With the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season officially tipping off tonight, here are Andy Katz’s top 10 players in the country.
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Lendeborg has a shot to be the Big Ten Player of the Year and national player of the year. He dominated possessions at UAB, and he should be a double-double stat stuffer for the Wolverines.
2. Braden Smith, Purdue
Smith was the Big Ten Player of the Year, and he is in pole position to get the award again. He’s the best playmaker in the country and is ready to lead the Boilermakers to a national title.
3. JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Toppin was the Big 12 Player of the Year and could lead the Red Raiders to a Big 12 title and a Final Four berth.
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4. AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Dybantsa is the most heralded recruit ever signed by BYU. He’s got a chance to be the No. 1 pick in the June NBA draft. But his legacy will be built if he can deliver the Cougars to a Final Four.
5. Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
Ejiofor is the preseason Big East Player of the Year on the reigning Big East champions. He came back to lead Rick Pitino and the Red Storm to the Final Four.
6. Darryn Peterson, Kansas
Peterson, not Dybantsa, won the Naismith Boys High School award. He’s a bucket-getter and will be the reason the Jayhawks have a chance to ascend back up to the top of the Big 12.
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7. PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
Haggerty was an all-American last season at Memphis after being a big-time scorer at Tulsa. Haggerty will be the featured player with Kansas State and should compete for Big 12 player of the year.
8. Donovan Dent, UCLA
Dent was the Mountain West Player of the Year at New Mexico but transferred back to his hometown school in UCLA. He’s the missing piece playmaker for a potential Final Four run.
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9. Cameron Boozer, Duke
Boozer has a chance to do what his father Carlos did and that’s lead Duke to a Final Four. Boozer will be the go-to player for Duke and has a chance to be the ACC Player of the Year.
10. Alex Condon, Florida
Condon returned to make another run at a national title. The guard play is elite again, which means he will be fed well on the break and in the post. He could be the SEC Player of the Year if his numbers continue to rise.
Andy Katz is an NCAA.com correspondent. Katz worked at ESPN for 18 years as a college basketball reporter, host and anchor. He’s covered every Final Four since 1992, and the sport since 1986 as a freshman at Wisconsin. He is a former president of the United States Basketball Writers Association. Katz can also be seen covering college basketball on Big Ten Network during the regular season. Follow him on Twitter at @theandykatz.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
/16x9%20single%20image%20-%202026-02-19T185356.642.webp?ssl=1 "What we learned from Day 2 of the second 2026 pre-season test in Bahrain")
