by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 22 programs for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual weighs 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:
Leading the list is The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, our #1 college for Men's Basketball. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public school based in Knoxville, TN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Team revenue averages $2,354,461 per participant, against $1,349,461 in expenses. The school awards about $29,054 in athletic aid per athlete.
Belmont University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #2. Belmont University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Belmont University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Team revenue averages $267,528 per participant, against $267,528 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,742 per athlete.
Vanderbilt University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #3. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 971, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $740,129, against $740,129 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $42,235 per athlete.
Lipscomb University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Lipscomb University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $184,720, compared with $184,720 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,176 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rhodes College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Memphis, TN, Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $21,038 per participant, with expenses of about $21,038 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Union University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Union University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, TN. Team revenue averages $52,277 per participant, with expenses of about $49,915 per participant. The school awards about $17,895 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middle Tennessee State University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Murfreesboro, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 13%. The program generates about $218,898 in revenue per athlete, compared with $218,898 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,110.
University of Memphis did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Memphis, TN, University of Memphis is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. Its federal graduation rate is 27%. The program generates about $581,256 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $581,256 per participant. The school awards about $16,106 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tennessee Technological University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Cookeville, TN, Tennessee Technological University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 967, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. The program generates about $101,577 in revenue per athlete, compared with $101,577 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,453.
Austin Peay State University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Clarksville, TN, Austin Peay State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 23%. Team revenue averages $172,719 per participant, compared with $172,719 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,483.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Chattanooga, TN, The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 14%. The program generates about $135,011 in revenue per athlete, against $135,011 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,025 per athlete.
Lee University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, TN. Team revenue averages $42,514 per participant, compared with $42,514 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,272.
Tennessee State University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Nashville, TN, Tennessee State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 960, alongside a GSR of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Team revenue averages $125,635 per participant, with expenses of about $125,635 per participant. The school awards about $13,651 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lincoln Memorial University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit school based in Harrogate, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $81,885, with expenses of about $81,842 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,449 per athlete.
Christian Brothers University landed the #15 spot this year. Christian Brothers University is a private not-for-profit school based in Memphis, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,045, compared with $33,038 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,833 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Martin did well this year, earning the #16 position. This public school is set in Martin, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 0%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $102,696, with expenses of about $102,601 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,021 per athlete.
Trevecca Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #17 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Nashville, TN. Team revenue averages $22,973 per participant, with expenses of about $22,973 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,766 per athlete.
East Tennessee State University placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Johnson City, TN, East Tennessee State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 955, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 0%. Team revenue averages $144,678 per participant, against $144,678 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,444.
Carson-Newman University landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Jefferson City, TN, Carson-Newman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $56,863 per participant, against $53,659 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,904 per athlete.
King University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bristol, TN. The program generates about $22,101 in revenue per athlete, against $19,304 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,932 per athlete.
Tusculum University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Tusculum University is a private not-for-profit school based in Greeneville, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,218, with expenses of about $21,799 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,457.
Lane College did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Jackson, TN, Lane College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,634 per participant, against $19,146 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,306.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.