Hoops HQ moved Duke to preseason No. 1 in its updated 2026-27 men's ncaa basketball rankings after another week of Portal Madness changed the shape of the field. The latest Never-Too-Early Top 25 also showed Michigan and Michigan State making major roster swings as the offseason picture came into focus.
For Duke, the rise to the top comes with real roster weight behind it. John Blackwell passed on a chance to be a potential first-round draft pick and returned, while Caleb Foster and Dame Sarr said they are coming back as well. Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, though, announced for the draft, leaving Duke with both important continuity and notable departures.
The rankings are not a game recap. They are a snapshot of projected rosters, and this one reflects how much can change in a week. Hoops HQ said players in bold indicate those whose status changed since the previous update, a reminder that this stage of the calendar is less about certainty than about which teams are best positioned once the 2026-27 season arrives.
Michigan was one of the biggest movers in the update. The Wolverines added Moustapha Thiam, J.P. Estrella and Jalen Reed, giving them more size and experience in the frontcourt. Thiam, a 7-foot-2 junior center from Senegal, averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks for Cincinnati. Reed, a 6-foot-10 senior forward, saw limited action over the last two seasons because of ACL and Achilles injuries. Michigan is also a finalist with Tennessee and North Carolina for Wake Forest guard Juke Harris.
That work came with turnover, too. Michigan kept Elliot Cadeau, L.J. Cason and Trey McKenney, but lost Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, Roddy Gayle, Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter. The balance of additions and exits is exactly what makes these early rankings volatile. A week can change the scale of a contender.
Michigan State also made a notable addition, landing Anton Bonke from Charlotte. Bonke, a 7-foot-2 junior center from Vanuatu, averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season. The Spartans retained Jeremy Fears, Kur Teng, Coen Carr, Cam Ward, Jordan Scott, Jesse McCulloch and Kaleb Glenn, and if Fears comes back after entering the NBA Draft, he could be the best point guard in the country. That possibility alone gives Michigan State one of the sharper upside cases in the new rankings.
For now, Duke sits where everyone else is trying to get, and the rest of the top tier is still being built around portal movement, draft decisions and late offseason choices. The next ranking will tell whether this is the start of separation or just the latest week in a race that is still changing by the day.