7 Of College Basketball’s Biggest Spenders That Are In Danger Of Missing March Madness

The 2025-26 college basketball season is coming to a close. Selection Sunday will soon be upon us.

Conference tournaments are set to begin in early March. They will be the last opportunity for a number of contenders to solidify their March Madness standing.

Some are already aware of their likely postseason fates. Others will see their seasons end with NCAA Tournament snubs.

Life is scary on the Big Dance bubble, even for the sport’s top brands. Conference tournament upsets are bound to happen, swiping spots from potential at-large entries. One misstep could signal the end.

In order to improve their postseason chances, many schools opened up the checkbook in the offseason. They shelled out millions to lure top talent onto campus. Some won’t see returns on their investment.

Expensive college basketball teams at risk of March Madness snubs.

Prior to the start of the season, CBS Sports named 24 teams believed to be paying at least $8 million for their rosters. The large majority of those spenders are safe in terms of NCAA Tournament selection.

We’ve identified six teams, however, that have some work to do. One more is already out of contention barring a surprise run in the conference tournament.

We’ll start with the most expensive team on the list.

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana is the lone team on this list reportedly in the “$10 million club.” Despite that price tag, the Hoosiers are in danger of missing the Big Dance.

The team is 17-12 under first-year head coach Darian DeVries. They are riding a four-game losing skid with two regular season contests left to play.

Indiana spent its money on a Top 10 transfer class. Many of those players have failed to meet expectation.

At the time of this writing, the Hoosiers are listed the last team in the field by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. They are not listed in CBS Sports’ bracket. They’ll have a chance to boost their standing with matchups vs. Minnesota and Ohio State before the Big 10 tournament.

Auburn Tigers

Auburn is another team working under a first-year head coach. The transition from Bruce Pearl to his son, Steven, has been rocky despite an $8 million budget.

The Tigers are just 15-14 through 29 games. They have work to do in order to ensure NCAA Tournament selection.

Auburn’s transfer class was ranked ninth in the country, headlined by a quartet of four-star D1 additions and two of the nation’s top three JUCO prospects.

The Tigers have played one of the toughest schedules in the sport, which has kept them on the Big Dance bubble. ESPN lists them as a “Last 4 In” entry while CBS Sports puts them in the “First 4 Out.”

Kansas State Wildcats

Kansas State underwent an extreme transformation after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2025. It brought in six new transfers, headlined by five-star guard PJ Haggerty, while doling out a reported $8 million.

It has done little to bring success. The Wildcats are all but eliminated from the field. They currently sit at 11-18 on the year and have already fired head coach Jerome Tang.

Kansas State is the lone team on this list not on the bubble. Its season is all but over, though there is an opportunity to earn a March Madness bid with an unlikely Big 12 Tournament championship.

USC Trojans

USC is holding onto slim NCAA Tournament hopes. Unfortunately, the Trojans suffered a major blow with just two games remaining in the season.

Top scorer Chad Baker-Mazara left the team midseason. His former teammates will have to pick up the slack in order to make a March Madness run.

Baker-Mazara was one of 11 transfers brought in by head coach Eric Musselman after a 17-18 campaign in 2025. USC paid upwards of $8 million on those newcomers, in addition to two of the nation’s top high school recruits.

The Trojans appeared in a solid position to make the Big Dance before a current five-game losing streak. At the time of this writing, the school is listed in ESPN’s “First 4 Out” and not at all in the CBS Sports projection.

High-paying teams that are safe for now…

These expensive college basketball teams are on the right side of the bubble entering the final week of the regular season. With that said, they might still need a few wins to guarantee a slot.

Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes spent $8 million on their roster, which has gotten them to 22-6 on the season. That should be enough to get them into the field, though ESPN still says there is work to do.

Their at-large chances (near 90%) and national résumé quality ranking (around top 30) are bunched up next to SMU and Clemson — the trio all fit within the top eight of the ACC with a big gap over the rest of what projects to be an eight-bid conference. A couple of tough opponents are next in SMU and Louisville, but the Canes are in good shape.

Miami’s path has been a bit easier than some. They’ve played 11 Quad 4 foes- tied with Georgia Tech for the most in the Power 4 – compared to just five ranked opponents. The ‘Canes have gone 1-4 against that top competition.

Still, there are some notable wins, headlined by victories over UNC and NC State. They are the safest team on this list in terms of NCAA Tournament selection, with ESPN giving them an eight-seed.

Texas Longhorns

Texas spent an estimated $8 million on its 2025-26 roster. The Longhorns brought in eight new players with that cash, headlined by five four-star transfers.

The team is currently 18-11 on the season. It is in a strong spot to land a March Madness bid barring disaster. With that said, the path isn’t necessarily easy.

They’ll play a Top 20 Arkansas team before the finale vs. rival Oklahoma. Two losses and an early exit from the SEC Tournament could result in a snub.

For now, the Longhorns are safe. ESPN rates them as having one of the “Last 4 Byes” while CBS Sports projects them on the nine-seed line.

UCLA Bruins

The Bruins are another team to spend upwards of $8 million on their 2025-26 college basketball roster. The program paid handsomely for transfer talent, headlined by five-star guard Donovan Dent.

Those additions have produced largely positive results. UCLA is 19-10 and in position to make the NCAA Tournament. ESPN says there is more that can be done to cement their spot, though.

Their résumé (is) eighth in what Bracketology projects to be a nine-bid Big Ten.

The Bruins have strong wins, but they have struggled against top competition. UCLA is 2-5 against ranked foes.

CBS Sports has the team on the 10-line while ESPN projects the bunch to be a nine-seed. The squad will next play 12th-ranked Nebraska before travelling to Southern Cal for what could be a de facto NCAA Tournament play-in game.