For the second straight year, an international player could be selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, with French prospects Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher at the top. The NBA game is becoming more global, but there are still a lot of talented players in college basketball who are making this season very entertaining regardless of their individual draft stock.
Seniors Zach Edey (Purdue) and RJ Davis (North Carolina) make a strong case for Player of the Year and lead their respective conferences in scoring.
There are always a few freshmen who come on stage looking like experienced upperclassmen. This year they happen to be on the same team. Kentucky had the No. 1 recruiting class this year led by five-star Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner, but it’s Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard who have been the best freshmen on the floor for the Wildcats this season.
UConn, currently the No. 1 team in the country, is looking to make another run in the NCAA tournament and possibly repeat with another national title. This year they are led by senior transfer Cam Spencer, who has become the glue man all season alongside Tristen Newton, Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle.
Who else will help their team in March and which players will NBA scouts be watching to close out the season? Yahoo Sports takes a look at 10 players to preview the rest of the college hoops season.
Zach Edey, Purdue
No other player has been more dominant in college basketball this season than Edey.
The 7-foot senior opted to return for his senior season after testing the NBA waters and getting feedback from teams last spring. He started the season in much better form, beating opponents up and down the court in transition and establishing his position, and has improved his footwork.
Edey is averaging 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game and has scored 30 or more points six times this season. Last weekend, Edey hit his first career three-pointer (which put him in) against Indiana. Purdue is the No. 2 team in the country and a serious title contender because of how productive Edey is in the lane, even if he is double-teamed (and sometimes triple-teamed) for most of the game.
RJ Davis, North Carolina
Davis has emerged as one of the best lead guards in college basketball this season thanks to his quick decision-making (especially in the pick-and-roll option with Armando Bacot) and his ability to score at all three levels. His body control around the rim has improved, he can finish consistently with both his right and left hands, and his 3-point shooting percentage has improved from last season (40.2% from behind the arc).
North Carolina just lost on the road to unranked Syracuse, but the defense has been consistently tough all season and it’s typically Davis leading the pack with his speed. Davis had one of his most complete games in a win over Miami on February 10, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Knecht was one of the hottest names in the transfer portal after spending his freshman year as a JUCO and two seasons at Northern Colorado before transferring to Tennessee for his senior season. He chose the Vols over Kansas and North Carolina and was one of the main reasons why Tennessee has been a top-10 team for almost the entire season.
Knecht is a tough guard who is one of the best scorers in the country. He is the No. 1 option for the Vols and reads the defense well, doesn’t force anything and lets the game come to him. If a defender goes down on the screen and there is no hedge, he lets him fly anywhere on the field. He has been very creative in the lane, distributing the ball and getting to his spots, and is averaging 20.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
No freshman duo has been more fun to watch this season than Dillingham and Sheppard.
Early in the season, NBA scouts questioned Dillingham’s ability to create space off the dribble with his size, and he has shown no issues doing so. He is a great passer and loves to go downhill. His three-point shot has been the biggest surprise this season, with how consistently he shoots in both catch-and-shoot situations and off the dribble. Dillingham doesn’t shy away from big moments and wants the ball in his hands when the shot clock runs out or the game is on the line.
Sheppard is a Kentucky boy and both of his parents played basketball for the Wildcats in the 1990s. The 6-foot-1 freshman can slide around the edge in any position and impact the game in a positive way. He can knock down 3s from long range, sneak behind weak-side defenses for easy buckets and is an elite defender, forcing 2.6 steals per game. His complete all-around game has caught the attention of NBA scouts and both Sheppard and Dillingham are projected lottery picks in the upcoming draft.
Devin Carter, Providence
Providence is fifth in the Big East with a 16-9 record and could be a bubble team this year, but if there’s a player who can help the Friars get a few more wins to close out the season, then is it Carter? The 6-3 junior guard is a scoring machine and one of the best rebounding guards in the country. He is dynamic in transition and one of the best guards at shooting away from defensive pressure.
This is Carter’s second season at Providence after spending his freshman year at South Carolina and he has shown improvement in every aspect of his game from last year to now. Carter flirted with a triple-double in an overtime win over Creighton on Feb. 7, where he finished with 28 points (5-8 from 3-point range), 11 rebounds and six assists.
Filipowski opted to return for his sophomore season to help his draft stock and develop a bit more after a disappointing freshman season. He has been one of the most consistent bigs all season. Duke runs most of its offense through the 7-foot center and always tries to isolate him in mismatches. He is so versatile in the pick-and-pop and loves his two dribbles to the left, turning to the right and finishing at the rim, sometimes even splitting two defenders.
Filipowski is not afraid to shoot the 3 and has improved in that area. He is now shooting 34.5% from deep after connecting on just 28% of his attempts in his first season. His lateral movement still remains an area of development defensively, but he has been a consistent force for the Blue Devils all season and will be the player to watch as Duke enters the postseason and tries to make a deep run in March.
Cam Spencer, UConn
Spencer has really come alive in the second half of the season, doing a little bit of everything for the top-ranked Huskies. The 6-4 senior guard is so versatile and does different things every game to help UConn win. Some days it’s his passing and facilitation and the way he can draw the defense in to find an open teammate. In other games, it’s his three-point shooting, where he knocked down nine threes in a two-game span earlier this month.
Spencer plays hard, wins 50-50 balls and is difficult to protect against the dribble. He is a fifth-year senior after transferring from Rutgers and is averaging 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
No player has been more fun to watch in transition this season than Broome. He loves to attack the rim, is a deadly 3-point shooter and has played a big role at Auburn. The Tigers defeated South Carolina by just 40 points on Wednesday night, with Broome finishing with 21 points and two blocks in 22 minutes. Broome and Jaylin Williams combined for nine three-pointers in the win, calling themselves the “Splash Bros” at the post-game press conference.
Broome is averaging 16.1 points and 8.5 rebounds this season while shooting 36.4% from three-point range. He quickly befriended Morgan Freeman after slapping his hand away before realizing it was Freeman who grabbed him as he fell out of bounds.
Sallis transferred from Gonzaga before his junior year and was one of the best two-way guards in the ACC this season. He has combined for 55 points in his last two games while shooting 60% from the field and 53.4% from three-point range. Wake Forest is fourth in the ACC with a 16-8 overall record and if Sallis continues to put up numbers like he has recently, the Demon Deacons could go from bubble watch to a team that could disrupt some top programs if the tournament arrives.
Pull watch
Colorado freshman Cody Williams is the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams and is a projected top five pick in the upcoming draft. The 6-8 wing reminds many scouts of the better defensive Jaden McDaniels and has plenty of upside to grow his game.
NBA scouts have been doing their due diligence all season long in scouting Bronny James at USC. His per-game stats aren’t too impressive (5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game), but he’s a great perimeter defender and has a high IQ. It’s too early to tell if he’ll declare this year and try to play with his father, LeBron, at the NBA level, but knowing the duo is a package deal might be too tempting for a team that’s in the second round is selected.
Senior guard Tyler Kolek is another candidate for Player of the Year after a strong season for No. 4 Marquette. He is first in the Big East and fifth in all of college basketball in assists, averaging 7.2 per game. The way he sees the field and facilitates his teammates has impressed scouts and Kolek is a potential first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Kevin McCullar Jr. was out the last two games with a nagging knee injury from earlier this season. The senior guard is one of the most productive offensive players in the Big 12 and a four-year player who could hear his name called in the first round.
Baylor freshman Yves Missi is one of the best rim-running centers in college basketball, and he’s become increasingly comfortable with the pick-and-roll option as the season progresses. Baylor has plenty of talent on the perimeter (including projected lottery pick Ja’Kobe Walter) and it has expanded court space so Missi can be effective late in the season.
Jaylon Tyson has played consistently well all season and is putting up big numbers at Cal after transferring from Texas Tech before his junior year. The 6-7 guard is averaging 20.3 points and 7.1 rebounds and shooting 37.2% from 3-point range on four attempts per game.