State Farm® Dark Horse Dunker Final Round Now Underway

Official Rules

INDIANAPOLIS (March 23, 2026) – The final round of the 2026 State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition is now underway after the final round of voting concluded last week. Two competitors remain in the running for the chance to show their dunking abilities at the 2026 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, which will take place April 3 in Indianapolis.

Fans will determine the winner by voting on the event’s X (@CollegeSlam) and Instagram (@College_Slam) channels in a bracket-style competition. The X voting window for each round will run for the duration of each round and the Instagram voting window for each round will run for the final 24 hours each week. Final round voting is underway and runs through Thursday at Noon CT.

The remaining schedule is as follows:

• Finals: March 23 at Noon CT – March 27 at Noon CT (2 Players)

The player that ultimately receives the most votes in the final round will be selected to compete in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, an event featuring some of the best college dunkers and 3-point shooters in the country. The 2026 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships will take place April 3 in Indianapolis and air on ESPN on April 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The following are the two Dark Horse Dunkers remaining in the contest for their chance to showcase their talents in the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships:

Sam Phipps, University of Texas Tyler

Gavin Sarvis, Loras

Three players who won the State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition have gone on to win the Slam Dunk Championship, including Marcus Lewis (Eastern Kentucky) in 2014, James Justice (Martin Methodist College) in 2012 and Jacob Tucker (Illinois College) in 2011.

For more information about the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, follow us on Twitter (@CollegeSLAM) and Instagram (@College_Slam). Official rules for the State Farm Dark Horse Dunker competition can be found HERE.