Assessing the unbeatens

Good morning! If you ignored college hoops yesterday due to the dearth of games, we’ve got you.

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1. Which unbeaten team will be the last one standing?

We’re six weeks into the 2025-26 season and there are eight unbeaten teams remaining. Five of them are in the Top 10 at KenPom, Torvik and EvanMiya, while the other three are mild surprises for their starts.

Will any of them make it to March without a loss? Here’s a breakdown.

Arizona

Record: 8-0
Next game: Saturday vs. Alabama (In Birmingham)
Toughest remaining matchup: Jan. 26 at BYU or Feb. 18 at Houston
Chance of unbeaten record: 0.1% (per KenPom)

The nation’s new No. 1 team already has a massive road win this season (at UConn), so winning Saturday vs. Bama isn’t impossible. After that, the Big 12 gauntlet awaits, which includes trips to TCU and BYU before this stretch starting on Feb. 9 — at Kansas, vs. Texas Tech, vs. BYU, at Houston, at Baylor, vs. Kansas, vs. Iowa State. Bruh.

Duke

Record: 10-0
Next game: Tonight vs. Lipscomb
Toughest remaining matchup: Feb. 21 vs. Michigan
Chance of unbeaten record: 0.9% (per KenPom)

Duke’s coming off back-to-back games where it closed strong and pulled off close wins over Florida and Michigan State. It has Texas Tech at MSG on Dec. 20, then travels to Louisville on Jan. 6. If it somehow wins both of those, North Carolina awaits on Feb. 7.

Iowa State

Record: 9-0
Next game: Thursday vs. Iowa
Toughest remaining matchup: March 2 at Arizona
Chance of unbeaten record: 1.9% (per KenPom)

An experienced, tough team with a hellacious defense and its most efficient offense under TJ Otzelberger? Sounds like a monster. The schedule also helped a bit as Iowa State doesn’t have to travel to Houston or Texas Tech this season. The Cyclones will enter 2026 without a loss, and should enter their Jan. 13 game at Kansas 17-0. They haven’t won in Lawrence since 2017. And if they win that, there’s a Feb. 21 trip to BYU that’ll be a tall order.

Miami (Ohio)

Record: 8-0
Next game: Wednesday at UNC Asheville
Toughest remaining matchup: Jan. 3 vs. Akron
Chance of unbeaten record: 0.01% (Per KenPom)

The RedHawks have played two non-D-I opponents and four teams ranked 300+ at KenPom. We’ll see how they fare tomorrow at Asheville. After that, they’ll be underdogs vs. Wright State (Dec. 16) and Bowling Green (Dec. 30) before the Zips come to town. John Groce’s not going to let his brother off easy, will he?

Michigan

Record: 8-0
Next game: Tonight vs. Villanova
Toughest remaining matchup: Feb. 17 at Purdue
Chance of unbeaten record: 1.9% (per KenPom)

The Wolverines boast the nation’s most efficient defense and have already crushed the likes of Auburn and Gonzaga. They’ll be double-digit favorites in their next 12 games, but even if they win at Michigan State on Jan. 30, they still have remaining games at Purdue, vs. Duke in DC and at Illinois.

Nebraska

Record: 9-0
Next game: Wednesday vs. Wisconsin
Toughest remaining matchup: Saturday at Illinois or Jan. 27 at Michigan
Chance of unbeaten record: 0.0% (Per KenPom)

The Huskers have won 13 straight games dating back to last season, the longest active D-I streak. The odds of it extending past this week are slim. And the first 10 days of January? Jan. 2 vs. Michigan State, Jan. 5 at Ohio State, Jan. 10 at Indiana. Nebraska’s an NCAA Tournament caliber team, but it’s not extending that win streak past 20.

Oklahoma State

Record: 9-0
Next game: Saturday at Oklahoma
Toughest remaining matchup: Jan. 10 at Iowa State or Feb. 7 at Arizona
Chance of unbeaten record: 0.0% (Per KenPom)

The Cowboys are fun. They push the pace, they score, and they’re deep. It’d be nice if leading scorer Vyctorius Miller was healthy for Saturday because then they’d likely enter 2026 without a loss. That’s a nice bit of attention for Steve Lutz’s program when it travels to Texas Tech on Jan. 3.

Vanderbilt

Record: 9-0
Next game: Saturday vs. Central Arkansas
Toughest remaining matchup: March 7 at Tennessee
Chance of unbeaten record: 0.2% (Per KenPom)

Vandy’s been awesome this season, topping 100 points four times, and ranking second in adjusted offensive efficiency (126.6 points per 100 possessions). They shoot, they pass, and they don’t commit turnovers. That’ll win a lot of games. Know what else helps? An SEC slate that’s not as imposing as last season. If the ‘Dores beat Memphis (Dec. 17) and Wake (Dec. 21), they’ll not only enter SEC play as the favorites, but also don’t have to play at Florida or Bama. Jan. 20 at Arkansas, Feb. 10 at Auburn and Feb. 28 at Kentucky are the big checkpoints before March.

Michigan’s the best bet to be the last one standing, but it’ll be interesting to see how Iowa State faces in Lawrence. Get that win, and Iowa State’s not losing until late Feb.

2. Haggerty, K-State cruise + more Monday results

Of the six games between D-I schools on Monday (Kennesaw State beat Southern Wesleyan by 55), there were no upsets. So I’m including all six games below, starting with the player who had the biggest night of the bunch: PJ Haggerty.

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