College Basketball’s Power Conferences Face One Shocking Question That Could Change Everything This Season
So, the NCAA men’s basketball 2025-26 season is about to tip off this Monday, and honestly—if you think catching up with 30 NBA rosters after an offseason feels like a beast, just try wrapping your head around over 300 college teams! With so much turnover and a slew of fresh faces lighting up the hardwood, even seasoned fans might feel like they’re playing catch-up. But fear not—I’ve sifted through the chaos and boiled down the most pivotal storyline in each power conference. Whether it’s the dazzling freshmen promising to shake up the ACC or the burning question of who can topple Purdue in the Big Ten, this season’s narrative is wide open and ripe with drama. So, let’s dive into the pulse of college hoops and see which storylines will define the battle ahead. LEARN MORE
The NCAA men’s basketball 2025-26 season tips off on Monday, and there are so many storylines to know. We break down the biggest ones in each major conference.
College basketball fans must laugh when they hear NBA fans complain about trying to catch up on all the moves that happened in the offseason.
Oh, you think learning about 30 rosters is hard? Try over 300, most with dramatic turnover and several key newcomers.
Even if you just familiarize yourself with the power conferences, it can be daunting to learn the things that matter most right before the season begins.
Luckily, we’ve put together a guide to the biggest question in each of these power conferences.
There are so many things we’ll learn over the coming months, but these are the storylines that we’re keeping our eye on when the 2025-26 season tips off on Monday.
ACC: Will the Freshmen Live Up to the Hype?
The freshmen class in the NCAA is loaded with exciting players, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the ACC.
It starts again with Duke, where Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel lived up to the hype last year. Unsurprisingly, the Blue Devils once again reloaded with a ton of talent in what is likely the best recruiting class in the country.
Cam Boozer, son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, is the focal point as one of the best freshmen in the country and a worthy successor to Flagg. His less-heralded twin, Cayden, is an excellent recruit in his own right and will get some minutes in the backcourt.
Nikolas Khamenia will likely start alongside Cam Boozer, and, for Duke to be a title contender again, that duo will have to gel quickly. As two of the most talented players in the country, that shouldn’t be a problem.
It’s not exactly news that Duke has a good class of freshmen. What makes this year interesting, though, is the amount of talent in the class at other schools in the ACC.
Mikel Brown Jr. is one of the biggest reasons Louisville is ranked in the top 15 to start the year. He should be one of the most watchable point guards in the country. It’s a huge challenge for a freshman to give a contending team its offensive identity, but Brown could be up to the task.
Caleb Wilson is the latest North Carolina recruit to have extraordinary expectations. The incredibly skilled forward and Derek Dixon give the Tar Heels an infusion of young talent. Both Syracuse (Sadiq White Jr. and Kiyan Anthony) and Miami (Shelton Henderson and Dante Allen) have a pair of elite recruits that will largely dictate how successful they are.
North Carolina State (Matt Able) and Notre Dame (Jalen Haralson) both have a key freshman who is pivotal to their conference success as well.
Georgia Tech is going to rely on several freshmen. The Yellow Jackets have 10 new players on their roster; six of those are freshmen. Mouhamed Sylla is clearly the most talented of the bunch. He’s a 6-foot-10 center with a ton of athleticism and upside as an elite defense anchor. Tech will need him to realize that upside quickly to compete.
The youngsters are the story in the ACC, and how quickly each of these players finds his footing could go a long way to determining the final conference standings.
Big East: Who Emerges From the Middle?
Two teams start the season as title contenders in the Big East in UConn and St. John’s. Creighton also starts the season in the AP Top 25.
After that? There is a lot of uncertainty. Providence and Marquette could both be good, but it’s not a guarantee. If either or both of them stumble, there will be a prime opportunity for one of the projected bottom dwellers to rise to the top half of the conference.
Could Villanova return to being a conference power? Could Xavier surprise in Richard Pitino’s first season?
Anything seems possible in the Big East. The infusion of young talent just isn’t there for most teams like it is in the ACC. There are only two top-40 recruits in the class of 2025 going to Big East schools, according to 24/7 Sports, and both will be at UConn.
ESPN’s recruiting class rankings have only three Big East schools included in the top 25: UConn at No. 5, Marquette at No. 16 and Butler at No. 25.
St. John’s focused on acquiring players through the transfer portal as it tries to keep pace with UConn at the top of the conference. The Red Storm are hoping Bryce Hopkins, the transfer from Providence who has played just 17 games combined the past two seasons, can put his injuries behind him.
They’ll likely get meaningful contributions from six talented transfers and returning star Zuby Ejiofor, which should make up for all the talent they lost.
But none of the other teams in the conference can boast nearly as much new talent as the two teams projected to be at the top.
It could be a down year in the Big East unless some surprises emerge.
Big 12: Is the Wooden Award Winner in the Conference?
No Big 12 player has won the Wooden Award since Frank Mason did so for Kansas in 2016-17, but it’s possible that changes this year.
We mentioned the excellent freshmen in the ACC, but the two best in the country just might be in the Big 12. Darryn Peterson (Kansas) is incredibly polished for a guard of his age. He’s a dynamic athlete and has size (6-foot-6 with a reported wingspan of 6-10). He can score from anywhere on the floor, has great vision and competes on defense.
Basically, Peterson is the whole package.
AJ Dybantsa (BYU) isn’t as proven a shooter as Peterson, but he’s a more traditional top prospect with his elite combination of size and athleticism. He’s great with the ball in his hands already and continued to show growth throughout his high school career. Undoubtedly, that will continue at BYU.
Texas Tech’s JT Toppin could have entered the 2025 NBA Draft, but he decided to return for his junior year. He averaged 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds last year and was a second-team All-American.
Don’t forget Milos Uzan, who will be running the show for one of the best teams in the country at Houston. If he can prove his improved shooting last year was legitimate and fill some of the scoring load left by LJ Cryer while still setting up his teammates, he could be in the mix as well.
There are great players all over the country, but the star power in the Big 12 is more impressive than it has been in recent years. Don’t be surprised if one of these players ends up crowned as the nation’s best.
Big Ten: Can Anyone Catch Purdue?
Purdue returns four starters from a team that went 24-12 last year and lost to Houston by just two points in the regional semifinals.
Among the returners is Braden Smith, who had the third-highest WAR in the country in 2024-25 and the most among players who returned to college.
The Boilermakers also grabbed transfer Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State), who was second in the country in rebounds per game last year with 12.3 while also averaging 17.6 points. Cluff will likely join four returners in the starting lineup. Antione West, Purdue’s top freshman recruit, will give them some scoring and dynamism off the bench.
All this adds up to a team that will be tough to beat, but the Big Ten is a talented conference filled with several quality teams.
The biggest threat could come from Michigan, a team that had to replace a lot of talent but was able to do so through the transfer portal. Yaxel Lendeborg was the big prize as the former UAB power forward was sought by many teams (and the NBA) before choosing Michigan. His two-way impact will be a catalyst for everything the Wolverines want to do this year.
Elliot Cadeu (North Carolina), Aday Mara (UCLA) and Morez Johnson (Illinois) all transferred in as well to join returners Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett, giving Michigan talent all over the floor. We’ll see how quickly they gel, but they should be a force by March.
Don’t forget Michigan’s in-state rival, either. Michigan State was picked to finish sixth in the conference in the media’s preseason poll, but Tom Izzo’s team won the regular season conference title last year and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that it happens again.
The Spartans did lose Jase Richardson to the NBA, along with Jaden Adkins and Tre Holloman, but Jeremy Fears Jr. returns to run the offense and Coen Carr returns to dunk over anybody who has the misfortune of standing in front of him. Combine that with great freshmen Cam Ward and Jordan Scott, and Michigan State is a team with a wide range of outcomes.
UCLA, Illinois and Oregon will all be heard from before the end of the year as well. Purdue is the rightful preseason No. 1, but there will be many worthy challengers for conference supremacy.
SEC: How Many National Title Contenders Emerge?
The only conference deeper than the Big Ten in 2024-25 was the SEC, and that might be true again this season.
Florida, the defending national champion, got some major transfers in Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton). Fland and returner Alex Condon both could’ve gone to the NBA but are instead playing for a loaded Gators team that has a chance to repeat.
Six teams from the SEC made the initial AP Poll and six more received at least one vote. That’s 75% of the league!
Kentucky is likely the biggest threat to Florida. Mark Pope impressed in his first season and now had a full year to bring in recruits. The key might be when the Wildcats get Jayden Quantance on the court. The lockdown defender from Arizona State will miss significant time recovering from a knee injury, but he could be back for conference play.
Like Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee all have elite recruiting classes. Alabama welcomes back sophomore Labaron Philon, who is ready to take over the offense from previous star Mark Sears. Auburn made the Final Four last year and has Tahaad Pettiford back to spearhead a talented trio of guards that also includes junior college transfer Abdul Bashir and UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall.
The SEC is loaded with teams with high ceilings. It could send two teams to the Final Four again this season.
For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
The post College Basketball Preview: One Big Question For Each Power Conference appeared first on Opta Analyst.
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