And then there were eight.
Five weeks into the college basketball season, with most of the nonconference slate already behind us, 357 of 365 Division-I teams have lost at least one game. That includes everybody from No. 5 UConn — the highest-ranked one-loss team in the country — to South Carolina State, Maine and Gardner Webb, the three remaining winless teams.
However, for eight teams, there’s still a zero in the loss column. For some of them, it could stay that way into 2026.
So, which of the remaining unbeatens inspires the most confidence? And when might each of them lose? Let’s rank all eight, starting with the juggernaut of the season so far:
1. Michigan (9-0)
Why the Wolverines are undefeated: Another day, another blowout. Kudos to Villanova on Tuesday for doing what none of San Diego State, Auburn or Gonzaga could during last month’s Players Era Festival: keep it within 30 against the Wolverines. Still, Michigan’s 89-61 win over the Wildcats on Tuesday was never close, with Dusty May’s team doubling Nova up for most of the first half and taking a 53-23 lead into the break.
After struggling with turnovers early in the season, Michigan has turned into a near-unstoppable force of late, throttling opponents with its combination of shooting and size. Between 7-foot-3 Aday Mara’s passing and rim protection, 6-9 Morez Johnson Jr.’s physicality and rebounding, and 6-9 Yaxel Lendeborg’s do-it-all excellence, there’s no better frontcourt in the nation — and quite possibly no better team.
GOT YAXEL’D!!! Yaxel Lendeborg THROW DOWN! @umichbball pic.twitter.com/Voer5xccmb
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 9, 2025
Michigan is favored to win every remaining game on its schedule, per KenPom’s projections, with a 54 percent chance of winning at Purdue in February constituting its worst single-game odds.
Contender rating: 10/10
First loss will come … at No. 9 Michigan State on Jan. 30
2. Iowa State (9-0)
Why the Cyclones are undefeated: They are one of just four teams — three of which appear on this list — with a top-10 adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ranking, per KenPom. The latter is no surprise, given coach T.J. Otzelberger’s defensive pedigree, but ISU’s offense has been one of the pleasant surprises of this season.
Iowa State currently leads all high-major teams (and is third in Division I) in 3-point shooting, canning 43.8 percent of its attempts. That was pivotal to the Cyclones going 3-0 at Players Era.
Still, more impressively, it was the win that maybe best defined this season: a 23-point beatdown of then-No. 1 Purdue at Mackey Arena on Saturday, tied for the worst home loss by any No. 1 team ever. Any team that can do that to Purdue, at Purdue, is the real deal.
Contender rating: 10/10
First loss will come … at No. 19 Kansas on Jan. 13
3. Duke (10-0)
Why the Blue Devils are undefeated: It feels like we say this every year about Duke, but the Blue Devils’ latest freshman sensation might be one of the program’s best yet. Following in Cooper Flagg’s footsteps was never going to be easy. Still, Cameron Boozer has somehow done it, emerging as the runaway Wooden Award favorite while carrying Duke on his massive shoulders. The 6-foot-9 forward is the only Duke freshman with multiple 35-point games in a season … and he did it before the calendar even hit December.
Duke’s complementary cast has been more hit or miss, but Caleb Foster, Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba II have still come through for the Blue Devils in every clutch situation so far. Entering Wednesday, courtesy of its four ranked wins over Kansas, Arkansas, Florida and Michigan State, coach Jon Scheyer’s team had the best strength of résumé in the nation, per EvanMiya.
Duke is favored to win every remaining game on its schedule but one, per KenPom — a game against one of the teams above, Michigan.
Contender rating: 10/10
First loss will come … at No. 11 Louisville on Jan. 6
Arizona’s win at UConn is one of the most impressive results of the nonconference season. (Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)
4. Arizona (8-0)
Why the Wildcats are undefeated: Coach Tommy Lloyd’s team is one of the longest in the country, and the Wildcats’ physicality is impossible not to notice on both ends of the floor. Offensively, led by star freshman Koa Peat, Arizona is dominant inside the arc, leading all high-major teams in percentage of points scored off 2-pointers (59.6 percent).
Defensively, good luck scoring against the Wildcats at the rim. Peat, Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas are key to Arizona’s top 20 2-point defense. The Wildcats force opponents to live or die by the 3. Beyond size, Arizona’s secret weapon is senior guard Jaden Bradley, who leads the nation in clutch scoring, per CBB Analytics, and whose play late carried the Wildcats past Florida, UCLA and UConn.
Contender rating: 10/10
First loss will come … vs. No. 12 Alabama (in Birmingham) on Saturday
5. Vanderbilt (9-0)
Why the Commodores are undefeated: Just like everyone expected, the last undefeated team in the SEC — and the conference’s highest-ranked squad on every major analytics site — is … Vanderbilt, which hasn’t won a regular-season conference title in more than three decades.
However, that could change this season, especially if coach Mark Byington’s second team in Nashville keeps up its stellar offensive success. The Commodores are second nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, and the closest thing college basketball has to a “League Pass” team.
Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner form one of the nation’s most underrated backcourts. They rarely turn the ball over while pouring in 34 points and 8.7 assists per game. Vandy’s yet to play a Top 25 team, but blowout wins over UCF, VCU, Saint Mary’s and SMU — plus an average margin of victory of 23.8 points per game (!) — couldn’t be more encouraging.
Also talked with @AdamFinkelstein about my favorite CBB team to watch this season, the Vanderbilt Commodores, with point guard Tyler Tanner, who I think might be so good he ends up being a rule-breaker for me in my aversion to small guards at some point in the NBA Draft process. pic.twitter.com/lSCeg2NSCT
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) December 9, 2025
Vanderbilt, like Michigan, is favored to win every remaining game on its schedule, per KenPom’s projections. Its regular-season finale at Tennessee (52 percent) constitutes its worst single-game odds.
Contender rating: 9/10
First loss will come … vs. No. 12 Alabama on Jan. 7
6. Nebraska (9-0)
Why the Cornhuskers are undefeated: Their 9-0 start is already the program’s best since 1977-78 (when it started 10-0, a feat this season’s team can tie if it wins its Big Ten opener against Wisconsin on Wednesday). Coach Fred Hoiberg’s team has yet to play a top-50 KenPom opponent. Still, high-major wins over Oklahoma, Kansas State and Creighton have Nebraska looking more like a potential NCAA Tournament team than most expected entering this season.
The Huskers’ success is centered around the 3-point line. Offensively, Nebraska bombards teams from deep, with the highest 3-point attempt rate — 51.9 percent of all shots, the ninth-highest in DI, per KenPom — of Hoiberg’s 12-year college coaching career.
However, defensively, the Huskers are aggressive on the perimeter, refusing to let teams shoot 3s; they allow the second-fewest 3s per game in DI. That strategy’s about to get tested at a much higher level. However, it’s worked so far, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it leads to the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons and, potentially, its first-ever tournament win.
Contender rating: 6/10
First loss will come … at No. 13 Illinois on Saturday
Oklahoma State has five players averaging in double figures, including Christian Coleman. (William Purnell / Imagn Images)
7. Oklahoma State (9-0)
Why the Cowboys are undefeated: If Nebraska was a tier drop from the first five teams listed, then Oklahoma State might be another. Still, the record’s still the record, and coach Steve Lutz’s team, in just his second season, has improved faster than almost anyone anticipated.
The Cowboys have only two wins of note thus far, over Texas A&M and Northwestern — neither of whom projects as an NCAA Tournament team — but their depth can still make life tough for opponents as they enter the gantlet of Big 12 play.
Lutz is currently playing seven players at least 20 minutes per game, but even more eye-opening is that 12 players see at least 10 minutes per game, a practically unheard of rotation at the high-major level. Of course, when you play as fast as Oklahoma State does — currently seventh nationally in adjusted tempo, per KenPom — you need to have depth. That track-meet style has worked so far, but we’ll see if it translates to the toughest conference in the country.
Contender rating: 3/10
First loss will come … at No. 16 Texas Tech on Jan. 3
8. Miami (Ohio) (8-0)
Why the Redhawks are undefeated: Miami’s toughest opponent thus far was probably its opener: Old Dominion, which is 3-7 and ranked 217th at KenPom. No disrespect to the Redhawks, but that kind of explains how coach Travis Steele’s team is without a loss.
However, Miami should compete to win the MAC this season, fueled by an offense that’s currently top 50 in 2-point and 3-point percentage.
If there’s anything Steele, the former Xavier coach, can bank on entering conference play, it’s his team’s consistency at the charity stripe. The Redhawks make 82 percent of their free throws, the second-best percentage in all of DI. Come conference tournament time, that should pay huge dividends.
Contender rating: 1/10
First loss will come … vs. Akron on Jan. 3