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Men’s college basketball’s national player of the year race looks as competitive as ever entering the 2026–27 season. With more and more elite players electing to cash in on the NIL market explosion rather than turn pro, the pool of returning stars looks incredibly strong. Add in elite freshmen (Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer claimed NPOY honors the last two years), and you get a fascinating race for the top spot.
Who looks best positioned for this year’s award with the season about to begin? Here’s a look at the top contenders, grouped into three All-American teams.
Mirković is poised to explode as a sophomore following a fantastic freshman season that saw him average 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for a Final Four–bound Illini team. He’s the best passing big man in college basketball, and you can expect Illinois to play through him as their primary ballhandler for large stretches this season. He could have an enormous statistical season on an Illinois team that should have one of if not the best offense in college basketball.
Fears is on track to make a strong push for the all-time assists record in college basketball currently owned by Braden Smith. He led the nation in assists per game last season at 9.4 per contest, and averaging a double-double with points and assists is far from out of the question this season. It has been fun to watch him continue to improve as a scorer, emerging as Michigan State’s crunch time bucket-getter last season in addition to his special passing chops.
Haugh’s return to college despite being a likely top-20 pick in the NBA draft was massive for Florida, establishing the Gators as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. His play style isn’t necessarily that of your traditional NPOY, as he doesn’t need many plays drawn up for him to be incredibly productive. That said, his scoring ballooned to north of 17 points per game as a junior, and Haugh could be even more productive this season in what is almost assuredly his final one in college hoops. And if he’s the star of the best team in the sport, he’ll have as good a chance as anyone of winning this award.
If the 6-foot Tanner was two inches taller, he’d be in the NBA right now, perhaps as a top-10 pick. Instead, college hoops fans get at least one more year of the diminutive superstar wrecking the SEC at Vanderbilt. He’s an analytics darling because of the way he stuffs the stat sheet, stacking steals, rebounds and assists in addition to the nearly 20 points per game he scored last season. He’s the biggest reason it could be a special 2026–27 for the Commodores.
Stokes is the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2027 NBA draft and is clearly the most talented player in college basketball this season. He’s built like a truck at 6'8" and 230 pounds and at times will be Kansas’s primary ballhandler. He could be particularly dominant in the open floor, where his physicality, crafty finishing and passing ability should really shine.
The anchor of Arizona’s elite defense a year ago, there’s a strong case for Krivas as the most impactful defensive player in college basketball because of his ability to protect the rim. When he was on the floor last season, teams shot under 37% from the field. That mark, per CBB Analytics, was tops in college hoops. Plus, he has continued to emerge offensively and has a strong feel for the game on that end.
Huff was the nation’s most efficient scorer last season before a season-ending knee injury midway through WCC play. He plays an unorthodox style but is an incredibly effective scorer in the mid-post area with push shots and jump-hooks as well as traditional post scoring. Don’t be surprised if he’s among the nation’s leading scorers as a senior.
Condon is the only returning high-major player who averaged at least 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He’s the linchpin of Florida’s offense in many ways thanks to his ability to run the floor in transition, handle the ball on the perimeter and dominate in high-low situations. He’ll see a bit more time at center this year, lineups that Florida used incredibly effectively in its run to the 2025 national championship.
Demary was a shell of himself in March last season after a pair of injuries suffered late in the year, but the healthy version of him we saw for much of league play was arguably the best player in the Big East. With the added comfort of being in his second year in Dan Hurley’s system, expect a huge year for Demary. Tristen Newton was a consensus All-American and Bob Cousy Award winner in his second year with the Huskies, and Demary has the talent to match that.
As a junior at Iowa State, Momcilovic had arguably the greatest shooting season in college basketball history, making 136 threes at 49% to lead the nation in both categories. If he can match those numbers this year, he’ll go down as the sport’s most impactful transfer and have a serious case as the best player in the country. Even if his numbers dip slightly, he’ll have a chance to be in the All-American conversation.
Duke has a number of All-American level talents. Whether it has one player who could emerge from that pack statistically as a national player of the year threat is the question. From a scoring standpoint, the answer is likely Blackwell, who put up over 1,500 points in three years at Wisconsin. He’s the safe bet to lead the Blue Devils in scoring, though their frontcourt stars (Patrick Ngongba II and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje) could also enter that conversation.
Allen spurned interest late in the first round of the draft to come back for a second season at Alabama, where he’s expected to get more on-ball opportunities as a sophomore. The lead guard in Nate Oats’s system has almost always put up elite numbers, and Allen can be an even bigger stat-sheet stuffer with his rebounding and defensive chops. Expect a huge year.
The third piece of Florida’s three-headed frontcourt monster, Chinyelu is the Gators’ defensive anchor and one of the best rebounders in college basketball. His offensive game has also taken strides, showing competency as a post scorer last season. He could put up numbers comparable to the ones that Oscar Tshiebwe did in his 2022 NPOY-winning campaign at Kentucky.
Bidunga was the crown jewel of Louisville’s loaded portal class. He’ll anchor the Cardinals’ defense after being one of the best defenders in the country at Kansas a season ago. While he’s efficient as a finisher around the rim, he likely won’t score enough to capture tons of NPOY attention. His two-way impact is hard to match nationally, though.
If you could guarantee Toppin will be healthy in 2026–27 after an ACL tear late in the ’25–26 season, he’d likely be considered among the favorites for national player of the year. But with Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland saying he’s still a ways away from returning to practice uncertainty about how quickly he’ll be 100% (recent setbacks in similar recoveries for Bryce Hopkins and Jayden Quaintance add to the concern level), it’s hard to rank him much higher than this. He’s a 20-point, 10-rebound machine at his best, though.
PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple and. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.
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