College Basketball Final Four tiers: Ranking the preseason Top 25 by their chances to reach final weekend

The preseason AP Top 25 poll was released on Monday, with the top of the rankings featuring very few surprises. As expected, Florida, Duke, Illinois and UConn occupied the top four spots in the poll. Those four represent the teams with the best odds to win the 2027 national title.

Outside of that, the rankings will surely fluctuate throughout the season. The main reason? Because at least a dozen of the teams ranked in the preseason poll have one or more players fighting for a fifth year of eligibility in the courts. In the case of Kansas, former Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn is seeking a sixth year of eligibility to play for the Jayhawks In 2026-27.

Kansas, ranked No. 17 in the preseason poll, is also hoping that Tre White and Melvin Coucil Jr. will be eligible.

If those three players are cleared, it makes Kansas a clear-cut top 10 team. The same can be said about Texas Tech, ranked No. 19 in the first poll of the season. The Red Raiders are hoping Donovan Atwell, Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell will be granted a fifth year. If those three players are ruled eligible, Texas Tech is the team that…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/