College basketball rankings: Arkansas rises as John Calipari adds to loaded Razorbacks recruiting class
Arkansas has risen to No. 7 in the 2026-27 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 following head coach John Calipari's addition of five-star recruit Miikka Muurinen, completing a top-ranked recruiting class. The Razorbacks now boast three five-star prospects in the Class of 2026, boosting their profile in Year 3 under Calipari. Meanwhile, Kentucky remains unranked after a challenging two seasons under Mark Pope, who has struggled with recruiting and on-court performance. Other notable changes include Virginia moving up to No. 10 with a key transfer and Michigan staying at No. 3 despite losing several players to the NBA Draft.
- ▪Arkansas climbed to No. 7 in the 2026-27 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 after securing a commitment from five-star forward Miikka Muurinen.
- ▪John Calipari has assembled college basketball's top-rated recruiting class for Arkansas, featuring three five-star prospects in the 2026 cycle.
- ▪Kentucky remains unranked in the latest Top 25 And 1, struggling under Mark Pope with missed recruiting targets and subpar SEC finishes.
- ▪Virginia moved up to No. 10 following the addition of UC Irvine transfer guard Jurian Dixon, who averaged 15.9 points last season.
- ▪Michigan stays at No. 3 despite projecting to lose Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara to the 2026 NBA Draft, along with Yaxel Lendeborg.
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College basketball rankings: Arkansas rises as John Calipari adds to loaded Razorbacks recruiting class Calipari continues to prove that he's clearly winning the breakup following his departure from Kentucky in 2024 By Gary Parrish Apr 28, 2026 at 10:41 am ET • 2 min read CBS Sports Graphic Most would agree, even with the benefit of hindsight, that it was still time for John Calipari and Kentucky to divorce after 15 seasons following five years of zero trips to the Sweet 16. That said, it's hard to argue against the point that Calipari is doing better post-Kentucky departure than UK is doing in his absence.Monday was the latest reminder.That's when Calipari -- now Arkansas coach, of course -- secured a commitment from Miikka Muurinen, a 6-foot-10 forward from Finland whose pledge gives…
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