2026-27 college basketball predictions: National title odds, conference winners, sleeper picks

Duke and Florida enter the 2026-27 season as the favorites to win the 2027 national title The 2026-27 college basketball season begins Sunday in Rome, Italy, when Notre Dame faces Villanova. The fun continues into Monday with a handful of marquee matchups on the slate, including No. 14 Miami facing No. 1 Florida in Tampa and No. 5 Arizona clashing with old Pac-12 foe No. 22 UCLA in Las Vegas. Between now and the national championship game in Detroit this spring, there will be plenty of drama and storylines to ponder. Will Florida win its second title in three years with a majority of the core returning? How does reigning national champion Michigan look in the post-Dusty May era?

Is this the year Jon Scheyer gets over the hump and wins a national title at his alma mater? Is this Bill Self's final season at Kansas? Here is what we do know: Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. is the CBS Sports preseason Player of the Year, while Kansas' Tyran Stokes — the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft — is our preseason Freshman of the Year. Those players headlined CBS Sports' 2026-27 preseason All-American teams, which are full of returning talent. With the season on the horizon, here is a quick guide to the 2026-27 college basketball