It’s time to put on the black ties and start up the orchestra as we hand out some midseason honors to the best of the best superstars in college basketball.
It has been a terrific start to the season and the return of one-and-done freshmen to the national spotlight has been refreshing to watch. What Duke freshman Cooper Flagg (19.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 3.9 APG) is doing this year is absolutely sensational, as we saw on Saturday when he went off for 42 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor and 16-of-17 from the free throw line to go with seven assists and six rebounds in the win over Notre Dame.
We also have the likes of Johni Broome and No. 1 Auburn, the return of Braden Smith from a national runner-up Purdue team, and a couple of other stud freshmen such as Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey at Rutgers and Illinois standout Kasparas Jakucionis, who has been a lot of fun to watch this season.
Without further ado, let’s get to our FOX College Hoops midseason first, second and third-team All-Americans!
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Midseason First-Team All-Americans:
Johni Broome, Auburn (Midseason National Player of the Year)
While he is out indefinitely with an ankle injury that does not need surgery, which is good news, the best player for the entirety of the season on the No. 1 team in the country gets my top honor in college basketball at the moment. Broome has averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting 55% from the floor and being the focal point of the No. 1 offense in the country, according to KenPom. He scored 20-plus points in 10 games this season and has been equally dominant on the glass. The Tigers‘ fifth-year senior big man has been spectacular this year.
Cooper Flagg, Duke (Midseason National Freshman of the Year)
The projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft could lift the Blue Devils to their first national championship in a decade because Flagg is an off-the-chart athlete, defender and winner. He viciously attacks the rim and his perimeter shot is producing more consistent results now. Over his first 10 college games, he shot just 22% from 3-point territory. Over the last six contests, Flagg has shot 12-for-22 from 3-point land.
He means as much to his team as any player in America, averaging 20 points and over six assists per game for the seventh-ranked Golden Eagles. Shaka Smart said in the preseason that America was about to find out how good of a passer Jones is with Tyler Kolek gone to the NBA. Well, Smart called it and then some. Jones has averaged 103 assists to 25 turnovers on the season. In the EvanMiya.com metrics system, Jones is the seventh-best playmaker in college basketball. To be shooting over 50% from the floor is nothing short of remarkable, and it’s why Jones and the Golden Eagles can once again make a deep run in March.
He’s the best point guard in America because he is relentless on both ends of the floor and just wills the Boilermakers to wins. The junior somehow managed to get even better over the offseason and currently ranks third in the country with 9.2 assists per game while averaging 15 points and 4.6 rebounds. In two wins over Nebraska and Rutgers this past week, Smith totaled 28 assists to five turnovers – yes, ONLY two games! Having to guard him is next to impossible because he’s a flawless offensive player who’s also shooting 42% from 3-point territory.
The Tigers are a top-20 team in the country because of the redshirt sophomore and Tulsa transfer. Last season, while playing for the Golden Hurricane, Haggerty became only the second freshman in Division I over the last 30-plus years to average at least 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in a season. This year, he’s averaging 22.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest while shooting 50% from the floor and 42% from the 3-point range. He willed Memphis on an amazing Maui Invitational run and gives Penny Hardaway’s team a real chance to be a Final Four dark horse.
Midseason Second-Team All-Americans:
The nation’s leading scorer highlights our second team. Dixon, who is averaging 25.3 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor and a whopping 47% from 3-point territory, can best be described by DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann:
“He’s the biggest matchup problem in college basketball in at least the last five years because his versatility is limitless.”
The sheer level of production and shotmaking from a 6-foot-8, 265-pound big man is unbelievable at times and he gives Villanova a chance against anybody because of how much he can fill it up.
He’s been as impactful as any transfer in college basketball, which is a familiar sight to see in Knoxville after Dalton Knecht dominated for the Volunteers and would have won national player of the year last season had it not been for Zach Edey’s historic campaign. Lanier, a 6-4 guard who transferred in from North Florida, is averaging 19 points per game on the season while shooting 46% from the floor and 45% from 3-point territory. He has scored 20 or more points in seven games this season.
The Gators are a legitimate national title contender because the 6-3 senior guard and Alijah Martin make up one of the best backcourt duos in the country. Clayton is averaging 17.2 points, 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game for Florida while shooting 45% from the floor and 36% from 3-point territory. He has five performances this season of 25-or-more points, delivering 33 against Kentucky on Jan. 4 in Lexington.
This is no surprise because he was a second-team All-American last season while leading the Crimson Tide to their first Final Four in school history. That said, the fifth-year senior is super steady and such a gifted offensive player. The 6-1 guard, now in Year 3 in Tuscaloosa after transferring in from Ohio, is averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game with a clutch shotmaking gene that is right there with the best of them. Because of Sears, Alabama has the No. 2 offense in America, according to KenPom.
I am a big believer in the idea that team success breeds individual success and that’s why the 6-4 senior guard rounds out my list of the top-10 players in men’s college basketball. Gilbert does so much for the second-ranked Iowa State Cyclones, totaling 16.1 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the floor and forcing almost two steals per game. Only two teams can say that they’re in the top 10 in KenPom adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency: Duke and Iowa State. Gilbert does so much on both ends, which allows T.J. Otzelberger’s team to be one of America’s best.
Midseason Third-Team All-Americans:
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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