A Season of Milestones
The UTRGV Vaqueros concluded the 2025‑26 men's basketball campaign with a 19‑win record, marking the first instance of back‑to‑back winning seasons for the program since the late 1980s. The team also set a new high for conference victories, capturing 14 Southland Conference wins, and climbed to a program‑best No. 115 spot in the KenPom national rankings.
After opening the year at 2‑5 and enduring the loss of guard Kye Dickson to injury, the Vaqueros rallied with an eight‑game winning streak that stands as the longest conference winning streak in school history. The surge carried them to the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals, where they fell in triple‑overtime to McNeese, 84‑80, after a thrilling run that included their first-ever tournament victory over Nicholls, 86‑68.
Key Contributors
Sophomore point guard Jaylen Washington emerged as the team’s primary facilitator, dishing out a conference‑sixth 137 assists while posting a career‑high 10.2 points per game and ranking first in assist‑to‑turnover ratio. Junior forwards Koree Cotton and Filip Brankovic earned all‑conference honors, averaging 13.9 and 13.0 points per game respectively, while graduate student Marvin McGhee III paced the offense with 78 three‑pointers at a 43.3 % clip.
The collective success of the men’s squad, complemented by a strong showing from the women’s basketball team, signals a turning point for college basketball in the Rio Grande Valley. University officials and local community leaders alike view the season as a catalyst for increased investment and participation in the region’s athletic programs.