The 2025-26 college basketball season is humming along. As the calendar year prepares to turn to 2026, teams are wrapping up their non-conference schedules and will enter the heart of league action.
As the regular season is now about one-third over, it’s time to look at five teams that have proven pleasant surprises, along with five teams that have been disappointing (in alphabetical order).
Top five studs and duds in men’s college basketball
Biggest surprises
Georgia Bulldogs (10-1, No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25): Suffice it to say that Georgia’s offense is humming along nicely. The Bulldogs are averaging 98.3 points per game, which is tops in the country. They have defeated power-conference teams such as Georgia Tech, Xavier, Florida State and Cincinnati. Georgia’s only setback was a three-point loss to Clemson.
Nebraska Cornhuskers: (11-0, No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25): The Cornhuskers are off to their best start in program history. They own wins over Oklahoma, Kansas State, Creighton, Wisconsin and, most recently, then-No. 13 Illinois on the road. Nebraska is the only power-conference school that has never notched an NCAA Tournament victory. That’s going to change in 2026.
Seton Hall Pirates (10-1): The Pirates were picked to finish last in the Big East Conference, per that league’s preseason poll. Seton Hall has a transfer-laden roster, and it seems to be working. The Pirates’ only blemish has been a two-point loss to Southern California, while Seton Hall has triumphed over foes such as then-No. 23 N.C. State, Washington State, Kansas State and Rutgers. The Pirates own a top-10 scoring defense.
Vanderbilt Commodores (11-0, No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25): Much as the Commodores have been a pleasant surprise in football this season, so, too, has the men’s basketball team. Vanderbilt boasts a high-flying offense averaging 93.7 points per contest. The Commodores, earlier this week, knocked off in-state rival Memphis on the road.
Virginia Cavaliers (9-1, tied for No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25): Blue-blood programs Duke and North Carolina garner a lot of the attention in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but the Cavaliers are rolling. A seven-point loss to Butler is UVA’s only setback, while the Cavs have dispatched Northwestern, Texas and Dayton — and average a robust 87.1 points per game.
Biggest disappointments
Creighton Bluejays (6-5): The Bluejays were No. 23 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 and forecast to finish at No. 3 in the Big East. Creighton, though, has struggled to date. Granted, several of its losses have been to ranked foes, but the Bluejays have also fallen to Baylor and Kansas State.
Florida Gators (7-4, tied for No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25): It may seem harsh to put the defending national champs here, given the Gators are nationally ranked. Florida has played a brutal non-conference docket. Falling to Arizona, Duke and UConn is understandable, but the Gators losing by four points to TCU was a head-scratcher.
Kentucky Wildcats (7-4): Kentucky hasn’t lived up to its preseason hype. The Wildcats, No. 9 in the preseason AP Top 25, secured a recent win over Indiana, but Kentucky has failed to defeat any ranked opponent it has faced.
Marquette Golden Eagles (5-7): The Golden Eagles, projected at No. 5 in the Big East, have been awful against power-conference foes. Marquette’s best win in 2025-26 is against Valparaiso. What else is there to say?
Oregon Ducks (6-5): The Ducks, No. 5 in the Big Ten Conference preseason poll, had suffered through a five-game losing streak before uninspiring wins over UC Davis and Portland. While Oregon has been lackluster, it gets a shot at No. 7 Gonzaga on Sunday.
