The Other Top 25 is back for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season. San Diego State received three of the four first-place votes in the preseason ranking. Saint Mary’s claimed the other first-place nod and came in second. Utah State was one point behind the Gaels.
The Mountain West held three of the top four spots with Boise State in fourth. Five and six came from the Atlantic 10 with Dayton fifth and VCU at six. Liberty placed seventh and was two points ahead of Memphis and Saint Louis, who tied for eighth. South Florida rounded out the top 10.
The Aztecs have a loaded roster this season with three of their top four scorers back. They rank 30th in KenPom and 45th in BartTorvik in the preseason.
Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year Myles Byrd is the team’s top returning scorer after averaging 12.3 points a game last season. BJ Davis added nine points a game, and 7-footer Magoon Gwath added 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He ranked seventh in the country in blocks last season.
The Gaels are coming off winning the WCC regular season title and have three preseason all-conference selections, most in the WCC. SMC sits 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency in Torvik and 54th overall. It comes in 55th in KenPom.
Paulius Murauskas, the WCC Newcomer of the Year a season ago, notched 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game in 2024-25. Mikey Lewis, the WCC Sixth Man of the Year last season, tallied 8.2 points per game last season. Harry Wessels chipped in 5.3 points per game.
USU, who is 42nd in KenPom, will be led by Mason Falsle. He ranked 10th in the Mountain West last season with 15 points, seventh with 6.3 rebounds and ninth with 3.7 assists per game. He was fourth in field goal percentage at 49.7%. His 2.32 steals per game were best in the MW and 14th nationally. Karson Templin and Drake Allen are also back with the Aggies after averaging seven points a night last season.
Boise is 47th in Torvik and 53rd in KenPom. Andrew Meadow averaged 12.6 points per game last season and was a Mountain West preseason all-conference as he looks to lead the Broncos in the post-Tyson Degenhart era. Javan Buchanan is also back after posting 9.6 points a game last year.
The Flyers are 54th in KenPom and 76th in Torvik. Javon Bennett garnered A-10 Preseason First Team honors and recorded 11.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game a season ago. Amaël L’Etang added seven points a night. Keonte Jones transferred in from CSUN. He looks to be a big part of Dayton’s rotation.
Here is the complete Other Top 25:
Northern Iowa 14; UNC Wilmington 13; Hawaii 12; McNeese St. 11; UC Santa Barbara 10; New Mexico 9; Chattanooga 9; Nevada 9; Charleston 9; Furman 8; Murray St. 8; Cal Baptist 6; George Washington 4; Tulsa 4; Bradley 3; Vermont 3; St. Thomas 2; South Dakota St. 2; Bryant 1
