As the men’s college basketball season gets underway, it took just one day for a Top 5 team to get beat and a major shake up in the Top 25 bound to happen. However, instead of looking at team success overall, the individual player success on those teams matters as well and that is where the All-American designations come into play at the end of the season. Here is a prediction of who will be voted in as first-team All-American players by the end of the season.
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Second Team All-American
Terrence Shannon Jr., G, Illinois Fighting Illini
Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke Blue Devils
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton Bluejays
Max Abmas, G, Texas Longhorns
Isaiah Collier, G, USC Trojans
Armando Bacot, C, UNC Tar Heels
Armando Bacot is a double-double machine. He has not only set multiple UNC records but NCAA and NCAA Tournament records as well. Heading into his fifth and final season of eligibility, he will be looking to go out with a bang. In the team’s opening win against Radford Monday, Bacot finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting. If that is any indication for how this season will play out, Bacot could be in contention for National Player of the Year honors as well.
Zach Edey, C, Purdue Boilermakers
At over 7-feet tall, it is hard for Zach Edey to not make a name for himself. He absolutely dominates the paint against any big man he goes up against. In terms of individual talent, not many players in college basketball rival Edey. Two years ago, he averaged 14.4 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game. He made a huge jump last year to 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game and was named the Associated Press Player of the Year as well as a consensus All-American. He started this season off Monday with 16 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes of plays.
Hunter Dickinson, C, Kansas Jayhawks
Hunter Dickinson absolutely dominated with Michigan last season, averaging over 18 points per game and eight rebounds per game with the team over the last three years. Deciding to enter the transfer portal last year, Dickinson made his way to one of the Blue Blood powerhouses in college basketball, the Kansas Jayhawks. Under Bill Self, Dickinson could be in for another step up in performance. In the team’s opening game against NC Central, Dickinson dropped 21 points with eight rebounds and five assists. He was second only to Kevin McCullar Jr. in points scored for the team.
Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette Golden Eagles
As opposed to the three centers listed above him, Tyler Kolek will be the first guard on this list. Opposite of the other guard, Boogie Ellis, Kolek is not a certified dynamic scorer, but he thrives as a do-it-all combo guard. Last year, Kolek averaged 12.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists for Marquette, leading them to a high NCAA Tournament seeding. Kolek finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in Monday night’s first game of the season in a 92-70 win over Northern Illinois.
Boogie Ellis, G, USC Trojans
After starting his career at Memphis, Boogie Ellis made the transition to USC his junior year. In his first year with USC, Ellis was an All-Pac-12 Player averaging 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Last season, he went up from 12.5 to 17.7 points per game and with a more dynamic offense to work around this season, he will attempt to get that number even higher. The addition of No. 1 overall high school athlete Isaiah Collier will take all the pressure off Ellis and allow him to dominate on the perimeter. In the team’s first game Monday, Ellis finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. He shot 3-of-7 from behind the arc and 7-of-14 from the field.
Watch the 2023-24 Men’s College Basketball Season on Fubo!
