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As the 2026-27 college basketball season tips off, the courtrooms are as important as the hardwood. The NCAA’s new age-based “5-for-5” eligibility model five seasons of competition within five years, starting at enrollment or the academic year after a player’s 19th birthday—has created a messy divide. The rule took effect for the current season but deliberately left out most of the high school Class of 2022, who had already used four years under the old 4-in-5 framework. The

Kansas men’s basketball just added one of the more experienced and productive frontcourt pieces available in the entire transfer market, and they did it barely two weeks before the regular season tips off. On Monday, October 19, 2026, the Jayhawks announced that former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn had signed and enrolled. He had already been practicing with the team as of Sunday. The 6-foot-9, roughly 230-240 pound power forward from Sellersburg, Indiana, brings 147

Villanova and Notre Dame play on November 1 in Rome as part of the Eternal City Tip-Off. The men’s game tips at 9:30 a.m. ET on FOX at the Palazzo dello Sport. Both teams reloaded in the portal. Notre Dame added the Big South Player of the Year. Villanova brought in multiple double-digit scorers after losing two of its top creators. Notre Dame’s additions and losses Logan Duncomb transferred from Winthrop. Last season he was the Big South Player of the Year. He averaged 18.3

High Point finished 27th in KenPom offensive efficiency two seasons ago and 62nd last season. They made the NCAA Tournament both years. Flynn Clayman is back for his second season as head coach. The Panthers open against Liberty on November 1 in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. The tip is listed at 11:59 p.m. ET. Last season’s offense High Point scored 89.7 points per game and made 9.4 threes per game. They shot 48.8% from the field and averaged 16.4 assists. The adjust

Kevin Willard is in his second season at Villanova. The Wildcats went 24-9 last year, made the NCAA Tournament, and finished with a top-40 KenPom offense. Acaden Lewis transferred to Miami and Bryce Lindsay transferred to Indiana. Willard replaced that production with several transfers who averaged double figures elsewhere, plus the return of All-Big East guard Tyler Perkins. Tyler Perkins Perkins stayed. He was All-Big East and the Big East’s Most Improved Player last seaso

Niko Medved is in his second season at Minnesota. The Gophers were not a top-75 offense last year. Cade Tyson led them in scoring and has rejoined the program, though his eligibility is still pending. Medved also added a point guard he coached at Colorado State and a wing who played regular minutes at Villanova. Cade Tyson Tyson averaged 19.6 points per game last season after previous stops at Belmont and North Carolina. He rejoined Minnesota in September and is practicing w

New Mexico is not the first team that comes to mind when you are thinking about the current landscape of college basketball. However, there could be something special brewing in Albuquerque that is going to catch fans around the country off guard. Last season, they performed very well, especially when taking into account just how young their key contributors were. They ranked 67th in KenPom offense and 37th in defense. While they missed the NCAA Tournament, they did parti

Most of the first week is a buy game. These five are not. Rankings are ESPN’s way-too-early list. 1. No. 18 Miami vs. No. 1 Florida — Monday, Nov. 2 This is the real opener. ESPN has it as the tip of the season, the No. 1 team in the country against an ACC roster on night one. Florida is the defending standard. Miami is the first team that has to prove a November ranking is not a press release. Army at Duke is on the same slate. That one is a buy game. This one is not. 2. No

Texas Tech does not need a new roster to be a Big 12 contender. It needs Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell back in it. Both are pursuing another season in Lubbock. Williams already has a temporary injunction. Atwell is on the roster and working through the same process. If they play, the offense that finished 14th in KenPom gets its forward and its shooter back. That is the season. Darrion Williams Williams is the further along of the two. A McLennan County judge granted a

Mississippi State plays Florida State on Saturday, October 10, at the Pensacola Bay Center. Tip is 5 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. ET. It is an exhibition, the Southern Tip-Off, and the first meeting since 2015. Luke Loucks is in his second season at Florida State. Chris Jans is still in Starkville. Neither roster is the one that closed last season. Florida State finished 56th in KenPom offense, inside the top 75. Mississippi State finished outside the top 100 on both offense and defense.

Virginia hosts Richmond on Friday, October 9, at 7 p.m. ET at John Paul Jones Arena. It is an exhibition. It is also the same night as North Carolina–USC, and it is the better game if you care about who is actually returning. Ryan Odom is in his second season. Virginia brings back four of its top six scorers, including the freshman who led the team. The defense finished 17th in KenPom. The offense does not have to be rebuilt around a portal class. It has Thijs de Ridder. Thij

Ohio State plays Cincinnati on Wednesday, October 7, at 3 p.m. ET at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. It is an exhibition, outdoors, on the same court that hosts the Cincinnati Open. Xavier and Dayton follow at 5:30 p.m. If the weather turns, both games move to UD Arena. This is the best conference game of the week that is not North Carolina–USC. Big Ten against Big 12. Jake Diebler is in his third season. Jerrod Calhoun is in his first at Cincinnati. The Buckeyes

Villanova plays Rutgers on Sunday, October 11, at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. The Big Ten has the game at 1 p.m. ET. It is an exhibition. The two programs were Big East rivals from 1996 to 2013, before Rutgers left for the Big Ten. Kevin Willard is in his second season. Villanova went 24-9, made the NCAA Tournament as a real Big East team, and lost to Utah State in the round of 64. The offense was top-40 in KenPom. Acaden Lewis is now at Miami. Bryce Lindsay is at Ind

North Carolina plays USC on Friday, October 9, at 7 p.m. ET at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. It is an exhibition. The score will not count. It is still the only game this week with two power-conference rosters and a reason to watch the backcourt. Michael Malone is in his first season in Chapel Hill. Eric Musselman is on the other bench. Both spent years as NBA head coaches, Malone for 12 seasons, Musselman with the Warriors and the Kings. That is the sideline story.

No power-conference team is opening a new basketball arena in 2026-27. The buildings fans keep hearing about are renovations that slipped, practice facilities, or plans that died. The two new floors that actually tip off this season are a Horizon gym in Indianapolis and a 3,600-seat arena in Malibu. IU Indy — James T. Morris Arena This is the first new Division I home floor of the season. The Jaguars leave The Jungle, the IU Indy Gymnasium, after 44 seasons. James T. Morri

Most of this week’s exhibitions are buy games. These five are not. Each one has two Division I rosters, and each one answers a question the KenPom sheet cannot. USC vs. North Carolina — Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. ET, Greensboro This is the game. ACC Network, neutral floor, two power-conference rosters. North Carolina finished 32nd in KenPom offense last season and then turned the backcourt over. Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac are gone. Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, and Matt Abl

The spring portal is closed. The players who can still change a roster in October are not choosing a school. They are trying to get a fifth season the NCAA says they already used. In June, Division I adopted a five-seasons-in-five-years model. It starts with full-time enrollment or the year after a player turns 19, whichever comes first. The NCAA did not give that year to the high school class of 2022 if those players had already completed four seasons. That class sued. So

Washington, Penn State, and Minnesota each added a player who just spent a year in a better offense than the one he is walking into. LeJuan Watts came from Texas Tech, 14th in KenPom offense. Washington was already 61st. Brant Byers came from Miami Ohio, 70th by the end of the season. Penn State was 93rd. Kyan Evans came from North Carolina, 32nd. Minnesota was 101st. A scorer from another bad offense could change the box score. A scorer from a good one can change the rank

1. Kentucky Wildcats (2025-26 AdjO: #40 l AdjD: #28) Net Change: Better. Looking to replace NBA-caliber talent and build on their Round of 32 exit. Biggest Additions: Alex Wilkins (Furman transfer, 17.8 PPG, 2025-26 All-Southern, strong facilitator averaging 4.7 APG) Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State transfer, 10.9 PPG, 2025-26 All-Big 12, led all NCAA D-1 shooting 48.7% from three on 7.5 attempts per game) Zoom Diallo (Washington transfer, 15.7 PPG, well-rounded guard averagin