-
Myron Medcalf
multiple authors
The 2025-26 men’s college basketball season has been defined by the stars who have turned it into one of the most exciting for the sport in recent memory. There is abundant talent in the newcomer class, and there have been transfers that have transformed programs, with many from either category emerging as household names.
However, who else should be on your radar?
We’ve identified 25 breakout stars to get to know – players who have overcome injuries, returnees who have made significant progress with the same program, and prospects who weren’t projected to make an immediate impact in their first season of Division I basketball.
Last season, Hoff was a key reserve for the Florida team that netted in San Antonio. This season, he is a bona fide All-America candidate and first-round NBA draft prospect who can lead the Gators to their second consecutive national title in program history. His scoring average has increased from 9.8 to 16.9 points while maintaining the same impact on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game.
Last season, Anderson was a star in the Sweet 16. This season, he has taken advantage of the larger workload – jumping from 30.5 to 38.7 minutes per game – to emerge as an All-America candidate with 19.6 PPG, 7.7 APG and a 43.9% 3-point shooting rate. with teammates JT Toppin Out for the season, Anderson will have to be both Batman and Robin for the Red Raiders come March.
Nate Oats led Alabama to a top-five finish in offensive efficiency, with former All-America guard Mark Sears running the show the past two seasons. Now Philon is the catalyst that has helped the Crimson Tide maintain that production. He averaged 21.3 points as a sophomore, effectively doubling his 10.6 ppg points as a freshman.
Although MaxPreps named Wagler its Kansas High School Player of the Year for 2024–25, the 6-foot-6 guard Did not receive many scholarship offers –Illinois was only one of two high-major programs to give him an extension. But the Fighting Illini got a new player who could lead them to their first Final Four since 2005, win Big Ten Player of the Year and secure an NBA Draft Lottery spot.
After not starting a single game as a freshman, Tanner is a contender for SEC Player of the Year after averaging 18.5 points while leading Vanderbilt to only its second NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017. That’s why Mark Byington is a candidate for national coach of the year.
Momsilovich was a contributor (11.5 ppg) on the 2024–25 Iowa State team that earned a 3-seed before losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He is now averaging a career-high 17.4 points and is one of the greatest 3-point shooters in recent college basketball history (50.7%, No. 1 in the country). The 6-foot-8 forward is the catalyst for a top-20 attack.
amidst the ups and downs of darrin peterson‘S AvailabilityKansas has relied on Bidunga’s consistency. According to the advanced analytics site, the Jayhawks are plus-28.7 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court. IvanmiaAnd have benefited from his defensive presence (9.2 rpg).
The 6-foot-10 standout is arguably UConn’s most important player. After making only one start last season, Reed has started every game healthy this season (24). According to Ewanemia, the Huskies are at their best when he plays — their plus-11.5 points per 100 possessions are better with him on the court.
The defending national champion Gators have lost only two games since Dec. 9, including against America’s No. 3 defense. Chinyelu’s contribution to that growth? Opposing players have only shot 37% around the rim against him.
Mark Few has said that Huff can return from a left knee injury in time for the NCAA Tournament, which makes the 6-foot-10 star eligible for this list. Since they last played on Jan. 8, Gonzaga’s offense has dropped to 62nd in adjusted efficiency — an indication of the impact that injury-hit breakout season has had on them and their 17.8 PPG.
Mast missed the 2023–24 season with a knee injury before returning this season to lead Nebraska’s historic 20–0 start. The 6-foot-10 center has shown that few big men in America can match his good play: He’s in the top three in points (13.8), rebounds (6.1) and assists (3.1) for the Cornhuskers.
cameron boozer There is a strong Duke team leader – that much is clear – but Evans is a key catalyst for the Blue Devils. He has connected on 44.4% of his 3-point attempts during their five-game winning streak, marking a significant turnaround for a player who went from 6.8 points to 14.7 a season.
As the backup to All-America point guard Mark Sears last season, Holloway looked the part of a future leader for an Alabama team that reached the Elite Eight a year ago. He’s become much more than that, as evidenced by his averages of 16.4 points and 4.9 assists in the Tide’s current seven-game winning streak.
Krivas suffered a major injury to his lower leg last season; He played only eight games. He has since returned as one of the anchors of an Arizona team that won its first 23 games. With averages of 10.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, Krivas is rated as an excellent offensive and defensive player by Synergy Sports in his comeback season.
In high school, the 6-foot-2 guard was not even ranked as a top-three prospect in the state of New Hampshire. Now, Okorie is fifth in the nation in scoring (22.8), one of the most surprising postseason gains for a freshman who wasn’t even on the national radar before this season. He has scored 30 or more points five times in 2025-26.
Ngongba has become one of Duke’s top contributors, making better plays with each passing game. The 6-foot-11 center helped the Blue Devils to victory in one of the Most impressive frontcourt When he defeated in America-No. 1 Michigan on Saturday. And they have shot 60.2% while holding opponents to 52% marks around the rim.
Chandler has been a consistent starter for Kentucky over the course of a season, averaging 10.4 minutes. The 6-foot-5 guard has made one of the nation’s most impressive leaps as a shooter last year, going from a 34.7% clip from 3-point range a season ago to 43.1% this season (including 46.1% in SEC play).
The jump Miller took last year — from 13.2 ppg and 34.1% from 3 to 18.6 and 41.9% — is why SMU was able to earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in nearly a decade. In his team’s biggest wins of the season against North Carolina and Louisville, the 6-foot guard scored a total of 50 points.
When first-year head coach Ryan Odom announced the signing of the 6-foot-9 forward from Belgium, he said the freshman “will have an immediate impact on our frontcourt.” Ridder has lived up to that expectation with his production (15.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Virginia has recorded 121.3 points per 100 possessions, marking the best performance in a first year on the court.
It’s not easy to project the impact he can have on young European prospects in college, but Buljan’s recruitment could result in New Mexico winning the Mountain West in Eric Olen’s first season. The Croatian standout is averaging a near double-double (11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds).
Hill averaged just 6.2 minutes a season ago and is now the leading scorer — 14.3 on 36.5% shooting from 3 — for a VCU team that is chasing St. Louis for an Atlantic 10 title and its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
The 5-foot-11-inch Johnson is one of America’s top players. He’s been one of the most improved performers, going from 6.6 ppg last season to 17.4 this season — and that’s in addition to 3.5 apg and 2.6 spg while shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc.
The Spartans’ standout has made significant strides in scoring (12.3 ppg), on the glass (9.3 rpg) and at the free throw line (86%). But the 6-foot-9 forward’s transformation into a deep-ball, high-volume threat (40% on 4.1 3-point attempts per game) has given Tom Izzo’s team a significant boost in the pursuit of another deep tournament run.
The 6-foot-6 second-year forward, who has made 59% of his shots inside the arc, is a two-way threat for Josh Schertz’s team. McCoughtry is listed as a “very good” defensive player for the Billikens team, having played in a top-25 defense this season. Robbie Avila is the face of the program, but McCoughtry is an essential component to this team’s success in 2025-26.
After winning Pennsylvania Player of the Year, the 6-foot-2 player was not bombarded with scholarship offers. Averaging 18.3 points for a Merrimack school seeking its first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, the five-time MAAC Rookie of the Week has fooled a lot of schools who passed him up.
