College basketball 2026-27 preview starts with Rome tipoff and 76-team bracket
CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter mapped the season’s biggest plots, from Michigan’s reboot to SEC spending and NCAA eligibility uncertainty.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
4 min read
The college basketball 2026-27 preview clock is already ticking: CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter reports the men’s season is scheduled to open in 101 days with Notre Dame facing Villanova in Rome at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Trotter’s wide-angle look at the coming season points to a sport with a new bracket, new coaching swings at blue-blood programs, major conference reshuffling and a few eligibility questions still hanging over rosters in late July.
When does the 2026-27 college basketball season start?
According to CBS Sports, the season begins with Notre Dame and Villanova playing in Rome at 9:30 a.m. ET. The matchup gives the sport a breakfast-time opener in the United States and an international stage right away.
The postseason will look different, too. Trotter reports the 2027 NCAA Tournament will include 76 teams, expanding the field again and changing the path to March.
Michigan tries to defend a title without Dusty May
Michigan enters the season as a champion with a very different operation. CBS Sports reports Dusty May left for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks after leading the Wolverines to the title, while Michigan also must replace several key players and staff members.
Top assistant Mike Boynton received a two-year deal, according to Trotter, and Michigan retained its roster except injured sixth man LJ Cason, who transferred to Miami. The Wolverines’ returning and incoming core includes Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, five-star guard Brandon McCoy, Tennessee transfer JP Estrella and Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam.
Trotter also notes how rare May’s exit is: the comparison cited is Larry Brown leaving Kansas for the San Antonio Spurs after winning the 1988 national championship.
UNC, Kansas, Duke and Kentucky face pressure points
North Carolina begins the Michael Malone era after CBS Sports says the school could not land Dusty May or Tommy Lloyd. Malone, a former NBA Finals champion coach, has recruited both overseas and domestically, but Trotter describes the first UNC roster as thin up front, with questions around 7-footer Sayon Keita’s arrival in Chapel Hill.
Kansas will draw attention because of Bill Self’s future. Trotter reports Self, 63, had multiple health scares, including hospitalization with AFib before missing a game against Colorado last season, and considered retirement this spring before returning.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer is coming off two painful late-game tournament exits noted by CBS Sports, against Houston in the 2025 Final Four and UConn in last season’s Elite Eight, despite winning 42 of his last 44 games against ACC opponents.
At Kentucky, Trotter frames 2026-27 as a key year for Mark Pope. CBS Sports lists Kentucky at 29-26 against high-major teams under Pope, while the roster now includes Milan Momcilovic, Kam Williams, Alex Wilkins, Malachi Moreno and Zoom Diallo.
SEC strength and realignment take center stage
The SEC could again be the sport’s heavyweight league. Trotter says 11 of its 16 rosters can be argued as Top 25-caliber, with Florida, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia and Auburn all mentioned as teams with notable roster cases.
Money is a central part of that surge, according to CBS Sports, with even the lower-spending SEC programs near $8 million for roster building and the richest programs near or above $20 million. Trotter reports the league retained 10 of its top 30 scorers and added 11 top-30 scorers from the other four high-major leagues.
The Mountain West, meanwhile, has been reshaped. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State are headed to a new-look Pac-12, while Hawaii, UC Davis and UTEP are set to join the Mountain West.
Who can still play in 2026-27?
Eligibility remains unsettled for some players, according to Trotter, who cites uncertainty around the NCAA’s 5-in-5 model. He writes that the issue could affect teams such as Gonzaga, Texas Tech and LSU, while also changing outlooks for Cincinnati with MJ Collins, Xavier with Filip Borovicanin and Minnesota with Cade Tyson.
Among new coaches, CBS Sports highlights Jerrod Calhoun at Cincinnati, Luke Murray at Boston College, Randy Bennett at Arizona State, Justin Joyner at Oregon State, Bryan Hodgson at Providence, Gerry McNamara at Syracuse, Casey Alexander at Kansas State, Alan Huss at Creighton and Will Wade at LSU as early storylines to watch.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.