24 in '24: Top 24 college basketball players to watch in the new year
With the calendar flipping to 2024, it's time to reset as we hit the halfway point of the college basketball regular season.
Purdue (13-1) is the consensus No. 1 program in the country after a third consecutive undefeated non-conference regular season. Matt Painter's team faces a big test against No. 9 Illinois at 8:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS1.
Kansas sits at 12-1 and has been as advertised, ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 Poll, while undefeated Houston (13-0) and reigning champion UConn (12-2) fill out the top four.
While the next 10 weeks will bring plenty of twists and turns, it feels like a good time to present the A-list of players who could determine how the remainder of another drama-filled season goes. In this sport, the possibilities in March are endless, meaning there could be another unforeseen star who becomes a March hero, but is currently not on our list.
These are the players who could play a major role in the college hoops landscape. There are plenty of familiar names on this list, while others listed are on the rise.
Here are 24 players to watch in college basketball entering the first weekend of 2024.
Yes, every list is going to start with the Purdue superstar, as well it should. We should appreciate the 7-foot-4, 300-pound big man, who is averaging 23.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 62% from the floor. It's hard to fully quantify the era of greatness we are watching right now from a man of Edey's stature. His production is generational. Don't believe me? Edey literally has his own tier in this research from Evan Miyakawa:
The biggest question: Can Edey find revenge in the NCAA Tournament and lead Purdue to the program's first Final Four since 1980? Nobody will have more of a spotlight placed on them than the Boilermakers when March Madness arrives.
Dare I say that it feels like the 12-1 Jayhawks aren't getting enough buzz? Maybe it's because everybody expected Bill Self's team to be a national championship contender. The reason for that is Dickinson, who was the most compelling transfer in portal history. The former Michigan standout picked the Jayhawks over Kentucky, Villanova and Maryland, and is now averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game while shooting 61% from the floor and 13-for-25 from 3-point land on the year.
Yes, there are two Jayhawks on our list because there's no way you can leave the 6-7 wing off of it. The fifth-year senior has saved his best for his last season of college basketball, averaging 20.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. With Kansas having some scoring issues on the perimeter, it has meant that someone has had to step up for Self's team. McCullar has answered that bell in every way, going from just over 29% from 3-point range last season to 38% this season.
4. Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State
If you don't know the name, you've been living under a rock. Don't let the program – Colorado State, a very good program by the way – get you disinterested just because it's not a blue blood. The Rams are 13-1 and can absolutely make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, if not go further, because of the 2,000-point scorer, who's averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 assists per game. The fact that Stevens has stayed all five seasons in Fort Collins is something you don't see in college basketball as often. He could make history for a program that hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 1969.
5. Tyler Kolek, Marquette
He has swagger and is one of the villains in college basketball, enjoying that categorization when he's on the road in the Big East. He's also averaging 15.3 points and 6.3 assists per game for a Marquette program that is 40-10 in the last two seasons. This year, Kolek posted 24 points in a win at Illinois before putting on a master class with 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a victory over Texas. He's a big-game performer who loves the spotlight, and if the Golden Eagles are going to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 11 years, it will be because of Kolek as the head of the snake.
Tyler Kolek sinks a DEEP 3-pointer to extend Marquette's lead vs. Texas
6. Tristen Newton, UConn
He is the engine of the reigning national champions, posting 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Newton's finest game came at as hard of a place for a visitor to do it as any: Allen Fieldhouse, where he scored 31 points and kept Connecticut in the game in a narrow loss at Kansas. Dan Hurley calls Newton the single-most important key for his team to become the first repeat national champion since Billy Donovan's Florida teams did it in 2006 and 2007.
7. Jamal Shead, Houston
The Cougars are the best of the remaining three unbeatens in college basketball (Ole Miss, James Madison), and now the question is pretty clear for Kelvin Samspon's 13-0 team: How will Houston handle life in the best conference in college basketball – the Big 12? While Baylor transfer LJ Cryer is as great as any shotmaker in college basketball, the engineer for Houston is Shead, who ranks in the top 25 of the country with 5.8 assists per game. The senior guard is averaging 9.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while serving as the key cog for the nation's No. 1 defense, according to KenPom.
8. Robert Dillingham, Kentucky
While I have been very impressed with Dillingham's teammate, Reed Sheppard, I'm focusing on the 6-3 freshman guard from Hickory, North Carolina, because his quickness and bucket-getting ability is special, and he can switch Kentucky's whole team into a different gear. Dillingham is averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, and he has tallied six-or-more assists in five of the Wildcats' 12 games this year.
9. Jared McCain, Duke
I know what you are thinking … Wait, McCain is the ninth-best player in college basketball? I'm not saying that, and that's not what this list is about. But McCain cracks the top 10 because Duke has won five straight games and the five-star freshman is averaging 19.4 points per game during that span. He has knocked down 17 combined 3-pointers during the winning streak as well, hitting four 3s in Tuesday's 86-66 win over Syracuse. With Tyrese Proctor coming back from injury, it's important for Duke to have multiple perimeter threats. Proctor's ankle injury, as much as it was tough to be without him for a couple of weeks, could turn out to be a blessing in disguise because it opened a door for McCain to step through.
10. Caleb Love, Arizona
The Wildcats were the crown jewel of college basketball through the first couple of weeks of the season after beating Duke, Michigan State and Wisconsin. But losses in two of their last three games to Florida Atlantic and Stanford have caused Arizona to drop to No. 10 in the AP poll.
Will the North Carolina transfer be able to get this Arizona team back on track? The ball is in his court, and while he needs more help from Kylan Boswell, Love is the lead name for his up-and-down past, and the unfinished business in front of him.
The remainder of the list…
The 6-10 senior is my ACC Player of the Year right now, averaging 20.5 points per game for a Tigers team that is very deserving of their No. 16 ranking.
12. RJ Davis, North Carolina
The senior is truly playing with a chip on his shoulder, averaging 21.6 points with 3.6 assists per game. He's setting the tone for the Tar Heels, who are seeking redemption this March.
13. David Jones, Memphis
Penny Hardaway has the Tigers rolling at 11-2. This is a team that could wreak havoc in the NCAA Tournament and Jones is an absolute bucket. He's a dynamic 6-7 wing who is averaging over 21 points per game.
14. Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
Will the Owls reach the promised land again? That question starts and ends with Davis, the tough, 6-4 guard who's averaging over 16 points and seven rebounds per game.
15. Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
The 6-6 senior was a slam-dunk transfer pickup by Rick Barnes. Knecht can hit microwave mode as a scorer at any time, totaling at least 17 points in six games this season, including a 37-point showing against North Carolina.
16. Devin Carter, Providence
He's the best defensive player in the Big East, and his motor is absolutely fantastic. The son of 14-year NBA pro and current Grizzlies assistant Anthony Carter, the basketball genes translated to the Providence star, who has such a high-level IQ and knows how to make winning plays. His evolution on offense has been special, as he's averaging 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game.
Devin Carter nails two 3-pointers in OT to seal Providence's 85-75 win over Butler
17. Jaxson Robinson, BYU
The Cougars are 12-1 and ranked 12th in America. They were picked 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll. Averaging 16 points per game and shooting 43% from 3-point land, Robinson has been at the forefront of the remarkable start to the year.
18. Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State
If the Aztecs, who just commanded Gonzaga in Spokane, are going to make another March run, it will start and end with LeDee. The 6-9 forward is averaging 21.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and has been a force to be reckoned with inside.
19. Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Can the Blue Devils get back to the level they were projected to be when they were No. 2 in the preseason polls nationally? If they do, the 7-foot sophomore will be leading those efforts. He's averaging 18.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
20. Braden Smith, Purdue
As great as Edey is, and he is dominant, I think Smith will determine how far the Boilers go in the NCAA Tournament. Averaging 12.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game, Smith recently posted 27 points with eight assists against Alabama and followed it up with 26 points in the win over Arizona. He is a cold-blooded guard who can get hot in a hurry, and is wise beyond his years.
21. Joel Soriano, St. John's
St. John's is inching closer and closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble, and it's because the 10-4 Red Storm have the most productive big man next to Edey in America. He notched his ninth double-double on Tuesday with 14 and 12 in an 86-70 win over Butler.
Pitino Chronicles: Rick Pitino on Providence and the Big East Conference
22. Baylor Scheierman, Creighton
The Bluejays went to the Elite Eight last year. If they're going to capture magic as the season goes on, the versatile Scheierman will be key. The 6-7 wing is averaging 18.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He is a crafty playmaker and scorer.
23. DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
Believe the hype with the Flyers. The 6-10 junior, DaRon Holmes II, is the name to mark down. He's averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
24. Tyson Walker, Michigan State
We cap off our list with the Spartans star because he is the engine for a Michigan State team that has won four in a row and appears to be finding a nice rhythm entering the new year. He's averaging 19.5 points per game over the last four games, and shot 10-for-10 from the free-throw line while posting 22 in a win over Indiana State on Saturday.
Tyson Walker leads Michigan State with 25 points in an upset win over No. 6 Baylor
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
