2026 Best Colleges for Men’s Basketball (Division I) in Mississippi
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 6 schools for Men’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual scores each program on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data.
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Top 6 Colleges for Men’s Basketball (Division I)
Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is University of Mississippi, our #1 college for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in University, MS, University of Mississippi is a public institution. University of Mississippi records an NCAA APR of 982, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,139,274, with expenses of about $1,139,274 per participant. The school awards about $22,457 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mississippi State University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division I), at #2. Located in Mississippi State, MS, Mississippi State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 951, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 31% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $678,922 per participant, against $678,922 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,143 per athlete.
University of Southern Mississippi landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Hattiesburg, MS, University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 958, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. Team revenue averages $149,585 per participant, compared with $149,585 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,309.
Alcorn State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Alcorn State, MS. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 965, alongside a GSR of 59%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $106,672, with expenses of about $106,672 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,599 per athlete.
Jackson State University landed the #5 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Jackson, MS, Jackson State University is a public institution. Jackson State University records an NCAA APR of 957, and a 77% Graduation Success Rate. About 0% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $55,066 in revenue per athlete, against $55,066 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,647.
Mississippi Valley State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Mississippi Valley State University is a public school based in Itta Bena, MS. Mississippi Valley State University records an NCAA APR of 884, with a Graduation Success Rate of 44%. About 17% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $55,215 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,851 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,569 per athlete.
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Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.