by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 23 programs for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluates each program using 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. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Marquette University to be the best college for Men's Basketball in Wisconsin. This private not-for-profit school is set in Milwaukee, WI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,286,716, compared with $1,002,674 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,770 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in La Crosse, WI, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,788, compared with $25,289 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire earned the #3 place for student athletes. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public school based in Eau Claire, WI. The program generates about $16,701 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,396 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lawrence University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Appleton, WI. Team revenue averages $9,435 per participant, against $9,435 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Team revenue averages $1,168,781 per participant, compared with $733,184 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Milwaukee School of Engineering placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,752 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,752 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Milwaukee, WI, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. About 13% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $159,975, with expenses of about $159,975 per participant. The school awards about $10,273 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Platteville, WI, University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,665, with expenses of about $26,014 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Whitewater, WI, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,688, compared with $15,458 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay did well this year, earning the #10 position. This public school is set in Green Bay, WI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 955, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 33% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $139,987 in revenue per athlete, against $139,987 in expenses. The school awards about $9,741 in athletic aid per athlete.
Beloit College landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Beloit, WI, Beloit College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,880 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,880 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wisconsin Lutheran College did well this year, earning the #12 position. Wisconsin Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit school based in Milwaukee, WI. Team revenue averages $13,576 per participant, compared with $10,723 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Maranatha Baptist University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Watertown, WI, Maranatha Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,253, with expenses of about $2,692 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Concordia University-Wisconsin ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Mequon, WI, Concordia University-Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,303, against $6,176 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Oshkosh, WI, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is a public institution. The program generates about $17,853 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,433 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-River Falls did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in River Falls, WI, University of Wisconsin-River Falls is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,090, against $9,090 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Stevens Point, WI. Team revenue averages $16,584 per participant, against $16,723 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside landed the #18 spot this year. This public school is set in Kenosha, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,225, compared with $29,225 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,060.
Carthage College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Kenosha, WI, Carthage College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,602, with expenses of about $6,028 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Stout landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Menomonie, WI, University of Wisconsin-Stout is a public institution. The program generates about $14,953 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,670 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ripon College placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Ripon College is a private not-for-profit school based in Ripon, WI. The program generates about $5,070 in revenue per athlete, against $4,674 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lakeland University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Plymouth, WI, Lakeland University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,939 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,457 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $41 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Superior landed the #23 spot this year. Located in Superior, WI, University of Wisconsin-Superior is a public institution. The program generates about $10,751 in revenue per athlete, against $10,751 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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
See our data sources and methodologies.