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Men's college basketball player rank: Revisiting the top 50

Johni Broome and Cooper Flagg have been the two best players in college hoops this season -- but who comes out on top? Lance King/Getty Images

Entering the season, there was more anticipation around the level of talent in college basketball than we've seen in years. A handful of AP All-Americans returning to their programs instead of entering the draft, elite freshmen headlining the incoming class and an influx of pro-level international players made for a loaded Top 100 player ranking back in October.

The big debate then was about the No. 1 player. Should it be North Carolina's RJ Davis, the first ACC Player of the Year to return to school since 2008? Or the ballyhooed freshman Cooper Flagg, the prohibitive favorite to go first in the NBA draft since he reclassified back in August 2023? In a controversial decision -- at the time, at least -- we went with Flagg.

This time around, there's another massive debate around No. 1 -- but it's between Flagg and another veteran star, Auburn's Johni Broome.

After those two, though, it's an experienced group at the top. Some of the freshmen who would have been in the mix for a top-5 or top-10 spot last month have slowed down, while this season's transfer class -- which looked relatively disappointing through the first few weeks -- is starting to hit its stride.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf sought to sort it all out, ranking the top 50 players in the sport as we enter the final two months of conference play. While overall talent and potential is still a factor, this season's production is the biggest criterion. Here's the full list -- plus a few who just missed the cut.


Ten who just missed: Bruce Thornton, Ohio State Buckeyes; Caleb Love, Arizona Wildcats; Andrej Stojakovic, California Golden Bears; Mason Falslev, Utah State Aggies; Bennett Stirtz, Drake Bulldogs; Owen Freeman, Iowa Hawkeyes; Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina Gamecocks; Vladislav Goldin, Michigan Wolverines; Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State Jackrabbits; Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern Wildcats


50. Liam McNeeley, UConn Huskies

We know, we know. McNeeley has missed the past three games and is likely out the rest of the month with an ankle injury, but the former five-star recruit looked like he was poised to become the Huskies' best player and one of the best freshmen in the country before he got hurt. And if -- spoiler alert -- Wade Taylor IV and Johni Broome can still be ranked while sidelined, why can't McNeeley? In his last three games prior to injury, McNeeley averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists, shooting 50% from 3-point range. -- Borzello

49. Ace Bailey, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Let's be honest here. As we debated Bailey's spot on the list, we had to ask ourselves: Despite the up-and-down numbers, are there really 50 players in America we'd take over a player who is a projected top-three pick in ESPN's last NBA mock draft? Though he stars for a Rutgers team that's not even on the NCAA tournament bubble, we couldn't bring ourselves to drop him any further. He's still a 6-foot-10 teenager who is averaging 19.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. -- Medcalf

48. Chucky Hepburn, Louisville Cardinals

After a rocky start to Pat Kelsey's first season in Louisville, the Cardinals have righted the ship enough to look like the second-best team in the ACC -- and Chucky Hepburn has been at the forefront of their seven-game winning streak. He's averaging 15.6 points, 5.7 assists and 2.5 steals while carrying the team in big games: 32 points vs. West Virginia and 26 against Kentucky and North Carolina. He also has made at least seven assists in each of the seven games during the streak. -- Borzello

47. Lamont Butler, Kentucky Wildcats

There's a case to be made for a number of Kentucky players. Otega Oweh leads the Wildcats in scoring, Jaxson Robinson has been great of late, Andrew Carr has been their go-to offensive option late in big games, Amari Williams is incredibly valuable at both ends of the floor, and Koby Brea might be the best shooter in the country. But Butler gets the edge for us. He ranks high in stat-based metrics, and Kentucky is plus-12.7 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. Butler also had one of the best individual performances of the season: 33 points on 10-for-10 shooting and six assists in a win over Louisville. -- Borzello

46. Asa Newell, Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia is among the surprise outfits nationally this season, sitting solidly in the AP Top 25 entering the week, and a primary reason has been the play of five-star freshman Newell. He opened his career with 26 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee Tech and hasn't slowed down since, scoring in double figures in all but one game while tallying three double-doubles. He's averaging 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds and is looking like a first-round draft pick. -- Borzello

45. Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn Tigers

It's unclear when Johni Broome will return for Auburn, but it's already obvious that the Tigers are not a one-man team. Baker-Mazara is a versatile 6-foot-7 talent who has been a critical contributor for Auburn this season. Now, he's even more important -- and he's built for the increased role.

Over the past five games, he has averaged 14.0 points and 1.6 steals. He has made 72% of his shots inside the arc, 41% of his 3-point attempts and 89.5% of his free throw attempts over that stretch, too. He's also ranked ninth nationally in Evan Miya's player efficiency ratings. -- Medcalf

44. Thomas Sorber, Georgetown Hoyas

Hoyas fans have a right to take a glass-half-full approach to Ed Cooley's second season at Georgetown. A three-game losing streak (Marquette, UConn, St. John's) might have tempered some of the bubble talk around the program, but Sorber -- who is averaging 14.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks -- helped Georgetown win more games in two months (12) than it had for the entire 2023-24 season (nine).

His struggles against the elevated competition over the past three games prompted us to move him down a few slots. Still, it's an achievement for any freshman to make this list. -- Medcalf

43. Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's Red Storm

Ejiofor has been one of the breakout stars in college basketball this season, going from averaging 4.3 points last season to just shy of 15 points this season. He had 22 points and 10 rebounds against Baylor and has been on a dominant run since early December, averaging 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting nearly 60% from the field over his past nine games entering the week. -- Borzello

42. Ian Jackson, North Carolina Tar Heels

For weeks, North Carolina fans clamored for Hubert Davis to give Jackson a bigger role with this roster. They were right. The Tar Heels have been a different team with Jackson as a starter. Entering the week, North Carolina had amassed a 4-1 record in Jackson's first five starts. The freshman -- projected as a first-round pick in ESPN's latest mock draft -- also averaged 23.0 points and 43% from beyond the arc. -- Medcalf

41. L.J. Cryer, Houston Cougars

Cryer hasn't quite taken the next step to become one of the best offensive players in the Big 12, but he has expanded his game to become more impactful at both ends of the floor. He's still shooting 41% from 3 and nearly 97% from the free throw line, while tied for the team lead in scoring -- including 30 points against Alabama and 20-plus on four occasions -- but he's also a top-50 defender nationally according to EvanMiya.com. -- Borzello

40. Adou Thiero, Arkansas Razorbacks

With the assistance of his friends at Tyson Chicken, John Calipari had one of the largest NIL budgets in college basketball prior to his first season at Arkansas. But the Razorbacks have been one of the country's top disappointments following an 0-4 start in SEC play.

Thiero (16.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG) has been one of the few bright spots for the Razorbacks, finishing with at least 17 points and seven rebounds in four games this season. He'll just need more help to pull Arkansas out of the league's basement. -- Medcalf

39. Alijah Martin, Florida Gators

When Martin arrived at Florida, the big question was whether he would look more like the player who helped lead Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, or the player who struggled with consistency last season. The answer has tilted far more toward the former. Martin is averaging a career-high 15.9 points while shooting nearly 36% from 3. He also has tallied at least one steal in all but two games, with multiple steals in eight. -- Borzello

38. Jaland Lowe, Pittsburgh Panthers

Lowe was one of the more obvious breakout candidates heading into the season, and he hasn't disappointed through the first two months. His shooting has been inconsistent, but he has averaging around 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists -- with five games of 20-plus points and three with double-digit assists. If Lowe's perimeter shooting can improve to even last season's 35% mark, he'll be one of the best point guards in the country. -- Borzello

37. Brice Williams, Nebraska Cornhuskers

A nine-point effort in a recent loss to Purdue demonstrated the 6-foot-7 Nebraska guard's significance to his team. Entering the week, the Cornhuskers are 8-2 when Williams, a fifth-year standout, scores at least 16 points. He's also one of America's top shooters with a 63.5 true shooting percentage and ranks 29th in free throw shooting at a 91.3% clip. That reliability from the field has given Nebraska a good opportunity to reach the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. -- Medcalf

36. Emanuel Sharp, Houston Cougars

One of the best 3-point shooters in the country, Sharp is growing into a go-to offensive role for the Cougars after spending last season in a complementary role. He has made at least 50% of his 3-point attempts in two-thirds of Houston's games and has reached double-digit points in all but two games this season. -- Borzello

35. Tre Johnson, Texas Longhorns

The first season in the SEC has not been as fun and joyful for Texas basketball as it was for the football team -- the Longhorns started conference play with an 0-3 record. But those challenges in the nation's strongest men's basketball conference have overshadowed the impressive start by Johnson, who has been solidly in the lottery projections of ESPN's NBA mock draft this season, slotting in at No. 10 in the latest version. Johnson is putting up great numbers with 18.9 PPG and 41% shooting from beyond the arc as Texas tries to wade through early adversity in conference play. -- Medcalf

34. Donovan Dent, New Mexico Lobos

This is a player we debated. From my perspective, Dent has a case to be much higher in the rankings, even inside the top 20. But No. 34 feels like a safe compromise for one of the best one-on-one players in college basketball. Entering the week, the elite playmaker was averaging 19.1 points and 6.8 assists (seventh in the country). Dent had 40 against VCU, 30 against Arizona State and five other games of 20-plus points for a Lobos team battling near the top of the Mountain West standings. -- Borzello

33. Derik Queen, Maryland Terrapins

Queen is from a different era. You could get a time machine and send him to the 1990s Big East and he'd shine. He can be a back-to-basket threat whenever he gets a touch in the paint, averaging 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. He has made 77% of his shots at the rim and 51% in the post overall, per CBB Analytics. He's also efficient on fast breaks, despite being 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds. He's a promising young big man who probably won't spend a lot of time at this level. -- Medcalf

32. Norchad Omier, Baylor Bears

Omier is just doing what he does: dominating on the interior, averaging a double-double for the fifth (!) straight season. And he's having the most efficient offensive season of his career, while proving himself as an elite offensive rebounder and the best defensive rebounder in the Big 12. He's shooting nearly 70% inside the arc and has tallied eight double-doubles, highlighted by a 19-point, 24-rebound effort against Arlington Baptist. -- Borzello

31. RJ Luis Jr., St. John's Red Storm

Luis' all-around game is among the best in the Big East. He willed St. John's to a win last weekend over Villanova, finishing with 30 points and 10 rebounds, then had 19 against Georgetown to bring his four-game averages to 21.8 points and 8.5 rebounds. He's an elite rebounder for his size, finds ways to score efficiently without being a great outside shooter and is active defensively. He has become a very difficult matchup for most defenses. -- Borzello

30. John Tonje, Wisconsin Badgers

Had we published this list six weeks ago, Tonje might've earned a spot in the top 10. He averaged 22.8 points in November, a run that included a 41-point effort in a win over Arizona and a 33-point effort in a victory against Pitt. Analytics aren't everything, but he has earned a sub-200 player efficiency ranking on Evan Miya's chart. Still, Tonje's ceiling is high. We've witnessed that multiple times this season. A year after injury interrupted an already difficult season at Missouri, Tonje has emerged for a Badgers team that's pushing for a spot in the Big Ten's top tier. -- Medcalf

29. Darrion Williams, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Williams is among the most efficient offensive players in the country, contributing in all facets. He's averaging career highs in scoring (16.3 PPG) and assists (4.9 APG), while also grabbing 5.6 rebounds and shooting 48.4% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. He poses a matchup problem for opponents because of his 6-foot-6 size and playmaking ability -- the Red Raiders are a whopping 32.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court. -- Borzello

28. Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M Aggies

Taylor has sat out the past three games because of an injury, but at full health, he's one of the most dangerous scorers in college basketball. He has scored in double figures in every game he has played this season, helping lead the Aggies to wins over Purdue, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Ohio State and Creighton. Taylor is also averaging nearly five assists, a career high, contributing to his most efficient offensive season in College Station. -- Borzello

27. Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue Boilermakers

No player in the country had bigger shoes to fill than Kaufman-Renn, who took over for Zach Edey, the first two-time Wooden Award winner in 40 years. Though Kaufman-Renn isn't Edey, he has been an elite post presence for the Boilermakers. On his first three possessions in Sunday's win over Nebraska, Kaufman-Renn scored on a floater in the lane, a jump shot and a putback off his own missed shot. He has made 62% of his shots inside the arc this season while averaging 17.5 points and 6.2 rebounds. -- Medcalf

26. Maxime Raynaud, Stanford Cardinal

Kyle Smith must be thankful every day that Raynaud opted to remove his name from the transfer portal and return to Stanford last spring. Entering the week, the 7-foot-1 France native was the only player in the country to rank in the top 10 nationally in both points (20.9 PPG) and rebounds (11.5 RPG), notching double-doubles in all but three games this season. Raynaud has also been efficient, shooting better than 50% from the field and already posting a career-high in 3-pointers made. -- Borzello

25. JT Toppin, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Toppin's greatest challenge this season has been injury. The 2023-24 Mountain West Freshman of the Year for New Mexico last season sat out four games for the Red Raiders because of a knee injury. But the 6-foot-9 athlete has performed against the top teams on Texas Tech's schedule. He had 18 points and nine rebounds in a recent loss to Iowa State, marking his sixth game with 18 points this season. He also has made 86% of his shots in transition. -- Medcalf

24. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma Sooners

Through the first two months of the season, Fears was performing like one of the best freshmen in the country, leading Oklahoma to a surprising 13-0 record entering SEC play. His effectiveness has waned somewhat since the start of conference play, but he's still averaging 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists -- highlighted by huge performances in the Sooners' two biggest wins of the season: 26 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists against Arizona, then 30 points against Michigan, including the winning four-point play. -- Borzello

23. Curtis Jones, Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State doesn't have a roster full of future lottery picks like Duke but it has a trio of talent that few teams in the country can match. Tamin Lipsey was an all-Big first team honoree last year, Keshon Gilbert is one of the top players in the country this year -- but it's the 6-foot-4 Jones who has been arguably their best player for the past month. He has averaged 19.2 points over the past eight games, connecting on 41% of his 3-point attempts this season. He scored 25 points, shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc in his team's 74-57 victory over Kansas on Wednesday, a performance that demanded an even higher ranking than the original. Jones will be one of the NCAA tournament's brightest stars in March if this continues. -- Medcalf

22. RJ Davis, North Carolina Tar Heels

Entering the season, we debated if Davis should be moved ahead of Cooper Flagg for the No. 1 spot in our preseason rankings -- he was the best returning returning player in the country. But Davis' shooting slump has been the headline for a North Carolina team that had to fight just to get on the bubble. Davis is shooting only 28% from beyond the arc this season after going 40% from that range last season. But he also has had moments to remind everyone that he's the only returning member of last year's Associated Press All-America first team: 26 points vs. SMU, 29 vs. Florida, and 30 vs. Dayton. -- Medcalf

21. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Bluejays

Myriad injuries -- including a season-ending one to Pop Isaacs -- has changed the trajectory of Creighton's season, but Kalkbrenner is still living up to the preseason All-American hype. He's averaging career highs in scoring (17.7 PPG) and rebounding (8.1 RPG), shooting nearly 67% from the field and blocking almost three shots a game. He also had one of the season's best performances, opening with 49 points and 11 rebounds on 20-for-22 shooting against UT-Rio Grande Valley. -- Borzello

20. Alex Karaban, UConn Huskies

The Maui Invitational in November was a miserable time for UConn for many reasons -- one of which was a head injury to Karaban that cost one of the top returning players in the country two games. But since his return, he hasn't shown any signs of regression, averaging 16.2 points and connecting on 40% of his 3-point attempts over the past eight games. The two free throws he missed in a recent loss to Villanova might haunt him, but overall, he has been a critical piece of UConn's turnaround since that disastrous trip to Hawaii. -- Medcalf

19. Danny Wolf, Michigan Wolverines

There are few players as impactful on their team's style of play than Wolf. Dusty May made a commitment to starting the 7-foot Wolf alongside another 7-footer in Vladislav Goldin, and it has been Wolf's ability to run a pick-and-roll and create off the bounce that has allowed the duo to operate effectively. He was averaging a double-double (12.4 PPG and 10.1 RPG) entering the week, while also shooting 35% from 3 and dishing out at least five assists in six of his past nine games. -- Borzello

18. Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga Bulldogs

It's interesting how early losses can send teams and their top players to the shadows of the sport. By mid-December, Gonzaga had three losses -- to West Virginia, Kentucky and UConn -- that masked Nembhard's overall improvement in his fourth season of college basketball. A year after an All-WCC first-team effort, Nembhard is a better 3-point shooter (38% from beyond the arc), passer (12th nationally in KenPom's assist rate) and defender (his 1.7 SPG are a career high) this season while averaging 11.4 points and 9.4 assists. -- Medcalf

17. Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Pound-for-pound, there are few players in the country as talented as the 5-foot-11 guard. He has connected on 37% of his shots from beyond the arc and 84% of his free throws this season. He's ranked 21st in Evan Miya's player efficiency rankings ahead of players such as Mark Sears, Danny Wolf and Eric Dixon. Hubbard is also an elite defender who has held opponents to a 28.7% shooting mark from the field in man-to-man, per Synergy Sports data. -- Medcalf

16. Graham Ike, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Ike sits comfortably within the top 10 of KenPom's player of the year rankings, mostly because of his absurdly efficient statistical case: 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 58.2% shooting -- in just over 21 minutes per game. The former Wyoming transfer has had some disappointing performances (five points and three points in losses to West Virginia and UConn, respectively, come to mind), but he also has been dominant on a number of occasions. He had 23-and-9 in a win at San Diego State, 28-and-11 in a loss to Kentucky and 24-and-8 in a loss against UCLA. -- Borzello

15. Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee Volunteers

In his team's 74-70 win at Texas on Saturday, Rick Barnes joked that he expected Tennessee's Chaz Lanier to do what he's "paid" to do. Well, for the most part, Zeigler has earned whatever they're giving him at Tennessee, too. He has been one of the leaders for a Vols squad that spent the bulk of the season as the No. 1 team in the country. He's also one of the top playmakers on this list, having registered seven or more assists in nine games this season and ranking top-40 nationally in assist rate, according to KenPom. -- Medcalf

14. Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois Fighting Illini

Before sitting out two games because of injury, Jakucionis was playing as well as any guard in the country. He had an up-and-down start to his career in Champaign, but the Lithuania native took off this season. He scored at least 20 points in six straight games, averaging 19.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists in his nine games before the injury, shooting better than 46% from 3-point range -- and then had 21 points and five assists in his first game back against Indiana. He is playing at an All-America level. -- Borzello

13. Dylan Harper, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

There are a lot of valid questions about Rutgers basketball. But not about Harper, his talent or his future at the next level. The 6-foot-6 freshman star plays like a seasoned NBA player. You could put him on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster now and he would make an impact. Now, Harper (20.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.4 APG, 58% clip inside the arc) has not been able to elevate Rutgers from its current state of mediocrity. But there is no doubt about Harper's status as one of the top players in the country. -- Medcalf

12. Mark Sears, Alabama Crimson Tide

Another player heating up at the right time of the season. Sears, who entered the season with first-team All-American aspirations, struggled shooting the first few games of the season. But after going scoreless against Illinois in November, he averaged 21.5 points and 5.1 assists in his next 11 games -- shooting 37.4% from 3 and hitting 20-plus points in nine of those games. His improved performances coincided with an eight-game winning streak for Alabama before Tuesday's loss to Ole Miss. -- Borzello

11. Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State Cyclones

A player such as Gilbert is probably most accurately analyzed when you consider his impact on his team. With Gilbert on the court, Iowa State's adjusted offensive efficiency is 122 points per 100 possessions; the team's adjusted defensive efficiency is 85.5 points per 100 possessions, per Evan Miya -- both elite numbers. Even when he played against Marquette's Kam Jones and Baylor's VJ Edgecombe this season, the 6-foot-4 Gilbert was the best player on the court. He's also the reason Iowa State's lone blemish entering the week was an 83-81 neutral-site loss to No. 1 Auburn. -- Medcalf

10. Javon Small, West Virginia Mountaineers

One of the best transfers in the country for one of the biggest surprise teams of the season, Small has been nothing short of terrific -- especially since Tucker DeVries went down because of an injury. He has scored at least 12 points and dished out multiple assists in every game, plus grabbed double-digit rebounds twice. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists, and it's hard to see his numbers slipping given his highest usage rate in the Big 12. -- Borzello

9. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas Jayhawks

It sometimes feels as if Dickinson has been playing college basketball for 10 years, but the fifth-year star has again manufactured a season -- 15.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 57% clip inside the arc -- that will warrant All-America consideration. We might never see the player who made 42% of his 3-point attempts in his final year at Michigan. But apart from that long game, few players have matched Dickinson as an imposing big man in college basketball. Kansas is gradually regaining the momentum it lost during a 2-5 stretch last month and Dickinson is a pivotal element of that switch. -- Medcalf

8. Walter Clayton Jr., Florida Gators

Clayton's final game last season came with 33 points in an NCAA tournament loss to Colorado, and he has only since improved for the Gators, who surprisingly look like a legitimate title contender. He has been more inconsistent than some other names in the top 10, but he has also shown a higher ceiling than nearly every guard in the country: 33 points and 5 assists against Kentucky, 29 against South Florida, 28 against Missouri, 27 against Virginia, 25 against Florida State and Arizona State. When Clayton is on, he's nearly unguardable. -- Borzello

7. Chaz Lanier, Tennessee Volunteers

Two weeks ago, Lanier looked like a clear-cut first-team All-American and the definitive best transfer in the country. Then came his 3-for-16 performance in a blowout loss to Florida, a 3-for-11 outing against Texas, and 2-for-16 shooting against Georgia. But we have faith the North Florida transfer will bounce back -- and he did still manage to reach double figures in two of those three games, meaning he has reached that mark in all but two games this season. Lanier has scored at least 20 points in seven games, including 29 against Arkansas, and he's averaging 19.0 points on 43.7% 3-point shooting. -- Borzello

6. Braden Smith, Purdue Boilermakers

For the past two seasons, Smith had the luxury of playing with Zach Edey, a two-time Wooden Award winner. The absence of a player in that realm tends to affect point guards more than anyone else because it disrupts the high-low game a team can implement when they have a dominant force in the paint. Yet, Smith is even better this season without Edey. The Boilermakers entered the week on a five-game winning streak, a stretch during which Smith produced 57 assists. (Yes, 57.) Trey Kaufman-Renn has been a breakthrough star with Smith's help; Fletcher Loyer has made 49% of his 3-point attempts. All of it comes in a scheme that's led by Smith, who looks like the country's best pure point guard. -- Medcalf

5. PJ Haggerty, Memphis Tigers

Before the season, Penny Hardaway's program was a mess. Assistants had been fired, key players had departed and the future seemed potentially bleak for the hometown hero. Then Haggerty put on a Memphis uniform and put all those concerns to rest. He's the biggest victory of perhaps the best season Hardaway has had during his time with the Tigers. Haggerty (22.4 PPG, 42% from beyond the arc) has a 29.4% usage rate and a 64.4 true shooting percentage, per CBB Analytics. Those numbers are better than Steph Curry's equivalent totals with the Golden State Warriors this season. That's the impact Haggerty has made for Memphis this season. -- Medcalf

4. Eric Dixon, Villanova Wildcats

The nation's leading scorer, Dixon is also the main reason Villanova has turned its season around and is in the hunt for a much-needed NCAA tournament bid. He's averaging 25.3 points and has scored at least 20 points in all but three games this season -- and in those three, he scored 16, 18 and 18. Dixon has simply been a brutal matchup for opponents because of his skillset, his 6-foot-8 size, the highest usage rate in the Big East -- and the fact he's shooting 47% from 3-point range on more than seven attempts per game. He's going to have to carry the Wildcats to the postseason. -- Borzello

3. Kam Jones, Marquette Golden Eagles

It's fair to say the race for the top spot in these rankings and the national player of the year could be a two-man race. But Jones (19.7 PPG) seems firmly planted in the third slot. Ranked as both an "excellent" offensive and defensive player per Synergy Sports data, Jones has been the rock for a Marquette squad chasing its third consecutive top-three seed in the NCAA tournament. While he's still working through a 3-point shooting slump, he's clearly a more impactful playmaker (2.4 APG last season to 6.4 APG this season). -- Medcalf

2. Johni Broome, Auburn Tigers
1. Cooper Flagg, Duke Blue Devils

So we've made it this far. It's time to settle the No. 1 debate. The fifth-year senior who has been dominant all season for the No. 1 team in the country? Or the incredibly talented freshman who seems to be hitting his stride at the right time?

To date, Broome has been arguably the most consistently productive player in the country. Although an ankle injury sustained last weekend against South Carolina has complicated his path to the Wooden Award, it's important to add the perspective of what he has done thus far -- numbers that justify the No. 1 spot for an injured player with an uncertain return date. Evan Miya's BPR is a ranking that measures a player's collective impact on offense and defense. If the season ended today, Broome (10.61) would post the highest BPR since Miya's rankings began in the 2011-12 season. Higher than Anthony Davis (2012). Higher than Zion Williamson (2019). Higher than Zach Edey during his back-to-back Wooden Award run in 2023 and 2024. That's how good Broome is right now.

But even before Broome was lost for a few weeks because of a sprained ankle, Flagg had dramatically closed the gap on Broome for player of the year in the last week. First, he had one of the dunks of the season against Pittsburgh -- and he followed it up against Notre Dame with one of the best individual performances we've seen from a freshman in the last quarter century: 42 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. He's now averaging 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists, also contributing as an integral part of one of the nation's best defenses. It's also worth noting he's making 51.9% of his 3-point attempts over his past seven games. Flagg has passed Broome in KenPom's statistical player of the year standings, too -- with the third-highest kPOY rating in his database's history.

In the end, the tiebreaker was Broome's injury. Had he been fully healthy, it's likely he's ahead of Flagg at No. 1. But he seems likely to sit out at least a few weeks, which could give Flagg more time to open a gap for player of the year honors. -- Borzello and Medcalf