Top five favorites to win the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year award

The 2025-26 regular season in men's college basketball is coming down the home stretch, and a handful of players have separated themselves from the pack to win Naismith Player of the Year honors.

Candidly, it's Duke freshman big man Cameron Boozer's award to lose, although with roughly 10 games to go in the regular season, other contenders can potentially make up ground.

To be anointed the country's best player in collegiate hoops, one has to blend top-notch individual statistics with a strong overall team performance. That's what these Naismith candidates possess.

The top five favorites to win Naismith POTY 

Cameron Boozer, Duke freshman
The power forward from Miami is having a tremendous freshman season, arguably one of the best-ever for a college newbie. The 6-foot-9 Boozer has the No. 4 Blue Devils (19-1 overall) in prime position to get to a second consecutive Final Four, and it's hard to imagine any other player overtaking Boozer for the Naismith award. He's averaging 23.5 points (No. 3 in the country), 9.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game while connecting on 57.9 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from beyond the arc and 75.7 percent from the free-throw line.

AJ Dybantsa, BYU freshman
If anyone is going to snatch the sport's top national honor away from Boozer, it's going to be the 6-foot-9 Dybantsa, a forward from Brockton, Mass. The two of them headline a stellar freshman class in 2025-26. Dybantsa leads the country in points per game at 23.6. He also averages 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals while connecting on 53.0 percent from the field. On Monday night at home, No. 13 BYU (17-3 overall) put a huge scare into top-ranked Arizona but fell by three points, 86-83. Dybantsa struggled with his shooting, yet he still finished with 24 points, five assists and four rebounds against the Wildcats.

JT Toppin, Texas Tech junior
The 6-foot-9 forward from Dallas massively helped his case for the Naismith over the weekend. On Saturday in Lubbock, No. 11 Texas Tech (16-4 overall) stunned then-No. 6 Houston, 90-86, halting the Cougars' 11-contest winning streak. Toppin was a huge reason why. He tallied 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field and a 7-of-8 mark from the charity stripe. Toppin notched a double-double by corralling 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive side. For the season, he's averaging 22.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while hitting on 56.2 percent from the field.

Braden Smith, Purdue senior
The 6-foot point guard from Westfield, Ind., was a first-team All-American in 2024-25, and Smith is well on his way to earning that distinction again this season. Yes, No. 12 Purdue (17-3 overall) has lost two straight contests to drop out of the top 10. However, the Boilermakers remain a Final Four contender. Smith leads the nation at 9.3 assists per game. He's also averaging 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals while making 49.8 percent from the field, 43.6 percent from downtown and 77.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State senior
The No. 8 Cyclones (18-2 overall) are one of the top teams in the Big 12 Conference and nationally. The 6-foot-9 Jefferson, a forward from Las Vegas, has paced Iowa State's terrific season. He's such a balanced player, averaging 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Jefferson is connecting on 50.0 percent from the field, a solid 40.4 percent from deep and 71.5 percent from the free-throw line.