Dominant NYU Basketball Teams Get Ready for New Season

With the 2025-26 basketball season kicking off for the NYU Violets on Nov. 7, the men’s and women’s teams are no doubt looking to replicate their remarkably successful runs from last year.

The women’s team, first of all, obliterated their competition under the steady stewardship of head coach Meg Barber. They finished the season with an undefeated 31-0 record, snagging the NCAA Division III championship along the way.

Meanwhile, the men’s team finished the 2024-25 season with a similarly dominant 29-2 record, and ended up as the national Division III runner-up.

In an interview with Straus News, Barber expanded on how the Violets were getting ready for another fierce season, as well as not resting on their laurels.

“We’re a new team, we’ve got a lot of new faces,” Barber said. “We’re getting ready to put in the work, and figure out how the pieces fit together. We’re just gonna remain steadfast in the process that’s gotten us to where we currently are.”

“Our upperclassmen have been great at supporting the newcomers,” she added, noting that every season has its ups and downs.

At an Oct. 17 pep rally, otherwise known as the annual “Tear It Up” festival, fans of all ages gathered in the bleachers at the John L. Paulson Center’s courts—where the teams play—to witness their favorite players (and the aforementioned newcomers) show off their skills. NYU’s “Bobcat” mascot danced along to a string of hits by pop and hip-hop artists, interrupted only by a string of selfies.

Then the cheer squad arrived, providing their repertoire for the season, while some players from the basketball teams could be seen warming up on the other side of the courts. The cheerleaders asked the crowd to “cheer” for “purple and white,” which the crowd most certainly did.

The loudest cheers began during the grand professional-basketball-style walk-outs, however. Players on both teams emerged from behind a sort of three-screened “NYU” backdrop, akin to a fashion-show runway, with a bright NYU spotlight logo projected from the ceiling onto the court. A digital scoreboard blasted the names, images, and jersey number of each entrant.

The players carried shirts and tiny balls, which they flung to crafty fans as they neared the bleachers, before lining up alongside the side of the court and progressively high-fiving their fellow teammates. Some players did the worm, others twerked, and some cheekily wore stunner shades despite the dim-lit room.

Meg Barber and her new men’s team counterpart, head coach Waleed Farid, also made dramatic entrances with their coaching teams. Barber had her NCAA trophy in hand, and tossed a few shirts of her own.

Then, a series of tit-for-tat shooting competitions began, with the first one involving participation from some lucky volunteer fans. First, they did a two-on-two contest, with victory going to the first squad to score multiple buckets (while all shooting at once). One younger fan, despite his relatively small size, quickly revealed himself to be a three-point shooter not far removed from Steph Curry; he had the crowd falling over themselves.

There was also a halftime show played for the benefit of the teams, with a singer named Elly Lynch performing rousing covers of Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys, and another “Run the Racks” three-point shooting contest strictly performed by NYU players.

Then, everybody dispersed for some bag toss and socializing. The women’s team kicks off their championship run against Swarthmore on Nov. 7, while the men’s team plays The College at Old Westbury.

Disclosure: The author of this piece is an alum of NYU, and is not opposed to seeing them win.