2025-2026 B1G Basketball Thread

[bayareabadger]

I’m interested when UW will land its stretch 4 type. Roster seems short on that spot unless one of the 6-5 guys gets notably stronger. 

[ELA]

Chad Baker-Mazara in the portal.  Next year he will be 26, and at his 5th school

[boilerbanger]

Chad Baker-Mazara in the portal.  Next year he will be 26, and at his 5th school

I wonder what Jay Bilas really thinks of the situation ... I don't listen to his games much anymore since there is no BIG on ESPN.

[FearlessF]

[847badgerfan]

I like this.


https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1928454144664207722

[847badgerfan]

https://twitter.com/jessetemple/status/1930947610367434787

[bayareabadger]

https://twitter.com/jessetemple/status/1930947610367434787

He’s a really nice case for the upside of NIL. 

[medinabuckeye1]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ranking-five-college-basketball-teams-most-likely-to-win-first-ncaa-tournament-title-in-2026/amp/

According to CBS the five programs most like to win their first ever CBB NC in 2025/26 are led by our own Purdue Boilermakers:

• Purdue
• Houston
• BYU
• Alabama
• Auburn

The last first-time Champ was Baylor in 2021 who beat Gonzaga in a title game that could only produce a first-time Champion.  Since then both Houston and Purdue have been to the title game but the Champs have been Kansas, UCONN2x, and Florida.  

It is interesting to me how different this is from the situation in CFB where the last first-time Champion was Florida nearly three decades ago and there aren't any programs that look like they have a plausible chance in the foreseeable future.  

[ELA]

I thought Houston was supposed to be the runaway preseason #1?

[ELA]

It is interesting to me how different this is from the situation in CFB where the last first-time Champion was Florida nearly three decades ago and there aren't any programs that look like they have a plausible chance in the foreseeable future. 

Oregon?

[bayareabadger]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ranking-five-college-basketball-teams-most-likely-to-win-first-ncaa-tournament-title-in-2026/amp/

According to CBS the five programs most like to win their first ever CBB NC in 2025/26 are led by our own Purdue Boilermakers:

• Purdue
• Houston
• BYU
• Alabama
• Auburn

The last first-time Champ was Baylor in 2021 who beat Gonzaga in a title game that could only produce a first-time Champion.  Since then both Houston and Purdue have been to the title game but the Champs have been Kansas, UCONN2x, and Florida. 

It is interesting to me how different this is from the situation in CFB where the last first-time Champion was Florida nearly three decades ago and there aren't any programs that look like they have a plausible chance in the foreseeable future. 

That is interesting.

I wonder if it’s a couple things.
-Winning a CBB title is theoretically easier and more random? Basketball games can be fluky. You won’t lose a poll tiebreaker as teams did historically.
-A greater percentage of “power” teams are eligible. In the poll era, 44 percent of current P4 teams have a title, and you could argue a set of those are mid majors. All told, 29 or so current power programs have titles (and some of have quasi-mid-major history), but there are more “power” teams, so that number is something like 37 percent.

Wild one could build a list like that and not have Gonzaga, Houston or Texas Tech. That sport feels like it has more spontaneity to it. 

[ELA]

Also, that is relying on one national title, that began in 1939.  I think Purdue has a Helms national title, correct?  It would be like if you only credited AP National champs in football.  Only one per year, and starting in 1936.

[bayareabadger]

Also, that is relying on one national title, that began in 1939.  I think Purdue has a Helms national title, correct?  It would be like if you only credited AP National champs in football.  Only one per year, and starting in 1936.

I just went with the poll era ones. If you count the ones for Cal, Vandy, Wisconsin, Arizona State, Stanford, Rutgers, it gets much weirder. 

[medinabuckeye1]

Oregon?

That is a fair point, they do seem like a plausible NC.  

That said, it is one vs a lot more in BB.  

Also, that is relying on one national title, that began in 1939.  I think Purdue has a Helms national title, correct?  It would be like if you only credited AP National champs in football.  Only one per year, and starting in 1936.

IIRC, that IS what I was comparing.  If you go by AP and only count AP Champions, the most recent first-time NC was Florida in 1996.