We at the moment are slightly below 50 days away from the beginning of the 2025-26 males’s faculty basketball season, which implies optimism continues to be radiating all through dozens of the game’s most notable fan bases.
For a choose few, there’s a way that subsequent March might lastly be the one the place their workforce breaks by way of and makes it to the game’s last weekend for the primary time within the twenty first century.
Listed here are 5 applications which have cause to imagine that 2026 would be the 12 months the place they crash the Remaining 4 for the primary time in … effectively, far too lengthy.
A shock second-round loss to Tenth-seeded Arkansas was the one factor that might considerably dampen spirits in Queens after a season the place Rick Pitino led St. John’s to its first Large East common season title since 1992 and its first Large East Event title since 2000.
Now the fan base, and Pitino, are after extra.
The Johnnies gained with rebounding and protection (a pair of Pitino staples) final season, however struggled at instances to place the ball within the basket at a excessive sufficient price to be thought-about reliable nationwide championship contenders. They addressed that subject by way of the portal throughout the offseason, touchdown a trio of top-tier bucket getters in Ian Jackson (UNC), Bryce Hopkins (Windfall) and Oziyah Sellers (Stanford). Toss within the return of All-Large East large man Zuby Ejiofor and the addition of one other elite frontcourt presence in Cincinnati switch Dillon Mitchell, and there’s loads of hope that the Crimson Storm might attain the promised land this season for the primary time in over 4 a long time.
No program has appeared in additional NCAA Tournaments or gained extra NCAA Event video games with out making a Remaining 4 than BYU. Cougar followers are hoping that’s about to vary as they gear up for what’s broadly being characterised as “essentially the most anticipated basketball season in BYU historical past.”
Kevin Younger has, with out query, one of the thrilling rosters within the sport. He (and BYU’s wealthier donors) had been in a position to lure Robert Wright III away from Baylor after a season the place he established himself as maybe the very best freshman level guard in faculty basketball. He’ll type a backcourt with Richie Saunders, who averaged 16.5 ppg for the Cougars final season, and A.J. Dybantsa (technically a ahead), the No. 1 participant within the class of 2025 in accordance with a number of scouting companies, and the potential high decide in subsequent 12 months’s NBA Draft.
If BYU can defend at a excessive sufficient degree — a process made extra probably by the addition of Southern Illinois switch Kennard Davis — there shouldn’t be a workforce within the nation they’re unable to play with.
John Calipari’s first season in Fayetteville was broadly considered as a disappointment … after which March occurred.
The Razorbacks slipped into the NCAA Event as a 10-seed after which promptly pulled upsets of Kansas and St. John’s to crash the Candy 16 for the fourth time within the final 5 years. A close to upset of Texas Tech within the regional semifinal left Hog followers dreaming about what could be in 2025-26.
Calipari returns starters DJ Wagner, Karter Knox and Trevon Brazile from final 12 months’s workforce, and provides a 5-star freshman in guard Darius Acuff in addition to a pair of high-level frontcourt transfers in Florida State’s Malique Ewin (14.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Nick Pringle (9.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) from South Carolina.
If Acuff can dwell as much as the lofty expectations of being a freshman guard thrust right into a highlight function by Calipari, the sky may very well be the restrict for this Razorbacks squad.
In his 4 seasons in Ames, TJ Otzelberger has gained 85 complete video games, a Large 12 Event championship, and 5 video games within the NCAA Event. The one factor he hasn’t completed — regardless of being a 2-seed in 2024 and a 3-seed final season — is take the Cyclones past the Candy 16.
Whereas Iowa State loses key contributors Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert from final 12 months’s 25-win workforce, they do return three starters in Tamin Lipsey (10.6 ppg), Milan Momcilovic (11.5 ppg) and Joshua Jefferson (13.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg). Switch forwards Blake Buchanan (Virginia) and Eric Mulder (Purdue-Fort Wayne) be part of Otzelberger’s highest-rated recruiting class thus far to type the nucleus of a workforce that ought to as soon as once more be among the many greatest within the nation in defensively.
With Otzelberger, it looks like a matter of when, not if he’s going to interrupt by way of and take the Cylcones to the game’s greatest stage. Iowa State followers have waited lengthy sufficient to really feel like they deserve that “when” to be this season.
Whereas BYU has been to essentially the most NCAA Tournaments with out a Remaining 4 look, it’s Tennessee that’s broadly considered because the proprietor of the notorious “Greatest Program to Have By no means Been to a Remaining 4” title.
A lot of that has to do with how profitable the Volunteers have been underneath head coach Rick Barnes. UT has been a 5-seed or higher (and a 2-seed thrice) in its final seven NCAA Tournaments underneath Barnes. It’s gained three SEC championships, been to a few straight Candy 16s, and made two of this system’s three all-time regional last appearances within the final two years.
And but the “zero” nonetheless hangs over this system just like the rain cloud that refuses to depart poor Eeyore alone.
This 12 months’s Tennessee workforce gained’t enter the season with wherever close to the hype that Barnes’ final three squads did. However possibly that’s what the Volunteers want.
Only one starter is again — large man Felix Okpara (7.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) —however a gifted group of newcomers headlined by 5-star freshman Nate Ament and Maryland switch guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (14.7 ppg, 4.8 apg) nonetheless have optimism excessive in Knoxville.