Latest 2024-25 Men's College Basketball National Player of the Year Rankings
In recent men's college basketball seasons, the "race" for the Wooden Award was already a foregone conclusion by mid-February. Zach Edey ran away with it the past two years, as did Oscar Tshiebwe the year before that and Luka Garza in 2020-21.
This season, however, it's a legitimate neck-and-neck, two-horse race between Auburn's Johni Broome and Duke's Cooper Flagg, with a certain Big Ten point guard not all that far behind that duo if they leave the door open at all down the stretch.
Beyond those three, though, no one else is a serious threat to win the Wooden Award. But we'll still go 10 deep with our NPOY rankings, as the award's "late midseason watch list" released on Tuesday featured 20 players.
One crucial thing to keep in mind when it comes to National Player of the Year candidates is that team success is a major component of the criteria for consideration. Specifically, the winner almost always comes from a team that earns a No. 4 seed or better in the NCAA tournament.
So, while Villanova's Eric Dixon, Stanford's Maxime Raynaud and Rutgers' freshman duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper all appeared in that top 20 earlier this week, they are merely honorable mentions here. So are Drake's Bennett Stirtz, West Virginia's Javon Small, St. John's duo of Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis and Tennessee's duo of Zakai Zeigler and Chaz Lanier. All great candidates; just not quite top 10.
Statistics current through the start of play on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Nos. 10-8: Curtis Jones, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Hunter Dickinson
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10. Curtis Jones, Iowa State (Previous Rank: 6)
17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 38% 3PT
Since supplanting teammate Keshon Gilbert as the Cyclone with the best case for NPOY, Jones has come crashing back to earth, posting a sub-100 O-rating in four of his last five games.
'Tis but a flesh wound, though, right? A slight February swoon?
Iowa State is still looking good for around a No. 3 seed in the Dance, and Jones is still the most prolific scorer whose uptick in assertiveness from last season is perhaps the biggest reason this entire team has been much better than usual on offense.
9. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)
19.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 1.5 APG, 42% 3PT
If the Bluejays were in the mix for something like a No. 2 seed, Kalkbrenner would be a more intriguing candidate here.
As is, good luck finding a more dominant big man over the past seven weeks.
During the nine-game winning streak that was snapped by UConn on Tuesday, Kalkbrenner was the KenPom MVP in every single game, averaging 22.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. For good measure, the seven-footer also shot 10-for-22 (45 percent) from three-point range during that stretch.
Even in the loss to the Huskies, he had a 13-9-3-3 line, battling through visible exhaustion and a 38-point special from Liam McNeeley to nearly lead Creighton to victory.
8. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas (Previous Rank: 7)
16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 BPG, 1.0 SPG
Kansas has been wildly unpredictable this season, saddled with an atypical five losses in Big 12 play with seven games still to come.
Dickinson, however, has been a mostly consistent force in the paint for the Jayhawks.
It has actually been more than a month since his last double-double, but only because he's constantly falling shy by one or two rebounds, scoring at least 14 points in 11 of his last 12 games. And after shooting 62 percent from the free-throw line last season, his 76 percent clip this year has been most welcome.
Nos. 7-6: Walter Clayton Jr. and Kam Jones
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7. Walter Clayton Jr., Florida (Previous Rank: Honorable Mention)
17.5 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 36% 3PT
Four days after missing a game against Vanderbilt with a sprained ankle, Clayton returned for Florida's game at No. 1 Auburn.
He played all 40 minutes and balled out to the tune of 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds as the Gators pulled off a stunner and became a serious threat for a No. 1 seed once again.
Clayton had a dud of an evening in their previous big win over Tennessee, but that game against the Tigers was a massive statement from the combo guard whose most comparable player, per KenPom, is 2017-18 Wooden Award winner Jalen Brunson. (Going for 19-6-6 in the subsequent road win over Mississippi State didn't hurt, either.)
6. Kam Jones, Marquette (Previous Rank: 4)
19.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 32% 3PT
It's hardly Jones' fault that Marquette has been in freefall mode lately.
He did struggle a bit with St. John's relentless defense, but he bookended that 15-point outing with a combined 49 points, nine assists and just two turnovers between the losses to Connecticut and Creighton.
However, between the Golden Eagles falling several projected seed lines and several other lead guards staking their claims to first-team All-American honors, Jones slips outside the top five.
Nos. 5-4: PJ Haggerty and Mark Sears
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5. PJ Haggerty, Memphis (Previous Rank: 5)
21.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.1 SPG, 43% 3PT
Consider this your public service announcement that Haggerty is continuing to kick ass and take names against an AAC slate that leaves much to be desired.
The Memphis star has scored at least 20 points in eight of his last 10 games, also tallying multiple steals in eight of those contests, almost always with a handful of assists and rebounds, too.
Curiously, though, he has been doing much less damage from the free-throw line of late, averaging just four attempts per game over his last seven contests after averaging 7.6 makes and 9.2 attempts through his first 17 games.
That less favorable whistle has done nothing to slow him down, though, as he attempts to lead Memphis to its first top-five seed since 2009.
4. Mark Sears, Alabama (Previous Rank: 8)
17.8 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 36% 3PT
Behold the power of team success in an NPOY discussion.
Compared to last season, Sears has definitely taken a step backward. Still exceptionally valuable, but nowhere near as efficient, going from a 60.4 effective field-goal percentage to a mediocre mark of 50.0.
A modestly better assist rate is just about the only area in which he has improved since earning second-team All-American honors last season.
That was for a No. 4 seed, though; an Alabama team that prior to making its surprise run to the Final Four just blew opportunity after opportunity against Quad 1 competition.
Now, he's the veteran leader of what would become the projected No. 1 overall seed with a home win over Auburn on Saturday, and that gig comes with the perk of extra consideration for national awards. And if he shines in a win over the Tigers after previously shining in wins away from home over Houston, Texas A&M and Kentucky, maybe Sears could still nudge his way more seriously back into this race.
3. Braden Smith, Purdue
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Season Stats: 16.4 PPG, 8.6 APG, 4.6 RPG, 2.5 SPG, 39% 3PT
Last Five Games: 22.4 PPG, 7.8 APG, 4.6 RPG, 3.4 SPG, 35% 3PT
Previous Rank: 3
Both Cooper Flagg and Johni Broome are having very, very good individual seasons on two of the best teams in the country.
But how good would those teams still be without those stars?
We already saw Auburn win two games without Broome, as well as two games in which he left early with an injury, with the likes of Chad Baker-Mazara, Tahaad Pettiford and Chaney Johnson rising to the occasion as key fixtures in that loaded rotation.
Duke would certainly take a step backward sans Flagg, but it would probably still be the team to beat in the ACC with a nucleus of Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, plus plenty of other pivotal veterans.
Now, imagine Purdue without Braden Smith.
Without the lead guard who ranks top five in the nation in assists per game and top 10 in steals per game...
Without the bearded wonder who always rises to the occasion, playing 40 minutes when needed, scoring at least 24 in four of his last five games, while also averaging nearly three assists per turnover...
The Boilermakers definitely wouldn't be in the mix for a No. 2 seed and a Big Ten title without Smith. They'd probably be hovering somewhere around .500 overall, threatening to miss the tournament altogether after eight consecutive Dances as a No. 5 seed or better.
This glorified three-man team is in fantastic shape because of Smith, though, looking like the only Big Ten team that really should reach the Sweet 16.
He's a lock for first-team All-American, and he might still have a say in this race if the Wooden Award voters put any stock in imagining where Purdue would be without him.
2. Johni Broome, Auburn
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Season Stats: 18.1 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.7 BPG, 29% 3PT
Last Five Games: 19.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.6 BPG, 27% 3PT
Previous Rank: 2
Cooper Flagg is still the betting favorite for the Wooden Award, but it's much closer than it was a month ago, when Johni Broome was sidelined by an ankle sprain while Flagg and Duke were rampaging through the hapless ACC.
That's because, if possible, Broome came back from the injury even better than ever.
He immediately went for 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a defensive grind with Tennessee—a game where he was questionable to play and didn't even start.
Broome proceeded to score 26 points and grab 11 offensive rebounds (16 total) in a road win over LSU.
Even in the recent loss to Florida, the 22-year-old went for 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, doing all he could to bring the Tigers back from a deficit that got out of control in a hurry.
His value added on a minute-by-minute basis is slightly absurd.
Per Sports-Reference, Broome has a player efficiency rating of 34.5, a win shares per 40 minutes ratio of 0.295 and a box plus/minus mark of 16.2. That's not quite as marvelous as what Zach Edey managed last year (39.3, 0.336 and 16.8, respectively), but those advanced stats are better across the board than what Flagg has done (28.3, 0.280 and 14.9, respectively).
Broome is leading the nation in BPM, second only to South Dakota State's Oscar Cluff in PER and fourth (first among major-conference players) in the nation in WS/40. He's also top 10 in both rebounds per game and blocks per game.
Is it enough, though?
Would an MVP type of performance in a road win over Alabama on Saturday make it enough?
The Cooper Flagg hype train might be too much for Broome to overcome, but this race could come down to whether Auburn pulls away as the clear No. 1 overall seed and favorite to win it all.
1. Cooper Flagg, Duke
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Season Stats: 19.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 36% 3PT
Last Five Games: 20.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 41% 3PT
Previous Rank: 1
After Cooper Flagg lit up North Carolina for 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals, two blocks and a partridge in a pear tree two weekends ago, it felt like this race might be over.
However, he left the door ajar with his subsequent two games.
Flagg didn't play poorly in Duke's 83-54 destruction of Syracuse, but it was one of those "eh, they don't really need me for this one" light nights of work that we've seen on perhaps too much of a regular basis this season.
To be sure, it beats the alternative of destroying the weak competition and getting held in check in the big games. But it's definitely bizarre that Flagg's four lowest-scoring performances of the season came against Wofford, Seattle, Incarnate Word and the worst Syracuse team in decades.
Take out those four games and his scoring average spikes from 19.5 PPG to 21.7 PPG, good for third-best in the nation. And if he were up that high, this race probably is over.
As is, he took it easy against the Orange (11 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks) before having a tough night in the loss at Clemson. He came to life in a massive way down the stretch, scoring 14 of Duke's final 17, but he needed that flourish just to get to 18 points before the ill-fated slip/turnover that just about sealed the deal for Clemson.
He definitely didn't look right for the first 30 minutes, though, battling whatever flu/norovirus bug has been going around Duke's locker room for a few weeks now. However, it helped keep Broome in the running, all the same.
And if Flagg is going to take it easy against the likes of Stanford, Virginia and Miami in the next few weeks, he'd better ball out against Illinois (Feb. 22) and UNC (March 8) to finish this fight.
