College Basketball Defensive Dominators and Top Defensive Teams
The final weeks of the regular season will decide and produce college basketball conference champions and set the stage for post season tournaments and March Madness. Many of the top teams are among the best defensive teams and defensive dominators that we outline every season as teams push towards postseason play.
The biggest games continued Feb. 9 following the Super Bowl when No. 9 Kansas (+4') upset No. 1 Arizona 82-78 at home in Lawrence. The Wildcats had just been voted Monday as the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll for the fourth consecutive week while remaining No. 1 for 9-straight weeks. The major conference teams and Top 25 draw more headlines, with includes 10 Top 25 teams from the Big Ten and SEC, including four Big Ten teams in the top 10 and three more Big Ten/SEC teams in the top 30. The Big 12, Big East and ACC provide 6, 2 and 5 more top 25 teams including three Big 12 teams in the top 5 and four in the top 10.
The final weeks and top conference games are outlined in my major conference links above. We're working on more ahead of conference tournaments and March Madness along with more stat profiles, NET rankings and information you can bet on to assist you in identifying some over-valued teams that may not be as good as their profile or play suggests, and other stats, scheduling and situations to consider. All that while following the weekly Bracket Watch and top teams pushing for positioning and spots in the NCAA Tournament.
Part of the stats and profiles is our annual college basketball defensive dominators and top defensive teams that can provide the level of play and consistency you're looking for when placing your bets on the most watched and wagered games in the month ahead and through the NCAA Tournament.
By now we know who the stronger teams are and a majority of major conference teams that will be playing in the post season and NCAA Tournament. Second meet situations become more intense as some teams meet again in the closing weeks, and some key matchups will determine regular season champions in the major conferences and more than 25 smaller and mid-major conferences.
The oddsmakers and top online sportsbooks continue to adjust the numbers and power ratings as teams play with need to make the NCAA Tournament late in the season and into the upcoming conference tournaments (CCT's). The tax on some teams in the betting market is real, and it's up to you to not only to find the best odds to increase your chances of winning, but to identify teams that are motivated and playing better as a cohesive unit. Betting at reduced juice sportsbooks is another practice you should include include when watching and wagering on games to increase your profits or reduce losses.
Don't bet like some of the losing teams who may be 'tossing the towel', and hoping to hit the 6 or 8-team parlay by winning their conference tournament to advance to the Big Dance. Those one-bid leagues provide the last opportunity to make a run to the NCAA Tournament and realize many players dreams, which makes those smaller conference tournaments so intense and worth watching and wagering if you've done your homework and understand the stats and team profiles. There is much to consider, but no doubt some of the bigger games are ahead for teams in conference tournament races, CCT's and others on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid.
As I provide some of the college basketball standings, key games, player and teams stats profiling Conference Tournaments and the NCAA Tournament, you, the bettor and self-handicapper, can use some of these tools and defensive stats to help you as the sportsbooks and oddsmakers adjust the numbers, odds and power ratings as teams go through their own momentum swings and adjustments.
Top Defensive Teams
Teams that play solid defense and show improvement will often be teams you can count on, and that's the case for a number of teams in the top conferences. Being able to adjust to various styles of play and more scoring makes the stronger defensive teams often a better bet. After all, in looking at my stats recap from just 6 years ago ahead of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, there were just three teams averaging 83 points per game or more on offense (shot clock reduction). Last season there were 11 in the first week of March averaging at least 83 points per game. Now there are currently 37 college basketball teams scoring an average of 83 or more points per game this season including five at 90+ points per game - Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Texas A&M and St. Louis.
The top team in the Atlantic 10 conference is the St. Louis Billikens (23-1), who are 11-0 in A-10 play and ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Billikens are also a defensive dominator with KenPom stats showing St. Louis allows just 37.2% FG shooting, second in the country behind Michigan. But the Billikens are No. 1 in effective field goal defense (42.7%) just ahead of the Michigan Wolverines (43.1%) and three other highly-ranked teams in UCONN (44.4%), Arizona (44.6%) and Kansas (44.7%).
You can see why other top effective FG defensive teams are in the running for a smaller conference title and NCAA bid as Marist, Hawaii, UC Irvine and Tennessee Martin are also in the top 10. St. Louis also has offensive balance and strength ranking No. 2 nationally in both offensive effective field goal percentage (0.61) and 3-point shooting (41.3%). St. Louis is 2-0 versus Quad 1 teams but lacking major conference opponents and their only loss was to Quad 2 Stanford 78-77 on a neutral court over Thanksgiving. St. Louis still profiles stronger than the other small conference leader and Top 25 team Miami Ohio (24-0), who is still undefeated and leading the MAC but is No. 52 in NET ranking. The Red Hawks have not played a Quad 1 team this season and is not a top defensive team. No Quad 1 opponents for Hawaii or UC Irvine, leaders in the Big West, or Southern Illinois U Edwardsville (SIUE) in the OVC or Ohio Valley leader Middle Tennessee State with both those teams also top 10 in effective FG defense.
Defensive Stats
When determining a team’s success in college basketball there can be little dispute that the opponents field goal percentage is of key importance. Field goal percentage defense is more important than points allowed because an opponents points can be determined to a degree by the number of possessions they have which in turn can be influenced by an offensive pace that creates lower overall possessions in a game.
A team’s overall defensive field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage defense remain key indicators when judging a teams defensive ability. These must work in tandem to be efficient since a team can pack the paint defensively to minimize higher percentage two-point shots while sacrificing defense outside the arc. Conversely, too much attention to perimeter defense can sacrifice a team’s ability to defend the paint. When a team combines solid defensive play with rebounding strength, the ability to block or alter shots along with quickness and steals, you have a team that is capable of competing most any night against any team.
The stats below are season-long numbers and it's up to you to dig deeper into a team's stat profile and recognize schedules and opponents faced, home/road splits, player injury impact, motivational factors and other scheduling, stats and situations including quality coaching.
Through February 9, 2026 here are the top defensive teams in college basketball with the following parameters vs. D-1 opponents:
- Allow 43% or less field goal percentage
- Allow 33% or less shooting from behind the 3-point arc
- Allow 70 points or less per game
With increased scoring, I've adjusted these stats including an increase in points allowed. I've also noted how these defensive dominators do in rebounding the basketball and provided their Adjusted Defensive Efficiency Rating from KenPom (365 teams).
| Teams | Conference | FG% Defense | 3 PT FG% Def | Points pg D | Rebound Margin | Adj Def Rating |
| North Texas | American | 42.1 | 29.5 | 67.2 | -0.4 | 40 |
| St. Louis | Atlantic 10 | 37.2 | 27.7 | 69.0 | +9.9 | 24 |
| Duke | ACC | 39.3 | 31.2 | 63.9 | +9.9 | 3 |
| Clemson | ACC | 39.9 | 29.5 | 64.1 | +4.0 | 13 |
| Virginia | ACC | 39.8 | 30.2 | 67.9 | +8.0 | 21 |
| Kansas | Big 12 | 38.3 | 29.6 | 67.8 | +3.1 | 7 |
| Arizona | Big 12 | 38.9 | 31.4 | 68.2 | +13.0 | 2 |
| Houston | Big 12 | 39.3 | 31.8 | 61.6 | +3.5 | 9 |
| Iowa State | Big 12 | 41.8 | 31.8 | 65.0 | +7.3 | 8 |
| Cincinnati | Big 12 | 41.4 | 32.1 | 67.3 | +2.6 | 10 |
| Connecticut | Big East | 39.5 | 28.4 | 64.5 | +5.1 | 5 |
| Seton Hall | Big East | 40.3 | 32.5 | 64.8 | +2.9 | 12 |
| Michigan | Big Ten | 36.9 | 29.3 | 68.6 | +9.9 | 1 |
| Illinois | Big Ten | 40.3 | 31.3 | 67.9 | +10.6 | 22 |
| Michigan State | Big Ten | 39.3 | 30.8 | 68.7 | +13.2 | 4 |
| Nebraska | Big Ten | 40.0 | 30.2 | 66.1 | +0.6 | 11 |
| Purdue | Big Ten | 42.9 | 32.1 | 69.7 | +7.2 | 26 |
| Iowa | Big Ten | 43.0 | 31.5 | 63.8 | +2.0 | 23 |
| Hawaii | Big West | 40.2 | 27.6 | 67.4 | +7.0 | 31 |
| Cal Irvine | Big West | 38.7 | 33.0 | 68.7 | +3.4 | 35 |
| Marist | MAAC | 39.1 | 27.7 | 62.7 | +2.1 | 46 |
| Northern Iowa | Missouri Valley | 40.6 | 27.3 | 61.1 | -1.1 | 17 |
| Grand Canyon | Mtn West | 40.8 | 30.8 | 69.3 | +4.2 | 20 |
| Utah State | Mtn West | 41.7 | 33.0 | 69.0 | +4.8 | 34 |
| Tennessee-Martin | Ohio Valley | 39.4 | 28.9 | 64.5 | +4.4 | 105 |
| SIU Edwardsville | Ohio Valley | 39.1 | 29.7 | 66.3 | +2.3 | 124 |
| Navy | Patriot | 65.2 | 41.1 | 28.9 | +6.4 | 93 |
| Tennessee | SEC | 40.4 | 29.6 | 69.5 | +13.1 | 16 |
| Stephen F. Austin | Southland | 41.3 | 30.0 | 65.5 | +5.2 | 68 |
| App State | Sun Belt | 39.7 | 31.0 | 65.6 | +5.3 | 116 |
| South Alabama | Sun Belt | 38.7 | 31.5 | 69.2 | -0.6 | 152 |
| Gonzaga | West Coast | 39.7 | 31.0 | 67.0 | +9.6 | 14 |
| St. Mary's | West Coast | 40.7 | 30.3 | 65.2 | +10.8 | 27 |
Also, some teams not on the list are solid defensive teams and may also have positive coaching profiles. These teams just miss qualifying in various categories with 3-point or scoring defense a lacking stat profile, but they still rank top-60 in adjusted defensive efficiency:
Florida (71.2 ppg, +15.2 rebounds, No. 6 KenPom), Kentucky (71.3 ppg), UCLA (69.8 ppg, 29.8% 3's), San Diego State (70.4 pg, 39.8% FG), Louisville (70.9 ppg, 40.4% FG), Memphis (72.6 ppg, 29.7% 3's).
Note that other teams missing qualifyers including some Top 25 teams: St. John's allowing 72.2 points per game (ppg), undefeated Miami Ohio (24-0) allowing 75.6 ppg, Vanderbilt (73.7 ppg), North Carolina (70.5 ppg, 40.5% FG), MVC leader Belmont (73.1 ppg) and co-American (AAC) leader Tulsa, who has a 43.5% FG defense against D-1 opponents but allows 80 ppg.
Northern Iowa (15-9/8-6) is tied for 4th in the Missouri Valley Conference, but the Panthers lead the country in scoring defense (61.1 PPG) and 3-point defense (27.3%).
Top Teams Scoring Margin
Along with some of these top defensive teams, you'll see may among the leaders in scoring margin with solid offensive output, scoring and efficiency as well.
+22.4: Michigan
+20.9: Iowa State
+20.8: St. Louis
+20.6: Arizona
+20.5: Gonzaga
+19.5: Duke
+17.3: Houston
+16.6: Illinois
+16.2: Louisville
+15.2: Vanderbilt
+15.1: Florida
+14.9: Virginia
+14.7: UCONN
+14.6: Georgia
+14.3: Iowa
+14.2: Purdue
+14.1: Miami U
+13.9: Nebraska
+13.5: Michigan State
Use some of these stat profiles as a guide when handicapping the rest of the college basketball season along with the college conference tournaments (CCT's), NCAA Tournament, NIT and other post-season tournaments. You should be able to identify and become more proficient in analyzing matchups and incorporating defensive strength into the outcome and increase your percentages to produde profit.
You can bet on it.
FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst with proven winning results including in college basketball. He chips in additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on Twitter: @FairwayJay
