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The 2022-23 college basketball season tips off Monday, and there will be both new names to learn and familiar faces in new places. Here, then, is our list of the top 50 newcomers (i.e., incoming freshman and high-level transfers) to watch this season:

Smith is the most refined prospect in the 2022 class. At 6-5, he has all the tools of an NBA shooting guard. He’s a three-level scorer who also has a sweet floater. On the EYBL circuit in 2021, he made more runners (16 in 15 games) than anyone on the circuit and shot 50 percent on those shots, per Synergy. That’s an efficiency rarely seen when it comes to one of the toughest shots to master in the game. Arkansas will be able to use Smith in a variety of actions to help him get his buckets. He’s especially advanced working out of ball screens, able to read all three levels and get his own shot or set up teammates if it’s there. “He makes the right pass,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman says. “He’s wired to be a scorer, but he also has vision and willingness.”
Some freshmen take time to catch up to the speed and physicality of the college game, but Smith is one we’d bet adapts quickly during his likely one season in Fayetteville.

NBA folks who have rolled through Waco this summer have come away with the belief that Baylor has the best group of guards in the country. George is the most talented of the bunch. He should fit into the Jared Butler role for the Bears, playing off the ball and focusing on getting buckets. Baylor has a lot of scorers, but George has the potential to lead the Big 12 in scoring. He makes tough, guarded shots. This summer in Canada during the Globl Challenge, Baylor was without Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer, allowing defenses to key in on slowing George. Didn’t matter. In five games, he averaged 22.8 points and put up 30-plus twice. He can bulldoze his way to his spots and has the strength to overpower guards, but he’s also got some shimmy to his game. The game should get easier for him playing alongside floor spacers like Flagler and Cryer. He’s in a good system for his skill set, and if those three guards can learn to play off each other like Scott Drew’s championship trio, then the Bears could be competing for a second national title in three years.

Scouts who have been through to Alabama haven’t been able to stop talking about Miller, Alabama’s super freshman who has a chance to take college basketball by storm this season. Ranked outside of the top 10 in his recruiting class, Miller wasn’t always quite as consistent as you’d like to see throughout his high school career. But the talent has always been there, and he’s refined the skill over the last year. He’s a 6-foot-9 playmaker who has great body control, can handle the ball, create his own shot, make those attempts, and also use his frame to affect the defensive end. He’s the kind of chess piece as a mismatch four-man who can score that Nate Oats hasn’t really had yet at Alabama. Oats is terrific at putting pressure on defenses with a spread, ball-screen offense that forces switches. Pairing Miller in the front court with a high-upside rim-runner like Charles Bediako – or even occasionally sliding Miller down to the five – should create an awful lot of advantages for the Tide. Or, the team will likely start with Miller at the three and pair him with Noah Gurley and Bediako, creating a long, athletic frontcourt that should be tougher to score on than Oats’ teams have typically been outside of Herb Jones’ senior season in 2021. It wouldn’t be out of the question to see Miller average 18 points, seven rebounds and a couple of assists. He’s that gifted.

Whitmore would be closer to the top of this list if he hadn’t hurt his thumb in offseason workouts and required surgery. He’s currently without a set return date, and the potential exists that he won’t be available for the start of the season. Whitmore is an interesting intersection of ideals for new Villanova coach Kyle Neptune, who was on staff for years under Jay Wright. Wright typically did not give freshmen enormous roles. He would play them if they earned it, but even someone like Jalen Brunson was the team’s fifth-most important player in his first season. Having said that, Whitmore is an elite talent on a roster that isn’t exactly as loaded as Villanova rosters have been in recent years. There is a real question at the point guard position and a genuine concern regarding offensive firepower. Whitmore is the guy who can be explosive and change the trajectory of the roster. He has this incredible mix of power, graceful body control, and balance as a 6-foot-6 combo forward, and he’s a smart player who is a perfect scheme fit in the vein of Josh Hart as an attack-oriented driver who is improving as a shooter. At the very least, there may not be a more important swing player for any team in the country. If Whitmore proves himself as the potential top-five pick that scouts think he can be, the Wildcats should have enough punch to make it work. If he’s hindered at all by his thumb surgery deep into the season, the Wildcats could struggle to generate clean looks and put paint pressure on defenses.

Hunter was arguably the most coveted player on the transfer market, picking Texas over Kansas and Gonzaga. He has a chance to be one of the most complete point guards in the country if he develops a jumper. He shot 27.4 percent from 3 last season at Iowa State, but he did show glimpses, most notably nailing 7-of-11 3s in a first-round win over LSU. As a freshman, he already played at a high level on the defensive end and was a really good passer. According to Hunter, his jumper is much improved. At Big 12 media day, he told The Athletic that he’d made 7-of-8 3s during a scrimmage the previous day. “Flame thrower,” teammate Brock Cunningham said. Hunter also made 2-of-4 3s in an exhibition win over Arkansas, and word is he shot it well in a scrimmage against Houston too. Shooting is the concern with this Texas roster, but maybe he helps address that. Defensively, he strengthens what was already a top-15 defense last year. He’ll fit in seamlessly on that end since Iowa State ran the same no-middle scheme. Where Hunter is best on the offensive end is working out of the pick-and-roll. Texas will need to find a partner to utilize that skill set. Maybe it’s freshman Dillon Mitchell, or it could be Christian Bishop. If he meshes well with a big, he could put up big assist numbers.
Hunter is one of the least-likely-to-fail transfers, because we know he’s going to guard and at the very least do a solid job running a team. He’s already shown he can play at a high level in the Big 12.

A point-wing at South Dakota State, Scheierman should be a perfect fit as a critical piece for a top-10 Creighton team this season. He’s a knockdown shooter with deep range, shooting 46.9 percent from 3 last season. He made 50 percent of his catch-and-shoot opportunities, according to Synergy. He can handle and pass out of ball-screens, allowing him to play in a secondary role next to Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard. That integration in both on- and off-ball settings is a huge reason why this is a seamless fit. Scouts who have been through to Creighton have spoken glowingly about how good Alexander has been, pointing to him as a terrific ballhandler and playmaker as well as a monster defender. Having an older, experienced player like Scheierman next to him – one who is an elite shooter and decision-maker – will make Alexander better. And having Alexander at the point of attack and one of the best interior defenders in the country in Ryan Kalkbrenner should insulate Scheierman’s potential defensive footspeed questions. With so many multi-skilled pieces and two-way guys, this has a chance to be both a top-20 offense and a top-20 defense in the country.

7. Kevin McCullar, Kansas

Bill Self has already fallen in love with the intangibles of McCullar. He’s just a rock, who is going to defend and make smart plays offensively. A year ago, since Texas Tech didn’t have a point guard, he played there. At Kansas, he slides into a secondary handler role and should thrive in Self’s offense that is heavy on ball and body movement. McCullar will be able to pick his spots to slash. There’s a lot of upside here too if he stays healthy and can improve his jumper. McCullar was off to a strong start last season, averaging 14 points, six rebounds and four assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3, but then suffered a pair of ankle injuries that he decided to play through during conference play. Over the next month, he shot just 30 percent from the field and 22 percent from 3 as he played through the pain and didn’t quite have the same balance or elevation. There’s definitely buzz around him this preseason, as some NBA scouts who have been through Lawrence say he’s been KU’s best player. He should slide right into the Christian Braun role.

Brazile has breakout star potential. He was a late-bloomer in the 2021 recruiting class. He started his junior season in high school as a 6-foot-1 guard, but he hit a growth spurt and spiked up to his current 6-9 size with long arms and twitchy athleticism. He had a young body last year at Missouri, and it was clear he was still getting used to his size. But he’s been in the weight room and looks like a grown man this year. He can fly around the court. His combination of bounce and speed has NBA scouts taking notice. Scouts who have been through Arkansas have said he is the one to watch as the team’s’ second-best player behind Nick Smith this season, which is high praise considering the talent on this roster. Brazile has a chance to be a monster as a lob threat and roller working with Smith and fellow freshman guard Anthony Black. He’s also flashed some ability to pop out to the 3-point line — he made 11-of-33 3s last year. Defensively, he’s a switchable weapon who can also protect the rim. He averaged 1.9 blocks per game last year — third-best in the SEC — and that number should rise. Brazile seems to have taken this summer to make the leap that his talent seemed to indicate was possible.

Pack and Isaiah Wong give Miami one of the best backcourts in the ACC for the second straight season. Wong is the type of player who should bring the best out of Pack. Pack was helped at Kansas State when Bruce Weber added Markquis Nowell, sliding Pack over into a combo guard role where he didn’t need to worry about creating as much for teammates and could just focus on scoring. Pack is a little undersized, but he has a case as the best shooter in college basketball. He can get it off quick, either off the bounce or the catch. He’s a career 42.9 percent 3-point shooter, made even more impressive by the difficulty of some of those shots. He should work well in Miami’s offense, which leans heavily on the guards. Jim Larranaga spreads the floor and lets his guards go, whether in isolation or working out of ball screens. Pack is also an upgrade defensively over Charlie Moore.

10. Cason Wallace, Kentucky

Wallace is maybe the best two-way perimeter player in the class, a creative on-ball scoring threat who can also defend at an exceedingly high level. That defensive energy is going to endear him to John Calipari, as Wallace really gets after it at the point of attack and aggressively hinders teams from initiating offense. Offensively, Wallace can play as a combo guard and initiate actions from time to time, but I’d expect him to play more off-the-ball once Sahvir Wheeler returns from his early-season knee injury. There have been some occasional struggles with efficiency in Kentucky’s preseason outings, but Wallace has every ability to be able to be the kind of energetic force on both ends that a title contender needs to lift its game. He’s a critical piece for one of the favorites to cut down the nets.

Whitehead is the first of three Duke players that will appear here, an aggressive, downhill attacking wing who will try to put one down on your head every time he enters the paint if it’s available. He’s also a pretty reliable shooter off the catch, and at 6-foot-6 with solid length, he has the tools and measurements to be a starting NBA wing. Whitehead had surgery on his right foot in late August. Given how foot injuries can fester, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly Whitehead can recover and get back to 100 percent. Duke seems to be playing it slow with Whitehead, with new coach Jon Scheyer saying that he’s still a couple of weeks away. But once Whitehead gets on the court, he should be Duke’s leading scorer this year, and Duke should feature highly in the ACC.

There is no better security blanket for a first-time high-major head coach like Todd Golden than a point guard entering his fifth year as a starter at the position. A multi-time first-team All-Atlantic-10 selection at St. Bonaventure, Lofton is just a consummate leader out there. He’s a terrific distributor who gets everyone involved, finishing top-10 nationally in assists per game last season and within the top three of the Atlantic 10 each of the last three years. He’s a good defender at the point of attack and forces turnovers with quick hands. He averaged about 14 points per game as a four-year starter with the Bonnies. He’ll be charged at Florida with everything from making sure Colin Castleton is fed in ball screens and post-ups to setting up Will Richard and Myreon Jones in off-ball actions. More than that though, he’ll be the tip of the spear for what should be a top-10 defensive team nationally.

13. Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois

Shannon dealt with a back injury last year that held him out of 10 of Texas Tech’s first 16 games. It was almost as if he was trying to make up for lost time when he returned. He seemed to have a tough time of choosing when to pick his spots and struggled to find a rhythm. But when he’s barreling toward the rim, there are few players like him in college hoops. He’s an explosive 6-foot-6 leaper with a great first step and an elite finisher. He was close to staying in the NBA Draft in 2021 and last season ended up a disappointment. But this has the potential to be one of the most impactful additions if all goes right. Getting good players from high-major winning programs is usually a good recipe, and Shannon is a three-year starter on a team that’s been one of the best in the Big 12. His ceiling has always been high. But he’s also left scouts wanting more. While he has the tools, he is more of a solid defender than a great one, as his focus seems to waver at times. He’s gotten better playing off the catch because his shooting has improved. Can he be a star? That’s what Illinois needs, and he should get a shot for the first time to be a team’s primary scorer.

Nance is different than Brady Manek – you can’t run him off of the same off-ball actions that Manek was able to generate shots from – but he’ll replace Manek in the Tar Heels’ otherwise-intact starting five. He’s a 15-point, seven-rebound, three-assist guy per game, and all of those skills show up functionally on tape. He can handle and pass out of dribble handoffs, and you can play him higher up the court. He hit 45 percent from 3 at Northwestern, a number that may be a slight anomaly, but he can be a 40 percent guy from distance. He blocks one shot per game because he is an excellent weak-side rotator who is always in the right spot. It’s ridiculously difficult to be a big that puts up these counting numbers on 50 percent from the field, more than 40 percent from 3 and more than 75 percent from the line, and he did it against the absolute best frontcourt competition in the country night-after-night in the Big Ten. Now, he gets to play with terrific ball-screen partners in Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, who will open up the court to an even greater extent for him. His versatility will allow him to run a variety of different on-ball actions, as well as spot-up from the corners or take advantage of mismatches at the four. He lets North Carolina stay big while allowing them to maintain the four-out structure that allowed them to have so much success late last season.

Mosley was one of the best pull-up artists in all of college basketball. He was a lethal scorer from all three levels at Missouri State and put up one of the most efficient high-volume scoring seasons of the last decade in college basketball. He scored 20 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field, 42.7 percent from 3 on about five attempts per game, and 90 percent from the line. The last person to put up a 50/40/90 season while averaging 20 points per game was Luke Babbitt at Nevada back in 2009-10. He had two 40-point games last season, and he was the most accomplished scorer in the portal. On a roster that needed offensive firepower, he was the player that Dennis Gates needed to land, especially considering he’s a hometown product whom Mizzou somehow looked past when he was in high school.

Lively is a high-impact defender who has a real shot to lead the country in blocks per game. He’s 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, and possesses a terrific motor and athleticism. His sense of timing as a rim protector is terrific. And playing with a pair of good point guards in the backcourt in Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach, he should get fed about 10 points per game off of layups and dunks. He has missed some game time in the preseason with a calf injury, so it might take him a few games to get acclimated. But Lively has largely been as advertised for scouts who have been down to Duke: essentially a terrific defender who is a bit limited offensively, but has such large tools that he should be able to impact games for the Blue Devils at a high level on the defensive end.

Murray is a terrific, ready-made two-way teenager at the wing position. He averaged 11 points and shot 49 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3 in SEC play last year for LSU. On top of that, he was pretty good defensively. He was rewarded for his play with All-Freshman SEC honors after the season. He is from the Baltimore area and was recruited by Kevin Nickelberry, who went to Georgetown as an assistant under Patrick Ewing this offseason. Murray is said to be in terrific shape entering the season and looks like he could be poised for a breakout. We feel good about him bringing it as a shooter and defender, but if he can also attack the basket and make things happen as a shot-creator, he could average 17 points per game and end up reaching the NBA from the Hoya program within the next two years.

Bridges is in the ideal system for his skill set, and scouts who have been down to Baylor have noted Bridges as a likely breakout candidate this year because of it. The Bears love versatile defenders like him for their no-middle, switching defense. He filled a need as the small-ball four after Baylor lost both Jeremy Sochan and Kendall Brown to the NBA. Bridges is more in the mold of the latter. He’s not quite the athlete — no shame here, as not many are — but he has more upside as a shooter, spacing the floor from the corners as Baylor’s guards work out of ball screens. He shot just 32 percent from 3 last season at West Virginia after making 40 percent during his All-Freshman Big-12 campaign in 2021. The regression was surprising, but context matters. As a freshman, he was playing on a good team with a great point guard in Miles McBride. West Virginia’s guards were not nearly as good last year, nor was its spacing. Playing with what might be the best group of guards in college basketball at Baylor is going to help him immensely. His efficiency numbers should shoot back up and he could end up one of the more valuable two-way wings in the Big 12.

A lot of transfers these days are one-year fixes. Broome has a chance to impact Auburn for the next few seasons, with still three years of eligibility remaining. He is a promising long-term prospect and looks to have the size and athleticism to move up in levels. He also filled a big need for Auburn after Walker Kessler went to the NBA. Broome averaged a double-double (16.8 points and 10.5 rebounds) and was one of the nation’s top shot-blockers last season, averaging 3.9 blocks per game and ranking seventh nationally in block rate, per KenPom. His instincts as a shot-blocker are good. He doesn’t bite on fakes, stays down and can block shots with either hand. That allows him to stay out of foul trouble. He committed only 3.4 fouls per 40 minutes last year and fouled out of only one game in two years. Broome is also intriguing on the offensive end. He’s skilled enough to short roll and make a mid-range jumper or attack from that area of the floor. He moves well for his size and is more comfortable putting the ball on the floor than most centers. Morehead State posted him up off the block a lot, and he’s good at getting to his spots off dribble-down moves. He’s a lefty who can score over his right should and also has the Dirk Nowitzki one-footed jumper in his arsenal.

Memphis desperately needed a point guard last season and landed one of the best out of the portal. Davis is one of the best guards in the country when the ball is in his hands. He’s got a tight handle, quickness, ability to change speeds and score at all three levels. He’s crafty too. He’ll get defenders in the air and get to the foul line, where he shot 86.8 percent last season at SMU. He averaged 19.4 points — shooting 37.2 percent from 3 and 50.5 percent inside the line — to go along 4.4 assists last season. When asked to be more of a facilitator, he can do that too. He averaged 7.6 assists and led the country in assist rate as a junior. The one knock, according to a coach in the AAC: “Zero defensive instincts. But when that ball’s in his hands, he is awesome.”

Sears goes from one program that shoots a ton of 3s to another, and he should fit in well in Alabama’s space-and-pace system. He made first-team All-MAC last season and was clearly among the best players in Ohio’s league, averaging 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. He makes his presence felt defensively, makes solid (if unspectacular reads) as a passer, and consistently knocks down shots at a high level. He made 40.8 percent of his 3-point attempts. He’s also plenty adept at working out of ball screens, and it’s no wonder why Oats thought he’d be a good fit for the Crimson Tide. With Jahvon Quinerly out for the start of the season, look for Sears to establish himself as the primary backcourt option for the Tide, and put up big numbers.

Hopkins is a former four-star recruit who seems like a perfect fit for Providence, under a coach who has rejuvenated some careers in the last few years. Hopkins didn’t get much of a chance in his freshman year at Kentucky, but he did flash what he could do in a late-February win over LSU when he had 13 points in 16 minutes. He’s got a thick build that makes him best-suited as a small-ball four. He made only 5-of-16 3s, but he’s off to a good start shooting it for Providence, making 4-of-6 3s in two exhibition games. He averaged 15.5 points, six boards and three assists in those two contests. Ed Cooley has had success playing a similar-sized player in that spot in former Friar Alpha Diallo. In Hopkins, he found a player who should fit his system well, and might just hit and become a star.

Williams was the Ohio Valley Player of the Year last season ahead of the aforementioned Broome, averaging 18 points and eight rebounds as the top player on a 31-3 Murray State team that went to the Round of 32. He’s a skilled jump-shooting big who runs the floor in transition successfully, but is at his best facing up as a five-man and taking advantage of mismatches there. Over his career he’s made 35 percent of his 219 3-point attempts. After a very real dalliance with turning pro, Williams decided to follow Matt McMahon to LSU. He’ll maintain his status as the centerpiece of McMahon’s attack, allowing the Tigers to play five-out basketball in the SEC and establishing McMahon’s style along with fellow transfer teammates Justice Hill and Trae Hannibal. If former Illinois transfer Adam Miller can come in and be the kind of scorer he was billed to be out of high school, expect LSU to have a shot to surprise in the SEC.

Ramey is a solid secondary handler who was one of the Big 12’s better defenders while at Texas, and he also is a capable scorer who has shot 37 percent from 3 for his career. But what he brings that might be most valuable is he’s an enforcer. Not just with opponents. He’s going to hold his teammates to a certain standard. He’s going to give max effort and expects that from his teammates. If he and Kerr Kriisa vibe well, their energy could be a tone-setter. We could also see some more playmaking from Ramey in Arizona’s continuity ball-screen system. Tommy Lloyd’s system brought the best out of Arizona’s guards last year, and he had success with transfer guards while at Gonzaga. He needed a startable one after losing Dalen Terry and Benedict Mathurin to the NBA, and Ramey was one of the best available that fit in Lloyd’s system.

Walker is a mismatch four the likes of which Kelvin Sampson hasn’t had at Houston. Walker can put the ball on the floor, and Houston plans to allow him to grab and go in transition. The Cougars will also look to get him touches in the mid-post, and he has the green light for catch-and-shoot 3s. He should be a good pick-and-roll partner for Marcus Sasser. By the end of the season, he’s probably going to be a huge weapon on the offensive glass. Defensively, he has the lateral quickness to switch onto guards. All of this will likely get better with time. Walker still need to refine his skills, but his athleticism is going to give him a chance to be a difference-maker from the jump.

26. KC Ndefo, Seton Hall

New Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway will look to stamp his mark on his alma mater this year, and Ndefo will likely be the leader of that cause. The star of the magical Saint Peter’s run to the Elite Eight as a 15-seed, Ndefo is one of the more dynamic defenders in all of college basketball. He’s the three-time Defensive Player of the Year in the MAAC, and frankly should be a multi-time MAAC Player of the Year if defense were properly accounted for within awards like this. He’s a twitchy, switchable perimeter defender as a four-man. But more than that, he’s an elite rim protector despite being 6-foot-7. He’s unbelievable rotating over from the weak side and even swats some jumpers. Offensively, Ndefo does have some weaknesses. He’s not a great shooter. But he is a capable driver and passes well as a secondary piece. Don’t be surprised if he is the primary competition for Creighton’s Kalkbrenner and Butler’s Bates for Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

Put a shot-blocker in the no-middle defense, and it’s extra dangerous. Remember Tariq Owens at Texas Tech? Osunniyi has a chance to make what was one of the best defenses in college basketball even better this year. He is one of the premier shot-blockers and defensive players in college hoops, a genuine difference-maker and shot-swatter on the interior who is ready for a step up in competition after dominating the Atlantic 10 on that end over the last few years. He’s a four-time all-defense honoree in the league, as well as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the A-10. Offensively, he’s somewhat limited, but he’s efficient as a finisher on the interior and has even flashed the occasional passing skill. Look for the Cyclones to use him as a rim-runner and roller, likely working a lot with fellow St. Bonaventure transfer Jaren Holmes.

Miami’s biggest issues last season came on defense and on the glass, as it finished outside of the top-100 nationally in defensive rating and was the worst rebounding team in the ACC. What’s the best antidote? How about the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Year who also won its player of the year award? A Nicaraguan forward who didn’t really pick up basketball until he was 13, Omier developed into one of the most productive big men in the country at Arkansas State. An undersized big, the name of the game here is motor, balance and fundamentals. Omier has tremendous body control around the basket, and knows how to use his frame to shield the ball from defenders and score around the basket. His touch around the rim is exceptional, and his footwork is precise. He averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds per game while shooting 63 percent from the field, dominating the interior by carving out space with terrific lower body strength. His motor doesn’t stop running, and he’s constantly trying to hunt ways to move his man around into an advantageous position for himself on both ends. It’ll be a different dynamic than the one Miami had last year with Sam Waardenburg as a stretch-five, but it should be even better.

The 5-foot-10 Trammell is expected to join Matt Bradley and Lamont Butler in the backcourt as the starting lead guard for what should be a top-20 San Diego State team throughout the year. At Seattle, Trammell did a little bit of everything. He was pesky at the point of attack on defense (his size could end up being a bit more a hindrance as he moves up levels on that end). But he’s aggressive out of ball screens and can attack the rim, where he has a creative package of lay-ins. Then, he’s also a very sharp distributor who is constantly looking out for potential to create open kickouts. Look for Trammell to be something of a missing piece for the Aztecs, who at times got a bit too stagnant with Trey Pulliam in the backcourt last season. They should be a bit more creative and capable of breaking down defenses this year, which when paired with their elite defense, should lead them to the top of the Mountain West.

This one is all about impact in Kevin Willard’s first year in charge at Maryland. The Charlotte transfer is going to be a critical piece for a team that has some talented pieces like Donta Scott and Julian Reese, but struggled to get the most out of its talent in the final years under Mark Turgeon. Young is the player tasked with getting everyone into the offense at the point, while also acting as a scorer himself due to his three-level ability. He and Don Carey will pair up in the backcourt as an older guard duo that has a chance to actually be among the better combos in the Big Ten.

Sherfield, transferring from Nevada, has been one of the more productive guards in college hoops the last two seasons. He was the only player in college basketball to average at least 19 points and five assists last season, and that’s the second season he’s done that. He’s a dynamic offensive creator who can buzz in and out of the lane out of ball screens with ease and make high-level passing reads. He should pair well with Tanner Groves, who was one of the most efficient rollers in college hoops last year and led the country in points scored off the roll, per Synergy. Sherfield is a three-level scorer who can drive all the way to the rim to finish reasonably well (or get fouled). He also has a strong floater game, and he can pull up with reasonable efficiency from 17 feet and out. He hit his pull-ups at a 43.1 effective field goal percentage, a solid number for a primary ballhandler who takes exceedingly difficult attempts. Oklahoma needed a shot creator like him, and if he’s even close to productive as he was at Nevada, he could be the boost OU needs to get to the NCAA Tournament.

Starling will replace 2022 NBA Draft first-round pick Blake Wesley in the lineup next to a group of older, experienced Irish starters. And purely as a scorer, Starling should be even better than Wesley was a season ago. His touch around the rim and with his floater game is terrific from within 10 feet. He can shoot from distance off the bounce. He’s just technically gifted as a scorer. Where the questions will come for Starling will be whether he can be the primary initiator that Wesley was, and if he can make the impact at the point-of-attack defensively that Wesley did at times. Notre Dame should have every chance of returning to the NCAA Tournament as long as Starling continues on the upward trajectory he has been on for the last few years.

Consistently, Hood-Schifino is one of the players who scouts will tell you has stood out in their preseason travels. He’s going to be ready to go from Day One, and should start next to Xavier Johnson in the backcourt. Having that support should give Johnson much more freedom to look to score or make plays at different times, depending on the defense. Hood-Schifino passes and can handle the ball, he defends and and plays an unselfish brand. On top of that, he’s used to playing with stars from his time at Montverde (Fla.) Academy. If he proves that he can be a shooter consistently, Hood-Schifino’s career at Indiana might not end up being that long. If he ends up as the No. 2 option behind Trayce Jackson-Davis with expected improvements from upperclasmen throughout the roster, it’ll make Indiana the favorite for the Big Ten title.

34. Tyrese Proctor, Duke

Another player whom scouts have been extremely high on throughout the preseason. Proctor should see a lot of minutes as Duke’s starting point guard this season. Proctor has a complete game as a 6-foot-5 backcourt player out of Australia. He excels out of ball screens and is a terrific distributor. He’s tough defensively and can defend multiple different types of players due to that size. And on top of it, scouts feel like he’s improved enough as a shooter to be credible there. More importantly though, he’ll free up upperclass backcourt mate (see what I did there, Australia?) Jeremy Roach to play off the ball and act as a scorer more often. Don’t be surprised to see Proctor end up as a one-and-done this season. Whitehead is ranked higher here because his natural talent as a scorer demands it, but it wouldn’t be stunning if Proctor ends up being even more important.

Thad Matta has his defensive anchor for his first season back in college basketball. Bates is an enormous center with long arms who swats shots away from the rim with impunity. It’s not an accident that NC State’s defense fell off of a cliff in 2021-22, as Bates was the linchpin holding things together inside. He averaged 2.8 blocks per game over his first two years in college, earning all-defense honors in the ACC in 2021. However, Bates missed the entire 2021-22 season after injuring his shoulder in the first minute of NC State’s first game of the season. Offensively, Bates keeps things simple: screening, rolling, rim-running, and offensive rebounding. The Bulldogs had the worst block rate in the Big East last season, but that should change. The Bulldogs should also get the most out of Bates on offense, as they’ll likely play a dual point guard alignment with Eric Hunter Jr. (Purdue transfer) and stalwart Chuck Harris. This is a great fit for the Bulldogs, a team coaches around the Big East believe might be being underrated coming into the season.

Jones can play either forward spot and does a little bit of everything. He averaged 14.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game last year for DePaul. The Blue Demons were plus-eight per 100 possessions with him in the game and got outscored by nine points per 100 possessions with him on the bench, per hooplens.com. He’s a better shooter than his numbers suggest, and his best skill might be his passing. He has a good eye for cutters and makes timely passes. He’s not an explosive leaper, but he’s sturdy. You’re not going to knock him off his spots, and he can finish through contact. Defensively he’s best when he can get his chest on his man and take away your legs. He’s also a good rebounder, his strength again helping him in that department. When Andre Curbelo is good, he can be a maestro working out of the pick-and-roll and Jones should be a good floor spacer. Those two need to be good for St. John’s to make its first run at a tourney appearance under Mike Anderson.

This one is all about importance to his team. Mintz is a terrific athlete at the lead guard spot who can live in the paint, and plays very aggressively despite a skinny frame. But for Syracuse to make the tournament and live up to the potential its starting lineup possesses, Mintz has to be the guy who can run the show. Joe Girard is better utilized as an off-ball shooting guard. The Orange needs Mintz to be able to put pressure on opposing teams in order to get the kind of offensive firepower the team will need to replace Buddy Boeheim, Jimmy Boeheim and Cole Swider.

Bona has been terrific early for UCLA, according to scouts who have been to Bruins practices. His motor doesn’t quit. He runs the floor hard, and is the kind of athlete who can make an impact out there with his size and length just purely through sheer effort. Expect him to get buckets out of ball screens and running the floor hard, then look for him to play the kind of impact defense that gets him on the court under Mick Cronin, a coach known to not exactly love relying on freshmen. If Bona and Amari Bailey can step up into roles next to Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell, the Bruins should win the Pac-12 this season. But Bona is the bigger key of those two, because the team has a bit less depth in the frontcourt than it does everywhere else.

Jackson was considered the top recruit in the 2023 recruiting class until he decided to decommit from UNC, reclassify and join South Carolina a year early. Whether that ends up proving to be a prudent decision will be borne out over the next decade. Jackson’s long-term upside is undeniably high. He’s a long 6-foot-9 forward who is really strong on defense and is a mismatch nightmare athletically on offense due to his coordination. But his skill level is still catching up, and the adjustment to the speed of the game in college will undoubtedly come at him in a hurry, as it does for most players who will see their first collegiate game at 17 years old. And we can just be real about this, too: This is a rebuilding year for South Carolina under new coach Lamont Paris. The Gamecocks are unlikely to be particularly relevant within the SEC this year, unless fellow newcomers Hayden Brown and Meechie Johnson can step into critical roles and exceed expectations. I’d expect a year full of elite flashes for Jackson, but maybe not a consistently great year that would push South Carolina toward the upper echelon of the SEC.

40. Will Richard, Florida

Golden’s first recruit to Florida, Richard was named to the OVC All-Newcomer team after averaging 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and over a steal per game at Belmont. He’s a long-term NBA Draft prospect who somehow slipped through the cracks initially, at 6-5 with something in the range of a plus-six wingspan that is really evident on the court. He plays well off the ball and is used to running high-level actions. He can shoot off the catch, direct off of dribble-handoffs, or whatever you need. We wouldn’t be surprised to see him as a Day 1 starter averaging 13 points, four rebounds, a couple of assists and a couple of steals while providing a great impact as a winning player. Then as a third-year player, don’t be surprised to see him emerge into a first-team All-SEC player whom the NBA looks at as an interesting 3-and-D wing.

41. Jaren Holmes, Iowa State

Holmes was a secondary ball-handler playing alongside Kyle Lofton as a three-year starter at St. Bonaventure, but he’s likely going to get a shot to be the lead guy at Iowa State. The Cyclones lost Hunter and it looked like they might land former Northern Iowa guard A.J. Green, but he decided to go pro. Holmes doesn’t appear to have the same kind of scoring chops as Izaiah Brockington, but Holmes was a steady contributor for the Bonnies, averaging 13.1 points per game in three seasons. He rebounds and plays physically. He passes at a solid level. There is just a lot of skill and toughness he brings to the table. He’s capable of scoring from all three levels. He did see a big dip in his 3-point shooting last year (27.3 percent), but he shot better than 38 percent in his first two years. On an offensive-starved roster, he’s going to get plenty of shots to show that’s more who he is.

Mayer is a streaky scorer who can go on some scoring binges when he’s feeling good. He has a quick trigger from 3 and also can put the ball on the floor really well for a guy his size (6-9). But too often last season at Baylor he seemed to just disappear, and it didn’t help that his 3-point shooting (32.4 percent) took a dip. Both Mayer and Shannon went looking for a spot to rejuvenate their careers, and they should get the chance to be the 1-2 options for the Illini, which needed to get more athletic and dynamic on the wing. One area where Mayer has gotten better is the defensive end, going from a liability to someone who brought value because of his length, athleticism and switchability.

43. Amari Bailey, UCLA

Bailey is a 6-foot-5 guard who has one goal in mind: attack. He wants to put pressure on the basket out on the break, and wants to drive against his man toward the rim in the halfcourt. He plays with a level of constant aggression that will, much like Bona, endear himself to Cronin. This will not be a Peyton Watson situation: Bailey and Bona will play, and will be essential parts of the team’s success. Scouts who have been to UCLA so far have noted that they have some question as to how efficient Bailey will be – it’ll be dependent on where his shot settles as the season progresses, and how his decision-making develops as he gains experience. But Bailey will put pressure on the rim and should be a nice complement as an X-factor to the steady Jaquez and Campbell.

Newton takes a bit of a dip from our rankings from when we compiled them in the offseason. Reports out of Connecticut suggest that he hasn’t exactly taken the lead guard spot this offseason and run with it in the way that coach Dan Hurley would have liked. The team has a desperate need at the lead guard spot following the departure of first-team All-Big East performer R.J. Cole, and Newton is certainly the most talented player who should be able to fill the role. He averaged 17.7 points, five rebounds and five assists last year at East Carolina. He’s still really thin, but he reads the floor and will be significantly helped by playing with better players around him than he had at East Carolina. He sees skip passes and high-level pick-and-roll reads. He makes live dribble passes from creative angles and plays unselfishly. But he needs to prove that he can do it efficiently at the highest level. Otherwise, Connecticut might not end up reaching the level it should, which is something in the ballpark of a top-20 team nationally.

45. Andre Curbelo, St. John’s

Curbelo had a season to forget in 2021-22. He suffered an early-season concussion at Illinois and then never seemed to recapture the magic from his freshman season when he was the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year on a No. 1 seed. But there’s a reason he was getting a ton of preseason love. Good Curbelo is such a fun player to watch, a magician with the ball who can dice defenses up with his passing. He has his faults; sometimes he over dribbles, and he’s not a good shooter. Even if his shot never improves, he can still be an extremely effective offensive player if he plays smarter. He puts a lot of pressure on a defense working out of ball screens. He just needs to be surrounded by good shooters, and Mike Anderson has a challenge trying to pair him with another non-shooter in Posh Alexander. But both are talented, and if they can figure it out, the Johnnies could be a fun team to watch.

The SoCon Player of the Year, Smith is a big, physical guard built to score who also excels on the defensive end. He averaged 19.9 points, 3.0 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game for Chattanooga, which nearly upset Illinois in the NCAA Tournament. Smith is a good spot-up shooter — 40.7 percent from 3 — and does a lot of his work off the bounce. He’s tough with a live dribble. He drives with force and is a good finisher at the basket. He’s also a good cutter, and Chattanooga often played through him in the post as well. Smith still has two seasons of eligibility left. Now, he joins one of the deepest and most talented perimeters in the country with sophomores Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis. He might come off the bench, but look for Smith to be a killer glue guy.

Livingston was seen as an elite prospect when he was early in his high school career, but he developed physically a bit earlier than his peers and hasn’t really taken the same leaps that some others in his class did. Having said that, Livingston is still a no-doubt five-star prospect who will immediately be an impact player for Kentucky, likely as a starting wing who can attack at either forward spot, knock down shots and physically match up with opposing players defensively. He’s a mismatch player due to his intersection of strength and skill at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds. He’s part of the reason why Kentucky should be a deep, skilled team in a way that hasn’t really been the case in the last few years.

48. Fardaws Aimaq, Texas Tech

Fardaws put up huge numbers in the WAC, averaging nearly 19 points and 14 rebounds for Utah Valley last season and winning both WAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year — the latter of which he won back-to-back seasons. He towered over players at that level and could simply overpower them; however, his efficiency numbers give us a little pause. He only made 42 percent of his post-up attempts, per Synergy, and shot just 61 percent of his shots around the basket in non-post settings. He’s about to face some monsters in the Big 12 and is in a tough spot since he likely will not make his debut until conference season because of a foot injury. He may also lose his spot to Daniel Batcho, the former Arizona transfer who has been a pleasant surprise this fall for the Red Raiders. But in a league without many back-to-the-basket weapons, Aimaq does potentially give Texas Tech something not many others have.

49. Dillon Mitchell, Texas

Mitchell is about as elite an athlete as you’ll find across college basketball this season, a twitchy 6-foot-7 playmaker who just will make things happen on both ends of the court this season for Chris Beard. He can attack in transition off of grab-and-gos as a combo forward, and is very switchable defensively in the way that Beard will appreciate. Offensively, Mitchell can slash and is a pretty good passer for a big man, but is certainly still developing as a consistent shooter. It’ll be interesting to see how the Longhorns utilize him. Could they see him occasionally play as a pseudo small-ball five? One other guy worth noting here as a transfer to watch for Texas is Sir’Jabari Rice, a multi–year starter on the wing for New Mexico State who is in his sixth year of college basketball and could end up as a very helpful glue piece. The Longhorns have some lineup flexibility, even if they are a bit small. Mitchell is a big reason why.

50. Ricky Council IV, Arkansas

Arkansas is stacked, and Council will likely play an instant offense role off the bench. He is an NBA-level athlete who one AAC coach said was the best NBA prospect in that league last season. He’s best in the open court, but he also likes to work out of isolation. He’s got some shiftiness to him and can get his own shot. He can be a little wild sometimes and takes some questionable shots, but when he’s on, he can really score. He averaged 12.0 points in 26.6 minutes per game last season at Wichita State. His shooting mechanics are not consistent, and he has some really bad misses, but he can shoot it out to the 3-point line and made 36 3s at a 33 percent clip in his two years in Wichita. He should benefit from playing in an up-tempo system like Arkansas. He also can be a weapon defensively with his 6-6 frame and athleticism.

(Illustration by Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos: Quinn Harris, Steph Chambers and Brian Spurlock / Getty Images)