St. John’s moves into FOX Sports Top 10, Kentucky lands at No. 25 after draft withdrawal deadline

FOX Sports updated its 2026-27 men’s college basketball Top 25 this week, and the shakeout from the NBA Draft withdrawal cycle appears to be driving the biggest roster readjustments. In the ranking, St. John’s jumps into the top 10, while Kentucky, previously unranked in the previous version, enters at No. 25. The update is framed as a clearer look at which high-end college players will actually be on campus for the start of the season.

The timing matters because NCAA eligibility rules tie a player’s “stand pat” option to specific withdrawal deadlines. Under NCAA rules referenced by the NBA, college players who entered the NBA Draft must withdraw by Wednesday, May 27 to retain college eligibility for the 2026-27 season. The NBA also notes that early-entry players can withdraw from the NBA’s process later, with a separate NBA deadline of June 13. FOX Sports’ point is that the May 27 cutoff is when many programs could finally plan with fewer unknowns.

St. John’s, coached by Rick Pitino, is rewarded for what FOX Sports describes as an added piece on a roster it already liked. The Red Storm move to No. 8, up from No. 11, after the “surprising addition” of Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou. FOX Sports calls him a big-bodied guard who can impact games on both ends, and it cites Yessoufou’s previous production of 18 points and 6 rebounds per game. The move puts St. John’s back in the national spotlight as a team FOX Sports believes is close to taking another step in the Big East.

Kentucky’s return to the ranked group starts with continuity in the frontcourt and a late-portal completion. The Wildcats enter at No. 25 after Malachi Moreno returned to Kentucky following a withdrawal from the NBA Draft. FOX Sports also credits a late addition of Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, describing him as the top-ranked transfer available in May. In the ranking’s projected look, Kentucky’s starting group includes Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Momcilovic, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Moreno, with FOX Sports expecting Moreno to take a larger role.

The same withdrawal-and-return logic shows up across FOX Sports’ top of the board, which is built around the teams whose core appears most intact. Florida is No. 1 after the entire frontcourt is described as returning, and Illinois is No. 2 after Andrej Stojakovic withdrew from the NBA Draft and returned to the program. Michigan sits at No. 3 with a returning backcourt of Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, while Duke is No. 4 and Louisville is No. 5 in the updated list.

Still, FOX Sports cautions that “dominoes” remain, which is typical for college basketball’s offseason where a handful of late decisions can reshuffle depth charts. With the NBA’s separate June 13 withdrawal window still on the calendar, some roster clarity could continue to shift even as May 27 closes out the NCAA eligibility questions for most early entrants. For fans, the practical next step is watching each program’s final lineup stability as the season approaches.