The college basketball version of the new NBA All-Star format features elite talent, including 11 freshmen.
On Feb. 15, the NBA will debut a new All-Star Game format that features three teams in a mini "USA vs. the World" tournament. The rosters are stacked with stars: The USA teams include future Hall of Famers, and the world squad has some of the top international talents in the NBA.
Based on that All-Star tweak, we've decided to put together our own "USA vs. the World" teams in college basketball. The NBA's international team features players from around the world -- and Karl-Anthony Towns, who was born in New Jersey but whose late mother was from the Dominican Republic. He has stated his desire to one day honor her by playing for the Dominican national team in the Olympics. We've used similar criteria to add players to our world team. They either were born in another country, have played for another country's national team, or have a parent from another country and could qualify to represent that nation one day, even if they're U.S.-born.The Texas Tech star is the son of a German father and recently played for Germany's 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup team. In that event, he averaged 17.3 PPG, leading the nation to a silver medal. He could be an All-American this season and represent Germany once again in the 2028 Olympic Summer Games. The potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft was born and raised in Boston, and he has won three gold medals with Team USA in FIBA competition. He also has a connection to Jamaica, where his mother was born. Dybantsa recently launched a relief effort to help the country recover after Hurricane Melissa. He'll also have a path to represent his mother's homeland in international competition one day, if he so chooses. Ament, a 6-foot-10 projected lottery pick, has averaged 25.4 PPG and connected on 50% of his 3-point attempts in Tennessee's past five games. The Vols are 4-1 during that stretch. He's on this roster because of his basketball prowess, but also because of his connection to his mother's home country, Rwanda, where he also organized a basketball camp and charitable effort last summer. Lendeborg is the leader of a Wolverines squad that is ranked first on KenPom. He has made 67% of his shots inside the arc this season. Off the court and on it, he has strong ties to the Dominican Republic, which both his mother and father represented in national competition. Lendeborg has stated a desire to follow in their footsteps and play for the country in future competitions. He was born in Texas, but the Big East Preseason Player of the Year moved to Nigeria with his family when he was young before returning to the United States in the sixth grade -- and incidentally discovering a love for basketball. Ejiofor, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and three steals in his team's win over UConn on Friday, has helped St. John's win 10 games in a row. In 2023, Holloway scored 15 points at the Nike Hoop Summit, where he represented Canada. His tie to the country? The Alabama guard's mother was born in Calgary and raised in Toronto. This season, he's averaging 17.2 PPG and connecting on 44% of his shots from beyond the arc. The standout freshman helped Belgium secure a fourth-place finish in the FIBA U20 European Championship in 2023. At Virginia, De Ridder is averaging 16.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 37% from 3, helping to make the Cavaliers an ACC contender in Ryan Odom's first season as head coach. He has played a pivotal role in Florida's turnaround in the second half of this season, making 69% of his shots around the rim and holding opposing players to a 40% clip in the same category, per Synergy Sports. The freshman standout scored 40 points in a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday and has now scored at least 25 points in 11 games. He's currently sixth in the nation in scoring . His family is from Nigeria, and he has done nonprofit work there as well. The Australian forward withdrew from the NBA draft in the offseason for a chance to win another national title. He has positioned the Gators to do exactly that with a strong start to his junior season, averaging 13.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.7 APG and 1.5 BPG. The Kansas big man has held the Jayhawks together in a turbulent season full of injuries and adversity. Hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he's averaging an impressive 14.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG and 2.6 BPG. Veesaar's clutch 3 in the final minutes of UNC's win over Duke on Saturday was his biggest moment in a season full of highlights. The Estonian center is averaging 16.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG for the Tar Heels after transferring from Arizona. The Dominican forward is on the midseason top-10 watch list for the Julius Erving Award after averaging 18.3 PPG and connecting on 37% of his attempts from the 3-point line for USC. He lived in the Caribbean country until he moved to the United States for high school. Averaging 17.7 PPG and 2.1 SPG for the struggling Bears, the 6-5 wing is a projected first-round pick in the upcoming draft and could become the first NBA player from Benin, a nation of 14 million. Nebraska's undefeated streak came to an end versus Michigan on Jan. 27, a matchup Mast missed because of injury. But when on the floor, the 6-10 forward from the Netherlands is averaging 14.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.0 APG for the Cornhuskers, who are chasing their first conference title in more than 70 years.Kelvin Sampson rarely trusts young players to lead his teams. But Flemings, who's averaging 17.1 PPG, 37% from 3 and 5.9 APG, has earned that responsibility in a stellar freshman season. Against BYU on Saturday, he helped his team make a second-half run to win a fourth consecutive game. With him at the point, the Cougars are now one game behind Arizona in the race for the Big 12 title. The narrative surrounding Peterson has switched between injury concerns and a buzz that he's not only the potential No. 1 draft pick but also possibly the best player in America. He has made the case with his numbers: 20.5 PPG, 42% from beyond the arc, 55% inside the arc, 79% from the charity stripe. UNC's freshman superstar put his stamp on the season with his 23-point effort in Saturday's thrilling 71-68 victory over rival Duke. The 6-10 big man had been playing at a high level well before, but his effort in the biggest rivalry in the sport might have helped him secure a spot on one of the AP All-America teams at the end of the season.Last season, former Duke superstar Cooper Flagg put together one of the greatest freshman seasons in recent college basketball history. Boozer is having a year that's superior in many categories. He also has been the frontrunner -- without any real competition -- all season in the national player of the year race.The Iowa State standout is the anchor for a team that's chasing a top-three seed in the NCAA tournament. Jefferson is one of the most versatile offensive players in the country and an excellent defender. At 6-9, he's one of America's most difficult matchups.The only returning AP first-team All-American entered the season as the favorite to win the Wooden Award. He's second in the nation in assists in what has also turned out to be a better season than a year ago .The Arkansas point guard is the latest ball handler for John Calipari with All-American aspirations. He's an excellent shooter and playmaker . He's also trustworthy . Acuff is a complete guard and could lead the Razorbacks in making some noise in the NCAA tournament.A year after the Tigers reached the Final Four under his father, first-year head coach Steven Pearl could lead a brand-new roster to the NCAA tournament. Hall , a transfer from UCF, is the catalyst for the 12th-best team in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.He was a four-star prospect in the 2025 class after winning a high school state title in Kansas last year. He has turned into a strong contender for Big Ten Player of the Year after leading Illinois to the top of the league standings despite the Illini missing standout Momcilovic was named to the Julius Erving Award midseason top-10 list following a strong start to the 2025-26 season. Not only is he averaging 18.7 PPG, but he's also the top 3-point shooter in the country by a healthy margin . Haugh decided to return to college this season to improve his NBA draft stock. It appears to have been the right move. He's averaging 17.8 PPG and 6.4 RPG, including scoring 22 points in an 86-67 win over Texas A&M on Saturday -- a win that catapulted the Gators to first place in the SEC. The Texas Tech star has developed rapidly in recent years. He was an unheralded freshman at New Mexico before taking home Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors. He secured a second-team AP All-America nod last season. As a junior, he's averaging 21.8 PPG and 10.6 RPG, and could pick up more awards this season. Philon's 25-point effort Saturday helped the Crimson Tide knock off rival Auburn. It wasn't an unusual performance from one of the top players in the SEC, however. The combo guard has had 11 games this season with at least 17 points and five assists.The Gonzaga star has improved every season, and this campaign, he has an offensive rating that's among the best in the nation. The 6-9 forward has made 60% of his shots inside the arc and 37% of his shots outside. He's also a critical part of one of Mark Few's best defensive teams.Karaban could finish his fourth season in Storrs with a third national title. He averages 13.5 PPG and 42% from 3 and remains the steady leader on a stacked Huskies roster featuring multiple players who can step up on any given night.
Kansas-Jayhawks Illinois-Fighting-Illini Gonzaga-Bulldogs St-Johns-Red-Storm Auburn-Tigers Flemings-Kingston Texas-Tech-Red-Raiders Smith-Braden Nebraska-Cornhuskers Peterson-Darryn Uconn-Huskies Baker-Mazara-Chad Mast-Rienk Usc-Trojans Dybantsa-Aj Baylor-Bears Acuff-Jr-Darius Houston-Cougars Purdue-Boilermakers Jefferson-Joshua North-Carolina-Tar-Heels Wagler-Keaton Arkansas-Razorbacks Ejiofor-Zuby Okorie-Ebuka Iowa-State-Cyclones Condon-Alex Michigan-Wolverines Florida-Gators Wilson-Caleb Duke-Blue-Devils Ike-Graham Stanford-Cardinal Bidunga-Flory Virginia-Cavaliers Holloway-Aden Toppin-Jt Hall-Keyshawn Byu-Cougars Philon-Jr-Labaron Anderson-Christian Ament-Nate Haugh-Thomas Yessoufou-Tounde De-Ridder-Thijs Mens-College-Basketball Lendeborg-Yaxel Boozer-Cameron Chinyelu-Rueben Karaban-Alex Momcilovic-Milan Alabama-Crimson-Tide Tennessee-Volunteers Veesaar-Henri 18585378
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