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NCAA Men's Basketball 25 Hard: Champ Week

SM's Top 25 Rankings for the week of Monday, March 9th, 2026


Written by Sean Murawski // SM Sports 

Updated on Monday, March 9th, 2026 at 7:43 am

The last 25 Hard before the NCAA tournament is officially here. This will look pretty different from NCAA tournament projected seeding. While those take into account an entire season's body of work, this final 25 Hard edition reflects who's hot and who's not. The 25 teams in America who go into the tournament on the highest note are below. Of course, you don't have to be on this list to have a chance, and that's the beauty of it. 


Sean Murawski is a writer for his own personal sports website, smsports.net. He publishes weekly columns and rankings on men’s college basketball, as well as coverage columns for the MLB.

*Rankings refresh on Monday of every week during the season*

1. Duke Blue Devils (29-2)

ACC/--

Projected Tournament Seed Range: #1 Overall Seed

2. Arizona Wildcats (29-2)

Big 12/--

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 1 seed

3. Michigan Wolverines (29-2)

Big Ten/--

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 1 seed

4. Florida Gators (25-6)

SEC/--

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 1 seed

5. Houston Cougars (26-5)

Big 12/+2

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 2 seed

6. Iowa State Cyclones (24-6)

Big 12/--

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 2 seed/3 seed

7. Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-3)

West Coast/+3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 3 seed/4 seed

8. Virginia Cavaliers (27-4)

ACC/+3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 3 seed/4 seed


9. Michigan State Spartans (25-6)

Big Ten/-1

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 2 seed/3 seed

10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (26-5)

Big Ten/-1

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 2 seed/3 seed

11. Connecticut Huskies (27-4)

Big East/-6

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 2 seed

12. St. John's Red Storm (25-6)

Big East/+2

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 5 seed

13. North Carolina Tar Heels (24-7)

ACC/-1

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 5 seed

14. Illinois Fighting Illini (24-7)

Big Ten/+1

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 3 seed

15. Alabama Crimson Tide (24-7)

SEC/+3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 4 seed/5 seed

16. Miami (OH) RedHawks (31-0)

MAC/+3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 10 seed

17. Texas Tech Red Raiders (23-7)

Big 12/-4

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 4 seed/5 seed

18. Saint Mary's Gaels (27-4)

West Coast/+2

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 8 seed/9 seed

19. Purdue Boilermakers (23-8)

Big Ten/-3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 4 seed/5 seed

20. Kansas Jayhawks (22-9)

Big 12/-3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 4 seed

21. Arkansas Razorbacks (23-8)

SEC/+2

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 5 seed

22. Vanderbilt Commodores (24-7)

SEC/+3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 4 seed/5 seed

23. Wisconsin Badgers (22-9)

Big Ten/NEW

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 7 seed

24. Louisville Cardinals (22-9)

ACC/NEW

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 6 seed

25. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (24-7)

ACC/-3

Projected Tournament Seed Range: 9 seed

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