While one alternate-universe Statis-Pro baseball world series still rages on a back page of the sports multiverse, this time of year always brings a shift in focus. The dice are cooling on the diamond and warming on the hardwood, because it’s Value Add Basketball Game season—and this year, the game expands again. Sixteen new teams enter the all-time catalog, and with their arrival the tapestry of programs, conferences, and legendary players grows richer.
Below is the list of four tournaments we have going, starting with the 16 new teams, then the tournaments we left off when we started baseball. We have the Final 4 all-time, the Final 4 NIT of our small conference teams, and another tournament going on with teams with one of the all-time greatest college players in history. The game log is here, and a paragraph on each of the new teams is below.
We did randomly end up with one game between our top 16 teams that was played last year, Donovan Dent did score 40 points to get New Mexico a 78-71 win over VCU.
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The story begins near the top of the rankings, where the 19th-best team in the entire game, the newly-minted 2025 Florida Gators, storms into the universe. Florida hasn’t had a team in the game since the 2006 national champs, but this group brings a championship pedigree of its own after a 36–4 SEC-title run. They arrive powered by Walter Clayton Jr., a first-team All-American and one of three future NBA draft picks whose elite cards made Florida too strong to keep out any longer.
Just a few pages later in the all-time book sits the 23rd-ranked team, the 2025 Duke Blue Devils, returning to the game for the first time since 2022. Their Final Four run and 35–4 finish were impressive enough, but the reason they slam open the door is unmistakable: Cooper Flagg, All-American, phenom, and the projected—and now confirmed—No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. His card alone demands a place in the game’s upper tier.
Farther down the list, but still full of firepower, come two storied programs tied at 111th all-time. The 2025 Maryland Terrapins return to the game’s pages for the first time since 2002, driven by NBA lottery talent Derik Queen and a 27–9 Sweet-16 campaign. Sharing the slot with them is the season’s 2025 St. John’s squad, the Red Storm’s first appearance since 1985. They arrive behind a 31–5 run, a Big East surge, and the splash of RJ Luis, a second-team All-American whose star power helps revive one of the game’s classic brands.
Just a step behind them, at 130th all-time, comes Brigham Young, reappearing for the first time since 1981. The Cougars’ 2025 Sweet 16 team earns its invitation largely because of another elite NBA prospect, Egor Demin, the eighth overall pick and an anchor that ensures BYU’s long-awaited return is worth the wait.
Right on their heels, the 131st-ranked 2025 Illinois Fighting Illini arrive after a 22–13 season that included two NBA draft picks inside the top twenty-one—Kasparas Jakucionis (20th) and Will Riley (21st). Illinois hasn’t appeared since 2005, but two high-end pro prospects and a gritty postseason push made the call an easy one.
The game then welcomes the 159th-ranked team, the first New Mexico squad since 1974. The 2025 Lobos bring both historical significance and on-court star power, led by Donovan Dent and Nelly Jr. Joseph through a 27–8 season and a second-round NCAA showing. With the Pac-12/Mountain West reshuffle, their inclusion brings modern relevance and long-awaited representation.
At 171st all-time, the 2025 Drake Bulldogs rejoin the game for the first time since 1969. Their 31–4 run and second-round performance were impressive, but the real spotlight belongs to Bennett Stirtz, the MVC Player of the Year—recipient of the Larry Bird Award—whose presence adds star quality to the Missouri Valley’s seventh team in the game.
One notch farther down sits historic newcomer McNeese, entering as the 189th all-time team, the first Southland Conference squad ever to make the Value Add universe. With a 28–7 record and a second-round appearance powered by Javohn Garcia, the Southland finally claims a place in the catalog.
Just behind them, the 190th-ranked 2025 VCU Rams return for the first time since 2011. They come off a 28–7 season and ride the NBA draft selection of Max Shulga at No. 57, restoring one of the great mid-major brands to the mix.
At 208th, the 2025 Oklahoma Sooners reenter the game for the first time since 2016. Their 20–14 season included a first-round NCAA trip but, even more importantly, Jeremiah Fears, who went seventh in the NBA draft. A major SEC name with a major draft pick was too strong to leave out any longer.
The next two teams come as a package, representing the first-ever Big West entries in the Value Add Basketball Game. UC San Diego, ranked 209th all-time, rides into the universe after a 30–5 season with Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (conference Player of the Year), Hayden Gray (Defensive Player of the Year), and first-team star Tyler McGhie. Their arrival pairs with the 222nd-ranked UC Irvine Anteaters, who follow a 32–7 NIT-runner-up run and feature Jurian Dixon, the league’s freshman of the year. Together, they open a new chapter for the Big West.
Several pages deeper in the rankings lies 244th-ranked Chattanooga, which becomes the first Southern Conference team ever added. The Mocs ride into the game carrying an NIT Championship and the creative play of Honor Huff, giving the SoCon long-deserved representation.
At 266th, the dependable yet long-absent UAB Blazers return to the game for the first time despite their rich history. Their 24–13 season and NIT Elite Eight finish, led by Yaxel Lendeborg (American Conference Defensive Player of the Year), finally push UAB over the threshold.
And closing out this year’s additions is the 271st-ranked 2025 Troy Trojans, the second Sun Belt team to ever enter the Value Add universe—following last year’s debut of James Madison. Their 23–11 season, conference Player of the Year Tayton Conerway, and a first-round NCAA appearance give the Sun Belt back-to-back representatives and help expand the geographical diversity of the game’s catalog.
As these sixteen teams step into the Value Add Basketball Game, they do more than swell the roster. They bring new conferences, forgotten histories, elite prospects, fresh strategies, and in the case of a few legendary names, a chance to revive tournaments featuring the greatest players to ever appear in the game—icons like Dr. J waiting in the wings.
The pages turn each year, but this year’s chapter feels especially momentous: sixteen new teams, each with its own reason for joining, its own engine, its own story. And as soon as the player cards hit the table, the alternate-universe hardwood will rumble again.
Here are the links to the stars in the other three tournaments.| Rnk | NCAA all-time Final 4 to play | Year | Best Player(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 1972 | Bill Walton #44 |
| 9 | Duke | 2001 | Shane Battier |
| 2 | UCLA | 1975 | Dave Meyers |
| 3 | Indiana | 1976 | Scott May |
| Rnk | NIT Final 4 (smaller conf) | Year | Star |
| 63 | Northern Iowa | 2015 | Seth Tuttle |
| 186 | UNC Wilmington | 2003 | Devontae Cacok |
| 126 | Detroit Mercy | 1960 | Dave DeBusschere |
| 133 | Dartmouth | 1944 | Dick McGuire |
| Rnk | Greatest Player tourney | Year | Star |
| 20 | Michigan | 1993 | Chris Webber #76 |
| 188 | Oregon St. | 1990 | Gary Payton #42 |
| 276 | Weber St. | 2010 | Damian Lillard #75 |
| 246 | California | 1993 | Jason Kidd #43 |
| 267 | Massachusetts | 1971 | Julius Erving #14 |
| 34 | UCLA | 2008 | Russell Westbrook #68 |
| 116 | Georgetown | 1995 | Allen Iverson #31 |
| 43 | Connecticut | 1996 | Ray Allen #47 |
| 225 | Louisville | 1980 | Darrell Griffith top 100 |
| 272 | NYU | 1948 | Dolph Schayes #70 |
| 243 | New Mexico | 1974 | Bernard Hardin top 100 |
| 247 | Gonzaga | 1981 | John Stockton #24 |
| 75 | North Carolina | 1972 | Bob McAdoo #45 |
| 212 | Providence | 1960 | Lenny Wilkens #65 |
| 187 | LSU | 1953 | Bob Pettit #35 |
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