easiest part of making this list was placing Alabama atop the rankings. Nate Oats’ team checks a plethora of key watchability boxes: It plays fast; it has a dynamite lead guard in Labaron Philon; it has multiple long-range shooters with unlimited range and the green light to fire away; it moves the ball well offensively; its games do not have excessive fouling. The Tide also never turn it over, and neither do their opponents. Their contests are well-played, efficient, up-tempo affairs.
But perhaps most importantly, the Tide consistently play great games against high-quality opponents. Oats is a true believer in the “anyone, anytime, anyplace” scheduling philosophy, and KenPom currently ranks Alabama’s schedule No. 2 in the country. The Tide have played four KenPom top-15 teams, plus St. John’s, Clemson, Maryland and UNLV. Excellent mid-majors South Florida and Yale still await before SEC play begins.
2. Purdue
The Boilermakers currently have the top offense in the country per KenPom, and that’s no surprise with tireless point guard Braden Smith leading the way. A National Player of the Year candidate who could set the NCAA’s all-time assists record, Smith’s vision and ability to connect through tiny passing windows make for dazzling highlights:
A nightly ritual.
📐 From every angle. pic.twitter.com/src6XAXUfk
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) December 11, 2025
Smith is not the only reason to tune in to Purdue, though. The Boilermakers are loaded with perimeter shooters, and Trey Kaufman-Renn has the nation’s best push shot in the lane. Oscar Cluff is an unstoppable force at the rim (see the above clip) and on the glass. Even 7-4 center Daniel Jacobsen provides some fascinating plays as a finisher and shot blocker. The Boilers’ defense is also not fully fixed, so they will get into some hyper-efficient shootouts in Big Ten play.
3/4. Louisville/Vanderbilt
I’m grouping these two together because they have followed similar blueprints to their success. Both teams possess top-five KenPom offenses (Louisville second, Vanderbilt fourth), flood the court with shooting and skill and share the ball tremendously well. They also use pace as a weapon, with Louisville ranking 11th in average possession length (that is, only 10 teams in the country play faster) and Vandy landing 34th.
Even their overall program narratives are similar: second-year coaches Pat Kelsey and Mark Byington have quickly reenergized their fan bases with a wildly entertaining brand of basketball. The Cardinals and Commodores snapped NCAA Tournament droughts last season before falling in the first round, but they look primed for longer postseason runs this time around.
The tiebreaker here is Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville’s explosive (and likely one-and-done) point guard. He has a knack for highlight plays, and his range is essentially unlimited. I’m also partial to Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell and his smooth brand of scoring. If you prefer more balanced scoring and crisp, tremendously unselfish ball movement, Vandy could slide narrowly ahead of Louisville; you cannot go wrong either way. I dream of a March where these two square off in a Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight clash.
5. Nebraska
One of seven remaining undefeated teams, the Cornhuskers have cultivated a gorgeous brand of basketball this season. They never foul defensively (third in defensive free throw rate), and they rarely get to the stripe themselves, so their games have tremendous flow. Offensively, Fred Hoiberg’s system prioritizes shooting, and the Huskers have multiple high-volume, high-efficiency threats in Payton Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence.
The skeleton key to this attack, though, is Dutch center Rienk Mast. The bruising big man missed last season with a knee injury, but he has returned as an even better version of himself. Mast has sunk 23 3s at 42.6 percent through 11 games, but he is most important as the Huskers’ chief facilitator, and his unselfishness sets the tone for an offense that ranks 24th nationally in assist rate, making Hoiberg’s array of handoff-based sets hum.
6. Iowa State
Iowa State was expected to be a stingy defensive squad. Tamin Lipsey is one of the best on-ball defenders in the country, and Josh Jefferson is a versatile chess piece who can defend guards or centers. The Cyclones shrank their defensive free throw rate while maintaining heavy perimeter pressure, so their games are not choppy charity stripe showcases, either. But no one expected the Cyclones to undergo an offensive transformation that has made their deep array of weapons appointment viewing.
Jefferson is the linchpin, a destroyer of mismatches who can step out and hit 3s, create off the bounce or facilitate from various spots on the court. Milan Momcilovic is arguably the best maker of difficult fadeaway jumpers in the country right now, and he is also shooting 54.2 percent from beyond the arc. Finally, the emergence of enjoyable role players like Killyan Toure, Blake Buchanan and Jamarion Bateman has supplemented the highly potent core. The Cyclones are done with relevant basketball until 2026, but do not hesitate to tune in once Big 12 play begins.
7. Michigan
The Wolverines are on a tear right now, and their otherworldly rim onslaught has overwhelmed every opponent over the past month. Gargantuan Spanish center Aday Mara is an impenetrable force at the bucket, and All-America candidate Yaxel Lendeborg is shooting an absurd 85.3 percent inside the arc. Illinois transfer Morez Johnson is right behind him at “only” 70.1 percent, and he’s a terrific secondary rim protector, as well.
From an aesthetics’ perspective, Michigan’s biggest issue right now is that many of its games stop being competitive before halftime. The Wolverines entered the weekend having won five straight games by at least 28 points, all against P5 or top-50 opponents, then trailed Maryland by five at halftime — only to outscore the Terps 56-33 in the second half.
8. BYU
One must only watch BYU’s second-half comeback against Clemson at Madison Square Garden to understand the Cougars’ appeal. They had just nine empty possessions the entire half to help erase a 22-point deficit, and top NBA prospect AJ Dybantsa went deep into his bag of nifty fadeaways and clever passes to take over the final stretch, setting up a stunning Rob Wright III buzzer beater for the win.
A slight knock on the Cougars is their lack of ball movement: They have fallen to 273rd in assist rate, compared to 32nd last year, as they have leaned on their individual brilliance more frequently. Some may gravitate towards that style, but I prefer to see the ball zipping around the court.
9. Saint Louis
Remember two years ago when coach Josh Schertz had Indiana State playing one of the most fun styles in the country, led by bespectacled big man Robbie Avila? Well, Schertz and Avila are still at it, this time leading the way for a Billikens team that looks like the favorite in the Atlantic 10. The offense moves (No. 3 nationally in average possession length), and the Billikens excel at generating quality looks.
Avila is again the centerpiece, using his outstanding vision to trigger the attack from the top of the key and the post. He deftly uses his unorthodox pace and frame to get opponents off-balance, allowing him to score around the bucket despite lacking vertical bounce. Avila, Dion Brown, Trey Green, Amari McCottry and Quentin Jones are all averaging between 10.2 and 12.6 points per contest.
10. UConn
If you’re bored of the Huskies, winners of two of the past three NCAA titles, I recommend getting over that and tuning into one of the most beautiful half-court systems in the country. The Huskies are loaded with skill, passing, shooting and versatility, and they already have four massive needle-moving wins. And as Tarris Reed and Braylon Mullins become fully integrated after early-season injuries, the Huskies could evolve into an unstoppable scoring machine.
Plus, the Dan Hurley factor here always lingers. The Huskies’ unfiltered coach is prone to overt outbursts and emotional quotes, so if you’re watching a UConn game, you might be the first to see him pour a drink onto an official or bark like a dog at the scorer’s table. Anything is possible!
The Huskies’ main knock is that they reside in the top-heavy Big East. Even St. John’s, the presumed second-best team in the league, has gotten off to a slow start. It would not be a surprise to see UConn steamroll through an inferior conference, similar to the 2023-24 team that went 18-2 in league play and won 13 of those games by at least nine points.
The Next Five
11. Gonzaga
If you like skilled lefty big men, then the Zags are the team for you. Graham Ike and Braden Huff make up the frontcourt with the best finishing touch around the basket in the country. If either player misses a half-hook or a floater, it’s a shocking turn of events. Tyon Grant-Foster will pull off some seriously impressive athletic plays, and burgeoning star guard Mario Saint-Supery possesses a highlight flair in his passing.
12. Belmont
One more true mid-major to watch: Casey Alexander’s Bruins have risen to 79th in KenPom’s rankings, and their blend of pace, efficiency, shooting and unselfishness make them an extremely pleasant viewing experience. Tyler Lundblade is among the country’s best shooters, and Sam Orme’s inside-out game makes him immensely difficult to defend. Nic McClain ranks 12th nationally in assist rate as the system’s conductor.
Other true mid-majors that are worth making time for: Akron, Yale and High Point.
13. Illinois
Brad Underwood’s Balkan Brigade has delivered on its potential so far this season, knocking off Texas Tech and Tennessee already. The Illini’s propensity to bomb 3s and their refusal to put opponents at the charity stripe (No. 3 nationally in defensive free throw rate) make for exciting, extended stretches of live basketball. As brilliant passers Tomi Ivisic and Mihailo Petrovic get more acclimated to the rotation, the Illini should only get more entertaining.
14. Duke
On one hand, Duke has Cam Boozer, the best player in the country, and coach Jon Scheyer has figured out some outstanding offensive concepts. On the other hand, the Blue Devils could demolish the ACC once again, and being such a defense-heavy team (No. 3 nationally per KenPom) pulls them outside of the top 10. Their calling card is suffocating teams with size and length — fun, but not the most fun.
15. Indiana
The Hoosiers have Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries, two of the most volcanic perimeter shooters in the country. Wilkerson already erupted for 44 points against Penn State, and DeVries has hit 25-plus in three games so far. Like many other teams on this list, Indiana is an unselfish team that plays with pace and space, making the Hoosiers a great visual product — a staggering upgrade from the Mike Woodson era.
Other teams worth watching
I considered Michigan State simply because any chance Coen Carr gets to jump through the clouds is great TV. Plus, Jeremy Fears might be the best table-setter in the country. However, the Spartans’ brutish offense and Fears’ flopping dropped them outside the top 15 for me. I cannot abide including Florida until either Xaivian Lee or Boogie Fland crack 30 percent from beyond the arc. Wisconsin is fun at home, but they have been a brutal watch outside of Madison. Georgia’s newfound turbo-tempo makes the Bulldogs intriguing, and Oklahoma State is also off to a surprisingly strong start. The immensely talented frontcourts at Virginia and North Carolina got them close to these rankings. I’ve also gotten real joy from watching Wake Forest and Utah State this season. Bucky McMillan’s first year as head coach at Texas A&M is fascinating, as is the stylistic experiment underway at Florida State, but neither team is good enough to warrant constant viewership.
