2023 Top Men's D1 Basketball Schools
324
Colleges
$47,921
Avg Tuition & Fees*
71%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With 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:
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
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
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
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
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.
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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
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
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
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
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.
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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.
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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
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.
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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
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
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
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.
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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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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
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
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
