BACKHop into Panini’s NIL College Basketball Team Sets
Written by Kara Gates
It’s finally springtime, everyone. Look at the reawakening animals, smell the blooming flowers, enjoy the warmer weather and get ready for the Panini Instant Collegiate NIL Basketball Team Sets. You’ll be more than ready to welcome the new season when you collect special cards of your favorite college hoopers and teams.
In preparation for the release, and to honor one of spring’s most notable traditions, let’s play a little game: an imaginary hoops egg hunt.
Picture this: you’re at a park. The sun is shining, warming your face, there’s a gentle breeze ruffling your clothes and the faint scents of a picnic lunch are just wafting up your nostrils. You have one goal for this afternoon extravaganza, and it’s to find as many plastic eggs as possible and collect the trading cards inside.
You head to a tree and pluck up a navy blue egg. Inside, you find the UConn Huskies’ men’s and women’s teams. Stars like Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards are all ready to be collected by their biggest fans.
Next, you find a green-and-gold egg nestled in a bush. What’s inside? Why, the Baylor teams, of course. There’s plenty of talent to view on both the men’s and women’s sides, from the high-flying Ja’Kobe Walter to the scoring machine that is Dre’Una Edwards.
Deciding to forgo the foliage, you head over to the playground equipment and continue your search there. Under the swing is Nebraska, and balanced atop the monkey bars is a Carolina blue egg containing UNC’s biggest threats, such as RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Deja Kelly, Alyssa Ustby and many, many others. (Seriously — the Heels have way too much talent, and they all have a card).
You know there are more eggs than this. You have to collect them all. So, you head back to the picnic area. You search and search, eventually finding Indiana taped under a table. You pocket the Hoosier cards and keep looking.
You’re still missing one. Where is it? Then, at last, you see it: An orange egg peeking out from under the gingham pattern of the picnic blanket. You race to it and hold Texas up with triumph: You’ve found all the eggs and collected all the cards!
Unboxing the Panini Instant Collegiate NIL Basketball Team Sets is a lot like the trill of a childhood egg hunt. The sets launch today, so get ready to dig in and search for the best prizes during the best part of the college basketball season. Don’t wait too long; if you do, all the best eggs — er, cards — may already be claimed.
