College Hoops Season 2025-26

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FormerAccount12

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I know this is over a month before the season starts, but some exhibitions are starting in a few weeks, so I figured it would be an acceptable time to start the college basketball thread for the 2025-26 season.

At a high level, this season has several highly ranked teams with a fair number of expected White contributors. Purdue, UConn, Illinois, Wisconsin, Creighton, Florida, and Iowa State are all expected to be ranked in the preseason top 25, and I would consider all White-friendly for the year…some more so than others. As per usual, many of the top mid-majors will be White-friendly, such as Illinois State, Belmont, Northern Iowa, and Miami Ohio. There are also several low majors that look to be very White Friendly. Out of all of the rosters I have seen (not all of them to be fair), Purdue, Idaho State, and St. Thomas all look to have the most Whites at 13 each.

I am not sure if anyone else has noticed this but the combination of the transfer portal and the increase in popularity in foreign players have both really helped White numbers on rosters. Although it ultimately comes down to the 8 or so who will regularly play (out of all of those on a 15-16 man roster), many teams have more Whites than I remember seeing in past seasons. For example, UL Monroe (hardly a White friendly team historically) will actually have a majority White roster this season. Same with Oral Roberts. I am sure there are a few other examples out there as well.

I think it would be a good idea if we did a brief write-up on some of our top rooting options this season (I will certainly help with a few of them).
 
Purdue Boilermakers

Last Season: 24-12, lost on a buzzer beater in the Sweet 16

Purdue will start the season as either the highest or second highest ranked team in the country per the major polls. They will also be our best rooting option for the season as they roster 13 Whites (including an Israeli freshmen) and will play many of them. Look for the Boilermakers to start 3 Whites while also playing several more off of the bench.

Purdue is led by Indiana native Braden Smith, a senior, undersized (6-0) point guard who is clearly one of the top players in the country. Smith “overcame” his lack of attention coming out of high school (Purdue, App State, Montana, and Toledo were only offers) by starting every game for the Boilermakers since his true freshman year, in addition to winning Big 10 Player of the Year last season. Smith has a great chance at winning the national player of the year award. He really is one of the most exciting players to watch in the nation!

Last Season Stats: 15.8 PPG, 42.8% FG, 38.1% 3PT, 8.7 APG, 3.0 TOPG, 4.5 RPG (second leading rebounder on team), 2.2 steals per game
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Joining Smith in the backcourt is fellow White and Indiana native Fletcher Loyer. Loyer is also a senior and has also started every game he has ever played in for Purdue. He is one of the top shooters in the nation and will be an important player once again this season. I think a realistic expectation for this season would be 1st or 2nd team all Big10 (2nd team is probably more likely)

Last Season Stats: 13.8 PPG, 46.5% FG, 44.4% 3PT, 1.8 AST, 1.2 TO
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Purdue will have at least one more White starting this season and that is likely to be Aussie big man Oscar Cluff. Cluff, a transfer from South Dakota State and Washington State, was a highly regarded portal addition for Matt Painter. He is a 6-11 center who averaged 17.6 points per game for South Dakota State last season. Note: Contrary to the photo, Cluff will wear number 45 for Purdue this year.
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Reserves: Purdue also has several Whites who will see time off the bench. The first of these is center Daniel Jacobsen, a 7 foot 4 big man from Chicago. Jacobsen (2nd-year in program) started two games for Purdue last year before enduring a season-ending injury, so he will still be a freshman due to the medical redshirt. I imagine that Cluff will start and Jacobsen will come off the bench. Purdue will also have Omer Mayer, an Israeli freshman, available off of the bench. Mayer played in two EuroBasket tournaments for Israel this summer (U19 and U20) and put up great numbers in each. In the U19 tourney, he averaged 20 PPG while also swiping 2 steals a game. In the U20 tourney, he averaged 16.7 PPG as well as 5.1 APG. Look for veteran North Florida transfer Liam Murphy (a 6-7 wing) to come in and make some threes off of the bench as he shot 42.3% from deep last year on high volume. He is not mentioned on many previews, but some on Twitter have mentioned the possibility of Jack Benter, a 6-6, redshirt freshmen guard, getting minutes. Purdue has a bit of a logjam in the backcourt as there are so many talented options (and Smith won’t come off the floor very much), so Benter probably won’t play a ton, but still wanted to put the information out there.

Non-White Players: In the interest of being fair, Purdue does have several solid non-white players this season. Senior power forward Trey Kaufman-Renn is the most notable and has a good chance at being an All-American this season. Although Smith will still be the team’s best player and overall leader, there is a decent chance Kaufman-Renn will lead the team in scoring this season. Realistically, if Purdue wants to make the final four this season, they will need Renn to have a great year. Look for second year guard CJ Cox to also start for the Boilermakers and to play some great defense.

Overall Ceiling: National Champions
 
Great initiative and write up. Purdue under Matt Painter has become the modern day Duke or Gonzaga. A powerhouse major program that utilizes under-recruited White talent. Both of those programs left a major void when they started chasing all of the 5 stars exclusively.

I’ll certainly contribute but not until it gets closer to the season start. I’m too caught up in football and baseball at the moment.
 
i echo Freethinker’s thoughts. well done! and i will also be happy to contribute closer to tip-off.
 
The Great Replacement in Utah

Unfortunately, one of the only states that would have multiple White friendly programs each season looks to end that trend starting this year. I am of course talking about the state of Utah. The state has produced many talented White players and teams, but this will only be the case for one program in the state this season:

Utah: While there were some dark years in the mid 2010s’, Utah’s best teams typically have had a combination of local White players as well as a few Europeans (and maybe even an Aussie or two). As far as I know, Utah was the most recent power five team to start an all-White starting five with it occurring several times in the 2023-24 season (and possibly in 2024-25?). The Utes have had a lot of success with White teams as well. In fact, 1998 Utah made the championship game starting four Whites and only having two blacks on the entire team. One of the starters on that team, Alex Jensen, was recently named as the next head coach of the Utes. Jensen will look to live up to the great 1998 team by building a roster that looks almost nothing like the team that made the Final Four and championship game. In fact, the team only rosters one White this season after having nine on the roster last year. This is one of the more drastic falloffs I have ever seen regarding team demographics. The team looks to be one of the worst teams in the power conferences this year too as the roster is made up of low efficiency mid major players and “project”-type transfers from the Power 5. German newcomer Jacob Patrick will be the only White on the roster.
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Utah's team doesn't quite look the part compared to their gold standard 1998 team.

BYU: BYU started three White players last season en route to a Sweet 16 appearance; however, the number will fall all the way down to one starter this year in all likelihood. The main reason for this is BYU’s newfound interest in “elite” recruiting. As a result of this, BYU spent millions to acquire some of the top ranked high schoolers and transfers (mostly blacks). This leaves Senior guard Richie Saunders as the lone pale face in the starting lineup. Saunders was fantastic last season, averaging 16.5 points on 51.8% shooting and 43.2% from three. He was all Big-12 first team last season, but we will have to wait and see if his new teammates will give him the ball enough to replicate such numbers again this season. Look for senior guard Dawson Baker to get between 15 to 20 minutes per game off the bench in a role similar to last season. Idaho transfer Tyler Mrus and Serbian Mihailo Boskovic will both also likely get minutes towards the back of the rotation.
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Richie Saunders - One of the best three point shooters in college basketball.

Utah State: Utah State is the least offensive of these three schools as they have 8 Whites on the team and look to start three of them. With that said, it is still a far cry from the 12 they rostered and five they started three seasons ago (Utah State is the most recent team to make the tournament with an all-White starting 5). Mason Falslev, a junior guard, will be Utah State’s best player this season. Falslev averaged 15 points per game last season to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Like most White guards, he is an efficient scorer shooting at a 49.7% clip from the field and 39% from 3. By the way, he achieves this efficiency despite only being 6-3. Beyond that, it is tough to say for sure as there are not a ton of articles discussing their upcoming season yet. I imagine that Tucker Anderson (SF), Drake Allen (G), Karson Templin (PF), and Zach Keller (C) will all get varying amounts of minutes (with probably Anderson and Keller starting). Utah State gave nine guys over 10 minutes a game last season, so our guys will definitely be on the floor even if they are not starting. It is funny that despite being in a lesser conference and having less resources that this Aggies team will almost certainly be better than Utah…I wonder why that is?
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Mason Flaslev - 2024-25 All MWC 2nd Team
 
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The Utah Utes should change their name to the Youffs. That photo filled with all the nappyheaded “student affletes” could easily be Arkansas or Alabama with the team colors and demographics. Very sad change in direction that is not likely to go well for them.
 
I have been doing some research (reading team message boards and looking at exhibition box scores) to see if we will have any all White starting fives this season, and I have yet to find any so far unfortunately. On the plus side, there seem to be a decent amount of teams with four: Illinois, Saint Mary's, Idaho, Idaho State, Belmont, South Dakota State, and South Dakota for a few...there are plenty of teams I haven't checked out yet though. Maybe Lipscomb or St. Thomas will start five - it would be cool to see!

For some historical facts on roster demographics, I know that South Dakota State started five Whites for the majority of the season last year and I think they were the only team that did, but I could be wrong. The previous season (2023-24), Utah had an all-White starting five at times, which is the most recent time it has happened in a power conference. 2022-23 Utah State was the last tournament team with an all-White starting five. 2020-21 Iowa was the last all White starting five to get a great seed in the tournament as they were a two seed. I think 2014-15 Lafayette was the last all White roster to make the tournament.
 
Thanks for the research and insight! Looking forward to following so of these recommended teams.
 
i’m not a fan of North Carolina, but they have a freshman that i am certainly interested in …

Luka Bogavac is a 6-foot-6 combo guard from Montenegro. remember the name.
 
in other news, it’s hard to believe that Mormons apparently no longer play basketball … BYU started only 1 gym rat last night, with only 2 more seeing real action off the bench.

even worse, Utah played only 1 gym rat last night (Patrick off the bench), but they did manage to recruit, sign, and play a 6-foot-0 “Finnish” guard from Senegal or Somalia or something.

pathetic.
 
wtf is going on in Utah!?

Wisconsin is lead by 2 black guards, with talent. They combined for 52 last night.

7 foot Center Nolan Winter tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Aussie Sophomore Forward Austin Rapp chipped in 13 points,2reb, and 4ast.

Sr Forward and Virginia transfer Andrew Rhode has 5pts, 2reb, 2ast, and 3 steals.

Sophomore wing Jack Janicki only scored 3 points and 2 rebounds. But tallied 4 steals.

Badgers struggled with Campbell until last 8 minutes of the game. Going on a 30+ run to Campbells 2 points. Good way to end it! 96 points in Game 1!
 
Jimmy Chitwood said:
i’m not a fan of North Carolina, but they have a freshman that i am certainly interested in …

Luka Bogavac is a 6-foot-6 combo guard from Montenegro. remember the name.
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Will do! Looks like a win/win. UNC gains a Luka and Minnesota gains Tyson.
 
Due to some injuries at Purdue, Purdue is starting four of our guys (Smith, Loyer, Cluff, and Benter). This is very cool to see for the preseason number one team.

Both Utah and BYU don't quite look like their usual rosters - I guess the in-state pipeline of talent simply dried up! It is actually unbelievable that Utah has only one White on their entire roster.

The Big 10 will be well worth watching this year. There are SIX schools starting a majority White lineup: Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska.
 
Iowa, for sure a team to watch. They got Drake’s coach and star players transfer Joey Matteoni and Bennett Stirtz from their 31-4 team.
 
Smith has 6pts 9assists and 2 steals with 15 minutes left to play.

Loyer already with 18!
 
Kentucky used to be a coal black team under Calipari. That veil of darkness has lifted under Mark Pope. Tonight they are starting sophomore guard Collin Chandler (from Utah!!! There’s where the White studs went) and sophomore forward Trent Noah (a local Kentucky native). Off the bench they are utilizing a 6’-11” freshman Croatian named Jelavic. You could do a lot worse than the #9 ranked Wildcats.
 
Freethinker said:
Kentucky used to be a coal black team under Calipari. That veil of darkness has lifted under Mark Pope. Tonight they are starting sophomore guard Collin Chandler (from Utah!!! There’s where the White studs went) and sophomore forward Trent Noah (a local Kentucky native). Off the bench they are utilizing a 6’-11” freshman Croatian named Jelavic. You could do a lot worse than the #9 ranked Wildcats.
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Mark Pope has definitely done a good job at getting some pale faces in the mix at Kentucky. Chandler and Noah are likely only starting due to injuries, but it is clear they will still be key pieces this year for the team, which is much more than can be said for Cal's Kentucky teams.

Iowa is actually only starting two Whites (Stirtz and Cooper Koch), but there will be plenty of Whites off the bench. I was surprised to see that Brendan Hausen (K-State transfer) wasn't starting. In addition, McCollum is recruiting lots of Whites from the high school ranks, so he is clearly a White-friendly coach, which is all we can really ask for.
 
KnowTheScore said:
Iowa is actually only starting two Whites (Stirtz and Cooper Koch), but there will be plenty of Whites off the bench. I was surprised to see that Brendan Hausen (K-State transfer) wasn't starting. In addition, McCollum is recruiting lots of Whites from the high school ranks, so he is clearly a White-friendly coach, which is all we can really ask for.
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McCollum brought in a ton of new faces. in fact, it’s my understanding that the Hawkeyes only return 1 (ONE!!!) player from last season, the highly touted Cooper Koch. as such, McCollum is clearly still trying to find out what he has. it’s unlikely that his starting lineup will remain the same. additionally, although it’s obviously early, Iowa may have a deeper rotation this year than in the past. they certainly have some intriguing pieces, led by phenomenal point guard Bennett Stirtz.

i can provide a more comprehensive analysis in the near future, if no one else wants the job.

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a player that will probably not get any national recognition but who has a ton of game is Robert Morris power forward, Nikoloas Chitikoudis. the Greek junior is a below the rim strong man who can finish around the basket with either hand and is a physical presence on the glass. he’s not a highlight-maker, but he’s a difference maker. it’s a shame he’s playing for such a low level program.
 
Freethinker said:
Kentucky used to be a coal black team under Calipari. That veil of darkness has lifted under Mark Pope. Tonight they are starting sophomore guard Collin Chandler (from Utah!!! There’s where the White studs went) and sophomore forward Trent Noah (a local Kentucky native). Off the bench they are utilizing a 6’-11” freshman Croatian named Jelavic. You could do a lot worse than the #9 ranked Wildcats.
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Yes indeed ...check out Chandler's Highlight Reel DUNK #1 on ESPN Top 10
 
What a dunk by Chandler! The Kentucky DWFs need an overachieving gym rat to cheer for! Pope taking over for Calipari was best possible outcome!
 
here’s an interesting tidbit …

over the past 9 seasons with Matt Painter at the helm, Purdue has had 7 all-Americans. during that same span, they’ve had ZERO top-30 prospects AND ZERO top-30 recruiting classes.

yet, they start the season ranked #1 in the nation, with a preseason consensus all-American at point guard (who is also a candidate for national PoY), and they’ve been amongst the best teams in the nation for much of that timeframe. how is this possible if the “talent evaluation” by the “experts” is correct?
 
Jimmy Chitwood said:
here’s an interesting tidbit …

over the past 9 seasons with Matt Painter at the helm, Purdue has had 7 all-Americans. during that same span, they’ve had ZERO top-30 prospects AND ZERO top-30 recruiting classes.

yet, they start the season ranked #1 in the nation, with a preseason consensus all-American at point guard (who is also a candidate for national PoY), and they’ve been amongst the best teams in the nation for much of that timeframe. how is this possible if the “talent evaluation” by the “experts” is correct?
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DWF minds explode when hearing this!
 
TwentyTwo said:
Yes indeed ...check out Chandler's Highlight Reel DUNK #1 on ESPN Top 10
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With his appearance (hair and complexion) I’m getting flashbacks of another super bouncy White athlete. Chase Budinger. Stud basketball and volleyball player. Guy could, and probably still can, jump out of the gym.
 
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