"Best player in college basketball": Analyst makes his pick for National Player of the Year as award race heats up

The National Player of the Year Award is given to the best player in college basketball and has an illustrious history, with past winners including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Blake Griffin.

This year, the race has two frontrunners: Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Auburn’s Johni Broome. Both players have put up impressive stats while leading their teams to the top of the AP poll.

With the award ceremony approaching, NCAA analyst Dusty Dvoracek shared his pick while speaking to Danny Kanell,

"Johni Broome is awesome; that Auburn team is fantastic. Cooper Flagg is the best player in college basketball."

Dvoracek explained his reasoning, saying Flagg impacts the game in many ways and continues to improve as the season progresses.

"The way guy (Flagg) impacts the game in so many ways. He dropped dimes last night. I mean, just getting it done, doing whatever he wanted last night, and he's gotten so much better throughout the season," he said.

"Now he looks like a savvy vet, and I know it's only been a year, but all these college games now under his belt, I mean, he's just, he's playing at a completely different level than he was to start the year. He is fun to watch, man. He's a special, special player, and this new team is absolutely rolling right now."

Flagg is leading the Blue Devils in every statistical category ahead of March Madness, averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.6 steals while shooting 49.7% from the field and 82.8% from the line.

Johni Broome, meanwhile, is also having a dominant season, averaging 18.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 3.3 apg. He's been the best player on the No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers, who have cruised through the regular season.

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Cooper Flagg could join an illustrious club by winning the 2025 National Player of the Year Award

Only three freshmen have won the Male National Player of the Year Award: Kevin Durant (2007), Anthony Davis (2012) and Duke product Zion Williamson (2019).

According to Sports Illustrated, Flagg is listed at -115 odds, with Broome carrying similar odds for the award.

If Flagg secures the National Player of the Year honor, he will be the first Duke player to win since Williamson.

The 2025 National Player of the Year Award winner will be announced at the end of the season. In the meantime, Flagg will look to lead Duke to its first national championship since 2015 before deciding whether to return for another season or declare for the 2025 NBA draft.