Not even the biggest Indiana fan could have imagined the confetti raining down on the Hoosiers in January.
March or April, sure. Indiana has one of the most storied basketball histories in the sport, with five men’s national championships and a women’s program that has become a consistent NCAA tournament presence.
But January? Indiana football doesn’t live there. Historically, just reaching bowl eligibility has been considered a successful season in Bloomington. The program had never won 10 games in a year and hadn’t come close to a Rose Bowl since 1967.
Then Curt Cignetti arrived, and almost overnight, Indiana turned into a national power. In just two seasons, the Hoosiers went 27-2 and became the first team in modern college football history to finish 16-0.
Indiana’s football rise is the template. If a program with that history can flip the script so quickly, it naturally raises a bigger question. In this era of college sports, why couldn’t something similar happen elsewhere, even in a different sport?
So today, let’s shift to the hardwood and look at which programs could be on the verge of a similar breakthrough in college basketball.
Nebraska
This one might already be happening, and the parallels are hard to miss. Nebraska was once a national power in football but has spent decades trying to recapture that relevance. Its men’s basketball program has carried an even heavier burden, famously standing as the only Power Five school without an NCAA tournament win.
That could finally change this year. The Cornhuskers sit at 20-0 and appear to be a lock for the NCAA tournament. If things continue on this path, Nebraska could be staring at a top-four seed, something that hasn’t happened since 1991. Fred Hoiberg’s rebuild took longer than Cignetti’s, but the payoff is starting to show. Basketball is no longer an afterthought in Lincoln.
SMU
Once upon a time, SMU had a proud basketball tradition. That history faded decades ago, and the program slipped into long-term irrelevance. Now, with SMU officially in the ACC, a league with a deep basketball identity, the Mustangs are clearly signaling their intent to compete at a higher level.
The hire of Andy Enfield reflected that ambition. Enfield guided SMU to the NIT last season and has them trending toward an NCAA tournament appearance this year. SMU’s alumni base has never been shy about investing in athletics, and now those resources can be fully deployed. The infrastructure is there for the Mustangs to make a real push.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M basketball has flirted with relevance for years without ever quite breaking through. Billy Gillispie cracked the door open in the mid-2000s, and since then the Aggies have invested heavily, only to struggle with coaching turnover and stalled momentum.
Bucky McMillan might be the coach who finally changes that. Just 42 years old and rising fast, McMillan has A&M positioned for another NCAA tournament run. His teams play at a high tempo, are consistently competitive, and have won at least 20 games in four of his five full seasons as a head coach. If the Aggies can provide stability and keep him in College Station, the ceiling rises quickly.
Georgia
Georgia’s lack of basketball success remains one of the more puzzling stories in the sport. The Bulldogs sit in one of the most talent-rich states in the country, yet they’ve routinely lost Atlanta-area prospects to out-of-state programs. Georgia hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game since 2002, and that victory was later vacated, making 1996 the last official win.
Mike White offers a path forward. He made four NCAA tournaments in seven seasons at Florida before seeking a reset in Athens. Georgia has since modernized Stegeman Coliseum, long considered one of the SEC’s weakest venues. With facilities no longer holding the program back, the Bulldogs have a real chance to become a more consistent national factor.
Santa Clara
Santa Clara might be the quietest candidate on this list, but the timing is intriguing. With Gonzaga moving on from the West Coast Conference, the door is opening for new programs to rise within a league that has long commanded national respect.
The Broncos are well-positioned to take advantage. They have an experienced coach in Herb Sendek and a path to compete with Saint Mary’s for league titles and NCAA bids. Santa Clara is already knocking on that door this season, and with Gonzaga gone soon, sustained success suddenly feels attainable.
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