10 best Mens College Basketball players 2023-24 ft. Zach Edey and Dalton Knecht

College basketball is heating up and so is competition for the sport's top players. With National Player of the Year Zach Edey back at Purdue, the massive boilermaker has to be something of a favorite. But there's plenty of competition, including a Tennessee transfer, to remember. Here's our list of the 10 best men's college basketball players.

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht, who might be the best player in college basketball.

Top ten mens' college basketball players

10. Caleb Love, Arizona

After three seasons starring in North Carolina, Love headed west to ply his trade in Arizona. The good news is that his decision was solid. Love is averaging 18.4 points and just under 5 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. Tommy Lloyd's squad is ranked 12th and Love might lift them to Final Four placement this year.

9. Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Sheppard might be the best player in the country if he doesn't start. He comes off the bench for Calipari's Wildcats, scoring nearly 12 points per game while connecting on over half of his three-point attempts.

Missouri v Kentucky

Sheppard also leads Kentucky in steals, and his boxscore-stuffing performances will catch more eyes if Kentucky improves on its No. 8 ranking.

8. Armanda Bacot, North Carolina

Bacot's solid career at UNC has now stretched five seasons, and he produces results that Carolina fans may never see again.

With over 2,000 points and 1,500 career rebounds, Bacot would be an automatic legend at both schools. At Carolina, he needs to deliver some NCAA hardware, which he might do in tandem with teammate R.J. Davis.

7. R.J. Davis, North Carolina

Davis has over 1,600 points in his four-season UNC career. But where the outstanding guard was once more mercurial, he's become the consistent outside threat that Hubert Davis's team needs.

Davis is shooting just under 42% from three-point range, and when he's hot, UNC is hard to handle.

6. Tristen Newton, UConn

The Huskies have been as tough as any team in the country—go figure, as they are defending champions.

Connecticut v Villanova

Newton might be the nation's top point guard. His scoring stats—just over 15 points per game—are not flashy. But he averages over six assists and six boards per game and is the kind of floor leader that NCAA contenders need in the Big Dance.

5. Kyle Filipowski, Duke

Filipowksi was widely expected to be a one-and-done at Duke a year ago. But he returned for a sophomore season that has vaulted him to contention among the nation's best players.

Scoring 18 points per game and grabbing just under 9 boards per outing, Filipowski will anchor the Blue Devils' March hopes. With his developing perimeter game (41% on threes, up from 28% last season), he's a big-time threat.

4. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

With his combination of skills and on-court incidents, Dickinson might be both the best and most unlikeable player in college basketball. The Michigan transfer averages over 19 points and 11 rebounds per game.

TCU v Kansas

He's also incredibly efficient, shooting over 60% of the year, including 44% from three-point range. Whether fans love him or hate him, Dickinson might laugh last in March.

3. Kevin McCullar, Jr., Kansas

Yes, Kansas might be this good. McCullar scores just under 20 points per game and also adds over six rebounds and just under five assists per game.

The 6'6" Texas Tech transfer has upped his skills considerably, from averaging just over 10 points a game for the Jayhawks a year ago. He's an elite guard on an elite team.

2. Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

A season ago, Knecht was an unknown in Northern Colorado. But now he's a Vol, and coach Rick Barnes has many reasons to celebrate.

Illinois v Tennessee

Knecht has been the consistent guard Tennessee badly needs. Knecht scored over 18 points per game and nailed 14 three-pointers in his last three games before Saturday. UT hangs in the middle of the Top Ten, and Knecht can keep them there.

1.Zach Edey, Purdue

The 7'3" Purdue veteran might be improved, and he was already the National Player of the Year a season ago.

Purdue v Indiana

He's gone from shooting 61% to 63%, from shooting 73% on free throws to 76%, and from 22.3 points per game to 22.9 points per game. Just as virtually no one can match him physically, no one can hang with Edey, who might just win back-to-back National Player of the Year honors.