Men's NCAA basketball teams rising in our early top 25 ranking

The first act of the college basketball offseason has come to a close, with the transfer window closing at midnight on April 22. New names could trickle out over the next day or two for players who filed their paperwork close to the deadline, but for the most part, roster departures are going to slow to a crawl moving forward.
That's not to say rosters are settled, of course. We have plenty of transfer commitments, stay-or-go NBA draft decisions, potential high school reclassifications, a handful of remaining top-50 recruits and the international market still yet to finish its cycle.

But coming out of the portal window, we're making a big move at the top of our Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings. After Houston emerged as the No. 1 in the first two versions, Purdue vaults past the Cougars into the top spot of the third. It was a close debate for the past couple of weeks, but Milos Uzan entering the NBA draft and the Boilermakers adding much-needed depth to round out their roster give them the edge.

Nothing is set in stone, though, and Purdue is not a lock to enter next season atop the rankings. But with the first phase of the offseason complete, Matt Painter's team leads the top 25 teams we're projecting for 2025-26.

1. Purdue Boilermakers

Previous ranking: 2