25 men's college basketball players you should know for the 2023-2024 season

Remember Max Abmas? He blew up on the national stage in 2021 when the two-time Summit League Player of the Year led Oral Roberts to upsets of Ohio State and Florida in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 26.7 ppg during that Sweet 16 run. Abrams stayed at ORU for two more years but his production tailed off just a tad. He is a grad transfer at Texas this season and looks to see what he can do for a Power 6 program. Obviously, he can score and he's a very good playmaker and should be able to transition to the Big 12 grind. 

Last season, Bacot passed Tyler Hansbrough to become Carolina's all-time leading rebounder and Billy Cunningham for career triple-doubles. He's been a solid rebounder as the Tar Heels big man since setting foot on campus and as a super senior looks to put distance behind those records. He's also experienced the highs and lows of the Hubert Davis era and wants to erase the sour taste of last season's disappointment. Davis has reconfigured the roster to add shooting, which should allow Bacot more freedom to work in the paint. 

Broome went through the NBA Draft process and got a lot of good feedback, forcing many to believe he was leaving college and turning pro. But Broome decided to return to Auburn for his junior season and make the Tigers contenders for an SEC crown. He averaged 14.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks last season and should continue to improve with the information he received from scouts. He is already a solid big man with great work ethic and footwork with All-SEC status.

Yes, we are talking about a Northwestern basketball player as someone you need to know. The Wildcats made their second-ever trip to the NCAA tournament behind stout defense and guard Boo Buie. Not only does Buie have a great name, but he has a great game. He is everything to Chris Collins' group, a lead guard, their top scorer and with Chase Audige gone Buie will be asked to do even more for Northwestern. His three-point shooting fell a bit last season so if he can pull it up from the 31% clip, the Cats could get back to the Big Dance. 

Donovan Clingan didn't get a ton of minutes as a freshman as he backed up Adama Sanogo, but when he saw the floor he was efficiently making a difference. He is instant electricity on the court, blocking shots and working hard on the glass and in the paint. In 75 minutes of action during the NCAA tournament, Clingan scored 38 points, grabbed 30 rebounds and blocked 11 shots. Now he should get major minutes to show what he can do.

Cryer is one of the most interesting transfers this season. He was an elite scorer in high school in Katy, Texas and committed to Baylor. He won a national championship with the Bears as a rotational player as a freshman and has since been developing as a scorer at Baylor. This summer, he transferred to Houston, who is entering its first season in the Big 12 and will be a conference rival of Baylor's. He's one of the best three-point shooters in the nation and will have Jamal Shead running alongside him to create a formidable backcourt. 

It isn't just the Buffaloes football team that's making noise this academic year as the hoops team looks to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021. Tristan Da Silva is a talented wing and a serious Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. He is a smooth scorer who continues to build his game -- last year he became more of a threat from three -- and has become one of the most versatile players in the conference. He's a combo forward of sorts who is willing to bang with the bigs but can play on the perimeter to create shots for himself and others. 

Johnell Davis burst on the scene during the Owls' Final Four run last year. He was a pesky defender while also a talented playmaker and a willing rebounder at his size. He went nuclear in FAU's second-round win over Fairleigh Dickinson, putting up 29 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Davis needs to find consistency shooting from behind the arc -- he went just 3 of 19 from three in the NCAA tournament. 

Dickinson was one of the top players in the portal and should instantly become a force at Kansas. The big man plays with an edge, being coached by the Wolverines by former Fab Five big Juwan Howard so he knows had to play with aggression, which Bill Self has had great success in getting his bigs to do. 

Edey is the returning National Player of the Year, continuing a trend that Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe followed last year. While Edey had personal success and the Boilermakers had a great regular season, but Purdue became the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16-seed in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 22.9 points and 12.9 rebounds last season and anchors a team that brings back all five starters, who have a huge chip on their shoulders. 

There may be some big-name freshmen coming into USC, but Ellis stirs the drink for the Trojans. Ellis was once himself a big-time recruit who initially committed to Duke before asking for a release and moving on to Memphis. Since his two years at Memphis and two years at USC, he has steadily improved ... everything. Last year, he set career highs in scoring (17.7), assists (3.1), rebounding (3.7) and shooting. He's also earned Andy Enfield's trust and will be tasked to be a leader for a very talented squad.

Kyle Filipowski, like the Blue Devils as a team, came on as the season went along last year. He is a perfect Duke big -- he is strong in the paint while possessing range to stretch out defenses. He also has an edge that fits the Christian Laettner mold. He surprised many by coming back to Durham -- can he be the kind of player who can carry a loaded Duke team to a national championship?

Bryce Hopkins flourished as a sophomore after transferring to Providence from Kentucky. After averaging just 2.1 ppg as a Wildcat, Hopkins averaged 15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists with Providence. He'd be a prototypical 3-and-D player at the next level but is able to find spots to overpower smaller players and use athleticism to get by bigs.

Ike, a transfer from Wyoming, missed all of 2022-2023 with a foot injury but will be tasked with replacing Drew Timme's production for Gonzaga this season. Ike averaged 19.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2021-2022, led the Cowboys to an NCAA tournament berth and was the Mountain West preseason Player of the Year last fall. He would hurt his foot before the season started and took a medical redshirt before transferring this offseason. For the Zags he will be first in line to take Timme's minutes, though he won't be asked to replicate Drew's leadership and experience. However, taking care of the paint on both ends of the floor will go along way towards the Bulldogs contending for a national championship.

The year of the big man continues with Kalkbrenner, one of the best two-way players in the country. He is a deft rim-protector who swallows up the paint, but also has developed a nice offensive post-game. He may lack range on his jump shot, but he has a soft touch and can get his shot off on almost anyone.  

Kolek was the Big East Player of the Year in 2022-2023 and is back for his senior season. Kolek is a great passer with a knack for hitting big-time shots. He runs Shaka Smart's offense to perfection, making the Golden Eagles one of the nation's top offenses. He averaged 7.5 assists per game last season.  

Love may not be the best Arizona Wildcat in 2023-2024 (that would be Oumar Ballo), but there may not be a more volatile player in the country who can shoot you in and out of games. He is both a legend and a scapegoat at North Carolina, where he played his first three college seasons. He has no problem taking the big shots in clutch moments but he also has no problem taking any shot at any moment. After a disappointing season in Chapel Hill last season, Love initially transferred to Michigan where he couldn't gain admission, then moved on to Arizona where former Tar Heel assistant Steve Robinson currently works. Robinson should be a calming influence for Love and Tommy Lloyd's system may be able to harness Love's talent and get the most out of him. If so, Arizona could make a deep NCAA tournament run, and Love knows a thing or two about playing deep into March. 

Moore tore his Achilles late in the 2021-2022 season which caused him to miss much of the 2022-2023 season. His injury really hurt Nova's chances for a title run in 2022 and cratered last season. When he came back, although not at 100%, he helped the Wildcats win 7 of their final 10 games. Now healthy and back for a fifth season, Moore looks to get Villanova back to the championship contender status they've enjoyed for the last decade. 

Pack came alive late in the Hurricanes season and was a huge part of their run to the Final Four. The former Kansas State transfer, Pack was known more for making the Canes the poster child for the NIL era of college athletics, taking a $400,000 a year NIL deal to leave for Miami. Isaiah Wong was also one of the closely watched NIL cases, but he is now in the NBA and leaves Pack to be the leader and main playmaker for this year's team. He gained consistency as the year went along and was huge in Miami's Sweet 16 upset of top-seeded Houston (26 pts, 7 threes).

Get ready to meet Tylor Perry. Perry was the Conference USA Player of the Year last season, averaging 17.3 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 41% from three for NIT champion North Texas. Perry transferred to Kansas State this year and if you saw how Marquis Nowell performed for the Wildcats during their NCAA tournament run, you can see how fans in Manhattan can be excited.

The Chicago native is coming home to Illinois after three years at Texas Tech. A smooth yet powerful wing who uses his athleticism to score while continuing to develop as a playmaker, Shannon is dangerous as a long-range shooter who can blow by his defender and make some highlight-reel dunks. The Illini have some talent to make some noise in 2023-2024 and Shannon will be one of the top leaders in the nation.

Wade Taylor IV is one of the best guards in the SEC and the nation. He was a breakout player last year for the Aggies, averaging 16.3 points 3.9 assists, but had a horrible shooting day in their first-round NCAA tournament loss to Penn State (10 points, 2 of 15 shooting, 1 of 10 from three). He's got a physical body with the ability to get his shot off from anywhere. He's also automatic from the line, meaning he always has the ball in his hands in clutch moments.  

Vescovi, who is entering his 5th season in Knoxville, is a career 38% shooter from three. His ability to stretch the defense is key for a Vols offense that loves to spread the scoring around. He's smart and has become a willing passer and someone you can trust to make the right decisions -- especially in regards to ball movement and shot selection. Tennessee should be one of the top teams in the SEC once again. 

Here is your elite Kentucky freshman for the season. DJ Wagner is the son of former Memphis star Dajuan Wagner and grandson of former Louisville star Milt Wagner (Dajuan played for John Calipari at Memphis while Milt was an assistant). Wagner ... um, DJ ... can score from anywhere and looks to be a John Wall or De'Aaron Fox-type talent. While the one-and-done strategy seems to be fading as the transfer portal has become popular, Calipari is leaning on this kind NBA talent once again. Wagner is certainly that kind of talent.

Walker might just be the best player for a Spartans backcourt that may be the best in the country. He had some huge games down the stretch last season (31 vs Iowa; 23 in an upset of Marquette in the NCAA tournament). Walker, who is the most capable scorer of the group, joins A.J. Hoggard, Jaden Atkins and freshman Jeremy Fears in an elite rotation that could give Tom Izzo another Final Four run.