Copyright Essentially Sports
The 2025–26 college basketball season is packed with drama and storylines. Can Houston complete their revenge? Florida has the ability and the talent to go back-to-back. Kentucky and Mark Pope have splashed an unprecedented amount of money to build their squad. Three of the most talented freshmen, possibly in the last decade, will battle it out for that No.1 NBA draft spot next year. (AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson). And bringing you all these intriguing stories will be a new sideline reporter from ESPN, Kris Budden. Budden joins the crew as the lead men’s basketball reporter, ESPN announced. Budden has been at ESPN since 2015, covering a range of sports like tennis, college baseball, football, and basketball. Once, Holly Rowe held this position, but she changed her focus to women’s basketball in 2023. Jess Sims was part of the squad, and now Budden replaces her. The college basketball fandom and her colleagues were quick to congratulate Budden on this achievement. “Earned it!! ❤️” Wrote Holly Rowe, who will return to the women’s college basketball broadcast team. If a broadcasting legend like Rowe says Budden has earned erases any doubt fans might have had. ADVERTISEMENT
