Countdown to Men’s College Basketball: 100 Things to Know About the 2026 Season

Key Points:

• The 2026–27 college basketball season tips off in 100 days, marked by significant offseason activity including coaching changes, key transfers, and international and high school additions shaping team rosters.
• Major coaching shifts include Dusty May leaving to coach the Dallas Mavericks, Michael Malone replacing Hubert Davis at North Carolina, and several notable homecomings such as Will Wade returning to LSU and Gerry McNamara to Syracuse.
• Top players returning include Florida's Thomas Haugh, Illinois' core group led by David Mirkovic, and Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr., while teams like Indiana, Miami, Texas, and Tennessee made significant gains in the transfer portal.
• International talent influx includes experienced pros like Quinn Ellis and Noam Yaacov, as well as young phenoms like Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Nikola Kusturica, expected to impact college programs immediately.
• Early season games to watch feature Villanova vs. Notre Dame in Rome, Michigan vs. UConn rematch, and key matchups involving Gonzaga, UCLA, Texas, and Louisville; predictions highlight potential coaching retirements, Big East resurgence, and UConn as an early national title favorite.