by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 10 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than University of Mississippi this year for Men's Basketball. Based in University, MS, University of Mississippi is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,139,274 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,139,274 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,457.
Mississippi State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Mississippi State, MS, Mississippi State University is a public institution. Mississippi State University records an NCAA APR of 951, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 31%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $678,922, compared with $678,922 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,143.
University of Southern Mississippi is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #3. Based in Hattiesburg, MS, University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 958, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $149,585, against $149,585 in expenses. The school awards about $13,309 in athletic aid per athlete.
Millsaps College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Jackson, MS, Millsaps College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,928 per participant, compared with $8,928 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Alcorn State University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. This public school is set in Alcorn State, MS. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 965, and a 59% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $106,672, against $106,672 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,599 per athlete.
Belhaven University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Jackson, MS, Belhaven University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,552 per participant, compared with $9,552 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Jackson State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Jackson, MS, Jackson State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 957, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. About 0% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $55,066 in revenue per athlete, against $55,066 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,647 per athlete.
Delta State University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This public school is set in Cleveland, MS. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,696, compared with $20,696 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,421.
Mississippi University for Women ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Columbus, MS, Mississippi University for Women is a public institution. Team revenue averages $14,338 per participant, compared with $11,760 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Mississippi Valley State University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Itta Bena, MS, Mississippi Valley State University is a public institution. Mississippi Valley State University records an NCAA APR of 884, with a Graduation Success Rate of 44%. The federal graduation rate stands at 17%. Team revenue averages $55,215 per participant, against $39,851 in expenses. The school awards about $4,569 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.