2025–26 NCAA Basketball Season Recap: Moments Across Every Stage

The 2025–26 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball seasons delivered nonstop energy from opening tip to the NCAA March Madness Tournament. Across arenas, watch parties, and everything in between; nearly 2 million fans engaged with CUE activations

From there, it’s all about the moments. Here are some of the standout client activations from the season.

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March Madness

For the second year in a row, CUE partnered with The Coca-Cola Company to bring fan-driven activations to every NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Sweet 16 and Elite Eight location nationwide, with an added presence at the Final Four and National Championship. Leveraging the scale of the CUE platform, these activations were deployed and operated simultaneously across multiple venues, delivering a consistent fan experience no matter where the tournament was played.

Throughout the tournament, Coca-Cola leveraged FanSee and Fanatic Filters to engage nearly 20,000 fans, building brand recognition in step with the energy of March Madness. The “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work” Selfie Cam, turned spectators into part of the show by featuring them live on the videoboard. At the same time, a custom Coke-branded frame lived directly on the fan’s phone, keeping the sponsor literally in their hands throughout the experience.

The result was a seamless blend of in-venue visibility and interactive participation, giving Coca-Cola a consistent, scalable way to connect with fans across every stage of the tournament.

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ACC Tournament

The ACC used CUE activations across both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship tournaments, leveraging FanSee and PostUp to drive fan engagement throughout the events. Over 3,700 fans participated, creating consistent in-venue interaction across both championships.

PostUp allowed fans to submit their photos and videos for live display while also sending shoutouts to their teams, turning the videoboard into a real-time expression of fan pride and energy. FanSee put fans directly into the live experience by turning their own phones into the venue camera, giving them the chance to see themselves on the videoboard in real time.

Together, these activations helped create a more connected championship atmosphere, strengthening the link between fans, teams, and the live event experience.

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Bobby V's Restaurant & Sports Bar

Bobby V’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, with locations in Stamford and Windsor Locks, Connecticut, turned March Madness into an interactive, in-venue competition using ShootOut. Guests were invited to participate throughout their visit, with prompts placed across napkins, table displays, and on-screen graphics driving traffic to a game QR code.

The activation centered around multiple prizes totaling $2,500, giving fans a compelling reason to engage while enhancing the game day atmosphere. At the same time, Bobby V’s used the experience as a data capture opportunity, collecting names, email addresses, and phone numbers from participants.

Over the course of the tournament, over 250 guests stepped up to compete, creating a steady stream of engagement while delivering both entertainment value and measurable customer insights.

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Purdue Polling

Throughout the Men’s Basketball season, Purdue used CUE Polling to tap into fan opinions and spark conversation through their “That’s Debatable” series. Each game featured lighthearted but highly engaging prompts, including questions like “Is chili a soup?”, “How many holes are in a straw?”, “Is a beanie a hat?”, “Is water wet?”, and “What is the best Doritos flavor?”

The activation consistently drove strong participation, averaging almost 700 fans per game throughout the season, turning routine in-game breaks into moments of collective fan interaction.

Beyond engagement, Purdue also elevated the creative execution of the polls themselves. They fully leveraged the design capabilities of the CUE platform, incorporating custom backgrounds, logos, and branded visuals, along with built-in text tools. The result was a polished, on-brand experience that felt native to the game presentation while still giving fans a voice in the arena.

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Michigan State AR Prize Drop

Michigan State leaned into the sponsorship capabilities of the CUE platform, using AR Prize Drop to deliver a branded, interactive experience with Buffalo Wild Wings. Fans were invited to “catch” rewards directly on their phones, blending gameplay with sponsor visibility in a way that felt natural to the in-game environment.

During their matchup against Iowa, more than 1,400 fans participated, with an average engagement time of 4.5 minutes, creating sustained interaction well beyond a typical in-game moment. Throughout the experience, Buffalo Wild Wings remained front and center on the fan’s screen, ensuring consistent brand exposure.

Beyond the game itself, prizing was used not just to reward winners, but to drive traffic by offering incentives that encouraged fans to visit Buffalo Wild Wings locations even after they left the arena.

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Iowa State Trivia Mania

Iowa State used Trivia Mania to drive consistent pregame engagement, averaging 200 participants across 12 home games, with a peak of 394.

The content extended beyond team-specific questions, incorporating timely pop culture topics like The Traitors to keep the experience fresh and relevant.

To reinforce participation, winners were rewarded with Iowa State–branded Pit Vipers, while non-winners were encouraged to come back and play again, creating a repeatable and competitive experience.

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The Bigger Picture

From tournament-wide takeovers to single-venue activations, one thing is clear: the most impactful moments happen when fans are invited to participate, not just watch. Across every level of the game, CUE helped turn passive audiences into active contributors, delivering measurable engagement for teams, sponsors, and partners alike.

If you’re looking to bring this same level of interaction to your game day, let’s talk. Book a demo to see how CUE can help you create more connected, more memorable fan experiences.