Men’s college basketball All-America team: Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa lead midseason list – The Athletic
Trivia time: When did two men’s basketball freshmen last earn first-team All-America honors?
It’s been a while. Eight seasons, in fact — before the advent of NIL and the transfer portal — since Duke’s duo of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett did so in 2018-19.
But according to our midseason staff poll, what’s young is new again.
A pair of sensational first-year players, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Duke forward Cameron Boozer, headline our midseason All-America teams as the only unanimous first-team selections.
In a reversal of recent seasons, when college basketball has been dominated by veterans, only half of our 10 midseason honorees are upperclassmen. Instead, two standout sophomore guards and a third freshman forward join Dybantsa and Boozer to form one of our youngest groups in recent memory. And in another sign that the sport may be recalibrating, or at least adjusting to the transfer portal/NIL era, only one first-year transfer is included below.
All statistics are entering Tuesday’s games. Players are listed in descending order of the number of votes received:
First team
Cameron Boozer, freshman forward, Duke (unanimous)
Stats: 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.8 steals, 37.3 3-point percentage
A year after Cooper Flagg led Duke in every major statistical category en route to the Final Four, the Blue Devils once again have the most productive freshman (and player) in college hoops. Boozer leads Jon Scheyer’s team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Even more impressively, he leads the nation in win shares, player efficiency rating and points produced per game. Even knowing Duke’s illustrious recent history with star freshmen — Flagg, Paolo Banchero, Zion Williamson, etc. — the 6-foot-9 Boozer is the only one in program history with multiple 35-point games, a feat he accomplished by Thanksgiving. He’s the clear Wooden Award front-runner, and the reason why No. 5 Duke is on the short list of national title contenders.
AJ Dybantsa, freshman forward, BYU (unanimous)
Stats: 22.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals
Dybantsa narrowly missed our cut in the preseason, but he has proven himself in leading No. 13 BYU to a 16-2 start, the program’s best since Jimmer Fredette’s senior season in 2011-12. Before BYU’s 84-71 loss at Texas Tech this weekend, Dybantsa had scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games, making himself the front-runner for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa hasn’t shot the ball great from 3 yet (only 30.2 percent), but that hasn’t hindered his overall effectiveness. The 6-foot-9 wing is the nation’s fifth-leading scorer — in no small part because of how Kevin Young’s offense emphasizes him — whose KenPom player comparisons pretty much say it all: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Wiggins. If Dybantsa leads the Cougars to their first Final Four, we’ll be talking about him as one of the most impactful one-and-done freshmen in recent history.
Braden Smith, senior guard, Purdue
Stats: 14.7 points, 9.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 42.9 3-point percentage
Smith, who leads the nation in assists, narrowly missed being our third unanimous pick. He is the engine of the nation’s most efficient offense — and somehow, he’s still getting better, posting a career-high offensive rating while drawing more fouls than ever before.
The question is whether Smith can break Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record. He’s at 927 as of this writing, and needs 150 to pass Hurley. With 13 regular-season games left — plus at least one apiece in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments — Smith needs to average 10 assists per game from here on out to get the record. But if Purdue makes a run in its conference tournament, or March Madness thereafter, that per-game average quickly drops. At his current pace, he’d need 16 more games to do it.
Yaxel Lendeborg is the star of a balanced Michigan team that most analytics sites consider to be the best in the country. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
Yaxel Lendeborg, graduate forward, Michigan
Stats: 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.3 steals, 87.3 free-throw percentage
The only first-year transfer on our midseason list, Lendeborg — who played the last two seasons at UAB — has more than lived up to his lofty billing. The 6-foot-9 forward has been the key to Dusty May’s jumbo-sized lineups, and has been a big reason why the Wolverines are 17-1 and ranked third in the country. Per CBB Analytics, Michigan outscores opponents by 25.5 points per 100 possessions with Lendeborg on the floor (which ranks in the 97th percentile nationally), and that absolutely tracks, considering Lendeborg’s fifth in the country in win shares per 40 minutes and ninth in offensive rating. Although he’s been slowed by a calf injury lately, Lendeborg’s versatility is a huge reason why Michigan is the betting favorite to win it all.
Tyler Tanner, sophomore guard, Vanderbilt
Stats: 17.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 39.7 3-point percentage, 87.1 free-throw percentage
One of the biggest risers this season, Tanner — who somehow did not have a recruiting page coming out of high school — has been one of the best guards in America, leading Vanderbilt to a 16-0 start before three consecutive losses in SEC play. Per CBB Analytics, Tanner is one of just eight high-major players averaging at least 17 points and five assists per game, but he’s the most disruptive defender on that list, recording at least three steals in seven of the Commodores’ 18 games. And don’t let Tanner’s size, at just 6-feet tall and 173 pounds, fool you. His quickness and basketball IQ have made him the head of the snake for Mark Byington’s team, which is an SEC and Final Four contender.
Second team
Joshua Jefferson, senior forward, Iowa State
Stats: 17.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 1 block, 36.0 3-point percentage
Tanner narrowly edged Jefferson for the last spot on our first team, but that’s no disrespect at all to the 6-foot-9 forward, who might be the nation’s most underrated player. Jefferson currently ranks second in KenPom’s National Player of the Year race, and is one of just two high-major players — the other being Boozer — averaging at least 17-7-4.
The biggest difference in Jefferson’s game now compared to last season, when he first transferred to ISU from Saint Mary’s, is his growth as a passer and legitimate shooting threat. Jefferson is averaging career highs in 3-point percentage and assist rate for a Cyclones squad that started the year 16-0 and is capable of winning the loaded Big 12. Although Jefferson’s turnovers have picked up a little in league play, he has still been one of the biggest offensive mismatches in the sport.
JT Toppin has 12 double-doubles in 17 games this season. (Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
JT Toppin, junior forward, Texas Tech
Stats: 21.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.9 blocks, 1.2 steals
A unanimous preseason honoree, Toppin has followed up last season’s All-America campaign with another similar effort in Lubbock, including a 27-point, 12-rebound outing this weekend in the Red Raiders’ win over BYU. He’s the only high-major player in the country averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, per CBB Analytics. Toppin is fourth nationally in rebounds per game (and second in offensive rebounds), and has made the most baskets of any player in college basketball.
Texas Tech remains a work in progress, especially defensively, but Toppin’s excellence on the glass and as an interior scorer makes him one of the most reliable players in the sport. One thing to monitor moving forward: Toppin has made three 3s in back-to-back games for the first time in his career; if he can add that element to his game, there’s no telling how far he can lead Texas Tech.
Caleb Wilson, freshman forward, North Carolina
Stats: 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks
Wilson’s defensive habits have come under some fire lately, especially with North Carolina dropping three of its last four games, but the 6-foot-9 forward is still one of college basketball’s most athletic and dominant offensive players. That starts with Wilson’s nation-leading 57 dunks, which account for just under a third of his total shot attempts, per CBB Analytics. But there’s more to Wilson’s game than rim-rattling. There’s his turnaround jumper and touch around the rim, even through double teams. All that has caused Wilson’s draft stock to soar to the point where he’s on pace to be UNC’s first top-five pick since Marvin Williams in 2005.
Wilson already has 12 20-point games, including a UNC freshman record six straight in December. If he hits that milestone three more times, he’ll pass Tyler Hansbrough for the most 20-point games by a Tar Heel freshman.
Jaden Bradley, senior guard, Arizona
Stats: 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 46.7 3-point percentage, 81.9 free-throw percentage
If you only look at the counting statistics, it might seem odd that Arizona’s third-leading scorer — who has more single-digit scoring games (four) than 20-plus ones — is our representative from the nation’s No. 1 team. And while Bradley probably split some votes with star freshman Koa Peat, Bradley is the biggest reason to believe Arizona can make a deep NCAA Tournament run. He has been, without exaggeration, the clutchest player in college basketball, willing the Wildcats to victory down the stretch in three of Arizona’s biggest nonconference wins, against Florida, UCLA and UConn.
Bradley is also one of just six high-major players averaging at least 14-4-3 this season while shooting above 40 percent from 3, per CBB Analytics, alongside the likes of Smith and Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson. A deserved nod for someone averaging career highs in points, assists, rebounds, steals, field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
Labaron Philon Jr. shoulders a heavy load for Alabama, with a usage rate that ranks second in the SEC. (Brandon Sumrall / Getty Images)
Labaron Philon Jr., sophomore guard, Alabama
Stats: 22 points, 4.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 38 3-point percentage
Philon pulled out of the 2025 NBA Draft at the last second in the spring, hoping to boost his stock with a stellar sophomore season in Tuscaloosa — and he’s more than done so, becoming one of the best bucket-getters in the sport. Philon is tied for ninth nationally in points per game. The 6-foot-4 blur had 24 against No. 11 Illinois, 29 against No. 8 Gonzaga, 29 against No. 18 Clemson, 18 (in just 20 minutes) against No. 15 Vanderbilt, and most recently, his first career 30-piece at Mississippi State.
But Philon is far from just a chucker. Per CBB Analytics, of the 10 high-major players attempting at least 13 shots and three 3s per game, Philon is the most efficient. He shoots 53.4 percent overall despite being the focus of every opposing scouting report. He’s also top-50 nationally in assist rate, per KenPom, while averaging a full turnover less than last season. Alabama has won four SEC regular-season and tournament titles since 2021, and Philon’s the biggest reason to believe Nate Oats’ team can do so again this spring.
Others receiving votes: Kingston Flemings, Houston (four second-team votes); Koa Peat, Arizona (two second-team); Boopie Miller, SMU; Bennett Stirtz, Iowa; Rienk Mast, Nebraska; Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State; Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State (one second-team each)
