Dribble Handoff: Michigan State, Maryland under College Basketball Teams is expected to go back in the 2025-26 season

Last year last year, North Carolina was preparing for the 2024-25 season with elevated expectations. The Tar Heels were the reigning ACC champions and came from a sweet 16 appearance – like a number 1 seed – and brought back the most important scorer RJ Davis. UNC registered at No. 9 in the AP Top 25 Preserval Season.

But it turned out that the Tar Heels were one of the largest pallers of college basketball. They hardly made the NCAA tournament like a no. 11 seed and were banned to the first four. Then they were run in the first round of Ole Miss to close a disappointing season that was far behind the expectations that was set during the previous season.

Maintaining success in college basketball has never been more difficult. Even relax for a second and you risk being overtaken by a starting program that has just nailed his transfer class (see Louisville in the ACC last season). You have to constantly re -arrange your own selection and at the same time explore the prospects, transfers and international talent in high school.

Inevitably, some teams will fall from the pace they established last season in the 2025-26 season, just as North Carolina did. Who will those teams be? Our CBS Sports College Basketball Experts make their choices in this week’s Dribble -Handoff.

Gonzaga won at least part of the West Coast conference title of the regular season every season from 2013 to 2023. But Saint Mary’s broke that streak in 2024 with an outright WCC championship and then added a last season when the Gaels ended up 29-6 in general, including 17-1 in the competition.

They were really a good team.

Randy Bennett deserves Hall of Fame consideration for what he has done in the past two decades at a school that, possibly, alone, he could not consistently make this relevant nationally. So I hesitate to bet against him. But the truth is that, from last season’s team, the Gaels four of their top five scorers lost – including the leading Scorer, Augustas Marciulionis. In total, the Gaels lost six of their top nine scorers.

That is a lot to replace.

Could Saint Mary still be good? Of course, if only because the Gaels are almost always good – evidence is four straight travels to the NCAA tournament. But after ending the 26th on Barttorvik.com last season, SMC is now in 55th place in the rankings of the same site, which suggests that the Gaels can go from winning successive WCC right championships to the missing of the 2026 NCAA tournament. – Gary Parrish

Maryland comes in almost a decade of his best season when the Terrapins reached the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016 and ended with 27 wins.

In the days prior to the NCAA tournament -Run van Maryland last spring, Chaos surrounded the program. The worst kept secret in sport was that coach Kevin Willard was planning to leave for the empty track at Villanova. Willard’s press conferences – especially those before and after the sweet 16 loss of Maryland for Florida – were some of the most unusual I have seen.

I liked what Maryland could do by picking BUZZ Williams away from Texas A&M. He is a proven winner and the program needed that after what happened to Willard, but the Terps will take a step back this season. It will be impossible to match the production that the Line -Up of Maryland had last season, which resulted in impressive figures. All five of those players have graduated, transferred or moved to the NBA.

From this schedule I am very intrigued to see what Indiana can do myyles rice. He had a fantastic first-year season with the state of Washington during the 2023-24 campaign. If he can return to that play level, the Maryland will help. Otherwise one step back must be on the table for this program. – Cameron Salerno

Clemson comes from a 27-win season of a program record, which included an 18-2 Mark in Acc Play. The Tigers earned a no. 5 seed for the NCAA tournament, but were driven by McNees in a first round heartache. Under all circumstances, reaching 27 wins would again be a challenge. But even going back to the big dance will be difficult for a program that loses all five players who have started more than 10 games. Only one rotation player (Dillon Hunter) is back, although he will not be the only known face.

Forward RJ Godfrey brings back to Clemson from Georgia after having spent his first two seasons with the Tigers and last year at Uga. He is part of a transfer distance of six men who must immediately gel and will pop to prevent Clemson from preventing a steep drop-off. Godfrey and ex-Utah Vooruit Jake Wahlin are the only transfers that come from schools with a high major. There will be considerable pressure on guards Jestin Porter (Middle Tennessee) and EFREM Johnson (UAB) to be productive and efficient. In the midst of the departure of all-accords Ian Schieffelin, the Tigers need a highly arranged Nevada Transfer Nick Davidson to achieve his invoicing as a top 50 transfer in the class.

Coach Brad Brownell starts his 16th season and has done a great job in the last eight years of changing the Tigers into one of the most consistent teams of the ACC. He has earned some leeway, and he might need it this year if the Tigers Press Reset after a fantastic two -year -old run. – David Cobb

Michigan State

When Jase Richardson with Michigan State Inkte, a one -off outcome was far from expectations. It is a problem in the first world that Richardson became the first round of Orlando Magic after he had transformed Michigan State into a real competition and one of the nicest seasons of Tom Izzo’s career. 30 victories? A Big Ten championship? A no. 2 seed and an elite eight appearance? Ooooooh, that’s the good stuff.

But Richardson’s departure opens the door for Michigan State to slide back to the rest of the peloton in 2025-26. College basketball can sometimes be cyclical and the state of Michigan has been hit with some unexpected vibrations this season. Writing was on the wall with the dynamic Richardson along the piece, but the abrupt decision of Tre Holloman to switch to NC State Stung.

Michigan State goes without demonstrably his best three guards from last season to 2025-26: Richardson, Holloman and the graduated Jaden Akins. Michigan State had the best defense in the Big ten, largely thanks to that trio of common on-ball defenders, especially Akins, who should have been included in the all-defensive team of the Big ten.

On paper, the defense of Michigan State has the bones to still be in common with Jeremy Fears Jr. Leading Lead Guards, Coen Carr out who drives out large wings and both Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper wait to put their will on the edge. But the depth There is no more from Plus Perimeter Defenders, and the violation of the State of Michigan seems to be destined to take a serious step back. Fear, Carr, Kohler and Cooper – 80% of the projected starting five of Michigan State all have serious shooting questions that do not disappear quickly. Izzo, a long opponent of the transfer -heavy culture, has quietly hired a staff who knows what it does in Portal Scouting. Samford Veteran Transfer Trey Fort will make some much needed perimeter-shot, but the valued Fau transfer Kaleb Glenn will miss the whole of 2025-26 with a horribly torn patellar injury. Another brutal development outside the season for MSU.

Make no mistake, Michigan State still has a high floor. The blanket 3-point defense goes nowhere. Cooper, Kohler, Carr and incoming first -year student Cam Ward should help the Spartans to keep smoking teams on the glass. Fear on his own is a fast-break machine that has to take a healthy step forward with a full, healthy low season. Defense, rebound and a turbo transition attack is a good recipe to be competent, and there are some real upward plays in Carr (future NBA player), Ward (who looks in a lab to play for Izzo) and second -year Kur Teng (baller).

But losing Richardson and losing Holloman and losing Glenn are three tough pills to swallow. I have Michigan State closer to a top-30 team, not a top eight team. – Isaac Trotter