Storylines Shaping 2025-26 Men’s College Basketball Season
- There are 50 days until the NCAA tournament bracket is set on Selection Sunday.
- We've learned a lot in the 80-plus days since the 2025-26 college basketball season tipped off, especially as conference play has hit high gear.
- Whether you're just tuning in or enjoy the bird's-eye view, ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf quickly break down the eight biggest storylines shaping the season so far...
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Jeff Borzello
Basketball recruiting insider
- Jeff borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.
There are 50 days until the NCAA tournament bracket is set on Selection Sunday.
We’ve learned a lot in the 80-plus days since the 2025-26 college basketball season tipped off, especially as conference play has hit high gear. Freshmen are dominating. Scoring is at a historically high pace. Nebraska adn Miami (Ohio) are among the final three unbeatens. and that’s just scratching the surface.
Whether you’re just tuning in or enjoy the bird’s-eye view, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf quickly break down the eight biggest storylines shaping the season so far below.
The biggest surprises so far
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Indiana, the losingest programme in college football history entering the 2025 season, just won the national championship. A miraculous run could be brewing in college basketball, too.
Undefeated Nebraska has orchestrated one of the top turnarounds in recent history. Miami (Ohio) hasn’t lost, either. clemson is off to a surprising start in ACC play (6-0). and in his first season, Kevin Willard has made Villanova a top-tier offensive and defensive team in the Big East.
The biggest disappointments so far
A number of teams and players have unexpectedly disappointed. Donovan Dent was one of the top available transfers in the portal after winning Mountain West Player of the Year last season.Yet he has struggled at UCLA, shooting just 17% from 3 for the bubble team. Kentucky is on a winning streak right now, but the Wildcats don’t look like the national contenders they were supposed to be after reportedly spending $20 million on their current roster.The same goes for Oregon,which already had a disappointing roster before recent injuries continued to derail its season. In the Big 12, Baylor boasts two projected lottery picks, and yet the Bears still managed to kick off league play with a 1-5 record. Tennessee can’t seem to find its footing, either, despite having five-star freshman and projected lottery pick Nate Ament in the fold. A top-three defensive team in SEC play for the past five years, the Vols are currently ranked eighth. A chunk of the Big East — see: marquette, Providence and 2:24 Highlight: No. 20 Arkansas’ offense shines at home in win over No. 15 vandy Six Razorbacks reach double-digits as they shoot 57.8% and 40.9% from three to knock off the Commodores, 93-68.
Star players managing injuries
When he’s on the floor, Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson is among the elite players in college basketball. The potential no. 1 NBA draft pick would rank in the top 10 in the country in scoring, averaging 22.2 points per game — if he had played enough games to qualify, that is. Peterson entered the week with just nine games under his belt,having missed seven with a hamstring injury in November and December,and another two right before Christmas after apparently reaggravating the injury. He has played all six games in January, even though not with a full allotment of minutes. And now he is contending with a sprained ankle, putting his status for the immediate future in doubt.
Peterson isn’t the only projected lottery pick to have missed time with injuries and also have a vague timeline for return. Louisville‘s Mikel Brown Jr. hasn’t played as the Cardinals’ Dec. 13 game against Memphis, missing the past nine matchups with a lower back injury. Head coach Pat Kelsey admitted last week that, although he expects Brown to return at some point this season, he doesn’t know when that will be.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance missed the first 11 games of the season while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last February. He returned on Dec. 20 and was outstanding against St. John’s before scoring just 10 points over his next three contests and then being ruled out for Kentucky’s past three games.— Borzello