Conferences compared · 2025–26
How college basketball conferences compare: roster size, height, turnover and where players come from
99 NCAA men's basketball conferences on 2025–26 rosters — 33 in Division I, 23 in Division II, 43 in Division III — compared on roster size, height, turnover, freshmen and where players come from. In Division I the tallest conference by average listed height is the Big East Conference (6'6") and the shortest the Northeast Conference (6'4"), 2.1 inches apart. The most turnover in Division I is the Mountain West Conference (75% of players new this season), the least the Ivy League (37%). The most international conference is the North Atlantic Conference (D3, 22% of players list a home outside the US); the most local is the City University of New York Athletic Conference (D3, 94% in-state).
Computed from 16,997 player-seasons · 2024–25 to 2025–26 · updated Sep 18, 2026
Division I conferences span 2.1 inches of average height, Northeast Conference to Big East Conference.
Across 33 Division I conferences the average listed height runs from 6'4" (Northeast Conference) to 6'6" (Big East Conference). Division II runs 6'4" to 6'5"; Division III 6'2" to 6'4". The conference-height page reads the same cells position by position.
Turnover runs from 37% to 75% of a roster in Division I.
Players not on the same program's roster in 2024–25, as a share of 2025–26 players, at programs listed at strength both seasons: the Ivy League turned over the least (37%) and the Mountain West Conference the most (75%). In Division II the range is 46% (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) to 67% (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference); in Division III 29% (Northwest Conference) to 65% (St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference).
Where players come from differs more by conference than any other measure: 8% in-state (Ivy League) to 94% (City University of New York Athletic Conference).
Of players with a home on record, the share from the college's own state runs from 8% in the Ivy League (D1) to 94% in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (D3). The North Atlantic Conference (D3) lists the largest share of players from outside the US, 22%. A family reading a conference as "local" or "national" can check it here.
Average listed height by Division I conference
33 conferences
The full table below carries every division and every measure.
D1 conferences compared · 2025–26 rosters · programs listed at strength
Division 1| Conference | Programs | Players | Roster size | Avg height | Freshmen | New this season | In-state | Outside the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| America East Conference | 9 | 137 | 15.2 | 6'5" | 28% | 61% | 25% | 8% |
| American Conference | 13 | 195 | 15.0 | 6'6" | 24% | 74% | 21% | 8% |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | 14 | 220 | 15.7 | 6'6" | 25% | 60% | 18% | 6% |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | 18 | 284 | 15.8 | 6'6" | 34% | 64% | 29% | 4% |
| Atlantic Sun Conference | 8 | 122 | 15.3 | 6'5" | 35% | 64% | 26% | 6% |
| Big 12 Conference | 16 | 244 | 15.3 | 6'6" | 33% | 70% | 21% | 11% |
| Big East Conference | 11 | 169 | 15.4 | 6'6" | 22% | 64% | 16% | 5% |
| Big Sky Conference | 11 | 164 | 14.9 | 6'5" | 21% | 61% | 22% | 2% |
| Big South Conference | 9 | 137 | 15.2 | 6'5" | 21% | 62% | 18% | 5% |
| Big Ten Conference | 18 | 278 | 15.4 | 6'6" | 31% | 64% | 27% | 6% |
| Big West Conference | 12 | 194 | 16.2 | 6'5" | 30% | 69% | 47% | 11% |
| Coastal Athletic Association | 13 | 197 | 15.2 | 6'6" | 23% | 58% | 22% | 10% |
| Conference USA | 10 | 152 | 15.2 | 6'5" | 24% | 66% | 30% | 3% |
| Horizon League | 11 | 164 | 14.9 | 6'5" | 33% | 73% | 31% | 9% |
| Ivy League | 8 | 137 | 17.1 | 6'5" | 27% | 37% | 8% | 0% |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 13 | 216 | 16.6 | 6'5" | 27% | 61% | 26% | 6% |
| Mid-American Conference | 12 | 178 | 14.8 | 6'5" | 31% | 62% | 40% | 5% |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 8 | 117 | 14.6 | 6'5" | 19% | 72% | 20% | 7% |
| Missouri Valley Conference | 11 | 165 | 15.0 | 6'6" | 31% | 60% | 30% | 8% |
| Mountain West Conference | 9 | 134 | 14.9 | 6'6" | 32% | 75% | 19% | 10% |
| NEC | 6 | 92 | 15.3 | 6'5" | 16% | 70% | 11% | 14% |
| Northeast Conference | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 6'4" | 31% | 63% | 29% | 6% |
| Ohio Valley Conference | 8 | 121 | 15.1 | 6'5" | 26% | 64% | 22% | 7% |
| Pac-12 Conference | 8 | 123 | 15.4 | 6'6" | 33% | 55% | 27% | 17% |
| Patriot League | 10 | 164 | 16.4 | 6'5" | 29% | 38% | 12% | 9% |
| Southeastern Conference | 16 | 257 | 16.1 | 6'6" | 27% | 65% | 21% | 8% |
| Southern Conference | 11 | 174 | 15.8 | 6'5" | 29% | 60% | 19% | 5% |
| Southland Conference | 12 | 179 | 14.9 | 6'5" | 18% | 70% | 27% | 10% |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | 12 | 176 | 14.7 | 6'5" | 15% | 66% | 24% | 6% |
| Summit League | 8 | 121 | 15.1 | 6'5" | 27% | 58% | 24% | 5% |
| Sun Belt Conference | 12 | 186 | 15.5 | 6'5" | 23% | 66% | 29% | 6% |
| United Athletic Conference | 9 | 129 | 14.3 | 6'4" | 32% | 54% | 34% | 2% |
| West Coast Conference | 10 | 163 | 16.3 | 6'6" | 31% | 61% | 34% | 16% |
D2 conferences compared · 2025–26 rosters · programs listed at strength
Division 2| Conference | Programs | Players | Roster size | Avg height | Freshmen | New this season | In-state | Outside the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Collegiate Athletic Association | 12 | 180 | 15.0 | 6'4" | 27% | 58% | 79% | 7% |
| Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | 11 | 204 | 18.5 | 6'4" | 27% | 54% | 42% | 3% |
| Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 11 | 171 | 15.5 | 6'4" | 22% | 65% | 43% | 3% |
| Conference Carolinas | 14 | 246 | 17.6 | 6'4" | 31% | 59% | 53% | 6% |
| East Coast Conference | 9 | 127 | 14.1 | 6'4" | 28% | 49% | 61% | 9% |
| Great American Conference | 12 | 187 | 15.6 | 6'4" | 32% | 63% | 41% | 2% |
| Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 10 | 164 | 16.4 | 6'5" | 31% | 48% | 54% | 2% |
| Great Lakes Valley Conference | 14 | 208 | 14.9 | 6'4" | 32% | 55% | 53% | 3% |
| Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 12 | 217 | 18.1 | 6'4" | 33% | 46% | 56% | 2% |
| Great Northwest Athletic Conference | 10 | 157 | 15.7 | 6'4" | 26% | 55% | 44% | 10% |
| Gulf South Conference | 10 | 148 | 14.8 | 6'4" | 32% | 55% | 42% | 4% |
| Lone Star Conference | 14 | 192 | 13.7 | 6'4" | 24% | 59% | 54% | 6% |
| Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | 14 | 231 | 16.5 | 6'4" | 29% | 61% | 28% | 3% |
| Mountain East Conference | 10 | 191 | 19.1 | 6'4" | 31% | 59% | 35% | 4% |
| Northeast-10 Conference | 9 | 134 | 14.9 | 6'4" | 28% | 52% | 32% | 2% |
| Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | 15 | 237 | 15.8 | 6'5" | 31% | 50% | 49% | 4% |
| Pacific West Conference | 10 | 162 | 16.2 | 6'4" | 25% | 62% | 44% | 8% |
| Peach Belt Conference | 10 | 156 | 15.6 | 6'4" | 26% | 56% | 42% | 2% |
| Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | 17 | 249 | 14.6 | 6'4" | 36% | 49% | 55% | 1% |
| Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 14 | 218 | 15.6 | 6'5" | 31% | 50% | 33% | 5% |
| South Atlantic Conference | 12 | 199 | 16.6 | 6'4" | 31% | 53% | 33% | 6% |
| Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 15 | 220 | 14.7 | 6'5" | 15% | 67% | 30% | 4% |
| Sunshine State Conference | 11 | 177 | 16.1 | 6'4" | 23% | 51% | 28% | 7% |
D3 conferences compared · 2025–26 rosters · programs listed at strength
Division 3| Conference | Programs | Players | Roster size | Avg height | Freshmen | New this season | In-state | Outside the US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | 8 | 134 | 16.8 | 6'2" | 25% | 53% | 48% | 3% |
| American Rivers Conference | 7 | 156 | 22.3 | 6'3" | 36% | 37% | 38% | 1% |
| American Southwest Conference | 6 | 106 | 17.7 | 6'3" | 25% | 59% | 85% | 0% |
| Atlantic East Conference | 6 | 100 | 16.7 | 6'2" | 26% | 44% | 64% | 2% |
| Centennial Conference | 10 | 170 | 17.0 | 6'4" | 29% | 34% | 16% | 8% |
| City University of New York Athletic Conference | 8 | 120 | 15.0 | 6'2" | 25% | 58% | 94% | 1% |
| Coast to Coast Athletic Conference | 7 | 110 | 15.7 | 6'3" | 27% | 48% | 67% | 1% |
| College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | 9 | 186 | 20.7 | 6'3" | 33% | 39% | 54% | 2% |
| Collegiate Conference of the South | 6 | 124 | 20.7 | 6'3" | 30% | 54% | 53% | 8% |
| Conference of New England | 11 | 192 | 17.5 | 6'3" | 30% | 46% | 33% | 2% |
| Empire 8 | 12 | 215 | 17.9 | 6'2" | 33% | 45% | 76% | 4% |
| Great Northeast Athletic Conference | 13 | 211 | 16.2 | 6'2" | 25% | 49% | 31% | 2% |
| Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 9 | 177 | 19.7 | 6'2" | 40% | 47% | 55% | 0% |
| Landmark Conference | 10 | 173 | 17.3 | 6'3" | 30% | 37% | 47% | 2% |
| Liberty League | 10 | 168 | 16.8 | 6'4" | 27% | 35% | 48% | 1% |
| Little East Conference | 9 | 152 | 16.9 | 6'3" | 28% | 53% | 45% | 7% |
| MAC Commonwealth | 9 | 142 | 15.8 | 6'3" | 31% | 44% | 51% | 3% |
| MAC Freedom | 9 | 162 | 18.0 | 6'3" | 28% | 36% | 50% | 2% |
| Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | 8 | 133 | 16.6 | 6'3" | 15% | — | — | — |
| Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 8 | 155 | 19.4 | 6'3" | 27% | 42% | 71% | 1% |
| Midwest Conference | 10 | 199 | 19.9 | 6'3" | 35% | 44% | 48% | 1% |
| Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 11 | 179 | 16.3 | 6'3" | 34% | 45% | 63% | 1% |
| New England Small College Athletic Conference | 11 | 185 | 16.8 | 6'4" | 27% | 30% | 13% | 6% |
| New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference | 8 | 130 | 16.3 | 6'4" | 25% | 35% | 23% | 6% |
| New Jersey Athletic Conference | 10 | 157 | 15.7 | 6'3" | 31% | 43% | 84% | 4% |
| North Atlantic Conference | 8 | 135 | 16.9 | 6'2" | 32% | 51% | 26% | 22% |
| North Coast Athletic Conference | 9 | 167 | 18.6 | 6'3" | 32% | 31% | 54% | 6% |
| Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 13 | 271 | 20.8 | 6'3" | 37% | 47% | 71% | 2% |
| Northwest Conference | 9 | 161 | 17.9 | 6'3" | 21% | 29% | 26% | 2% |
| Ohio Athletic Conference | 9 | 179 | 19.9 | 6'3" | 32% | 52% | 80% | 1% |
| Old Dominion Athletic Conference | 12 | 202 | 16.8 | 6'3" | 29% | 40% | 51% | 2% |
| Presidents' Athletic Conference | 12 | 257 | 21.4 | 6'3" | 34% | 47% | 38% | 4% |
| Skyline Conference | 11 | 178 | 16.2 | 6'2" | 26% | 39% | 70% | 2% |
| Southern Athletic Association | 9 | 160 | 17.8 | 6'3" | 29% | 40% | 52% | 0% |
| Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 10 | 156 | 15.6 | 6'4" | 21% | 44% | 63% | 3% |
| Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference | 10 | 172 | 17.2 | 6'3" | 34% | 48% | 66% | 3% |
| St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 9 | 183 | 20.3 | 6'3" | 28% | 65% | 51% | 1% |
| State University of New York Athletic Conference | 12 | 180 | 15.0 | 6'3" | 28% | 50% | 87% | 3% |
| United East Conference | 14 | 204 | 14.6 | 6'2" | 28% | 47% | 43% | 2% |
| University Athletic Association | 8 | 141 | 17.6 | 6'4" | 27% | 45% | 11% | 5% |
| Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | 7 | 138 | 19.7 | 6'3" | 32% | 50% | 53% | 2% |
| USA South Athletic Conference | 7 | 114 | 16.3 | 6'3" | 26% | 51% | 59% | 2% |
| Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 8 | 148 | 18.5 | 6'4" | 33% | 45% | 67% | 1% |
How to read the table
Every row is one conference in one division on 2025–26 rosters, counting programs whose roster lists at least 8 players. "Roster size" is the mean listed roster. "Avg height" is over players with a listed height. "Freshmen" is over players with a readable class label. "New this season" is the share of players not on the same program's 2024–25 roster, at programs listed at strength in both seasons. "In-state" and "Outside the US" are over players with a home on record.
A conference is shown only with 30 players; a measure is shown only when 30 players carry the fact behind it — a dash is a cell under the floor, not a zero. Conference names carry realignment already folded away: a program whose move has not happened yet counts in the conference it plays in.
The same rules as the division pages
Height follows the conference-height page, class labels the class-breakdown page, turnover the class-breakdown page's rule, and home the how-far-from-home page's. This page adds no rule of its own; it cuts the same measures by conference so no row here can disagree with a division page.
What this means for a recruit
How to read itA conference is a recruiting market, not just a schedule.
The rows differ most on where players come from. A conference that recruits its own state fills rosters from a pool you may or may not be in; one that recruits nationally, or abroad, is comparing you against a wider field.
Height differences between conferences are real but small next to the level.
2.1 inches separates the tallest and shortest Division I conferences; the gap between divisions is larger. Pick the level first, then the conference.
Turnover is where the spots are.
A conference where 75% of players are new each season is a conference whose rosters are rebuilt every spring; one at 37% is not. Both numbers are on the program's own page too.
See where you fit — free
Your profile, scored against every program in this data. The free Market Preview takes six minutes and needs no card.
Methodology
Source · sample · scope16,997 player-seasons · 1,060 programs · 2024–25 to 2025–26
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official 2025–26 rosters (and 2024–25 for turnover) published by the athletics sites of NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's basketball programs, collected by Depth Chart.
- Conference
- The canonical conference each program plays in this season, realignment notes folded away.
- Floors
- A conference needs 30 players to appear; each measure needs 30 players carrying the fact; a program needs 8 listed players to count.
- Home
- A player's home state as the roster lists it; a value that is not a US state or DC is outside the US. High schools carry no coordinates, so home is a state, never a distance.
- Sample
- 16,997 player-seasons on 2025–26 rosters at the programs counted.
- Computed
- Sep 18, 2026 · methodology 2026-08-28.1
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