Not long ago, I did an article featuring 10 teams which showed early signs of disaster. A couple of them (Boise State, Providence and especially Michigan) have improved things. Others have continued to struggle.
With an even larger sample size to work with, there are several other teams and individuals who are now in the proverbial “danger zone” of the 2025-26 season, where things can reach a point of no return.
Here are some storylines for those showing signs of impending disaster.
1. Kentucky Wildcats
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Wildcats, with a loss at home to North Carolina followed by a blowout 35-point defeat to Gonzaga. While injuries could be a legit excuse as to why Kentucky is 0-4 against AP top-25 opponents, the alleged lack of effort among those who are healthy and Coach Mark Pope’s emotional postgame press conferences have the program at an all-time low. By the time the team gets fully healthy, it could be too late to turn things around.
2. Owen Freeman – Creighton forward
The 6-foot-10 junior was one of the top offseason pickups from the transfer portal, but an offseason knee injury is clearly still affecting Freeman, who is averaging just 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in nine outings, including going scoreless in 16 minutes in a blowout loss to Nebraska. If Creighton (5-4) doesn’t get the all-league version of Freeman from his time at Iowa, it’s hard to see how they’ll make the NCAA Tournament.
3. Pittsburgh coach Jeff Capel’s job status
A number of high-major programs have lost “buy games” to mid-major opponents at home. Pitt is in the category of losing two of those, falling to Quinnipiac and now Hofstra this past Sunday, giving up 36 points to 6-foot-3 senior guard Cruz Davis. The Panthers are now 5-5 in Capel’s eighth year with the program, and with all but one remaining game against power conference foes, things could get dire.
4. Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels are currently on a four-game losing skid, including setbacks to Iowa, Utah and Miami. The offense looks to be what’s holding them back, averaging just 66.8 points per game in those defeats. Coach Chris Beard looks to be most frustrated with the team’s lack of effort, saying he may need to “play different players” in order to get different results.
5. Kansas State Wildcats
Before a win over Mississippi Valley State on Monday, Kansas State had lost four straight games, including a likely Quad 4 setback to Bowling Green at home. Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty (24 points and 5.1 assists per game) has been as good as advertised, but in games where he struggles from the field, the Wildcats are vulnerable to losing to just about anyone. A Saturday matchup with Creighton will put the loser in range of the ultimate warning sign for the rest of the way.
6. Xzayvier Brown – Oklahoma guard
The 6-foot-2 junior was another key offseason move, and overall, Brown has been fine for Oklahoma, averaging 13.1 points and 3.4 assists per game. Yet some warning signs have emerged for him against high-major opponents, averaging 7.3 points per game against Marquette, Wake Forest and Arizona State, shooting 7 of 30 from the field and 0 for 14 from three-point range. While 6-foot senior guard Nijel Pack (17.2 points per game) has played well, the Sooners will need more from Brown as SEC play approaches.
Kentucky's Mark Pope Says One Team Was ‘Really Poorly Coached’. It Was His.
The Wildcats have work to do after getting blown out by Michigan State 84-67 in the Champions Classic
7. Indiana’s depth
After a 7-0 start to the season, the Hoosiers suffered multiple setbacks, including a road loss at Minnesota to open league play. While the duo of 6-foot-7 senior forward Tucker DeVries (17.8 points per game) and 6-foot-4 senior guard Lamar Wilkerson (16 points per game) has produced, the rest of the supporting cast has been much more inconsistent, making the early high-volume scoring offense more of a mirage against better opponents. They have a chance to get things right against a team with more issues this weekend when they face Kentucky.
8. Ian Jackson’s minutes
When Coach Rick Pitino landed several quality guards from the transfer portal this offseason, there was always a chance that one of them could be at risk of a reduction in playing time. Right now, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard and UNC transfer Ian Jackson (11.4 points per game) is the one who has struggled as of late. He’s scored seven points or fewer in three of the last four games, including a 2 for 11 shooting performance off the bench against Ole Miss. As the St. John’s backcourt rotation continues to change, there’s a chance Jackson could see even fewer than his 18 minutes per game average.
9. LSU and Missouri’s résumés
Last year, the SEC had a record 14 teams make the NCAA Tournament, thanks in part to just about every team having a quality and historic nonconference resume. So far this season, the collective results have failed to reach those lofty heights, but that still means they can get anywhere from 7-10 bids. This does hurt the teams who currently lack key wins, including LSU and Missouri. Both were unbeaten heading into last weekend but had no quality victories, falling decisively to Texas Tech and Kansas, respectively. If neither team can get at least one marquee win before January, then going .500 in league play likely won’t be enough to get a bid.
10. Princeton Tigers
The Ivy League has had a conference tournament since 2016, with the Tigers making the four-team postseason group in every year except one. But with the top three scorers from last season gone, the program has had a rough start to 2025-26, falling to 3-9 overall after losses to Monmouth and Loyola. Unless things improve quickly around the start of Ivy League play, one of the better mid-major programs from the past decade could end up in the bottom half of the conference this time around.
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