by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 20 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Washington University in St Louis tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $34,160 per participant, against $32,475 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Missouri State University-Springfield is a public school based in Springfield, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $220,704, compared with $220,704 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,364.
University of Missouri-Columbia came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Columbia, MO, University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution. University of Missouri-Columbia records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 73%. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,047,659, against $797,444 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,637 per athlete.
Rockhurst University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. Based in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,476, against $45,476 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,130.
Southeast Missouri State University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. This public school is set in Cape Girardeau, MO. Southeast Missouri State University records an NCAA APR of 985, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 0%. The program generates about $115,329 in revenue per athlete, against $115,329 in expenses. The school awards about $9,582 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lindenwood University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Charles, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 949, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $77,623, against $77,623 in expenses. The school awards about $13,722 in athletic aid per athlete.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $51,563 per participant, against $49,444 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,338 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Kansas City did well this year, earning the #8 position. This public school is set in Kansas City, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 944, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Team revenue averages $161,923 per participant, with expenses of about $161,923 per participant. The school awards about $13,225 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Louis University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. Saint Louis University records an NCAA APR of 940, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 29%. Team revenue averages $451,912 per participant, compared with $451,912 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drury University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Springfield, MO, Drury University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $51,026 per participant, compared with $51,026 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,859 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri University of Science and Technology placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Rolla, MO. Team revenue averages $38,685 per participant, compared with $38,685 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,772 in athletic aid per athlete.
Truman State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Kirksville, MO, Truman State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,983, with expenses of about $33,983 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,206 per athlete.
Northwest Missouri State University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Northwest Missouri State University is a public school based in Maryville, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,964, compared with $64,964 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,287.
William Jewell College landed the #14 spot this year. William Jewell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Liberty, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,180, compared with $31,455 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,219 per athlete.
University of Missouri-St Louis came in at #15 in this year's ranking. University of Missouri-St Louis is a public school based in Saint Louis, MO. Team revenue averages $44,972 per participant, compared with $46,697 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,395 per athlete.
Webster University placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Saint Louis, MO, Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,357 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,630 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Central Missouri landed the #17 spot this year. University of Central Missouri is a public school based in Warrensburg, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,055, compared with $61,055 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,385 per athlete.
Missouri Western State University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Saint Joseph, MO, Missouri Western State University is a public institution. The program generates about $60,931 in revenue per athlete, compared with $61,056 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,151 per athlete.
Southwest Baptist University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Bolivar, MO, Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,351, compared with $31,351 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,015 per athlete.
Missouri Southern State University landed the #20 spot this year. Missouri Southern State University is a public school based in Joplin, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,053, against $41,356 in expenses. The school awards about $5,261 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
