Eight Players who could win College Basketball's Player of the Year in 2023-24

A new page has turned as we are about to start the 2023-24 college basketball season. We only have a couple of months until games begin, and the transfer portal has slowed down to a snail’s pace. While the majority of sports headlines are centering around college football, this is the perfect time in the college basketball cycle to start putting things together. Let’s talk National Player of the Year.

Realistically, there are about three or four players who have real chances, at this point, to win a National Player of the Year award in college basketball. However, I wanted to expand this list to eight because, as Brandon Miller showed last season, while they are difficult to predict, things can break right for certain players/teams, and they can play their way into the discussion.

This discussion typically leans toward veteran, experienced players. Freshmen, like Brandon Miller, are not typically holding the hardware at season’s end. For that purpose, I did not add players like USC’s Isaiah Collier or Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter, who have very realistic chances to have standout seasons on top-25-ranked teams.

We are still two-and-a-half months out from games being played, so this list is a starting point based on expectations. We are looking at a group of eight players who have a chance of being the best players on one of the best teams in the country.

The players

G Max Abmas, Texas

Height/Weight: 6-0/175
Year: Fifth-year senior
2022-23 Stats: 21.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 37.3% 3P

The skinny: Max Abmas is the active NCAA D1 scoring leader with 2,561 career points. Texas lost guards Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice, who accounted for over 59 minutes and 21 shots per game last season, to graduation. There will be shots and playing time readily available for the transfer from Oral Roberts to step right into. Rodney Terry showed last season that he will let his guards run and play with some freedom. Abmas has been prolific, albeit at a lower level, throughout his career when given freedom. How much of that translates is still to be seen, but Texas does have expectations leading into the season. For them to reach those levels of heights, Abmas will need to be good.

C Armando Bacot, UNC

Height/Weight: 6-11/240
Year: Fifth-year senior
2022-23 Stats: 15.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 55.4% FG

The skinny: Two years ago, UNC made a run to the National Championship game. Last season, they fell short of expectations. This year’s Tar Heel team has some top-20 expectations on them. On paper, they have a roster of players who have experienced success at the collegiate level. For the Tar Heels to meet or exceed their expectations this season, Armando Bacot will have to be very good. The best player on a UNC team that finishes in the top ten will be in the running for National Player of the Year, which is why Bacot makes this list. 

SG LJ Cryer, Houston

Height/Weight: 6-1/190
Year: Senior
2022-23 Stats: 15.0 points, 2.1 assists, 41.5% 3P

The skinny: Kelvin Sampson has built the Houston program into title contenders, year in and year out. Even with losing multiple starters from last year’s team, the Cougars were active in the portal and brought in some expected contributors from the high school ranks. Cryer comes to Houston as one of the country’s most prolific three-point shooters. His 41.5 percent from beyond the arc led the Big 12, and he finished top-five in the league in threes made, offensive rating, and offensive box plus/minus. Houston lost starting guards Marcus Sasser (NBA) and Tramon Mark (transfer portal) from last season’s team. Expect Cryer to chip into their vacated 26.9 points and 60.3 minutes per game.

C Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

Height/Weight: 7-2/260
Year: Senior
2022-23 Stats: 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 56% FG

The skinny: Hunter Dickinson was named second-team All-Big Ten for each of his three collegiate seasons at Michigan. He was among the most talented players to enter the transfer portal for this cycle, and Kansas head coach Bill Self has a long track record of success with the center position. The question with Dickinson is that the talented Michigan teams that were centered around him over the last two seasons – which produced four NBA Draft picks – finished 37-31 and never really won anything of note. Kansas is getting No. 1 love this pre-season, and Dickinson is the most notable player on that talented roster. If they make a run to remain among the top teams in the country, Dickinson would most certainly be in this conversation. 

C Zach Edey, Purdue

Height/Weight: 7-4/300
Year: Senior
2022-23 Stats: 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 60.7% FG

The skinny: Zach Edey is the reigning Naismith National Player of the Year. This is the second straight season (Oscar Tshiebwe) that player has returned to college. Edey is massive and the central piece in almost everything the Boilermakers do on both ends of the floor. Last season, he led the Big Ten in points and rebounds while finishing second in blocked shots. Purdue returns everyone and is being talked about as a national title contender. If Matt Painter’s crew performs as expectations say, Edey will be a central figure in these discussions again. 

C Kyle Filipowski, Duke

Height/Weight: 7-0/248
Year: Sophomore
2022-23 Stats: 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds

The skinny: Kyle Filipowski was Duke’s best player for the majority of last season, earning ACC Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC awards. He is now back for year two, on a team with more established roles and a head coach with a year under his belt. Filipowski had off-season hip surgery, but all signs are positive with his return, as he has added close to 20 pounds this off-season. He led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, finishing No. 11 in NCAA D1 with 16 double-doubles. Duke always has expectations, and Filipowski will be the featured face on all of the promotions. 

PG Tyler Kolek, Marquette

Height/Weight: 6-3/190
Year: Senior
2022-23 Stats: 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds. 7.5 assists, 39.8% 3P

The skinny: If going off the initial look test Tyler Kolek does not pop, just know that he is the reigning Big East Player of the Year. Yes, defending national champion UConn, who had three players drafted in the NBA Draft, is in Big East, along with ten other teams. Kolek sees the game at a different pace from most on the floor with him. He can score it but is at his best distributing the ball around, getting everyone on his team involved. Marquette is projected, pretty universally, as a top-ten team. Even after losing first-round draft pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Kolek will be what makes the engine go. 

G Tyson Walker, Michigan State

Height/Weight: 6-1/180
Year: Fifth-year senior
2022-23 Stats: 14.8 points, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 41.5% 3P

The skinny: Tom Izzo led Michigan State to the Sweet Sixteen last season. While they lost a valuable piece in Joey Hauser, it was Tyson Walker that led the team in scoring. Walker is a two-way guard, a 41.5 percent three-point shooter last season, and is also a former CAA Defensive Player of the Year. This year’s Spartans team is deep, they have a mixture of experience and talented youth. The numbers could be spread around; however, Walker earned second-team All-Big Ten last season and is Michigan State’s returning leader in minutes played and field goals attempted while the second-leading returner in three-point percentage, steals, and assists.