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2023 Top Men's D1 Basketball Schools

324 Colleges
$47,921 Avg Tuition & Fees*
71% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Men's Division I Basketball BadgeWith all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division I Men's Basketball ranking is part of that endeavor.

Our analysis looked at 324 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for D1 Men's Basketball athletes. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D1 Men's Basketball athletes

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Duke is a private not-for-profit institution located in Durham, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,312 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Duke took home $45,108,538 in revenue and paid out $28,019,888 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $17,088,650. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 958. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Duke not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #2 on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Duke University

2
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

A rank of #2 on our list means Northwestern University is a great place for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,688 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Northwestern took home $12,188,897 in revenue and paid out $9,951,517 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $2,237,380. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. In addition to its great ranking here, Northwestern is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Northwestern University Sports Report

3
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$22,667,255 Team Revenue
994 Academic Progress Rate

A rank of #3 on our list means University of Kentucky is a great place for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the large public school handed out 5,449 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at UK brought home $22,667,255 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 994. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Full University of Kentucky Sports Report

4
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Top 15% in Quality in the United States
$17,126,971 Team Revenue
984 Academic Progress Rate

A rank of #4 on our list means University of Kansas is a great place for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,493 students in . The team at KU took home $17,126,971 in revenue and paid out $15,508,894 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $1,618,077 for the sports team. The great academic progress rate of 984 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. On top of its placing in this ranking, KU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Full University of Kansas Sports Report

5
UofL crest
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$21,853,488 Team Revenue
994 Academic Progress Rate

A rank of #5 on our list means University of Louisville is a great place for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. UofL is a public institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,008 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at UofL brought home $21,853,488 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 994. Read More…

6
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$20,513,366 Team Revenue
1000 Academic Progress Rate

Villanova University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #6. Villanova University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Villanova, Pennsylvania that handed out 2,165 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Villanova made $20,513,366 in revenue, while incurring $18,715,756 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $1,797,610, which isn’t bad at all. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Villanova excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Villanova University Sports Report

7
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,440 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Vanderbilt made $13,587,388 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 989. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Vanderbilt also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on Vanderbilt University

8
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$8,143,677 Team Revenue
975 Academic Progress Rate

Southern Methodist University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. SMU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,091 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at SMU took home $8,143,677 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 975. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. In addition to its great ranking here, SMU is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Southern Methodist University Sports Report

9
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$31,965,031 Team Revenue
971 Academic Progress Rate

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 6,451 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. UNC Chapel Hill brought in $31,965,031 while tallying up $12,445,368 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Thus, the team actually made $19,519,663, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 971. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$23,287,417 Team Revenue
980 Academic Progress Rate

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #10. This large public school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 8,003 bachelor’s degrees in . University of Arizona brought in $23,287,417 while tallying up $12,202,647 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Thus, the team actually made $11,084,770, which isn’t bad at all. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 980. Read More…

11
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$9,978,355 Team Revenue
$57,194 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #11, University of Miami did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. University of Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Coral Gables, Florida that handed out 3,419 bachelor’s degrees in . U Miami brought in $9,978,355 while tallying up $9,936,656 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $41,699 for the sports team. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, U Miami is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

12
Baylor crest
Baylor University
Waco, Texas
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$13,308,914 Team Revenue
972 Academic Progress Rate

Baylor University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Waco, Texas, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,698 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Baylor made $13,308,914 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 972. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Baylor is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Baylor University

13
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$17,060,871 Team Revenue
990 Academic Progress Rate

Gonzaga University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit institution located in Spokane, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,289 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Gonzaga made $17,060,871 in revenue, while incurring $11,969,382 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $5,091,489 for the sports team. The great academic progress rate of 990 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Gonzaga also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read More…

14
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$12,891,320 Team Revenue
945 Academic Progress Rate

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9,851 bachelor’s degrees in . UCLA brought in $12,891,320 while tallying up $11,934,794 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Thus, the team actually made $956,526, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 945. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UCLA excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of California - Los Angeles Sports Report

15
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$34,157,191 Team Revenue
970 Academic Progress Rate

Syracuse University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Syracuse, New York, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,205 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Syracuse made $34,157,191 in revenue, while incurring $14,822,271 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $19,334,920, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 970. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Syracuse excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Syracuse University

16
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$12,687,631 Team Revenue
968 Academic Progress Rate

University of Florida came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 10,063 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. UF brought in $12,687,631 while tallying up $8,415,740 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $4,271,891 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 968. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. UF also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on University of Florida

17
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$21,141,253 Team Revenue
$57,273 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 8,969 students in . U-M brought in $21,141,253 while tallying up $10,733,046 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Thus, the team actually made $10,408,207, which isn’t bad at all. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. U-M excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

18
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. University of Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Notre Dame, Indiana that handed out 2,829 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Notre Dame took home $10,817,411 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 989, signifying that team members care about their grades. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Notre Dame also is in the top 1% of our overall quality ranking. Full University of Notre Dame Sports Report

19
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$18,911,360 Team Revenue
$28,794 Avg Tuition & Fees

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #19. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 8,676 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Purdue made $18,911,360 in revenue, while incurring $8,821,891 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $10,089,469, which isn’t bad at all. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Purdue is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

20
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$15,279,071 Team Revenue
990 Academic Progress Rate

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school handed out 9,741 bachelor’s degrees in . The D1 Men’s Basketball team at UW - Madison made $15,279,071 in revenue, while incurring $8,828,295 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $6,450,776 in profit. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

21
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$7,241,439 Team Revenue
967 Academic Progress Rate

University of Southern California came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,642 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at USC took home $7,241,439 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 967. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. USC also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. Read More…

22
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rice University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #22. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,235 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Rice took home $3,507,525 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 959. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Rice excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Rice University Sports Report

23
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$10,061,485 Team Revenue
959 Academic Progress Rate

Wake Forest University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #23. Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,546 students in . Wake Forest University brought in $10,061,485 while tallying up $9,962,597 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $98,888 for the sports team. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 959. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Wake Forest University is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Wake Forest University

24
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$26,270,974 Team Revenue
995 Academic Progress Rate

Michigan State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 9,247 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Michigan State made $26,270,974 in revenue, while incurring $16,652,793 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $9,618,181. The great academic progress rate of 995 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. Michigan State also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on Michigan State University

25
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$16,987,326 Team Revenue
920 Academic Progress Rate

Florida State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. This large public school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 9,550 bachelor’s degrees in . Florida State brought in $16,987,326 while tallying up $11,104,464 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $5,882,862. The academic progress rate of the team is 920. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Florida State also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on Florida State University

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for D1 Men's Basketball athletes

Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
University of Virginia Crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
27
28
29
30
Creighton Crest
Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska
31
URichmond Crest
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia
32
33
Bucknell Crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
34
UO Crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
35
IU Bloomington Crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
36
UVM Crest
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
37
TCU Crest
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, Texas
38
Marquette Crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
39
40
41
U of U Crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
42
Seton Hall Crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, New Jersey
43
44
Belmont Crest
Belmont University
Nashville, Tennessee
45
Virginia Tech Crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
46
UARK Crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
47
Clemson Crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
48
Furman Crest
Furman University
Greenville, South Carolina
49
Providence Crest
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island

Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking:

Rank College Links
50 Elon University
Elon, NC
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51 Iowa State University
Ames, IA
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52 Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
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53 Stanford University
Stanford, CA
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54 University of Dayton
Dayton, OH
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55 University of Georgia
Athens, GA
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56 University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
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57 University of Denver
Denver, CO
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58 University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT
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59 Auburn University
Auburn, AL
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60 George Washington University
Washington, DC
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60 Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
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62 Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA
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62 Butler University
Indianapolis, IN
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64 Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH
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65 The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL
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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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