The 2024-25 college basketball season starts in exactly two weeks, with Texas and Ohio State squaring off in Las Vegas and Gonzaga and Baylor in Spokane the two headlining matchups on opening day.
College hoops is headlined this season by a handful of superstar freshmen – notably Duke forward Cooper Flagg and the dynamic Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey – as well as multiple fifth year standouts, like Mark Sears at Alabama, RJ Davis at North Carolina, and Caleb Love at Arizona.
The dynamic between young one-and-done caliber talent and aging stars who are nearly old enough to rent a car should make for an exciting season on the hardwood.
It also makes the competition to earn All-American nods this year extra interesting. The college game is arguably as talent-rich as it has been in decades, with many NBA caliber players opting to return to school thanks to the rise of NIL and the transfer portal.
Below is a look at College Sports Wire’s preseason All-American projections for the first, second, and third teams, along with five players who just missed the cut and five additional dark horse candidates:
First Team
Center Johni Broome – Auburn Tigers
Forward Cooper Flagg – Duke Blue Devils
Forward Alex Karaban – UConn Huskies
Guard RJ Davis – North Carolina Tar Heels
Guard Mark Sears – Alabama Crimson Tide
Broome was a beast for Bruce Pearl and the Tigers last year, and his developing outside shot and Auburn’s strong roster continuity should keep him in the national conversation all year long, enough to earn First Team honors.
Flagg is one of the most heralded freshmen to hit the college game in years, and his well-rounded game and versatile skill-set makes him a very likely All-American barring a surprising fall from grace.
Karaban is the lone returning starter for the back-to-back national champion UConn Huskies, and he should take on an even bigger role for Dan Hurley’s team as they look to make it three titles in a row in Storrs.
Davis and Sears are fifth year guys who have dominated the college basketball game for many years, and there’s little reason to assume either won’t be on this team – in fact the National Player of the Year is very likely one of these two diminutive guards.
Second Team
Center Ryan Kalkbrenner – Creighton Blue Jays
Forward Hunter Dickinson – Kansas Jayhawks
Guard Kam Jones – Marquette Golden Eagles
Guard LJ Cryer – Houston Cougars
Guard Braden Smith – Purdue Boilermakers
Kalkbrenner is a three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, who has also led the conference in field goal percentage each of the past three seasons. Greg McDermott’s team is once again going to be a national championship contender, and it’s about time Kalkbrenner gets his due as an All-American.
Dickinson has been an All-American twice already, once at Michigan and last year with Kansas, but is hoping to make it three in his fifth and final season. The Jayhawks should be better than last year, and as long as he performs like he has for the last half decade he will be honored once again.
Jones averaged 15+ points per game each of the past two seasons at Marquette, and with Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro out the door for Shaka Smart’s club it puts even more pressure on him to put the ball in the hoop. 20 per game in the loaded Big East, especially if Marquette finishes top 20, easily lands him on one of the All-American teams.
Cryer has also averaged 15+ each of the past two seasons, doing so at two different Big 12 programs. Houston lost Jamal Shead to the NBA and will rely heavily on Cryer to shoulder the load offensively in 2024-25.
For Purdue to avoid falling off a cliff in the post Zach Edey era, junior guard Braden Smith will need to take on a bigger role scoring the rock. There’s little reason to think he can’t do that, however, which has him in this conversation.
Third Team
Forward Norchad Omier – Baylor Bears
Forward Graham Ike – Gonzaga Bulldogs
Guard Hunter Sallis – Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Guard Johnell Davis – Arkansas Razorbacks
Guard Caleb Love – Arizona Wildcats
Omier averaged a double-double in each of his four previous college basketball seasons, including the last two with the Miami Hurricanes. He adds a tough frontcourt present to a Baylor team that desperately needed it.
Ike shook off some early season rust after missing the entire previous season with a foot injury to dominate down the stretch for Mark Few and Gonzaga, and a full season of health and familiarity with the Zags system should put the big man in the All-American conversation.
Next is a former Zag in Hunter Sallis, who exploded last season for Steve Forbes and the Demon Deacons. It was a surprise to see Sallis, who averaged over 18 per game on 40% shooting from three, return to school rather than stay in the NBA draft process, but another season like that will have him earning All-American honors.
Johnell Davis was one of three big time Florida Atlantic stars to transfer this offseason, ultimately ending up in Fayetteville to join John Calipari’s new team at Arkansas. Antonio Reeves thrived transferring to Kentucky to play for coach Cal, and Davis could be even better for the Hogs.
Love is back at Arizona, hoping to help Tommy Lloyd’s club avoid what has become a trend of early exits in the NCAA Tournament. Love is an elite isolation scorer, albeit an inefficient one, but in his final season he should be an All-American for the second straight year.
Just Missed
Guard Ryan Nembhard – Gonzaga Bulldogs
Guard Kadary Richmond – St. John’s Red Storm
Wing Payton Sandfort – Iowa Hawkeyes
Guard Tucker DeVries – West Virginia Mountaineers
Guard Tramon Mark – Texas Longhorns
There is a plethora of older but extremely talented guards in college basketball this upcoming season, and any number of them could contend for an All-American nod.
Nembhard averaged seven assists per game last year, and if he does that again for a potential top five Gonzaga team he should be in this conversation.
Richmond is a triple-double waiting to happen and should get fully unlocked under Rick Pitino at St. John’s. Sandfort pulled out of the NBA draft to bring his elite three point shooting back to Iowa, and a pair of transfers in Tucker DeVries – who followed his dad Darian to West Virginia – and Tramon Mark at Texas have the scoring prowess to contend for AA honors.
Dark Horse Candidates
Forward Robbie Avila – St. Louis Billikens
Forward Great Osobor – Washington Huskies
Forward Tyson Degenhart – Boise State Broncos
Forward Ace Bailey – Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Guard Jackson Shelstad – Oregon Ducks
Avila followed his coach, Josh Schertz, from Indiana State to St. Louis. ‘Cream Abdul-Jabbar’ was one of the most exciting players to watch last season, and should bring a jolt of energy to the A-10.
Osobor followed coach Danny Sprinkle from Montana State to Utah State, dominated in the Mountain West, and then followed coach Sprinkle again up to Seattle to play for Washington. The Huskies aren’t projected near the top of the standings in the Big Ten, but Osobor is too good to not be a dark horse in this conversation.
Degenhart averaged about 17 and 7 last year for the Broncos, and that was with his three point shooting taking a dip. If that returns to previous levels, and Boise State wins the Mountain West and hangs around the top 25, Degenhart could absolutely be in this picture, making him a name to keep an eye on.
Bailey and teammate Dylan Harper are projected to be just about everything for Rutgers this season. The dynamic freshmen duo are both top five NBA draft candidates, and one or both could ultimately end up in the All-American conversation.
Shelstad is among the strongest sophomore breakout candidates in college basketball. The Oregon guard should be among the best in the Big Ten and could lead Dana Altman’s team to a top three finish and a single digit seed in March.