Ohhhhhh BABY, buckle up, because the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season gave us more thrills than a roller coaster at peak speed. We’re talking Diaper Dandies, Prime-Time Performers, record-breakers and coaching legends showing they still have the magic touch.

Here are Dickie V’s Dazzling Dozen moments from a season that had it all.

1. The Prime-Time Player: Cameron Boozer

National Player of the Year. Consensus All-American. Tied the program record for most double-doubles by a Duke freshman (22). Became the first freshman or sophomore to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a season since Larry Bird in 1976-77. Cameron Boozer was awesome, baby. A legit super stud who brought the goods every night — no off nights, no soft nights, just dominance.

2. The Night of the Triple Forty Phenoms

Three freshmen — three — drop 40-plus points on the same night?!

Diaper Dandies Keaton Wagler (46), AJ Dybantsa (43) and Kingston Flemings (42) were Diaper Dazzlers, putting on scoring displays that would make Pistol Pete Maravich smile from the heavens. Each one set freshman records for their schools. Awesome with a capital “A”!

3. The Year of the Diaper Dandies

Never — NEVER! — have we seen a freshman class like this one. Ten first-year phenoms projected in the top 10 of the NBA draft?! Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., Nate Ament and Brayden Burries — a parade of Diaper Dandy delights. It was like watching an NBA lottery preview every night.

4. A Winner from Day One: Jon Scheyer’s Historic Start

Scheyer Dazzler! The Duke head man is rewriting the definition of early-career success: 124 wins in four seasons, including 25 against ranked teams. That’s winning with style, baby. The Brotherhood is alive and well in Durham.

5. Darius Acuff Jr. Goes for 49 in a 50-Minute Marathon

Double overtime at Alabama, the crowd going wild, and the kid delivers the most points (49) by a freshman against an AP ranked team. That’s not just a performance, that’s a “call the fire department” moment.

6. The Assist King: Braden Smith

Move over, Bobby Hurley! Smith is now the assists leader in Division I with 1,103 dimes. A beautiful passer, a floor general, a facilitator with flair — Smith was the ultimate team-first player.

7. Dylan Darling‘s Darling Game Winner

A buzzer-beating layup to send St. John’s to the Sweet 16 — and his first points of the game? Talk about drama, baby! Darling became the first player in NCAA tournament history to score his first points on a game-winning buzzer-beater. That’s March Magic.

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St. John’s stuns Kansas at the buzzer to reach Sweet 16

Dylan Darling’s first basket of the game is a layup as time expires to win it for St. John’s in dramatic fashion.

8. Tom Izzo: Time Marches On, and So Does the Legend

He’s a PTP: Prime-Time Patriarch. Izzo reached the NCAA tournament for the 28th straight year, hit 700 wins at one school and passed Bobby Knight for the most Big Ten victories. That’s not longevity, that’s legendary.

9. Tarris Reed Jr. Makes March Madness History

Thirty-one points. Twenty-seven rebounds. Outrebounding Furman by himself. First 30-25 tournament game in 58 years. One of just three men ever to do it. Tarris Reed Jr.? More like Tarris Beast Jr. Put that in the record books with gold ink.

10. Kelvin Sampson Joins the 800 Win Club

This guy needs to be in the Hall of Fame. The Cougars keep clawing, keep winning, keep thriving — Sampson started the season with win No. 800 and added 29 more. Five straight 30-win seasons, tying Gonzaga’s record. He’s a maestro, a motivator, a master of March.

11. The Season of the 2K Kings

Seven players cracked the 2,000-point milestone, and that’s a testament to hard work, consistency and being a scoreboard-filling superstar. Tucker DeVries, Graham Ike, Nijel Pack, P.J. Haggerty, Jaron Pierre Jr., Bruce Thornton, Boopie Miller — each one a model of excellence.

12. Rick Barnes Keeps Rolling with Tennessee

Another bona fide Hall of Famer. What more does a guy have to do? Well, how about three straight Elite Eights? How about 861 wins? How about seven 25-win seasons in nine years? Rick Barnes doesn’t just coach, he delivers.

Bonus: Half a Hundred from Dennis Parker Jr.

Are you kidding me?! Fifty-three points. My guy Dennis Parker Jr. lit it up like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, going 19-for-24 from the field with 10 triples. A Radford and Big South record as well as the most points in a game this season. That’s what I call pure scorching supersensational supremacy.

Dickie V’s Final Take

From sizzling scorers to record-breaking rookies, from coaching titans to unbelievable tourney moments, the 2025-26 season had everything: drama, passion, performance and pride. College hoops was alive and electric, and the stars shined brighter than ever.

Bring on more hoops, baby! I love it!

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The first golf major of the year begins with the 2026 Masters Tournament from Thursday through Sunday at Augusta National in Georgia.

Rory McIlroy is the defending champion. Two-time winner Scottie Scheffler is the favorite, followed by Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and McIlroy.

Who do our golf experts think will win? What kind of betting advice does Pamela Maldonado have?

Jump ahead to: Pamela Maldonado’s betting and fantasy advice for the week

Experts’ picks

Matt Barrie
Jon Rahm: He has quietly been playing some of the best golf in the world this season. He’s in a great spot personally and professionally. And his recent form will awake the roars at Augusta National this week.

Tory Cabrera
Brooks Koepka: Is Brooks Koepka an obvious favorite? No. Is he still “Big-Game Brooks,” the man who once said he thinks the majors are “the easiest to win”? I’m banking on it … that and the fact he’s got some added financial incentive since the cost of rejoining the PGA Tour.

Jeff Darlington
Justin Rose: My head is telling me that Rahm is about to reemerge into the spotlight because I keep hearing he’s playing great golf. But my heart is saying Rose gets his moment. And when it comes to the Masters, I’m always inclined to go with the heart.

Michael Eaves
Bryson DeChambeau: In addition to winning his last two worldwide starts, he has finished T6 and T5 in his last two Masters appearances. And since 2023, he’s dropped two putts per round off his putting average at Augusta National. If he truly has the greens figured out, there’s no way he won’t be in contention come Sunday.

Peter Lawrence-Riddell
Xander Schauffele: He’s finished T-10 or better in five of past seven years, including T-8 last year and solo eighth in 2024. After a tough, injured-delayed season in 2025 he’s playing better this year, finishing T-7 or better in three of his last four starts, including solo third at the Players Championship.

Andy North
DeChambeau: He’s finally figured out this course the past couple of years. He’s playing well and winning. Distance is always such a big factor at Augusta National.

Laura Rutledge
Scottie Scheffler: He’s been working on his game at home, and I think he’ll be ready to go.

Mark Schlabach
Scheffler: I know his iron play hasn’t been as good, and he was fighting his driver during the Florida swing. Still, Scheffler is ranked No. 1 in the world for a reason, and nobody has been at Augusta National Golf Club over the past four years. Don’t overthink it: Scheffler rides a hot putter to a third green jacket.

Marty Smith
Rose: A three-time runner-up at Augusta — twice in a playoff! — this is the year Rose earns the green jacket. No one in Masters history has led more rounds without a win than Rose, and in 2026 he is playing consistent — often incredible — golf. He ranks 10th in strokes gained: approach this season — his best numbers in a decade. Sharp iron play is critical at Augusta. Already a winner this year following a record-breaking wire-to-wire performance at Torrey Pines, the ageless one wins his second major championship.

Curtis Strange
Schauffele: Playing well, good Masters record — five top 10s in seven years — very good striker of ball.

Paolo Uggetti
Ludvig Aberg: It’s not that I’m forgetting Aberg’s collapse at the Players last month; it’s that I think that it will help Aberg come this Sunday when he is in the hunt for his first green jacket. Aberg’s game fits this place so well, as evidenced by his two top-10 finishes in two starts, that contention feels like the minimum.

Scott Van Pelt
DeChambeau: I think Augusta National is, as much as anything, like a subject you study and learn over time. You can’t master the Masters without a bit of understanding. In the final pairing last year and in the top five at the end — that, and his recent form, lead me to say it’s his time.

Dan Wetzel
DeChambeau: A wiser and more patient DeChambeau feels inevitable at Augusta, so why not this year? He’s coming off his best finish here a year ago (T-5) and just outdueled Jon Rahm in a playoff in South Africa.

Pamela Maldonado’s picks and advice for the week

Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.

Welcome to Masters week. Augusta National finds you eventually: on the back nine on Sunday, at Amen Corner, on a slick downhill putt you didn’t see coming. It makes for an exciting week for bettors and viewers.

The players who contend here aren’t just talented — they’re specifically built for this place with elite iron play, creativity around the greens and the nerve to execute when the chance is right in front of them.

This week the conditions remove the chaos variable. Calm, warm, firm, no wind to create drama and no rain to level the field. What’s left is a pure talent contest on the most demanding stage in golf.

Here’s a look at betting options for the week.

My pick to win

Ludvig Åberg (+1700) fits Augusta exactly how you want a contender to fit. He’s first in strokes gained at this course, second in both strokes gained: total and tee-to-green and sixth in approach. At this point, it isn’t projection, as Aberg has proved it with back-to-back top seven finishes here.

The course rewards players who can control the ball off the tee and hit precise irons. That’s his game. He gains off the tee without losing accuracy, and his iron play gives him constant birdie looks. His recent form lines up too. Aberg finished in the top 5 at Bay Hill, The Players and Valero. Augusta is not the course to be searching for your game, so it helps that Aberg is already there.

Picking Aberg to win is betting on a player whose skill set, course history and current form all point in the same direction. Don’t overthink it.

My favorite bet to make the top 10

Xander Schauffele (+140 with ties) has a clean profile, fifth in approach, second in scrambling, eighth in strokes gained at Augusta, plus back-to-back top-10 finishes here. He knows how to play this course against an elite field and in big events.

There’s truly no real weakness in his game that this course can expose. If “solid overall” were a look, it’d be Xander. The form isn’t spiking as far as wins, finishing top seven in three of his past four events, but he’s around every week, which is the type of player you can trust to hang for a top-10 wager.

Firm conditions only make this better. Augusta puts pressure on your irons and your ability to recover. Xander does both at a high level, and if he does miss, he saves it. The price is fair for a guy who should be in the mix come Sunday.

My favorite Rory McIlroy bet

My favorite bet is no bet. Rory is a genuinely complicated profile to assess. Some odds available at the time of writing: End of Round 1 at -125, and +108 for a Top 10, plus +1150 to win. He won last year; it was glorious and one of the best sports stories of our generation. He knows how to close at Augusta now, so his pedigree is undeniable.

But the data going into this week is honest in a way the narrative isn’t. He withdrew from Bay Hill with back spasms. He played The Players through the injury and described his own form as unbelievably rusty, finishing T46. His strokes gained metrics aren’t aligned with a champion’s form; 12th total, 16th on approach and 46th in putting. Augusta demands full physical commitment across four days. Amen Corner alone will test a compromised back in a way that a flat course won’t. 2025 was unreal, but 2026 is a question mark.

The public will bet McIlroy, so let them. The pricing doesn’t reflect the actual risk.

Am I betting on Scottie Scheffler?

Also no. He’s healthy, which matters. But Scheffler did skip the Houston Open to be with his family after his wife gave birth to their second child, which means the Players was his most recent tournament in mid-March.

Taking time away from competitive golf before Augusta is a real preparation question. The exclamation point is his form with his irons: 35th in the field, neutral or losing strokes in nearly every event he’s played this year.

The approach numbers are concerning on a course where iron play is above everything else. Top five (+106) makes the most sense simply because his Augusta floor is elite: two consecutive top-4 finishes, including a win. If you need Scheffler on your card, that’s really the only way to go.

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Scottie Scheffler feeling ‘ready to go’ at The Masters

Two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler speaks about what makes the tournament special.

My favorite long shot

Patrick Reed (+4400) has seven Masters appearances since winning in 2018 and five of those are top 12 finishes, including T4 in 2023 and third last year. This is a player with a documented, repeatable Augusta career built on what this course requires — elite scrambling, creative short game and nerves that don’t show up in the strokes gained spreadsheet.

The market is pricing Reed as a LIV afterthought. The data says that he has two wins in 2026 (Euro Tour), meaning that he’s showing up with a hot hand, not a cold form. Firm, quiet conditions this week should suit him. His August results span multiple setups and he’s produced in all of them. Reed has essentially been a very different and considerably more profitable player when in Georgia.

Other bets that stand out

Tommy Fleetwood top 10 (+168 with ties): First from tee-to-green and third around the green makes this intriguing for an article like this, where it’s about taking a higher risk. He’s hitting the double-digit mark for appearances, and it seems like in the past four, he’s figured it out. The 2024 T3 was a complete performance, elite from tee to green. Last year, he finished T21 with the same tee-to-green solid performance but lost nearly five strokes putting, his worst in all his Masters starts and still finished inside the Top 25. The market is giving you solid odds on the best tee-to-green player in the field at a course he knows well.

Patrick Reed top 20 (+126 with ties): His Augusta history is too consistent to be getting better than even money.

In five of his past seven appearances, his short game and scrambling numbers were positive. The two outlier weeks (2019 and 2022) are the exception. Repeatable patterns are what you want in betting. Playing LIV and Euro make it hard to benchmark him against the field, but Augusta itself becomes his comp course. Five top 20 finishes in those starts is its own data set.

With two 2026 wins on Euro Tour, Dubai Desert Classic and Qatar Masters, he’s in form. Reed’s pricing says the market hasn’t fully caught on to what this course specifically does for his game.

Ludvig Aberg top 10 (+154 with ties): His form is peaking into Masters week, three straight top five finishes coming in and four straight tournaments gaining strokes in every category. He’s trending in one direction at exactly the right moment where his style is built for this course.

The ties inclusion is simple: if he finishes 10th and three other players finish 10th alongside him, you still get paid. It’s more ways to win the same bet. At a course where Aberg has already finished top seven in back-to-back years, this is simply asking him to do that again.

Fantasy golf

Top three DFS plays

Matt Fitzpatrick $8,700: The form is coming in solid, T2 at the Players, then won Valspar, with approach play fourth best in the field. He’s underpriced relative to what he’s shown this season. Augusta history is the knock but the ball striking fits this course and firm conditions benefit precision iron play.

Min Woo Lee $7,700: The price alone intrigues. He’s third in strokes gained total and his distance is 11th, relevant on a firm August track where par 5s separate the field. Lee has elite season-long ball striking numbers at a salary that lets you spend elsewhere. DFS is as much about value as it is ceiling. Lee gives you both.

Sam Stevens $6,400: Let’s call him the dart of the lineup. He finished fifth in Houston, T6 at American Express, having gained strokes ballstriking in every tournament this season but one. At the minimum price, he frees up salary for the top of the card. The potential is real to justify the exposure, and his distance profile on firm fairways gives him a legit path to fantasy relevance.

Top three DFS fades

Two of these fades will look familiar. Both Schauffele $9,600 and Reed $9,000 are on my betting card this week. Fantasy is a different game with different rules. In betting, I want Reed’s Augusta floor and Xander’s consistency. In DFS, I need a ceiling, and more importantly, salary efficiency.

The same profile that makes a player a smart wager can also make them a poor fantasy play. That’s the case here. Bet them, but don’t roster them.

Casey Jarvis $6,600: Three wins on the Euro Tour makes him look really good at this value price. Three of those came on courses with no relevance to Augusta and his comp course sample is essentially nonexistent. Plus, it’s his first Augusta appearance. We essentially have no data to anchor his projection. His price gives you reliable upside but the price isn’t low enough to justify the unknown. — Pamela Maldonado

Texas Tech is now in the top spot. The Red Raiders are hot, winning their last 13 games, while Texas, which dropped from No. 1 to No. 4, has lost three of its last four. But there will be little time for the Longhorns to recover. They have a big three-game series this weekend against No. 2 Oklahoma, which is on track to have the best season at the plate in college softball history. Closer to the bottom of the top 25, Arizona State dropped out of the rankings while South Carolina found its was back in.

Player to watch

Elon Butler, OF, Oregon

The senior earned Big Ten player of the week honors after notching six hits in Oregon’s extra-innings win over Iowa. In that game, she also became the first player in Oregon history to hit for the cycle. Over the three-game series against Iowa, Butler hit .583.

Top moment

Still thinking about this @Avacarroll2023 play 😱#NCAASoftball #SCTop10 x 🎥 ACCNX / @UWSoftball

pic.twitter.com/WtFHahvApI

— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) April 3, 2026

This diving catch-into-double-play by Washington outfielder Ava Carroll played no small part in Washington’s tough win over then-No. 24 Stanford.

Series to watch

No. 2 Oklahoma at No. 4 Texas
Friday at 7 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday at 8 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at 2 p.m., ESPN

Perhaps the most consequential series of the regular season is here. The rivals will face off with the country’s top ranking — maybe — on the line. Texas is coming off two consecutive uncharacteristic losses to Alabama while the home run-hitting Sooners have won five straight.

How to watch

Everything college softball on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+, ESPN3, ESPN+, SEC Network+ and ACCNX is accessible here, in addition to being available on the ESPN App.

What’s the full schedule?

You can check out the complete scoreboard here to stay up to date this spring.

Subscribe to ESPN | Stream college softball on ESPN

Week 9 Top 25

Here is the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 ranking, plus each team’s record and next game.
All times Eastern.

1. Texas Tech

Previous rank: 2
Record: 38-2

Next game: Friday at Utah, 7 p.m., ESPN+

2. Oklahoma

Previous rank: 3
Record: 38-3

Next game: Friday at Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN2

3. Alabama

Previous rank: 5
Record: 35-3

Next game: Tuesday vs. South Alabama, 6 p.m., SEC Network+

4. Texas

Previous rank: 1
Record: 32-4

Next game: Friday vs. Oklahoma, 7 p.m., ESPN2

5. Nebraska

Previous rank: 4
Record: 30-6

Next game: Friday at Wisconsin, 8 p.m., Big Ten Network

6. Arkansas

Previous rank: 6
Record: 33-5

Next game: Friday at Mississippi State, 6 p.m., SEC Network+

7. Florida

Previous rank: 7
Record: 36-5

Next game: Wednesday vs. USF, 7 p.m., ESPN2

8. UCLA

Previous rank: 9
Record: 33-5

Next game: Tuesday at Cal State Fullerton, 9 p.m., ESPN+

9. Florida State

Previous rank: 10
Record: 35-4

Next game: Wednesday at Santa Clara, 9 p.m., ESPN+

10. Tennessee

Previous rank: 8
Record: 32-6

Next game: Tuesday vs. ETSU, 6 p.m., SEC Network+

11. Arizona

Previous rank: 13
Record: 29-9

Next game: Friday at LSU, 7 p.m., SEC Network+

12. Virginia Tech

Previous rank: 12
Record: 33-5

Next game: Tuesday at Radford, 5 p.m., ESPN+

13. Texas A&M

Previous rank: 15
Record: 26-12

Next game: Wednesday vs. McNeese, 7 p.m., SEC Network+

14. Georgia

Previous rank: 11
Record: 28-10

Next game: Wednesday vs. USC-Upstate, 6 p.m., SEC Network+

15. Mississippi State

Previous rank: 16
Record: 33-9

Next game: Friday vs. Arkansas, 6 p.m., SEC Network+

16. Duke

Previous rank: 19
Record: 28-11

Next game: Wednesday at Liberty, 3 p.m., ESPN+

17. Oregon

Previous rank: 18
Record: 29-9

Next game: Friday at Maryland, 6 p.m., Big Ten Network

18. LSU

Previous rank: 20
Record: 25-13

Next game: Tuesday vs. Central Arkansas, 7 p.m., SEC Network+

19. Washington

Previous rank: 14
Record: 31-9

Next game: Friday vs. Minnesota, 10 p.m., Big Ten Network

20. Oklahoma State

Previous rank: 21
Record: 25-10

Next game: Wednesday at Wichita State, 7 p.m., ESPN+

21. Virginia

Previous rank: 17
Record: 31-6

Next game: Wednesday vs. Louisiana, 6 p.m., ACC Extra

22. UCF

Previous rank: 25
Record: 30-10-1

Next game: Friday at Arizona State, 9 p.m., ESPN+

23. Stanford

Previous rank: 24
Record: 22-12

Next game: Tuesday at UC Davis, 6 p.m., ESPN+

24. South Carolina

Previous rank: NR
Record: 23-17

Next game: Friday vs. Florida, 6 p.m., SEC Network

25. Grand Canyon

Previous rank: 22
Record: 37-4

Next game: Wednesday at Fresno State, 3 p.m.