Top five studs and duds so far this season in men’s college basketball

The 2025-26 college basketball season is humming along. As the calendar year prepares to turn to 2026, teams are wrapping up their non-conference schedules and will enter the heart of league action. As the regular season is now about one-third over, it’s time to look at five teams that have proven pleasant surprises, along with five teams that have been disappointing (in alphabetical order). Georgia Bulldogs (10-1, No. 25 in the Associated Press Top 25): Suffice it to say that Georgia’s offense is humming along nicely. The Bulldogs are averaging 98.3 points per game, which is tops in the country. They have defeated power-conference teams such as Georgia Tech, Xavier, Florida State and Cincinnati. Georgia’s only setback was a three-point loss to Clemson. Nebraska Cornhuskers: (11-0, No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25): The Cornhuskers are off to their best start in program history. They own wins over Oklahoma, Kansas State, Creighton, Wisconsin and, most recently, then-No. 13 Illinois on the road. NebraskaRead More