With conference play upon us, it’s fair to start wondering which of the undefeated men’s college basketball teams might actually be able to stay that way.
Here are the six teams that have yet to log an L in 2025-2026, as well as some notable opponents that they have already taken care of and those still on the way, through Jan. 5.
Undefeated Teams
No. 1 Arizona, Big 12, 15-0
The No. 1 team in the poll, Arizona remains undefeated despite facing off against ranked opponents Florida, UConn and Alabama, and in four Quad 1 games total. The Wildcats’ next ranked opponent is BYU, on Jan. 26, but they have TCU, Arizona State, West Virginia and Cincinnati before then – all of them top-100 teams by NET ranking – and UCF, which ranks 35th in NET the toughest of the bunch.
No. 3 Iowa State, Big 12, 15-0
Iowa State beat Baylor to improve to 15-0. The Cyclones have No. 17 Kansas on the schedule in mid-January, but before then it faces Baylor and Oklahoma State, so the road to the Jayhawks isn’t easy, either.
No. 11 Vanderbilt, SEC, 15-0
Vanderbilt beat its first ranked opponent, in No. 13 Alabama to remain undefeated. The Commodores have also defeated UCF, which earned respect as the 25th ranked team in the latest AP Poll, and SMU (25th in NET) during the non-conference portion of the schedule. Vanderbilt plays Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky all throughout January.
No. 10 Nebraska, Big Ten, 15-0
Nebraska has now played in four Quad 1 matchups to this point, and has wins against Kansas State, Wisconsin and ranked Illinois. A narrow 58-56 win over No. 9 Michigan State on Friday night made a statement for the Cornhuskers, and following that up with a 72-69 effort against Ohio State kept them undefeated both in the Big Ten and overall.
No. 2 Michigan, Big Ten, 14-0
Michigan crushed No. 24 USC, 96-66, to improve to 13-0, then barely survived Penn State in conference action, in their first real scare of the season. The Wolverines have had the second-most difficult schedule in all of Division I men’s college basketball, which is to say that it has passed many tests already. Conference play against the likes of Wisconsin – up next on Saturday – Indiana, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan State and Purdue means that many more tests to still be passed,
Miami (OH), MAC, 16-0
Miami is in a curious spot. It hasn’t had a single Quad 1 matchup yet, but the RedHawks are also 6-0 on the road and have wins in the three Quad 2 games they have played. Miami won’t face a single ranked opponent all season, though, Akron and Bowling Green are both well-regarded by NET – Akron even more so than 65th-ranked Miami, as it’s 56th. Three of Miami’s 16 wins, by the way, are against Division II opponents, but it’s handled the Division I teams just fine, too.
Winless Teams
There are also teams without any wins to consider. Below, you will find updates on which schools have yet to pick up a dub in the 2025-2026 season, with notes made for those that have won a game, but only against Non-Division I competition.
Here are the 6 teams still looking for that first D-I W of the season.
Texas Southern, SWAC, 0-11 (2-0 against Division II)
The Citadel, SoCon, 0-12 (3-0 against Division II)
Rider, MAAC, 0-12 (1-0 against Division II)
North Florida, ASUN, 0-13 (2-0 against Division II)
Gardner-Web, Big South, 0-14 (2-1 against Division II)
Mississippi Valley, SWAC, 0-15 (1-0 against Division II)
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