ESPN’s Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello ranked 80 teams’ March Madness potential heading into the 2025-26 Men’s Basketball season into 10 tiers. They put NC State in Tier IV: Can Win a Tournament Game. Here’s a breakdown of the 10 tiers.
Tier I: National championship favorites
Purdue Boilermakers
Florida Gators
Houston Cougars
UConn Huskies
Tier II: Final Four contenders
BYU Cougars
St. John’s Red Storm
Louisville Cardinals
Michigan Wolverines
Duke Blue Devils
Kentucky Wildcats
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Arkansas Razorbacks
Tier III: Second-weekend threats
Arizona Wildcats
Illinois Fighting Illini
UCLA Bruins
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Alabama Crimson Tide
Iowa State Cyclones
Auburn Tigers
Wisconsin Badgers
Tennessee Volunteers
Kansas Jayhawks
Creighton Bluejays
Michigan State Spartans
Tier IV: Can win a tournament game
North Carolina Tar Heels
NC State Wolfpack
Oregon Ducks
USC Trojans
San Diego State Aztecs
Ohio State Buckeyes
Texas Longhorns
Baylor Bears
Oklahoma Sooners
Missouri Tigers
Virginia Cavaliers
Iowa Hawkeyes
Cincinnati Bearcats
Ole Miss Rebels
Tier V: Dangerous bubble teams
Indiana Hoosiers
Texas A&M Aggies
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
SMU Mustangs
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Vanderbilt Commodores
Marquette Golden Eagles
Washington Huskies
Kansas State Wildcats
Georgia Bulldogs
VCU Rams
Boise State Broncos
Utah State Aggies
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Tier VI: Total rebuild = ¯_(u30c4)_/¯
Miami Hurricanes
Maryland Terrapins
Villanova Wildcats
Xavier Musketeers
West Virginia Mountaineers
Tier VII: Backward step looms?