From top returners to elite transfers and a handful of top freshmen, college basketball has plenty of star power in 2025–26. While the end of the vast majority of COVID-year players has made the sport a bit younger, many top players are staying in school longer thanks to the explosion of the NIL/revenue-share market that has made it as lucrative if not more to play in college than be a second-round pick in the NBA. Because of that, cracking these All-America teams is incredibly difficult, but these 15 superstars are all worthy selections.
Here’s a look at Sports Illustrated’s preseason picks.
First Team
Braden Smith, Purdue
Smith is the best point guard in college basketball and one of the best in his generation. He’s pacing to seriously challenge Bobby Hurley’s longstanding all-time career assists record after averaging 8.7 per game last season, and he’s also a lethal scorer with his ability to navigate ball screens and hit pull-up jumpers both from three and midrange. He will be the driving force behind what should be the best offense in college basketball and potentially a national championship-caliber team.
Darryn Peterson, Kansas
Peterson is one of the best freshman guards to hit college basketball in a generation, an elite talent who’s currently the leading candidate to go No. 1 in next year’s NBA draft. He’s a dominant scorer who has continued to make strides as a playmaker, a skill set that will be tested when defenses throw creative coverages at him to force other Jayhawks to beat them. For Kansas to climb back into the sport’s elite tier, Peterson will need to have a massive season, but he has the talent to do just that and take Kansas back to the top of the sport.
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Dybantsa erupted for 30 points against Nebraska in BYU’s first exhibition, a good sign of things to come from the elite freshman. Dybantsa is one of the most polished scorers to hit college basketball in a long time, with a deep bag and an advanced ability to draw fouls. He and Peterson will battle all year for pole position to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, but Dybantsa has a chance to leave quite the college legacy if he can take BYU to the Final Four or further.
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
The defending Big 12 Player of the Year is back for his junior season with the Red Raiders after helping Texas Tech to the Elite Eight and posting 19 double-doubles a year ago. Toppin’s consistency is part of what makes him so valuable: Even in games when Tech doesn’t feature him heavily in the offensive game plan, he manages to post big numbers because of his motor and ability to generate easy baskets on the offensive glass. He should have a monster year that could propel him up draft boards next summer.
Cameron Boozer, Duke
Boozer has been ridiculously productive at every level of youth basketball, emerging as a double-double machine on championship-caliber teams time and time again in high school and AAU. Expect that dominant level of production to continue at Duke, which should give him a huge platform to insert himself into the National Player of the Year conversation the way Cooper Flagg did a year ago.
Second Team
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
Stirtz is one of the best stories in college basketball, rising with head coach Ben McCollum from Division II Northwest Missouri State to Drake and now Iowa. At Drake, he led the Bulldogs to 31 wins and an NCAA tournament victory while averaging over 19 points and nearly six assists per game. He’s the perfect point guard for McCollum’s system and gives the Hawkeyes a chance to climb the Big Ten ladder early in McCollum’s tenure.
Donovan Dent, UCLA
Few players in college basketball are as exciting to watch as Dent, an absolute jet in the open floor who starred at New Mexico the past three years before returning home to southern California. He should be a massive upgrade at the point guard spot for a UCLA team that lacked a dynamic presence in the backcourt a season ago, especially if he can quickly adapt to playing in Mick Cronin’s more structured offense.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
There’s so much talk about Kentucky’s newcomers, but having a 16 point-per-game scorer back in Lexington is the biggest headline from the Kentucky offseason. Oweh thrived in Pope’s offense, using his elite athleticism and finishing ability to live at the rim thanks to Kentucky’s elite offensive spacing. The Wildcats don’t profile to be as excellent a shooting team this year, but it’s easy to trust that Pope will find creative ways to get him involved.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Sometimes overshadowed by his National Player of the Year contender point guard, Kaufmann-Renn is a superstar in his own right, fresh off a junior season in which he averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game while emerging as one of the most efficient forwards in college basketball. He’ll have more help in the frontcourt this season with the addition of South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Few stuffed the stat sheet like Lendeborg did a year ago at UAB, averaging north of 17 points, 11 rebounds and four assists per game while shooting over 50% from the field. We’ll see if his production translates as smoothly to the Big Ten at Michigan, but he plays so hard that it’s difficult to imagine him not being super productive in his lone season of high-major basketball. Dusty May helped Danny Wolf blossom into a first-round pick; if this year goes right he might be watching Lendeborg get selected in the lottery next June.
Third Team:
Labaron Philon, Alabama
Playing the point in Nate Oats’s system is a surefire way to stack numbers, and Philon might be the most talented floor general Oats has had in his Alabama tenure. He’s so dynamic with the ball in his hands, with elite speed in the open floor and a tight handle that allows him to regularly break down defenders off the bounce. He has also shown early improvement this year as a shooter. The Tide will go as far as Philon takes them in 2025–26.
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Sharp is the leading returning scorer for SI’s preseason No. 1 team Houston. He’s one of the best shooters and perimeter defenders in the country, making an elite two-way impact for the Cougars. He’s also the consummate winner, with a ridiculous 100–14 record over the last three seasons. He should see increased usage this year with LJ Cryer having graduated.
Darrion Williams, NC State
Williams is the crown jewel of Will Wade’s first roster at NC State, a versatile forward who helped lead Texas Tech to the Elite Eight a season ago. While his shooting percentages across the board dropped last season, his ability to create his own shot dribbling into post-ups is incredibly valuable and puts defenses in a bind given how good a passer he is. He could have a huge senior year.
Thomas Haugh, Florida
Haugh seems poised for a breakout third season in Gainesville after helping lead the Gators to the national championship a year ago. The 6' 9" forward has improved his handle and three-point shot in preparation to spend more time on the wing this season and has consistently looked like Florida’s best player in practice so far this offseason. A big season could propel him into the first-round conversation in the 2026 draft.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s
There may not be another big in college basketball better equipped to play the way Rick Pitino wants to at St. John’s. Ejiofor’s motor is elite, flying around on both ends of the floor to dominate the glass and protect the rim at an elite level. He averaged nearly 15 points per game last season despite rarely having plays run for him and should be in for another highly productive season for the Red Storm.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sports Illustrated’s 2025–26 College Basketball Preseason All-Americans.
