2026-27 College Basketball Roster Age Rankings: Youngest and Oldest Teams in the Sport

The transfer portal and expanded eligibility have pushed many NCAA programs toward experienced, veteran-heavy rosters. RotoWire breaks it all down ahead of the 2026-27 season tip.
September 11, 2026
2026-27 College Basketball Roster Age Rankings: Youngest and Oldest Teams in the Sport
September 11, 2026
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RotoWire measured the average roster age of all Division I men's basketball teams across 32 conferences heading into 2026-27, and the gap between the grizzled and the green is stark. Auburn enters the season as the oldest team in the country at 21.39 years, while Austin Peay is the youngest at 19.12. 

Use the interactive widget below to sort every conference from youngest to oldest.

Data Study
2026-27 College Basketball Roster Age Rankings
Youngest and oldest teams across all 32 Division I conferences, ranked by average roster age. Average age reflects the mean listed age of each program's projected 2026-27 roster.
32
Conferences Tracked
365
Teams Analyzed
19.12
Youngest Team (Austin Peay)
21.39
Oldest Team (Auburn)
10 Youngest Rosters (All Conferences)
1
Austin Peay UAC
19.12
2
Weber State Big Sky
19.29
3
Bellarmine Atlantic Sun
19.31
4
Alcorn State SWAC
19.39
5
Arkansas SEC
19.42
6
Abilene Christian UAC
19.43
7
Vanderbilt SEC
19.48
8
Kennesaw State Conference USA
19.53
9
Western Carolina Southern
19.53
10
Navy Patriot League
19.54
10 Oldest Rosters (All Conferences)
1
Auburn SEC
21.39
2
Grand Canyon Mountain West
21.38
3
Xavier Big East
21.26
4
Houston Christian Southland
21.22
5
Florida SEC
21.21
6
Villanova Big East
21.21
7
Bethune-Cookman SWAC
21.20
8
Oklahoma SEC
21.14
9
Cal State Bakersfield Big West
21.13
10
Portland State Big Sky
21.06
Methodology: Average age reflects the mean listed age of each program's projected 2026-27 Division I men's basketball roster, compiled from team roster pages. Ties broken alphabetically. Mountain West sourced separately from conference roster data; all other conferences sourced from a combined 30-conference roster compilation.
AAC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (13 Teams)
1
North Texas
19.96
2
South Florida
19.97
3
FAU
20.01
4
Tulane
20.08
5
Rice
20.14
6
UAB
20.22
7
UTSA
20.33
8
Charlotte
20.34
9
East Carolina
20.39
10
Memphis
20.61
11
Tulsa
20.73
12
Wichita State
20.86
13
Temple
20.93
ACC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (18 Teams)
1
Stanford
19.59
2
Duke
19.80
3
Florida State
19.92
4
Georgia Tech
19.98
5
California
19.99
6
Syracuse
20.21
7
Notre Dame
20.22
8
Clemson
20.30
9
Wake Forest
20.39
10
North Carolina
20.40
11
Virginia
20.51
12
SMU
20.55
13
Virginia Tech
20.56
14
Miami (FL)
20.60
15
NC State
20.67
16
Louisville
20.69
17
Boston College
20.95
18
Pittsburgh
20.98
America East — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (9 Teams)
1
NJIT
19.82
2
UMass Lowell
19.85
3
Bryant
19.86
4
Maine
20.21
5
New Hampshire
20.21
6
Albany
20.22
7
UMBC
20.35
8
Vermont
20.40
9
Binghamton
20.55
Atlantic 10 — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (14 Teams)
1
Richmond
19.83
2
St. Joseph's
20.01
3
St. Bonaventure
20.05
4
Saint Louis
20.16
5
Davidson
20.18
6
Rhode Island
20.20
7
Duquesne
20.25
8
Dayton
20.30
9
Fordham
20.36
10
George Mason
20.68
11
VCU
20.74
12
Loyola Chicago
20.77
13
La Salle
20.79
14
George Washington
20.94
Atlantic Sun — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (8 Teams)
1
Bellarmine
19.31
2
Lipscomb
19.61
3
Jacksonville
19.88
4
North Florida
19.95
5
Queens
20.02
6
Florida Gulf Coast
20.13
7
Stetson
20.23
8
West Florida
20.61
Big 12 — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (16 Teams)
1
Kansas
19.81
2
Arizona
20.03
3
Colorado
20.20
4
Baylor
20.25
5
Iowa State
20.25
6
Houston
20.28
7
West Virginia
20.32
8
Texas Tech
20.36
9
BYU
20.41
10
TCU
20.46
11
Kansas State
20.47
12
Arizona State
20.48
13
Oklahoma State
20.48
14
Utah
20.56
15
Cincinnati
20.67
16
UCF
20.83
Big East — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (11 Teams)
1
Marquette
19.89
2
Georgetown
20.31
3
Seton Hall
20.44
4
Butler
20.47
5
DePaul
20.55
6
St. John's
20.63
7
Providence
20.64
8
UConn
20.78
9
Creighton
20.93
10
Villanova
21.21
11
Xavier
21.26
Big Sky — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (11 Teams)
1
Weber State
19.29
2
Southern Utah
19.86
3
Northern Arizona
19.87
4
Montana
19.94
5
Idaho
20.05
6
Idaho State
20.05
7
Northern Colorado
20.07
8
Montana State
20.11
9
Eastern Washington
20.16
10
Utah Tech
20.79
11
Portland State
21.06
Big South — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (9 Teams)
1
Presbyterian
19.75
2
Radford
19.96
3
UNC Asheville
20.08
4
Gardner-Webb
20.19
5
USC Upstate
20.30
6
Longwood
20.39
7
Winthrop
20.59
8
Charleston Southern
20.87
9
High Point
20.87
Big Ten — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (18 Teams)
1
Michigan State
19.85
2
Iowa
20.00
3
Minnesota
20.22
4
Oregon
20.26
5
Penn State
20.29
6
Illinois
20.30
7
UCLA
20.30
8
Wisconsin
20.34
9
Michigan
20.37
10
Rutgers
20.40
11
Ohio State
20.41
12
Northwestern
20.44
13
USC
20.44
14
Washington
20.52
15
Maryland
20.59
16
Indiana
20.75
17
Purdue
20.92
18
Nebraska
20.96
Big West — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (12 Teams)
1
UC Irvine
19.87
2
UC Riverside
19.94
3
Cal Poly
20.13
4
Cal State Fullerton
20.14
5
Cal Baptist
20.30
6
Cal State Northridge
20.41
7
UC Santa Barbara
20.46
8
Utah Valley
20.53
9
Long Beach State
20.64
10
Sacramento State
20.66
11
UC San Diego
20.80
12
Cal State Bakersfield
21.13
CAA — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (13 Teams)
1
Towson
19.57
2
Northeastern
19.73
3
Monmouth
19.86
4
Charleston
20.16
5
Drexel
20.20
6
Hampton
20.24
7
UNC Wilmington
20.30
8
Hofstra
20.36
9
NC A&T
20.39
10
Elon
20.41
11
William & Mary
20.64
12
Stony Brook
20.67
13
Campbell
20.89
Conference USA — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (10 Teams)
1
Kennesaw State
19.53
2
Western Kentucky
19.75
3
Jacksonville State
19.81
4
Middle Tennessee
19.88
5
Sam Houston State
19.97
6
Liberty
19.99
7
New Mexico State
20.21
8
Missouri State
20.25
9
Delaware
20.75
10
FIU
20.83
Horizon League — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (12 Teams)
1
Robert Morris
19.74
2
Wright State
19.77
3
Youngstown State
19.96
4
Purdue Fort Wayne
20.00
5
Cleveland State
20.02
6
IU Indy
20.03
7
Detroit
20.04
8
Milwaukee
20.06
9
Oakland
20.32
10
Green Bay
20.39
11
Northern Kentucky
20.44
12
Northern Illinois
20.64
Ivy League — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (8 Teams)
1
Yale
19.63
2
Dartmouth
19.89
3
Penn
19.90
4
Cornell
19.96
5
Brown
20.04
6
Princeton
20.06
7
Columbia
20.07
8
Harvard
20.08
MAC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (12 Teams)
1
Toledo
20.06
2
Kent State
20.08
3
Miami (OH)
20.16
4
UMass
20.18
5
Central Michigan
20.27
6
Bowling Green
20.35
7
Ohio
20.41
8
Akron
20.42
9
Ball State
20.60
10
Eastern Michigan
20.62
11
Western Michigan
20.67
12
Buffalo
20.79
MEAC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (8 Teams)
1
South Carolina State
19.57
2
Morgan State
20.50
3
Howard
20.57
4
Norfolk State
20.58
5
Delaware State
20.63
6
NC Central
20.73
7
Coppin State
20.76
8
Maryland-Eastern Shore
20.83
Metro — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (13 Teams)
1
Marist
19.71
2
Merrimack
19.85
3
Manhattan
19.86
4
Fairfield
19.91
5
Rider
19.93
6
Siena
19.93
7
Iona
20.12
8
Canisius
20.14
9
Quinnipiac
20.18
10
Sacred Heart
20.33
11
Mount St. Mary's
20.44
12
Niagara
20.50
13
Saint Peter's
20.93
Missouri Valley — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (11 Teams)
1
Valparaiso
19.64
2
Southern Illinois
19.78
3
Evansville
19.80
4
Drake
19.86
5
UIC
19.93
6
Northern Iowa
20.03
7
Illinois State
20.10
8
Indiana State
20.13
9
Bradley
20.38
10
Belmont
20.39
11
Murray State
20.43
Mountain West — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (10 Teams)
1
Wyoming
20.03
2
Nevada
20.07
3
Air Force
20.19
4
UC Davis
20.66
5
New Mexico
20.72
6
UNLV
20.90
7
UTEP
20.92
8
San Jose State
20.92
9
Hawaii
20.98
10
Grand Canyon
21.38
Northeast — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (9 Teams)
1
Wagner
19.75
2
Central Connecticut
19.77
3
Le Moyne
19.83
4
New Haven
19.97
5
Mercyhurst
20.03
6
Fairleigh Dickinson
20.10
7
Long Island
20.25
8
Stonehill
20.60
9
Chicago State
20.75
Ohio Valley — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (9 Teams)
1
UT Martin
19.61
2
Morehead State
19.93
3
SIU Edwardsville
19.99
4
Lindenwood
20.07
5
Eastern Illinois
20.22
6
Southeast Missouri State
20.28
7
Western Illinois
20.31
8
Southern Indiana
20.82
9
Tennessee State
20.89
PAC-12 — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (9 Teams)
1
Gonzaga
20.02
2
Texas State
20.06
3
Colorado State
20.08
4
Oregon State
20.10
5
Fresno State
20.13
6
Washington State
20.33
7
Utah State
20.39
8
Boise State
20.66
9
San Diego State
20.92
Patriot League — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (10 Teams)
1
Navy
19.54
2
Lafayette
19.70
3
Loyola Maryland
19.72
4
Army
19.77
5
American
19.93
6
Boston University
19.93
7
Colgate
20.07
8
Holy Cross
20.10
9
Lehigh
20.12
10
Bucknell
20.36
SEC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (16 Teams)
1
Arkansas
19.42
2
Vanderbilt
19.48
3
Texas
19.71
4
Alabama
19.87
5
Ole Miss
19.90
6
Mississippi State
20.36
7
South Carolina
20.76
8
Tennessee
20.76
9
Texas A&M
20.76
10
LSU
20.83
11
Kentucky
20.87
12
Georgia
20.93
13
Missouri
20.95
14
Oklahoma
21.14
15
Florida
21.21
16
Auburn
21.39
SWAC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (12 Teams)
1
Alcorn State
19.39
2
Southern
19.70
3
Florida A&M
19.86
4
Alabama A&M
20.30
5
Jackson State
20.44
6
Alabama State
20.63
7
Grambling
20.63
8
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
20.64
9
Mississippi Valley State
20.68
10
Prairie View
20.70
11
Texas Southern
20.80
12
Bethune-Cookman
21.20
Southern — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (11 Teams)
1
Western Carolina
19.53
2
Wofford
19.80
3
Furman
19.81
4
VMI
19.84
5
Mercer
20.12
6
UNC Greensboro
20.31
7
East Tennessee State
20.33
8
The Citadel
20.37
9
Samford
20.47
10
Chattanooga
20.62
11
Tennessee Tech
20.64
Southland — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (12 Teams)
1
McNeese
19.82
2
East Texas A&M
19.92
3
Incarnate Word
20.03
4
Stephen F. Austin
20.30
5
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
20.31
6
Northwestern State
20.33
7
New Orleans
20.36
8
Southeastern Louisiana
20.46
9
Nicholls
20.50
10
UTRGV
20.86
11
Lamar
20.94
12
Houston Christian
21.22
Summit League — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (8 Teams)
1
Kansas City
19.55
2
Oral Roberts
19.81
3
South Dakota State
19.83
4
St. Thomas
19.88
5
North Dakota
19.98
6
North Dakota State
20.04
7
Omaha
20.21
8
South Dakota
20.44
Sun Belt — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (14 Teams)
1
Arkansas State
19.58
2
Louisiana Tech
19.81
3
Georgia Southern
19.83
4
Coastal Carolina
19.88
5
Louisiana
20.16
6
Marshall
20.16
7
South Alabama
20.21
8
James Madison
20.24
9
Appalachian State
20.34
10
Troy
20.49
11
Southern Miss
20.50
12
Georgia State
20.66
13
Old Dominion
20.66
14
Louisiana-Monroe
21.02
UAC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (9 Teams)
1
Austin Peay
19.12
2
Abilene Christian
19.43
3
Central Arkansas
19.57
4
Little Rock
19.97
5
UT Arlington
20.22
6
Eastern Kentucky
20.25
7
West Georgia
20.25
8
North Alabama
20.37
9
Tarleton State
20.95
WCC — Average Roster Age, Youngest to Oldest (10 Teams)
1
San Francisco
19.93
2
Loyola Marymount
20.02
3
Pacific
20.03
4
Santa Clara
20.21
5
Seattle
20.21
6
San Diego
20.31
7
Portland
20.42
8
Denver
20.43
9
Saint Mary's
20.61
10
Pepperdine
20.73
Data: RotoWire roster compilation. Updated: September 2026.

The 5 Oldest Teams in College Basketball for 2026-27

The nation's oldest roster belongs to Auburn (21.39), where head coach Steven Pearl -- who took over for his father, Bruce -- brings back star guard Tahaad Pettiford atop a veteran-laden group. 

Grand Canyon (21.38) sits just behind, as Bryce Drew again leans on a transfer-built roster fronted by Tre Holloman and Dan Skillings Jr. 

Xavier (21.26) is third under Richard Pitino, bolstered by transfers Mike Nwoko and Tru Washington. 

Southland member Houston Christian (21.22) checks in fourth, and Florida (21.21) completes the top five, with Todd Golden returning Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Boogie Fland.

Also: See the average age of all 138 FBS teams in 2026, ranked oldest to youngest.

The 5 Youngest Teams in College Basketball for 2026-27

At the other end, Austin Peay is the youngest team in Division I at 19.12, with Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year freshman Cam Ryans headlining the newcomers. 

Weber State (19.29) and Bellarmine (19.31) follow, both built around youthful, heavily remade rosters, while SWAC member Alcorn State (19.39) sits fourth. 

The headliner is fifth-ranked Arkansas (19.42): John Calipari is again building around freshmen, with five-star Finnish forward Miikka Muurinen the centerpiece of a class the Razorbacks are set to lean on heavily. It is the rare high-major program whose youth is a feature, not a rebuild.

Also: 2026 College Football Bowl Projections: Full CFP Bracket and Every Bowl Matchup.

College Basketball Conference Age Breakdowns

ACC's Oldest Roster: Pittsburgh Banks on a Veteran Backcourt

Pittsburgh owns the ACC's oldest roster at 20.98 years, edging Boston College (20.95) and Louisville (20.69). Jeff Capel returns for his ninth season atop a transfer-built, experienced group that brings back guard Brandin Cummings.

Big 12's Oldest Roster: UCF's Veteran Rebuild Under Johnny Dawkins

UCF carries the Big 12's oldest roster at 20.83, ahead of Cincinnati (20.67) and Utah (20.56). Johnny Dawkins leaned on the portal again, welcoming back well-traveled guard Dior Johnson for 2026-27.

Big East's Oldest Roster: Xavier's Transfer-Heavy Veteran Group

Xavier tops the Big East -- and ranks third nationally -- at 21.26 years, older than Villanova (21.21) and Creighton (20.93). Richard Pitino's veteran roster adds transfers Mike Nwoko (from LSU) and Tru Washington (from Miami).

Big Ten's Oldest Roster: Nebraska Leans on Experience

Nebraska has the Big Ten's oldest roster at 20.96, just ahead of Purdue (20.92) and Indiana (20.75). Fred Hoiberg brings back wing Pryce Sandfort to anchor an upperclass-heavy rotation.

Pac-12's Oldest Roster: San Diego State Sets the Tone in the New-Look Pac-12

In the rebuilt Pac-12, San Diego State fields the oldest roster at 20.92, older than Boise State (20.66) and Utah State (20.39). Brian Dutcher's veteran group returns forward Tae Simmons as the Aztecs open life in their new conference.

SEC's Oldest Roster: Auburn Is the Nation's Most Experienced Team

Auburn doesn't just top the SEC at 21.39 -- it is the oldest roster in all of Division I, ahead of Florida (21.21) and Oklahoma (21.14). Pearl returns star guard Tahaad Pettiford to lead the country's most experienced team.

Methodology

Roster ages reflect each team's projected 2026-27 roster as of September 9, 2026, calculated to two decimal places. Teams are ranked youngest to oldest by average roster age within each of the 31 NCAA Division I conferences.

College Basketball Roster Age: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the oldest team in college basketball for 2026-27?

Auburn has the oldest roster in Division I at an average age of 21.39 years, edging Grand Canyon (21.38) and Xavier (21.26). New head coach Steven Pearl returns star guard Tahaad Pettiford atop a veteran-laden roster.

What is the youngest team in college basketball for 2026-27?

Austin Peay is the youngest team in Division I at an average roster age of 19.12 years, followed by Weber State (19.29) and Bellarmine (19.31).

What is the average roster age in Division I basketball?

Across all Division I teams, the average roster age for 2026-27 is 20.28 years, with a median of 20.25 -- meaning Auburn's nation-leading 21.39 sits more than a full year above the typical program.

Which conference has the oldest rosters in 2026-27?

The Mountain West has the oldest average roster in the country at 20.68 years, just ahead of the Big East (20.65). Among power conferences, the Big East is oldest, followed by the SEC (20.52).

Which conference has the youngest rosters in 2026-27?

The Patriot League has the youngest average roster at 19.92 years, narrowly ahead of the Ivy League (19.95) and the ASUN (19.97).

Which SEC team has the oldest roster?

Auburn tops the SEC -- and all of Division I -- at 21.39 years, ahead of Florida (21.21) and Oklahoma (21.14). Arkansas is the SEC's youngest at 19.42, reflecting John Calipari's freshman-heavy build.

Why are college basketball rosters getting older?

The transfer portal and expanded eligibility have pushed many programs toward experienced, veteran-heavy rosters, as coaches supplement traditional recruiting with fifth-year transfers and older international players. That's why several of the oldest teams -- Grand Canyon, Xavier and Auburn among them -- lean heavily on portal additions.

How is average roster age calculated?

RotoWire calculated the mean listed age of each program's projected 2026-27 roster across all 32 Division I conferences (365 teams). Figures reflect current preseason rosters and are updated as of September 2026.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Thomas Leary
Thomas Leary is a senior editor and sports betting expert for RotoWire, covering all aspects of the gambling industry with an emphasis on sports data. He previously spent over six years at Sports Business Journal, where he helped identify emerging sectors across the industry, such as legalized gambling, and helped launch a digital newsletter division. Outside of work, Thomas can often be found at the golf course, and he still laments the many Louis Oosthuizen major heartbreaks. Thomas is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
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