It may be April, but today is the day that March Madness 2025 comes to an end with a championship showdown between the Florida Gators and the Houston Cougars. No matter which team claims the big prize, that’s the end of college basketball until the new season begins in November.
But just because college hoops are going away for around eight months, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some basketball stories all year long. If you like March Madness, these are the five basketball movies you should stream right now. A handful of these films are based on true stories, and you might recognize some recurring patterns and themes.
Hoosiers (1986)
There were basketball movies before Hoosiers, but this is the granddaddy of every basketball movie that came after it. The late Gene Hackman headlined this mostly true story about Coach Norman Dale and the small town team he led in 1954. Even with Coach Dale, the kids of Milan High School are dealt an immediate blow when their best player, Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis), leaves the team to mourn for someone close to him.
High school basketball is high-stakes in this Indiana town, and the community of parents aren’t very happy with either Dale’s persona or his defense-oriented game. They also question Dale’s decision to recruit Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch (Dennis Hopper) as his assistant coach because of his reputation as a drunk. But Coach Dale is just offering Shooter some redemption, which he needs to find for himself as well.
Watch Hoosiers on Prime Video.
Blue Chips (1994)
There are plenty of aspirational basketball stories about underdogs rising to the occassion, but Blue Chips isn’t one of them. Instead, it’s an indictment of college programs that flout the rules to give their star basketball players incentive to attend. Coach Pete Bell (Nick Nolte) knows it’s wrong, but he still feels compelled to accept the help and financial backing of “Happy” Kuykendahl (J.T. Walsh) to bring those star players to his small school.
Shaquille O’Neal and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway were cast in this movie before they were teammates on the Orlando Magic. In this film, Shaq plays Neon Boudeaux while Hardaway portrays Butch McRae, two of the “Blue Chip” players Happy manages to secure for the school. Their basketball talents are undeniable, but the moral cost of his activities is forcing Coach Bell to question whether it’s truly worth selling his soul for.
Watch Blue Chips on Pluto TV.
Coach Carter (2005)
Samuel L. Jackson headlines Coach Carter as the title character, Ken Carter, who was both a high school and college hoops player. When the real Carter was recruited to be the coach of his alma mater at Richmond High School, he stunned parents and teachers with his academic-first approach.
Not all of Carter’s players buy into his philosophy, including one of his best, Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez). But Carter refuses to bend under pressure from the school, even when a potential high school championship is on the line. That’s because he’s more focused on who his players become rather than what they can do on a basketball court.
Watch Coach Carter on Paramount+.
Glory Road (2006)
Glory Road was released in theaters almost four decades after the Texas Western College broke new ground in the NCAA by fielding the first-ever all-Black starting lineup. The film dramatizes their story, and also makes it clear that Coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) brought the team together largely because he had no other option but to take the best players he could find.
Bobby Joe Hill (Derek Luke), Moe Iba (Evan Jones), David Lattin (Schin A.S. Kerr), Orsten Artis (Alphonso McAuley), Harry Flournoy (Mehcad Brooks), Willie Worsley (Sam Jones III), Willie Cager (Damaine Radcliff), and the rest of the team play a more flamboyant style of basketball than their rivals are used to. However, they also face rampant racism that threatens to derail their hoop dreams before the championship game.
Watch Glory Road on Disney+.
The Way Back (2020)
Basketball is largely the backdrop for one man’s attempt to reclaim his life in The Way Back. Ben Affleck hasn’t made a secret about his battle to maintain his sobriety, which is reflected in his character, Jack Cunningham. Jack’s a former basketball player whose marriage with Angela (Janina Gavankar) is in tatters over his drinking and their shared grief for their late son.
Father Edward Devine (John Aylward) gives Jack a chance to find new purpose as the basketball coach of Bishop Hayes, a Catholic high school that he attended as a player. Jack does know the game of basketball well and finds some common ground with his players. But the pain of Jack’s personal demons may still catch up to him even when he’s doing his best to stay sober.
Rent or buy The Way Back on Prime Video.
