From teammates to contenders for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, here are the front-runners in each league.
In the months ahead, the top men's college basketball talents will fight to secure player of the year honors in their respective conferences.But those leagues shouldn't get all of the buzz; these races are intriguing in every conference.
That's why we're here to identify the strongest candidates -- and their top competition -- in all 31 conferences entering the 2025-26 season.Until last season, Vermont had lost just 13 conference games since the start of the 2016-17 season on its way to an eight-year run as regular-season champion in the America East. This season, Hurley aims to help the Catamounts start a new streak finishing second in the standings last season. The 6-foot-5 guard, who averaged 15.8 points and connected on 38% of his shots from beyond the arc, was an All-America East selection a year ago.In a tough one-point loss to Memphis in last season's American Conference tournament semifinals, the 6-foot-4 Brumbaugh scored 22 points to keep Tulane alive until the final seconds. This season, Brumbaugh -- an all-conference selection in 2024-25 -- is the league's top returning scorer.The son of former Duke standout Carlos Boozer will try to establish a legacy of his own as the program hunts for Jon Scheyer's first national championship. Cooper Flagg won the Wooden Award as a freshman last season, and this year, the versatile 6-foot-9 forward and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year will begin the season with the same ambitions.The 6-foot-7 center finished top-10 in ASUN scoring a year ago, including field goal and free throw percentage. Unfortunately, Karasinski's impressive numbers -- 15.4 PPG, 39% from 3 and 77% from the charity stripe -- were not enough to keep Bellarmine out of the basement . But a rebooted roster led by Karasinski should change the program's fortunes this season.Avila is still wearing the goggles. A year after leading Indiana State to the NIT championship game, Avila had similar success at St. Louis. He was a second-team all-conference in 2024-25, and if the silky 6-foot-10 center can regain the 3-point stroke he had at Indiana State , he could become the most dominant force in the A-10.Ejiofor played a critical role in St. John's winning the Big East crown for the first time in 33 years and securing the Big East tournament championship for the first time in 25 years. The 6-foot-9 forward was rewarded with an All-Big East nod to go with the league's most improved honor.The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 13.2 points and made 80% of his free throw attempts last season, but he saved his best for last. In the final month of a season that ended with Montana's first NCAA tournament appearance in six years, Williams averaged 17.1 points per game over six contests. If he carries that momentum into this season, he could end the year with a Big Sky Player of the Year trophy.A 6-foot-9 forward, Solomon's prominence is the result of durability: he was the only player on UNC Asheville's roster to start every game last season. After connecting on 61% of his field goal attempts and earning second-team All-Big South honors last season , Solomon can build on that effort to fight for player of the year honors.A second-team AP All-American last season, Toppin will enter this one as a serious contender for the Wooden Award. He had arguably the most surprising breakout season after transferring from New Mexico to Texas Tech, averaging 18.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 1.5 SPG for the Red Raiders. The 6-foot-9 forward withdrew from the NBA draft to help Texas Tech chase its first national title and boost his draft stock.In ESPN's ranking of the 2022 recruiting class, Smith was listed as the 31st-best guard. Fast forward three years, Smith enters this season as the favorite to win the Wooden Award. The 6-foot guard, who earned a spot on the AP All-America team last season, is back after earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors . He could become Purdue's third Wooden Award winner in four years.Mahaney's decision to leave Saint Mary's for UConn following back-to-back All-West Coast Conference seasons did not yield the results he had anticipated. But if the 6-foot-3 guard can put that lackluster 2024-25 showing behind him and once again look like the young star he was in the WCC , he could make an immediate splash in his third conference in three years.Duggan's 32-point explosion in Campbell's 97-81 loss to North Carolina last season -- he led all scorers and finished 5-for-9 from beyond the arc -- proved that the 6-foot-7 forward can compete against the game's top tier. After that outing, he went on to lead the CAA in scoring before transferring to Charleston.When the 6-foot-2 guard scored 32 points in a win over New Mexico State in last season's Conference USA tournament, it wasn't a shocker. In fact, it was Cottle's eighth outing with 25 or more points during the 2024-25 campaign. Another strength for Cottle? He has a gift for drawing fouls and making his free throws .In addition to the 6-foot-8 Australian forward's raw numbers last season , the Oakland star was also one of his conference's most efficient players. Naivalurua made 56% of his shots inside the arc and was ranked sixth in the Horizon League among players with a usage rate of 20% or higher, per KenPom.The 6-foot-7 forward made an incredible leap from a sophomore reserve to a junior star and All-Ivy League selection last season, proving he's a top contender for the league's player of the year honors. A year ago, the third-generation Ivy League star -- his mother and grandfather both played sports at Harvard -- averaged 15.4 points and made 48% of his 3-point attempts. He could take his game to another level in 2025-26.Monroe has been a catalyst for Quinnipiac's 2023-24 and 2024-25 conference titles . Rather than bolt for a higher-profile team, however, the 6-foot-7 forward quickly exited the portal and returned for a third year. He'll be a school legend if he can lead the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament for the first time as a Division I program.The 6-foot-5 wing secured All-MAC honors after helping his squad win 25 games to finish second in the conference standings last year. Suder, who started all of his team's 34 games in 2024-25, connected on 57% of his shots inside the arc and 77% of his free throw attempts, while also compiling averages of 13.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 3.8 APG.A year after leading Norfolk State to its first MEAC conference tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in three years, Robert Jones has reassembled a new team that will be led by Torrence, a three-star recruit. The New York prep standout could have picked a handful of mid-majors, but the 6-foot-5 combo guard chose to compete for a Norfolk State team that has won three of the last five MEAC regular-season titles., Howard The 6-foot-9 forward earned all-MVC honors last season with a dominant effort: 15.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 60% mark inside the arc. But Walker is in this spot because he finished the 2024-25 campaign with an excellent effort during his team's run to the CBI championship .The 6-foot-3 wing helped Utah State finish third in the one of the strongest Mountain West races in recent history as the conference received four bids in last season's NCAA tournament. The anchor of an Aggies squad that finished 20th in adjusted offensive efficiency and won 26 games , Falslev could become one of America's best players this season.In his first year with the program after transferring from Arizona State, Davis earned All-NEC honors after averaging 17.7 PPG and 3.2 APG. The 6-foot-4 guard saved his best performance for the end of the season, though: he averaged 19.5 points as his team won seven of its last eight games in 2024-25.Entering last season, Robinson was picked as Blue Ribbon's Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year before a knee injury ended his 2024-25 campaign. This season, the 6-foot guard is back to lead a new roster at Little Rock, which is seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016.His 18 points weren't enough to lead Navy past American in last season's Patriot League tournament title game, but that lopsided 74-52 loss should give the 5-foot-11 guard -- who averaged 18.8 PPG and 4.3 APG -- motivation to push his squad to compete for the program's first conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.The brother of Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh, the 6-foot-5 guard could become the family's brightest star if he earns an All-America nod, competes for the Wooden Award and leads Kentucky to the Final Four after a decadelong drought for the program. For Oweh, the SEC's Preseason Player of the Year, all of those goals seem attainable. He's on a shortlist of the best players in the country in 2025-26.Bradley is one of the rare players in college basketball who left a school, transferred to another program , then returned to his original program. The 6-foot-2 guard made the most of that homecoming when he earned third-team All-Southern Conference honors and led his team to the conference tournament semifinals, where the Keydets lost to Wofford.Garcia, the reigning Southland Player of the Year who led his team to the second round of the NCAA tournament, was the perfect candidate to make a move in the portal. But even with Will Wade's departure for NC State, Garcia stayed at McNeese State, where the 6-foot-2 guard can tack onto a remarkable 2024-25 season.The 6-foot-4 guard made a leap of more than eight points per game between his freshman and sophomore season at South Dakota . That jump helped him earn All-Summit League honorable mention honors last season. This season, he can compete for player of the year if the 6-foot-4 guard can once again connect on 56% of his shots inside the arc and 85% of his shots from the charity stripe.Davis is a volume shooter who led the Sun Belt in minutes played and launched more 3-pointers than any player in America . The 6-foot-6 guard's next challenge is to become more efficient . If he can do that this year, he can be a more dominant force in the conference.The impact of the 5-foot-10 guard on former NBA standout Mo Williams' team was evident last season. Although Jackson State played a challenging nonconference schedule with matchups against Houston, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Iowa State, the Tigers finished 16-8 when Ruffin -- who returned from a season-ending injury the previous year -- was on the court.Last season, the 5-foot-10 guard scored at least 21 points in 11 games, a stretch that helped him earn All-WAC honors. He also finished with an average of 19.6 PPG, a tie for 27th place nationally with John Tonje, who was a second-team AP All-American at Wisconsin. Daniels' 3.1 assists per game showed his unselfish approach to the game, too.Surprise, surprise: Mark Few has another squad strong enough to potentially end the season with the program's first national championship. The return of Ike gives the Bulldogs another star who should keep them alive deep into March. The 6-foot-9 forward earned All-WCC honors last year and is one of the most complete players in America.
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