Media measurement and analytics company Nielsen has unveiled its top 10 most popular men’s college basketball teams for the 2025-26 regular season. Leading the list are three of the top five teams with the most NCAA Tournament championships.
Duke and Kentucky Top Nielsen’s Most Popular College Basketball Teams for 2025-26
Duke and Kentucky are ranked first and second in Nielsen’s study of the top 10 most popular men’s college basketball teams this season. The five-time champion Blue Devils lead the list thanks to their strong social media presence, with 2.464 million followers on Instagram and Facebook.
The Jon Scheyer-coached team played in the most-watched college basketball game of the season against Arkansas on Thanksgiving, drawing 6.8 million viewers. Their games against Michigan and their first regular-season ACC matchup against North Carolina ranked as the third- and fourth-most-watched before the 2026 March Madness.
Second on the list are the eight-time national champion Kentucky Wildcats. Coached by Mark Pope, the team has a total following of 1.261 million on Facebook and Instagram. Their game against Arkansas on Jan. 31 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, was one of the top 10 most-watched games this season, drawing 2.39 million views, according to Nielsen.
Coming in third is North Carolina with over 1 million followers across the two main social media platforms, including 609,000 on Instagram. The six-time national champions appeared in three of the top five most-watched games of the regular season, including the Thanksgiving matchup with Michigan State, which drew 6.5 million viewers.
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Michigan ranked fourth in Nielsen’s report due to its performance during the 2025-26 season. The Wolverines drew strong TV ratings, making them one of the most-watched teams in the country, and they have over 700,000 social media followers across popular platforms. The Michigan-Duke game attracted 4.3 million viewers on TV.
Kansas and Arkansas rank fifth and sixth on the list. The Jayhawks have over 700,000 followers eager to watch top NBA prospect Darryn Peterson play briefly for coach Bill Self. KU’s game against AJ Dybantsa and BYU attracted 2.11 million viewers, and the Jayhawks’ game against Houston on Feb. 23 drew 1.95 million viewers.
John Calipari’s Razorbacks had more than 450,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook, which could grow as freshman phenom Darius Acuff Jr. gains popularity. Arkansas was involved in two of the top 10 most-watched games of the regular season.
Big Ten Conference teams Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio State are ranked seventh through ninth. The Fighting Illini, with 300,000 social media followers, played in some of the most-watched games this season, including the Michigan game that drew 2.2 million viewers. The Hoosiers also drew strong viewership, with matchups against Kentucky and Michigan State totaling 3.79 million viewers.
The Buckeyes enter March Madness with a 4-1 record in their last five games and nearly defeated the Wolverines in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal. With nearly 425,000 combined followers on Facebook and Instagram, Ohio State’s game against Michigan on Jan. 23 drew an average of 1.9 million viewers.
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Rounding out the list is defending champion Florida, which had three games attracting more than 1.75 million viewers this season. The Gators, who have over 340,000 followers on social media, averaged 1.84 million viewers for their March 7 game against Kentucky, their highest this year. They have secured one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, which should lead to even more viewers in the coming days.
The media measurement company combined big data and panel viewership with Facebook and Instagram followers to generate insights. The report was released alongside findings of an increase in TV ratings during the regular season on all three major networks: Fox, CBS, and ESPN/ABC. The media company also reported a 10% rise in household viewership.
Although it differs from the top 10 most-watched teams of the season, viewership reports from major networks were still included in the study.
Additionally, the report was released as March Madness began on Tuesday with two First Four games between No. 16 seeds Howard and UMBC, and No. 11 seeds Texas and NC State.
