6. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas Jayhawks
2024-25 season stats: 15.7 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.9 APG
The Kansas Jayhawks are among the top teams in NCAA basketball thanks to their improved shooting, depth and firepower across the board. With Hunter Dickinson down low, the floor for the Jayhawks may be as low as any team in the country.
Dickinson, averaging a near double-double, is doing exactly what he needs to do on this star-studded group despite a controversial ejection in the second half in its win over Duke. If Dickinson can get his three-point numbers close to how he shot in his last year at Michigan, perhaps his ranking can be even higher as the 2024-25 season progresses.
5. Dylan Harper, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2024-25 season stats: 23.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.6 APG
Steve Pikiell has assembled the most sensational pound-for-pound, star-studded freshman duo in college basketball: Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Ace Bailey has been terrific -- and certainly makes an argument to find his name on this list -- but Dylan Harper gets the nod here after averaging 30.3 PPG and 3.7 APG in the Players Era Festival.
The primary ball-handler for the Scarlet Knights does an excellent job at efficiently scoring at the rim and taking care of the basketball -- two instrumental pillars in a physical guard that will bode well not only in college basketball but also when he embarks on his NBA career.