Blog

To subscribe, click here

Sign up for our daily basketball newsletter here

Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large: 

Here’s how I’ve got the top four seeds for each region of the NCAA tournament as we enter the new year:

MIDWEST

➜ 1. Michigan (14-0)

➜ 2. Vanderbilt (14-0)

➜ 3. BYU (13-1)

➜ 4. Louisville (11-4)

The Commodores had an 11-game improvement last season in Mark Byington’s first as coach. Now they’re on pace for an even better 2025-26 campaign as one of the last unbeaten teams in the country. Oklahoma transfer Duke Miles has been a two-way difference maker in the backcourt averaging 17.1 points, 4.7 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.8 rebounds. 

WEST

➜ 1. Arizona (14-0)

➜ 2. Gonzaga (16-1)

➜ 3. Alabama (11-3)

➜ 4. Illinois (11-3)

The top five freshmen in the country, per Evan Miyakawa’s bayesian performance rating, includes a few expected names like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. Fifth behind those two — plus Houston’s Kingston Flemings and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson — is Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The Illini’s scoring and assist leader ranked 131st in Miyakawa’s preseason ranking of top freshmen.

EAST

➜ 1. Purdue (13-1)

➜ 2. Duke (14-1)

➜ 3. Houston (14-1)

➜ 4. Texas Tech (11-4)

Purdue’s 23-point home loss to Iowa State on Dec. 6 is still a head scratcher on the level of, “How the heck did that happen?” but the Boilermakers have been perfect — and barely challenged — since. Star guard Braden Smith isn’t scoring at the level he did a year ago, but his 9.6 assists per game is the high mark nationally and has him on pace to break Bobby Hurley’s NCAA career record.

SOUTH

➜ 1. Iowa State (14-0)

➜ 2. Connecticut (14-1)

➜ 3. Nebraska (15-0)

➜ 4. Michigan State (13-2)

Nebraska gets to claim the “Most surprising unbeaten team” title so far this season. The Cornhuskers might have fallen apart at the end of the regular season in 2024-25, but their 2025 College Basketball Crown title and unblemished first two months (and change) gives them an NCAA-best 19-game winning streak. A healthy Rienk Mast changes everything in Lincoln, Neb.