Nothing provides preseason motivation quite like a little disrespect.
The release of the USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball Coaches Poll has officially kicked off the hype cycle for the 2026-27 season. With the four-month journey toward March about to begin, we have an early look at which teams voters believe are capable of making a run to the Final Four in Detroit.
Here’s the problem: They won’t be right about everyone.
Several teams didn’t receive nearly enough preseason love. Armed with key returners, impact additions and plenty to prove, these overlooked squads shouldn’t stay overlooked for long. Before March arrives, some could go from preseason afterthoughts to undeniable
contenders.
Nebraska
Arguably the biggest omission in the preseason rankings are the Cornhuskers, who just missed out on starting the season ranked for the first time since 2014. Coming off the most successful season in program history, Fred Hoiberg’s team is well-positioned to match or possibly break through it. Pryce Sandfort is back as an all-Big Ten caliber player, and reigning conference Sixth player of the Year Braden Frager should have a big season with expanded minutes. There are some replacements needed but the Cornhuskers have a well-rounded roster. The preseason metrics support Nebraska being one of the top teams in the country, ranked No. 16 in KenPom, the only team within the top 20 of the ranking to not be featured in the preseason poll.
UCLA
A frequent enigma over the past few seasons, UCLA has done fairly well in the Big Ten with 13 conference wins in each of the past two seasons. This campaign is shaping up to be its best yet. The Bruins have three key pieces returning in Trent Perry, Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker, who really stepped up late last season. Jaylen Petty (Texas Tech) and Filip Jovic (Auburn) are the key transfers, but the real standout is Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old from Serbia that has drawn rave reviews as a potential top pick in the NBA Draft. If he lives up to expectations, he makes the Bruins even more dangerous with Mick Cronin’s best offensive team yet.
Villanova
Kevin Willard proved Villanova can be successful with 24 wins and a return to the NCAA Tournament in Year 1, putting it on an upward trajectory toward building off of it. It starts with Tyler Perkins commanding the court with a transfer-heavy roster proven to play efficient ball at the top level like Kwame Evans (Oregon). While Adam Oumiddoch is the only notable high school recruit, there have been rave reviews of Luigi Suigo, a 7-3-inch freshman from Italy who can be a disruptor. Once again, outside of Connecticut and St. John’s, the Big East is pretty wide open, and Villanova is in the best position to be within that top three, and perhaps challenge for the conference crown.
Saint Louis
No Power conference team was able to lure Josh Schertz away from Saint Louis, so he gets another chance to build up one of the best mid-major teams in the country. There's a lot of uncertainty if Robbie Avila will get an extra year depending on court ruling, and while his addition would instantly thrust the Billikens into a major contender, the team is already stacked enough to make plenty of noise. It's an experienced group, which includes three starters led by all-conference players Amari McCottry and Kellen Thames. The schedule has some challenges but don't be surprised if Saint Louis picks up quality wins out of the gate to boost that resume.
Utah State
The turnover continues at Utah State, but the Aggies remain another team primed to be dancing in March. Ben Jacobson arrives with a mostly different roster, but he inherited a gift by keeping Mountain West player of the year Mason Falslev at Utah State. Joining him are strong veterans in Dallin Hall (Virginia) to run the offense and former Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the year Connor Turnbull (Evansville) looking for a bounce back campaign. The new Pac-12 is going to be one of the best basketball conferences in the country, and the Aggies have a realistic shot to win the title and compete against Gonzaga.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball poll snubs: 5 teams getting way too little preseason respect
