The other day, I was sitting on the beach at an undisclosed location and found myself thinking about some of my favorite moments and stories from this past college basketball season. It was a very Rothstein-esque moment - you know the type:
In fairness to myself, the topic of college basketball only came up on the beach because my wife asked me if I'd heard about the latest Real Housewives of Rhode Island drama surrounding one of the cast members and Ed Cooley. Naturally, I asked her if she'd heard about Ed Cooley pelting a child with a water bottle, and it spiraled pretty quickly from there.
There were plenty of other moments that gave us a good laugh this season. Remember when Mick Cronin ejected one of his own players after a hard foul and asked a reporter, "Are you raising your voice at me?"
How about when Micah Shrewsberry ran after a referee? Or when Kim English picked one up? Of course, we can't forget the infamous headbutt between Dan Hurley and Roger Ayers.
We had a buzzer go off for almost ten minutes during the Elite Eight. Then they had a guy use an air horn for the rest of the game. Heck, David Mirkovic's entire existence this season is probably worth its own documentary.
Remember when Illinois State freshman Mason Klabo ran back to his dorm during a game in full uniform to get his inhaler? When Malik Reneau went to the concession stand in full uniform after losing in the NCAA Tournament? Or when Georgia and Oklahoma had to briefly stop play because a popcorn machine caught on fire on the concourse.
There were so many great quotes that we were able to get not one, but two full videos of press conference and postgame moments.
Next season, we're going to create a giant community note to track all the best moments of the year.
Then there are the storylines, thousands of them. In every corner of the country, you can find something worth talking about. I narrowed my list down to a few that immediately came to mind and carried the duration of the season.
It's not exhaustive by any means, but when you're done reading, I would love to hear some that made your list.
Miami (OH)'s impossible, unimaginable, controversial, undefeated regular season
How can you talk about the 2025-2026 season without leading off with this?
Peter Suder telling the Ohio student section goodbye after winning an overtime thriller
Miami didn't exactly come out of nowhere. They went 25-9 in 2024-2025 and brought back the 7th-ranked team in minutes continuity, per KenPom. They were picked second in the preseason MAC poll and had a massive chip on their shoulder after their heartbreaking loss in the previous year's MAC Championship.
Despite the preseason accolades, no one paid this team any mind until January. Yeah, they were undefeated, but they ain't played nobody Pawl! Their non-conference strength of schedule was 361st and that doesn't even include their three non-Division I opponents. The RedHawks didn't move the needle in the public eye until they beat Akron to move to 15-0.
From there, every game turned into must-see TV. Down the stretch they won four different games by two points and went to overtime in three more. They overcame everyone's best shot and won games they probably had no business winning. Their last three games were decided by a combined six points.
Their regular season finale against Ohio is a legitimate contender for Game of the Year. The RedHawks blew a double-digit second half lead on the road against their arch rival in one of the most electric environments of the season. Three different players scored 30 points and Ohio narrowly missed a buzzer beater to pull the upset. The post-game scenes will live in college basketball lore forever.
The mental and physical fatigue of the regular season's grind reared its ugly head in the MAC Tournament. A first round loss to UMass opened the floodgates for a national debate about the RedHawks' qualifications for the NCAA Tournament. The discourse eventually led to a tense back-and-forth between Bruce Pearl and Miami athletic director David Sayler.
The selection committee opted to put Miami in the First Four, which proved to be the best decision for everyone involved. In front of a raucous, semi-home environment, the RedHawks were able to showcase they very much belonged. They made 16 threes and led by as many as 14 points in the second half on their way to an 89-79 win over SMU.
Travis Steele's squad was dispatched quietly in the First Round against Tennessee, but by then they'd already cemented themselves as the best story of the season.
Nebraska's winning streak & first NCAA Tournament wins
Nebraska was one of three teams to finish the 2024-2025 season with a win. They took home the inaugural College Basketball Crown title and little did they (or anyone) know what kind of momentum that would bring the Cornhuskers in 2025-2026.
The hype was a slow burn from the beginning of the season. They added sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort to the rotation and got Rienk Mast back from injury. Throw in a MARFO from Jamarques Lawrence and a handful of returning starters and it was easy to see why Fred Hoiberg's squad could reasonably make the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska rolled through their buy games and beat Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas State on a neutral floor. They were 8-0 heading into their annual rivalry game against Creighton.
A 21-point blowout of the Bluejays followed by a 30-point blowout of Wisconsin put the country on notice. Everyone anticipated the then 14-game winning streak (dating back to last season) would end with a road game at Illinois, but the Huskers found a way to get the win behind 32 points from Pryce Sandfort.
Nebraska would go on to win nine more games before suffering their first loss of the season against eventual national champion Michigan. Even in that game, the Cornhuskers looked like they belonged, leading for a majority of the contest without Rienk Mast or Braden Fraeger in the lineup. In all, they won 24 straight games and reached as high 5th in the AP Poll.
While the win streak was nice, the bigger goal was winning the program's first NCAA Tournament game. Nebraska had only made the tournament eight times in its history and lost in the first round every single appearance. The regular season success landed the Huskers a 4-seed, their best chance at a win since they were a 6-seed in 1994.
The first round game against Troy felt like a coronation - a validation of everything the program accomplished up to that moment. A pair of 12-2 runs in the first half gave the Huskers a 16-point cushion at the break. The second half was largely non-competitive and at last, Nebraska earned their first ever NCAA Tournament win.
When it was all said and done, we witnessed the greatest season in Nebrasketball history. They won a program record 28 games, with 15 coming in Big Ten play (also a program record). Fred Hoiberg won both AP and Big Ten Coach of the Year. Their 24-game winning streak was the longest in program history and they finally got the NCAA Tournament monkey off their back.
The best part? Everyone around the program is easy to root for and they play some beautiful basketball.
The freshman class might've been the best ever
I may be a victim of recency bias, but was this year's freshman class the best ever?
Most incoming classes feature a handful of starters, a couple dozen productive rotation players and a heap of end-of-the-bench types looking to carve out a role. This year's group seemed to flip the script.
KenPom's end of the year Top 25 is predominantly made up of teams who featured a freshman in either a starter or prominent rotation role.
Let's look at the Final Four alone. Trey McKenney averaged nearly 10 points for the national champion Michigan Wolverines. Koa Peat, Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov started every game they were available for Arizona. Braylon Mullins started nearly every game and hit the shot for UConn. Then there's Illinois, who started David Mirkovic and the most surprising freshman of them all, Keaton Wagler.
The Wagler story will be seared into my mind forever. This kid came out of no where. He was ranked 261st in the 247 Composite Rankings. Now, he's a lock to be picked in the top 10 of this year's NBA Draft. Please read CJ Moore's profile on him - it's tremendous.
Another out-of-nowhere talent? Stanford's Ebuka Okorie. He averaged 23 points for the Cardinal this season and in any other normal year he is just as heralded as the top of the class.
Joey Dwyer
Speaking of the top of the class, I made it this far and still haven't mentioned the Big 3. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson were as advertised and then some. Each of them averaged over 20 points per game and were the clear alphas on their teams. They're all polarizing in their own ways, too. Dybantsa spurned the blue bloods to go play at BYU. Boozer quieted doubters all year long and continues to win wherever he goes. Peterson had trouble staying healthy this season, but when he was out there he was the most electric player on the floor. All three are vying for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Then there's the rest of the ultra-talented group. I will miss watching Caleb Wilson's effort and enthusiasm for the game. Darius Acuff's 49-point performance against Alabama is one of single most impressive things I saw this season. He and Meleek Thomas made Arkansas must-see TV.
Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac did it all for Houston - a team that doesn't normally rely on the young pups. Shelton Henderson was a revelation for Miami. Malachi Moreno and Matt Able nearly turned themselves into first round picks. Nate Ament, Amari Allen, Tounde Yessoufou, Chance Mallory, Braden Fraeger, Nigel James Jr., Hannes Steinbach, Stefan Vaaks - the list goes on and on.
Even at the mid-major level we had some gems. Santa Clara's Allen Graves will get drafted this year. Alex Wilkins and Ace Glass are certified buckets who transferred up for next season. Jake Hall and Tomislav Buljan carried New Mexico. Leroy Blyden, Jr. was arguably Toledo's best player.
We were blessed with talented freshmen all across the country and you can't tell the story of this season without talking about them.
One day someone smarter than me will do a full statistical analysis of this group, but from a pure production standpoint I'm not sure there's ever been another class this good.
