2025-2026 Men's College Basketball Players off to a Surprisingly Hot Start

Every season in men's college basketball, a bunch of breakout stars alter both the national landscape and the NBA draft pool.

While not everyone on this list will be a first-round pick in 2026, they've made colossal leaps in production through the first few weeks of the current campaign.

Every player in here is averaging at least twice as many points as last season—several of them are more than tripling their average output from 2024-25—and every team represented currently ranks in the top 60 on KenPom, which is unofficially "NCAA tournament consideration" range.

In other words, each of these players could be a major factor in March after making little to no impact on the national radar one year ago.

Statistics are current through the start of play on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Players are presented in alphabetical order by last name.

Xavier Booker, UCLA

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Last Season (at Michigan State): 4.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.7 BPG, 0.2 APG

This Season: 10.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 2.0 APG

The 2023 recruiting class was one of the worst ever, exacerbated by the fact that Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis both went straight to the G League. But Xavier Booker was supposed to be one of the 10 or so best players in that class and an immediate factor for a Michigan State team that needed to adjust to life without Joey Hauser at stretch 4.

Instead, Booker never even remotely lived up to the hype in his two seasons in East Lansing, forever struggling to find his way into Tom Izzo's good graces and logging 20 or more minutes just once.

At UCLA, though, head coach Mick Cronin has been using the 6'11" big man as...well...a big man.

What a novel concept, right?

Booker tallied more three-point attempts than two-point attempts in each of his two seasons at Michigan State, rarely if ever playing the 5 on either end of the floor. But thus far with the Bruins, he has taken more than three times as many twos as threes, exclusively serving as their center.

Cronin hasn't asked Booker to stop shooting threes entirely. He has merely instructed him to be more of a Frank Kaminsky and less of a Brady Manek.

Consequently, his efficiency has soared, and he is now a stronger presence on the glass. Notably, Booker surpassed his previous season high of eight assists in just four games—a development that aligns well with Donovan Dent's drive-and-dish play style.

Cameron Carr, Baylor

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Last Season (at Tennessee): 4.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.5 BPG

This Season: 23.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 BPG

Cameron Carr was a 4-star, borderline top-50 recruit in the class of 2023, arriving at Tennessee as one of several talented freshmen who could have made an immediate impact...had that championship-caliber roster not been flooded with established veterans.

With Zakai Zeigler and Dalton Knecht headlining the Vols' stockpile of six guards/wings in the primary eight-man rotation, Carr almost exclusively played in blowouts.

He was on track to become a bigger factor last year, but he suffered a thumb injury in the fourth game of the season and entered the transfer portal out of nowhere a month later, subsequently committing to Baylor in late January.

Though he wasn't eligible to play for the Bears last season, he is the only player on the 2025-26 roster who was also part of the team in 2024-25. And with no one to block his path to playing time, he has become a relentless force and, suddenly, a possible first-round pick in June.

Carr went off for 28 points in the season opener against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, which is more than he had scored in either of his previous seasons, finishing his freshman year with 23 points and his sophomore year with 19. He also put up 27 in a game against Tarleton State and has made at least three three-pointers in each game played thus far, shooting 52.9 percent from beyond the arc and 82.4 percent inside it.

It should go without saying that no one expects him to maintain those percentages for the next four months, but it has been a sensational start all the same.

Massive week on tap for him, with Baylor facing Creighton, St. John's and a TBD third opponent in a Players Era Festival that will have more than a few draft scouts in attendance.

Collin Chandler, Kentucky

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Last Season: 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.1 BPG

This Season: 11.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 BPG

Collin Chandler was rated by 247 Sports as the No. 33 overall recruit in the Class of 2022. Had he stuck with his commitment to BYU, he would have been the highest-rated recruit in program history. (Though, of course, AJ Dybantsa would have since rendered him second-best.)

However, while Chandler was serving his two-year Latter-Day Saint mission, the coach he committed to at BYU took the Kentucky job. Thus, he flipped to UK to follow Mark Pope.

Chandler perhaps could have immediately been a starter in Provo, but he instead played sparingly for the first few months of his freshman campaign in Lexington.

He did average 16.4 minutes and 6.0 points over his final eight games, though, taking on a bigger role when the 'Cats lost Jaxson Robinson to a wrist injury. He shot 12-for-23 (52.2 percent) from three-point range, showing snippets of what he might become in year No. 2.

And though Kentucky has been one of the biggest disappointments of the first few weeks of the season, at least Chandler has delivered the goods. He has been its best perimeter weapon without a close runner-up. The 6'5" guard is also leading the team in blocks and has been one of its top sources of assists.

Koby Brea hit 93 triples for Kentucky last year, but that was pretty much all he did. Chandler might eclipse 100 threes while also contributing in a variety of other ways.

Juke Harris, Wake Forest

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Last Season: 6.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG

This Season: 20.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 1.7 APG

As a freshman in 2024-25, Juke Harris scored in double figures on five occasions, maxing out at 17 in an early January rout of NC State. It was enough that he entered the year as an intriguing piece of the rotation, but not necessarily destined to be one of the five primary scoring options.

Now a sophomore, Harris tallied at least 18 points in each of his first five games, including scoring a career-high 29 against Morehead State and putting together his first double-double (26 and 10) Thursday night against Texas Tech. He started slow against the Red Raiders before exploding for 23 in the second half alone.

Both in terms of volume and efficiency, his shooting has improved drastically. But he has also become a much more aggressive driver, his rate of free-throw attempts per 40 minutes played nearly doubling from 5.0 to 8.8.

What had been the Hunter Sallis and Cam Hildreth show last year is now the Harris hype train.

Unfortunately for Wake Forest, Harris' breakout hasn't quite been enough for a marquee win. The Demon Deacons led by seven points in the second half of each of their sure-to-be Quad 1 opportunities against Michigan and Texas Tech before losing each by a single point. But if they can get back into the Big Dance for what would be just the second time since 2011, watch out for this microwave scorer.

Mikey Lewis, Saint Mary's

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Last Season: 8.2 PPG, 0.6 APG

This Season: 19.7 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.7 RPG

Mikey Lewis had a permanent green light last season. Despite playing just 16 minutes per game off the bench, he led the Gaels with 155 three-point attempts, making 37.4 percent of them.

However, the big question for him and Saint Mary's as a whole was how that would translate in close to 30 minutes per game for a team that had to replace four of the five guys who started every game in 2024-25.

So far, so very good, as Lewis made at least 50 percent of his three-point attempts in each of his first five games while also blossoming into way more of a distributor.

To be sure, that isn't to say he's turning down open looks now. Though his official rate of field-goal attempts has decreased slightly from 18.5 per 40 minutes to 18.3, his rate of free-throw attempts per 40 minutes has almost tripled from 2.1 to 5.7.

If anything, he's actually shooting a little more than last year. Yet, in the process, his assist rate has gone through the roof.

Because of his breakout, Saint Mary's has been a wrecking ball, already climbing 30 spots on KenPom to No. 25. The Gaels will be looking to continue that rampage this week in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Paul McNeil, North Carolina State

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Last Season: 4.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG

This Season: 15.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG

For the first 25 games of last season, Paul McNeil barely saw the court. With NC State's primary seven-man rotation made up entirely of seniors, he had seven DNPs and 10 other games in which he logged three minutes or fewer.

However, when Marcus Hill landed in Kevin Keatts' doghouse and lost his starting job in late February, McNeil seized the opportunity. He scored at least 14 points in three of the team's final six games, including exploding for 24 in a win over Wake Forest in the first start of his collegiate career.

Still, it was a small sample, and virtually everything changed around him with Will Wade replacing Keatts and the entire roster turning over with the exceptions of McNeil and walk-on senior Jordan Snell.

Whether McNeil would even start ahead of Houston transfer Terrance Arceneaux, McNeese transfer Alyn Breed and freshman Matt Able (who narrowly missed the cut for a 5-star grade from 247Sports) was questionable. However, he put up 61 points across the team's first three games, immediately emerging as the Wolfpack's primary perimeter weapon, as well as a key source of defensive rebounds.

Between his sweet stroke and those soft rims at the Maui Invitational, he and the Wolfpack could be headed for a huge week against Seton Hall, USC/Boise State and probably Texas in the championship game.

Patrick Ngongba, Duke

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Last Season: 3.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG

This Season: 12.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 BPG

With all five of Duke's 2024-25 starters now in the NBA, Patrick Ngongba's hot start is probably the least surprising on this list.

But whereas Kansas' Flory Bidunga was not included here because his sophomore-year breakout was all but guaranteed with both Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams no longer in the picture in Lawrence, Ngongba could have still been hurting for playing time with the addition of Cameron Boozer and the return of Maliq Brown.

Instead, Ngongba has blossomed into maybe the second-most important Blue Devil, as well as a more assertive and versatile presence than he was one year ago.

After attempting just one three-pointer in 2024-25—a desperation heave ahead of a shot-clock violation, no less—he has already attempted eight this year. He has also tallied multiple assists in each game and has already made as many free throws (24) as he did all last season.

And much like baseball teams need more than just one great hitter, lest that star get intentionally walked over and over again, Ngongba's emergence has been major lineup protection for Boozer, keeping opponents from being able to focus all of their efforts on shutting down the one-and-done phenom.

Games against Florida and Michigan State in early December will be a big litmus test for Ngongba and the Blue Devils. If he continues to produce against what are two of the most formidable front lines in the nation, Duke might need to be considered the favorite to win it all.

Mike Nwoko, LSU

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Last Season (at Mississippi State): 6.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG

This Season: 19.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.2 BPG

When 6'10" Mike Nwoko arrived at Miami two years ago as a not-quite-top-100 recruit, his job was basically: Hold down the fort when Norchad Omier needed a break. He did so reasonably well, averaging 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in just 8.9 minutes per game.

He then transferred to Mississippi State and became the starting center for the Bulldogs. Once again, though, his job was mostly to be seen and not heard. Despite averaging 16.0 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per 40 minutes, he rarely logged 20 minutes in a game, putting up a combined total of four points and five rebounds between MSU's losses in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

Thus far at LSU, however, it has been an all-you-can-eat buffet for Nwoko.

After not once scoring 19 points in a game at Miami or Mississippi State, he did so in three consecutive games against New Orleans (22), Florida International (19) and Alcorn State (29). He also matched a career high with six offensive rebounds in the latter game.

Surely, there is a massive difference between dominating Florida International and dominating Florida. Time will tell if he can make more of an impact in SEC play this time around.

However, Nwoko did play in a combined total of nine games against teams outside the KenPom top 200 over the previous two seasons and failed to score more than 10 against any of them. Could be the beginning of a major breakout for the Canadian big man.

Arrinten Page, Northwestern

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Last Season (at Cincinnati): 3.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG

This Season: 16.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Arrinten Page was the forgotten third piece of a 2023 USC recruiting class that otherwise featured Isaiah Collier and Bronny James. But at 6'11" with some three-point range, Page did play in 27 games as a freshman with the Trojans.

He subsequently appeared in 31 contests for Cincinnati in 2024-25.

However, both of those teams treated him as little more than "tall depth," and had stopped playing him entirely by the end of each season. Factoring in the combined total of 10 DNPs, he logged just 8.4 minutes per team game between the Trojans and Bearcats and scored 10 or more points just three times.

At Northwestern, though, Page is the furthest thing from just some big man who plays occasionally. Rather, he has scored at least 17 points in four of his first five games.

He's probably the most critical Wildcat not named Nick Martinelli, who merely led the Big Ten in scoring last season at 20.5 PPG.

Beyond the points, Page is leading Northwestern in rebounds, blocks and steals, tallying at least five, one and one, respectively, in each of their first four contests.

Go ahead and circle Jan. 21 on your calendar. That's when Northwestern plays at USC. Though the head coach and entire roster have changed since he was there last year, it's a safe bet Page will be a little extra motivated to shine in that one.

Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt

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Last Season: 5.7 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.7 SPG

This Season: 16.0 PPG, 4.4 APG, 2.6 SPG

Tyler Tanner was a key piece of Vanderbilt's nine-man rotation in 2024-25. He was the only freshman on the team to receive any playing time, logging more than 20 minutes per contest as the primary reserve guard.

However, he was almost exclusively out there for his value added on defense and as a distributor; not as a key scorer. That became even more pronounced once SEC play began, with Tanner averaging 4.4 points over his final 20 games, shooting 6-for-31 (19.4 percent) from three-point range.

With both A.J. Hoggard and Jason Edwards out of the picture, though, Tanner has become a much larger piece of the offensive puzzle. He is shooting light years better from the perimeter (12-for-23) and also driving much more assertively, drawing fouls more than twice as often (4.2 per 40 minutes) as he did last year (2.0).

And with backup point guard Frankie Collins sidelined for the past two games with a lower body injury, Tanner has racked up 16 assists. He's also tied with Duke Miles for the team lead in steals with 13, as he and the Oklahoma transfer have become quite the one-two punch of two-way combo guards.

Granted, those 16 assists came in blowouts of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Southern, but Tanner did have 17 points, four dimes and a pair of steals in Vanderbilt's early road win over UCF.

Tanner may well be the MVP of the Battle 4 Atlantis later this week.