Coach Kessler’s Top 26 for 2026

Mr. Kessler (Newspaper Advisor)

While everyone (including Nouvel… Go Blue!) is still in the thralls of football season, Coach Kessler’s favorite season has arrived: College basketball season. The teams have already been practicing for about a month and have started to play televised exhibition games, including some big time matchups… more on that later.

In year’s past, Coach Kessler has picked Duke (‘25) and Michigan St. (‘24) to cut down the nets. While Michigan St. in 2024 was a rough pick, Coach Kessler still thinks that Duke was the best team in the country last year. Only a complete collapse in the Houston game kept the Blue Devils out of the finals. Will Coach Kessler take another step up, or will he fall back into the trap of picking a Big 10 team to win it all?

26. Miami (OH)– Wally Szczerbiak would be proud of what is being built in Oxford, OH.

25. Auburn

24. Virginia

23. NC State- Will Wade makes his way to Tobacco Road after a strong… offer from the Wolfpack. State made the Final 4 back in 2024, but the boosters understood that was a bit of a miracle run. But aren’t they all in Raleigh? The Pack are hoping Wade makes them a more consistent winner, especially with UNC having a bit of a down period.

22. Gonzaga

21. Ohio St.

20. San Diego St.

19. Creighton

18. UCLA

17. Iowa St.

16. Arizona

15. Illinois

14. Alabama

13. Tennessee

12. Arkansas- Cal’s 2nd year in Fayetteville and the Hog faithful have plenty to be excited about after last year’s tourney run. Darius Acuff is possibly the best freshman guard in the country. If Cal can do with the Detroit native what he has done with quality guards in the past… WOOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIE!

11. Florida– The 4th of the 4 straight SEC teams and they just happen to be the defending National Champions. Todd Golden’s team last year seemed to have the Midas touch. The Gators return their entire front line, but replacing Walter Clayton Jr.’s clutch shot making will be the challenge.

10. Louisville– Are the Cardinals fully back? In Pat Kelsey’s first year, Louisville finished 18-2 in the ACC, good enough for a 2nd place finish in the conference, and 27-8 overall. However, they were knocked off in the 1st round in Lexington. Losing is tough. For Louisville fans, losing in Lexington is brutal. I expect this year won’t be a 1st round exit.

9. Texas Tech– No Chris Beard, no problem! Tech has become a consistent mainstay in the Big XII and has put a considerable amount of resources into their athletics in the past 10 years. JT Toppin is a consistent piece, while Christian Anderson, the former Michigan commit, has become a fan favorite in Lubbock due to his sharpshooting prowess. They should battle the next team in the rugged Big XII for the title…

8. BYU– AJ Dybantsa is the main story in Provo, but the rest of the team can play as well. Mark Pope is gone, but the Stormin’ Mormons have kept the faith… in the way of hefty NIL tithings. Robert Wright III was an All-Big XII Freshmen Team member a year ago at Baylor, Kennard Davis was an explosive scorer at Southern Illinois, and Richie Saunders returns after a stellar season last year for the Cougars. 

7. St. John’s– While Halloween has come and gone, Dracula… er… Rick Pitino is still roaming the sidelines looking to drain the blood of Big East opponents. Seemingly immortal, Pitino had the Johnnie’s flying last year and MSG jumping. When New York teams win, the feeling is palpable in the basketball castle. St. John’s brings in the #1 transfer class in the country, which will help with what they lost following last year’s 31 win revival. North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson and Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins, along with returnee Zuby Ejiofor should bring some consistency to the line up. However, Coach Kessler is most excited to see Dylan Darling, an Idaho St. transfer, who averaged 19.8 points per game and dished out 5.7 assists. Does Pitino get it done, or does Van Helsing rap at his door once again?

6. Michigan– Speaking of transfer portal success, Dusty May might be 2 for 2 in his time in Ann Arbor when hitting on transfers. After winning last year’s Big Ten Tournament title, Michigan reloaded their roster. Yaxel Lendenborg comes over from UAB and should be an immediate candidate for the Wooden Award. He is the only player since Larry Bird who scored 600 points, had 400 rebounds, and had 150 assists. Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle need to show some more consistency, but LJ Cason (currently battling a shoulder injury) gives all the effort that Burnett sometimes lacks. 7 ‘3 Aday Mara, a UCLA transfer, immediately fills the role that Vlad Goldin held last year as a rim protector. Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. brings a physicality that may have been missing last year for the Maize and Blue. 

However, much like last year, we will see how the team does trying to eliminate the turnover bug. North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau is taking the reins from the inconsistent Tre Donaldson, and the jury is still out on that exchange. Cadeau was anything but consistent for the Heels. He struggled with turnovers in the exhibition games against Cincinnati and St. John’s. But, if Coach Kessler has his way, it won’t be long before 6 ‘4 freshman Trey McKenney is seeing the floor in a starting role. Michigan’s Mr. Basketball and 5-star recruit is not being talked about much, but he can really shoot the ball and has shown improved playmaking ability. 

Overall, this is the biggest Wolverines team positionally that Coach Kessler has seen in his lifetime. They might be one of the biggest teams in the country. Excitement is high in Ann Arbor.

5. Kentucky– While not ranked as highly as St. John’s transfer portal class, the fans in Big Blue Nation should be ecstatic about their gets in the portal. Mark Pope, after a 1st year that ended in the Sweet 16 (the program’s first since the pandemic), retooled with some really nice pieces from all over the map. The depth for the Cats is ridiculous. Otega Oweh is a transfer from Oklahoma who averaged 16.2 points for the Sooners. Taking over as the point guard, Jaland Lowe was a former Top-100 HS prospect who finished last year as Third-Team ACC at Pitt, averaging 16.8 points per game. Mouhamed Dioubate comes over from Alabama giving length to the front court. The goal in Lexington, as always, is Final 4.

4. UCONN– Dan Hurley is the coach. That is all the fans need to know in Storrs. He claims he is going to calm down, but I’ll believe it when I see it. The Huskies bring in 5-star Braylon Mullins who Coach Kessler thinks can be the best shooter in the country, even as a true freshman. Tarris Reed Jr., formerly of Michigan, has found his footing better in Storrs than he ever did in Ann Arbor. Freshman Jacob Furphy from Australia will probably come off the bench for UCONN, but has the ability and pedigree to start for almost any team in the country. Alex Karaban returns for his Hunter Dickinson 100th season, giving the Huskies championship experience. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them cut down the nets come March. 

3. Duke– In 2001, Carlos Boozer led the Blue Devils to a National Championship. 25 years later, his twin sons Cameron and Cayden Boozer, are there to fulfill some destiny. Duke reloads (don’t they always?) after losing 3 Top 10 NBA Draft picks and 5 overall NBA Draft picks. Cameron is the better of the twins, being able to do it all. That doesn’t mean Cayden is a slouch. 

Speaking of no slouches, Duke also brings in 5-stars Dame Sarr and Nikolas Khamenia. Sarr comes from Italy and played professionally at FC Barcelona at the ripe old age of 16. Offensively he’s there, but can he play up to Coach Jon Scheyer’s expectation on the defensive end? Khamenia was a top-20 prospect from HS powerhouse Harvard-Westlake High School in California. He played for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit and can do a little bit of everything on the floor. 

2. Purdue– Death. Taxes. Matt Painter’s team competing for the B1G title and having a giant in the middle. The giant comes in the form of Daniel Jacobson, a 7’4” Center from Chicago, who had a season ending injury early on in the campaign. The reason for the team competing for the B1G title (besides Painter being one of the best X’s and O’s coaches in the country), is a bevy experience for the Boilermakers. Fletcher Loyer is a 4-year starting shooter who can really blister from beyond the arc. The Clarkston, MI native averaged 13.8 points last year while shooting 44% from 3. Trey Kaufman-Renn, who had a breakout year last year, is a B1G player of the year candidate. TKR averaged 20.3 points last year, taking over the hole left by current Grizzlies player Zach Edey. 

However, the straw that stirs the drink is undoubtedly Braden Smith. Smith is a 4-year starter in West Lafayette, but really flourished last year averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, while shooting 38.7% from deep en route to the B1G Player of the Year award. Smith is the preseason favorite for the Wooden Award this year, and if he makes another jump this year, he can also book his tickets to nearby Indianapolis. 

Smith is already a fan favorite at Purdue as an Indiana kid who has really proven himself. What’s left to prove? Bring home the program’s first National Title and he will go down as a legend.

1. Houston– The Cougars lost in the National Championship game to Florida by 2 points and return 3 starters while adding 3 Top-20 recruits. All those numbers equal math that works for Kelvin Sampson. Sampson has built a consistent winner in H-Town that hasn’t been seen since Phi Slamma Jamma. 

Milos Uzan was a 2nd Team All-Big XII player last year who can do it all. Emmanuel Sharp won Big XII Tournament MVP and can absolutely lock up a team’s best player. The biggest point of interest for Coach Kessler is incoming Freshman Chris Cenac Jr. The 5-star out of Missouri is a perfect fit for Sampson and Houston’s style. The 6’10 Forward can guard multiple positions and is incredibly versatile.

Are there teams with more talent? Probably. Are there teams with as many dogs as Houston? Probably not. Give me some dogs to hoist the trophy in Indy come April 2026.