The second half of the season is about to begin, and with that comes conference play for the next three months. Conference play will bring out the best in every team as each team marches towards the ultimate goal of an NCAA Tournament appearance. Given that every game has heightened importance, every player's role and their acceptance of that role are going to be ever more critical.
The best teams always have a three-point shooter, a lockdown defender, a pure scorer, depth, and, most importantly, a glue guy. All of the best teams and genuine National Championship contenders have glue guys. What exactly is a glue guy, though? It's the players who make the winning plays every game. Oftentimes, those players come into the game, calm everyone down, lead the team on a run, make clutch plays, and, most importantly, hold the team together. It also doesn’t hurt that most glue guys are older, having been in the program for a while.
Now that that is out of the way,y who are the players you should watch out for that are the glue guys? After doing extensive research by watching games and observing players' roles on teams. Here is the exhaustive list of the 25 best glue guys in the sport for the 2025-2026 season.
Jerald Colonel - Senior- Stephen F. Austin
Colonel is one of the best defenders in the country. The big man was the 2024 first-team all-defensive team in the Southland Conference. Colonel has not skipped a beat at Stephen F. Austin. He is still one of the best defensive players in the Southland, an elite shot blocker, great rebounder, and unfortunately, he doesn’t score much, but doesn’t have to to impact the game. Colonel impacts winning every minute he is on the floor.
Keitenn Bristow - Sophomore - Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama is a better team when Bristow is on the floor. The big man may not score or grab rebounds, but he will play exceptional defense and make winning plays. Bristow provides a defensive presence for a team that usually doesn’t play much defense. Honestly, Bristow looks out of place when the Crimson Tide are on offense, but he is so vital to the team and is the true definition of a glue guy.
Kolby King - Senior- Utah State Aggies
Utah State is one of the best mid-majors in the country, and King seems to be the missing piece. The Aggies didn’t have anyone who could do everything on the floor. King isn’t a guy who is going to set the world on fire on the offensive end, but he is an elite three-point shooter and is always in the right place at the right time. King wins, and he has brought that to the Utah State program.
Ben Humrichous - Senior - Illinois Fighting Illini
The senior wing is the ultimate glue guy as he affects a game in so many different ways. Humrichous isn’t great at anything but is good at everything. The Illini and head coach Brad Underwood rave about Humrichous's usefulness. He is always the guy to make the key defensive play or hit a three when you need one. Keep in mind that the senior scores only 6.6 points per game, but is usually on the court at the end to close it out because Illinois knows he will make the right play.
Allen Graves - Freshman - Santa Clara Broncos
It's a rare occurrence to see a freshman establish themselves as one of the best glue guys in the country, but in this case, Graves has earned all of that recognition for an outstanding Santa Clara team. Do yourself a favor and look at the stat lines for the forward, and it is evident the type of impact he has on the game. In just the last five games, the freshman has had a game with 0 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Then, turning that around with an 8-point, 10-rebound performance.
Jasen Green - Junior - Creighton Bluejays
The Bluejay big man might be the best glue guy in the Big East, and he is a frustrating player to play against. Green plays so much differently from every other player on the Creighton roster, which is what makes him so fascinating. The forward can shoot the ball from deep, but he just doesn’t, and he is never going to be a focal point of the offense. What he does do is play physical defense on the opponent's best player, get offensive rebounds and put-backs, and always seems to make a big play when Creighton needs it the most. When Creighton wins, Green has his fingerprints all over the game; when they lose, he doesn’t
Duke Brennan - Senior - Villanova Wildcats
It's a tough sell to say a player who averages 12 points and 11 rebounds is a glue guy, not a star, but if you watch Brennan play, you'll understand. Villanova has been winning games because of the extra possessions they are getting from their big man getting offensive rebounds and putbacks, or by getting offensive rebounds and passing the ball out to open shooters. Brennan is a glue guy because he doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to make an impact. He is an elite rebounder and finisher at the rim, and without Brennan, the Wildcats would have a completely different style of play.
Tobe Awaka - Senior - Arizona Wildcats
Arizona is the number 1 team in the country, and they are blowing out everyone, and Awaka has been a big part of that. Sure, the big man isn’t a star like Brayden Burries or Koa Peat, but he is one of the best rebounders and defenders in the country. Awaka is a highly efficient scorer and possesses one of the best per-minute rebounding averages in the country. Peat and Burries make Arizona elite, but Awaka makes the Wildcats the top team in the country.
J’Vonne Hadley - Senior - Louisville Cardinals
Hadley is a transfer into the Cardinals program, so he isn’t a system guy, but he is one of the oldest players in the country. He has played a ton of basketball, especially in his two years in the Louisville program. The guard has turned into an elite three-point shooter and has become one of the premier glue guys in the country. Last year, he was a star for Louisville and one of their leading scorers. This year, coach Kelsey has asked the guard to change his role to become a leader and a jack-of-all-trades. The rest is, as you say, history.
Felix Okpara - Senior - Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers' big man has always been a glue guy, and every team that he has been on has won. He came in with Bruce Thornton at Ohio State and developed a reputation as a defensive shot-blocking big man. Then, after two seasons, Okpara transferred to Tennessee, where he is still a defensive shot-blocking big man but has developed into so much more. He now has a three-point shot and turns up his defense when the Volunteers need a stop. Couple that with his athleticism and his rim-shaking dunks, and you have a player who is a perfect fit for Rick Barnes.
Jaylin Stewart - Junior- UConn Huskies
There are few players on this list or in the country who are as athletic as Stewart is. There are not many things the forward cannot do on a basketball court, and if he needs to, he could absolutely lead the Huskies in scoring, but he wants to win more. Stewart can do everything on a basketball court, and his ability to impact the game in several ways makes him the most critical piece for the 2025-2026 UConn Huskies.
Kennard Davis - Senior- BYU Cougars
Davis came to BYU after one of the best offensive seasons in the Missouri Valley last year as a member of the Southern Illinois Salukis. His role with the Cougars has changed due to BYU being loaded on offense and Davis being one of the better defenders in the game. Even though the guard is the fourth or sometimes fifth option on offense, just know that he can go for 25 on any given night, and that ability is in there. Instead, he put all of that aside and became a team-first guy who has helped BYU win a lot of games early this year.
Reuben Chinyelu - Senior- Florida Gators
Chinyelu is part of one of the best frontcourts in the country, in the Florida Gators. Chinyelu has done nothing but win in his time in college. He was a massive catalyst for Washington State making the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago, and then he transferred to Florida, where he was a gigantic piece of the Gators' Title run. This year, he is just averaging a double-double and keeping Florida afloat while they figure their offense out. Chinyelu does nothing but win.
CJ Cox - Sophomore - Purdue Boilermakers
On a team like Purdue, loaded with National Championship-caliber talent, a player like Cox can get forgotten. I can promise you that Cox is not forgotten within the walls of Mackey Arena. Cox does a lot of the things Lance Jones did in his short time at Purdue, but just doesn't have the offensive chops yet. Cox is going to be a star, but right now, he is the glue guy for Purdue, doing the little things to take some pressure off the stars. Next year, it will be his time to turn into a star.
Maliq Brown - Senior- Duke Blue Devils
Brown has never been a star, but he has always been a key piece to both the Syracuse and Duke programs. The forward is the best example you can find that there is so much more to basketball than scoring points. There is a direct correlation between Brown’s arrival at Duke and the Blue Devils being one of the best defensive teams in the country. Brown knows what he does, and does it well: play lockdown defense and rebound.
Tre Holloman - Senior- NC State Wolfpack
I struggled with where to put Holloman because some would say he is a star; however, his game and impact on the game resemble those of the ultimate glue guy. Hollomon started his career at Michigan State, where he was a pure Tom Izzo guy: he plays extremely hard and always makes the right play; he stuffed the stat sheet while at Michigan State. At NC State, the guard comes off the bench and provides scoring punch for the second unit, and is in the throes of the best offensive season of his career.
Billy Richmond - Sophomore - Arkansas Razorbacks
I need to see more of Richmond when the Arkansas Razorbacks play basketball. Why? He is highly athletic, and that ability allows him to make things happen, which usually leads to wins for the Razorbacks. Richmond knows he isn't the star at Arkansas, and coach Calipari doesn’t need him to be. He does the little things, and those things have led him to getting more minutes this year for the Razorbacks. He needs more minutes for the Razorbacks to reach their ceiling truly.
Mario Saint-Supery - Freshman - Gonzaga Bulldogs
Saint-Supery is a Freshman from Spain who is a budding star, but at this point in his career, he is one of the premier glue guys in college basketball. He scores enough to take the pressure off of the Gonzaga stars in Graham Ike, Braden Huff, and Tyon Grant-Foster. He is an elite passer and gets after it on defense. Saint-Supery is not going to be on the list of the best glue guys for long, but instead will be listed as one of the best players in the country in the coming years.
Seth Trimble - Senior - North Carolina Tar Heels
Trimble missed time this year with a broken wrist, played only five games, and has been a key piece of the North Carolina attack. Sixteen points per game to this point would suggest he is a star, but not a glue guy. It is when the guard scores his points. He gets them at the start and end of runs; his defense is elite, and he scores to take the pressure off the two big men. Ask any Tar Heel fan, and they will tell you that Trimble is the ultimate glue guy who they need to reach their goals.
Sam Hoiberg - Senior- Nebraska Cornhuskers
Hoiberg may be the coach's son, but I can assure you that he has earned every minute he has ever gotten. The very second he was put into the lineup four years ago, he became an instant energy guy and a huge catalyst in the program's turnaround under head coach Fred Hoiberg. This year, Hoiberg has taken his game to the next level. He has turned into one of the best guards in the Big Ten. He rebounds, has one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the country, and is the best straight-line driver for the Huskers. Nebraska is 13-0, and Hoiberg is a giant reason why.
Jaxon Kohler - Senior- Michigan State Spartans
Kohler was always a physical player, an elite rebounder. The big man, like most college kids, took a while for his offense to take off, and over the last two seasons, he has been one of the best glue guys in the country. His ability to change a game on the glass and now his ability to shoot from deep make him one of the most dangerous big men in the country. He isn’t a star, but he's critical to the Spartans' success.
Blake Buchanan - Junior- Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State is loaded with talent, especially in the frontcourt, and players like Buchanan have been a giant part of their success. Buchanan is the one Cyclone on the floor who will never shoot a three, but he parks himself in the paint, protects the rim, and is an elite rebounder. Buchanan is a fantastic defender and energy guy, and he is going to make a play when the Cyclones need it, even if he doesn't shoot the ball well from the outside.
Joseph Tugler - Junior- Houston Cougars
Anyone who watches Houston regularly knows how vital Tugler is to what Houston wants to do on both sides of the floor. The big man is one of the best individual defenders in the country, can guard all five positions, and protects the rim. Tugler is one of the most physical players in the country and does it without fouling. His offense is at its best in his three years, and he is elite off the pick and roll and running to the basket for wide-open dunks. Houston would have won the title last year if Tugler hadn’t fouled out.
Elliot Cadeau - Junior - Michigan Wolverines
Cadeau was one of the best players to enter the transfer portal in 2025, and when he committed to Michigan, it instantly made Michigan a National Title contender. The point guard is not the star of the team, but he is the catalyst for the offense and the defense, gets clutch buckets, and was arguably the missing piece standing between Michigan and the National Championship. The point guard is one of the best three-point shooters in the country and is the most dynamic glue guy in the entire nation.
Enjoy the hoops! This is truly the best time of the year!