Latest 2025-26 Men's College Basketball National Player of the Year Rankings

Welcome to the final installment of our National Player of the Year rankings for the 2025-26 men's college basketball season, in which you already know darn well that Cameron Boozer is at No. 1.

We've been doing these NPOY rankings twice a month since a few weeks into the campaign, and Boozer has consistently landed at No. 1 dating back to the initial installment on Dec. 10.

At least last year, Cooper Flagg vs. Johni Broome was interesting for a while. This one has been a "no contest" for quite some time. And just when we thought there might be a legitimate challenger to Boozer's impending stockpile of trophies, JT Toppin suffered a torn ACL and immediately dropped out of the conversation.

But these rankings have always been about more than just first place, and we've got one more hierarchy to put together before ALL focus turns to the NCAA tournament.

Statistics current through the start of play on Thursday.

Third-Team All-Americans

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Texas Tech's Christian Anderson

15. JT Toppin, Texas Tech (21.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.7 BPG, 1.4 SPG)

We rather thought that someone—probably someone from Connecticut—would ascend to the point where Toppin got scrubbed out of the top 15, but it just never happened. Frankly, though, given how many high-profile, season-ending injuries there have been this year, it only feels right to have some representation on the All-Americans list. And Toppin sure was special in the 25 games he played, leading Texas Tech to wins over Duke, Arizona, Houston, and more.

14. Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt (19.2 PPG, 5.2 APG, 3.5 RPG, 2.5 SPG, 37.7% 3PT)

After scoring in double figures just twice as a freshman, Tanner put up at least 11 points in all but one game of his scintillating sophomore campaign, including 25 in a win at Tennessee to end the regular season. He also led the 'Dores in assists and steals and was a hard-luck also-ran for the Bob Cousy Award for the nation's top point guard, as all five of those finalists will appear in our top 13.

13. Jaden Bradley, Arizona (13.4 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG)

Though it's still arguable who was actually the most valuable player on what is arguably the best team in the country, the Big 12 coaches named Bradley the league's Player of the Year. He is also one of the aforementioned finalists for the Cousy Award. So, yeah, he gets the nod, despite the near-impossible feat of not being named the KenPom Game MVP once in the entire season.

12. Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama (21.5 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 38.9% 3PT)

Philon's per-game stats are a bit inflated by Alabama's lightning-like pace of play, but he's also the main reason the Crimson Tide is able to play so efficiently at a breakneck pace. Just in the final few weeks of the regular season, he went for 35 against Arkansas, 23 at Tennessee, and had a combined 46 points and 10 assists in the two games against Auburn—all wins for the Tide.

11. Christian Anderson, Texas Tech (19.2 PPG, 7.8 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 42.7% 3PT)

The Red Raiders are a borderline top 15 team, but they get both halves of what had been their dynamic duo into the top 15. Anderson was already playing impeccably through the first few months, but he has done his darnedest to keep this team afloat sans Toppin, averaging 20.0 PPG, 8.4 APG, and 4.8 RPG over the final five games of the regular season. If you had to pick one player liable to put up a triple-double in the NCAA tournament, this would be a great choice.

Second-Team All-Americans

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Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr.

10. Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State (15.5 PPG, 9.1 APG, 2.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG)

Despite yet another tripping/kicking incident in Michigan State's regular-season finale against Michigan, Fears went off for 22 points and nine assists, increasing his season totals to 480 and 281, respectively. And that's approaching legendary territory.

Barring immediate losses in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, he's going to get to 500 and 300, which has only been done three times in the past three decades: Braden Smith (567 and 313 last year), Ja Morant (808 and 331 in 2018-19), and Kay Felder (853 and 324 in 2015-16).

9. Thomas Haugh, Florida (17.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 34.4% 3PT)

Just in case there was any doubt on whether Haugh belongs in the top 10—or whether he was healthy after missing the regular season's second-to-last game against Mississippi State—he went out and produced 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals with no turnovers in a road win over Kentucky.

Florida is likely going to be the fourth No. 1 seed, with a ceiling that hinges largely on how the starting backcourt (Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee) fares. But between Haugh, Alex Condon, and double-double machine Rueben Chinyelu, the Gators have a ridiculously high floor and arguably the best frontcourt in the country. (Calm down, Michigan and Arizona fans. I said arguably.)

8. Kingston Flemings, Houston (16.5 PPG, 5.4 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 37.6% 3PT)

Flemings slipped out of the first-team mix because of a bit of a rough five-game stretch in February. But he sure did finish strong with 45 points, 24 assists, and just four turnovers in his final three regular-season games—granted, against Colorado, Baylor, and Oklahoma State.

He can get just about any shot that he wants, thanks to an elite first step and a great mid-range game. But Houston is at its best when it's doing a fair amount of distributing, too. Excluding the opening week of the regular season, the Cougars went 21-1 when Flemings had at least five assists; 3-4 when he fell short of that mark.

7. Braden Smith, Purdue (14.9 PPG, 8.7 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 38.8% 3PT)

Smith still has a decent shot at Bobby Hurley's all-time assists record, entering Thursday's game against Northwestern needing 48 dimes to move into first place. But with Purdue falling apart at the seams with losses in four of its final six regular-season games, we've bumped the Boilermakers point guard out of the top five.

To be sure, though, the recent struggles aren't Smith's fault. Even in those four losses, he averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 assists. It was mostly the product of poor frontcourt defense against Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State before Wisconsin could not miss from distance. Regardless, he lands at No. 7, just like Purdue did in the Big Ten tournament.

6. Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State (16.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 34.7% 3PT)

Jefferson ranks either first or second among Cyclones in each of points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. In other words, he is everything for this Iowa State team, and it's hardly a coincidence that his three worst performances of the season align perfectly with Iowa State's three worst games.

Those three games with a 75 O-rating or worse are why he doesn't crack the first-team, though. No one in our top five has had multiple such games, nor have any of them had such a dud more recently than Thanksgiving. But this big man with two triple-doubles on the year could be the star that Iowa State rides to its first Final Four since 1944.

First-Team All-American No. 5: Keaton Wagler, Illinois

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Season Stats: 17.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 41.0% 3PT

MVP Performance: 46 points, four assists at Purdue (Jan. 24)

Whether Keaton Wagler hit a bit of a "freshman wall" or just started deferring more to lead guard Kylan Boswell after he came back from his fractured hand, this first-year stud was definitely less of an unstoppable force down the stretch, averaging 15.3 points and 4.0 assists in his last six games.

It almost cost him a spot in our top five. And it kept him from having any sort of case for edging out Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg for Big Ten POY.

But since Wagler burst onto the scene in early December, Illinois has felt like one of the handful of teams that legitimately could win the national championship.

If he can get back to playing/shooting like he did in January, the sky's the limit for the offensively elite Illini.

First-Team All-American No. 4: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

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Season Stats: 22.2 PPG, 6.4 APG, 3.0 RPG, 43.7% 3PT

MVP Performance: 49 points, five assists, five rebounds, one turnover at Alabama (Feb. 18)

Week after week, Darius Acuff Jr. just kept climbing in our NPOY and National Freshman of the Year rankings as he repeatedly churned out quality performances.

In the end, he was named SEC Player of the Year, and it probably wasn't all that close, as he led the league in both points and assists per game.

At this point, we're talking about 24 consecutive games with at least 17 points, with at least five assists in all but three of those contests. He did it all efficiently, too, shooting just a shade under 50 percent from the field and better than 43 percent from distance with 2.0 turnovers per game.

His defense is a concern, both as it pertains to Arkansas' ceiling in the NCAA tournament and all of the draft chatter surrounding his meteoric rise to a possible top-five pick. But Acuff is so special on offense that it almost doesn't matter.

First-Team All-American No. 3: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

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Season Stats: 14.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.4 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 34.3% 3PT

MVP Performance: 26 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, one assist at Michigan State (Jan. 30)

Because Michigan can beat you in so many ways and with so many players, Yaxel Lendeborg was overshadowed all year long in these conversations.

I mean, gracious, he's a full 10.5 points per game behind AJ Dybantsa, and can't hold a candle to Cameron Boozer or Darius Acuff Jr. in that department, either.

On occasion, though, Lendeborg has donned his Superman cape. And there has never been any real question about who Michigan's MVP is.

It wasn't quite enough for the win, but he went for 21 points and seven rebounds in the marquee showdown with Duke. He had a slightly absurd 20-11-4-3-2 line in the equally absurd 40-point annihilation of Gonzaga early in the year. Lendeborg also put up a combined 53 points in the season sweep of Michigan State, cementing his spot in Wolverines lore.

First-Team All-American No. 2: AJ Dybantsa, BYU

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Season Stats: 25.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 33.1% 3PT

MVP Performance: 40 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals vs. Kansas State (March 10)

I've been saying for years in these NPOY rankings that team success might be even more important than individual greatness for these types of honors. You now have to go back more than two decades to find the last time a Wooden Award winner came from a team that didn't at least earn a No. 4 seed—Andrew Bogut for No. 6 seed Utah in 2005.

Never has that been more apparent than this year, with AJ Dybantsa leading the nation in scoring by a wide margin and never having a prayer of winning this award.

You have to wonder how different things might have been if BYU's second half had been anywhere near as successful as its 16-1 start. After putting up 23.1 points through his first 17 games, Dybantsa discovered another gear, averaging 28.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 4.5 APG since the beginning of February.

As the Cougars took loss after loss and plummeted down to a projected No. 6 or No. 7 seed, though, so, too, did Dybantsa's hopes of NPOY (or even Big 12 POY) diminish to zero.

What a legendary season, though. Right up there with Kevin Durant in one-and-done lore.

National Player of the Year: Cameron Boozer, Duke

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Season Stats: 22.7 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 40.7% 3PT

MVP Performance: 35 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals vs. Arkansas (Nov. 27)

Remember back in the Jaden Bradley section, where we mentioned KenPom game MVPs?

Cameron Boozer had 22 of them during Duke's 31-game regular season.

No one else in the country had more than 16.

And since KenPom started tracking this stuff in 2012-13, here's the full list of players who have gotten to 22 or more in a single season:

30 - Zach Edey, Purdue (2023-24)
29 - n/a
28 - n/a
27 - n/a
26 - n/a
25 - n/a
24 - n/a
23 - Jameel Warney, Stony Brook (2015-16)
22 - Boozer; Ja Morant, Murray State (2018-19); Keegan Murray, Iowa (2021-22); Edey (2022-23)

And, of course, it's 22 and counting for Boozer.

Got to think he's going to enter "behind only Edey" territory soon, liable to even catch the Boilermakers legend if the Blue Devils were to make a run to both the ACC title game and the national championship. (At any rate, Edey ended the 2023-24 regular season with 23 such honors before adding seven more in the postseason.)

Making that even more absurd is that we are comparing what this freshman is doing to Edey's senior season and his second consecutive run as National Player of the Year.

I'm no draft scout, but it is patently absurd that some NBA team is expected to have this superstar fall into its lap with the No. 3 pick in a few months.