by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 20 programs for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Explore the leading programs below:
Macalester College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,136, compared with $22,713 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carleton College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $9,608 per participant, against $9,350 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public school based in Minneapolis, MN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 38% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $999,871 in revenue per athlete, against $976,491 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,174.
St Olaf College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,777, against $16,540 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Duluth is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. Located in Duluth, MN, University of Minnesota-Duluth is a public institution. Team revenue averages $48,711 per participant, against $48,711 in expenses. The school awards about $5,671 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school based in Winona, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,625, against $12,625 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,242, with expenses of about $6,242 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Winona State University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Winona, MN, Winona State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,819, with expenses of about $34,819 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,907 per athlete.
Martin Luther College placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $5,316 per participant, against $5,316 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Northwestern-St Paul did well this year, earning the #10 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,912, with expenses of about $4,612 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bemidji State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Bemidji, MN, Bemidji State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,309, against $33,309 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,153 per athlete.
Minnesota State University Moorhead did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Moorhead, MN, Minnesota State University Moorhead is a public institution. The program generates about $41,702 in revenue per athlete, against $39,959 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,722 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Crookston did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Crookston, MN, University of Minnesota-Crookston is a public institution. The program generates about $43,279 in revenue per athlete, compared with $43,279 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,101 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Cloud State University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Saint Cloud State University is a public school based in Saint Cloud, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,861, compared with $43,861 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,426.
University of Minnesota-Morris placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,915, with expenses of about $7,824 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central University placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN. Team revenue averages $7,110 per participant, against $7,110 in expenses. The school awards about $49 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamline University landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Hamline University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,346 per participant, with expenses of about $10,346 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Augsburg University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,218, against $14,218 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Mankato, MN, Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,210 per participant, with expenses of about $9,707 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southwest Minnesota State University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Marshall, MN, Southwest Minnesota State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,573, compared with $41,573 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,980.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.