Measuring the men’s player of the year races in

• Myron Medcalf, ESPN

  • Personnel WriterOct 5, 2023, 10:30 AM ET Close Covers college basketball
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2011
  • Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

Over the previous 6 months, the guys’s college basketball landscape has significantly changed. Zach Edey and other elite huge men decided against turning professional and returned for another year. A few of the leading stars altered areas (see: Hunter Dickinson to Kansas). Coaches, too. Ed Cooley is at Georgetown now. Micah Shrewsberry is at Notre Dame.All of that and

we have not even talked about the almost 2,000 players who entered the transfer portal.The change and volatility have actually made it a lot more tough to project who will win conference player of the year honors in each of the 32 Division I guys’s leagues. However we’ll offer it a shot.Some of the prospects were simple to choose.(The Big South could most likely provide Drew Pember his

2nd consecutive player of the year honor today if it wanted to. )Others were harder to identify.But we’re thrilled to see how all of it plays out and how precise we are at completion of the season.Here are our preseason predictions for player

of the year in each league– and the leading competition they’ll have to beat.Jump to each conference: American |

. America East|ACC|ASUN|A-10|Big 12|Big East|Huge Sky |

Big South|Big 10

| Big West|CAA|C-USA|Horizon|Ivy|MAAC|MAC|MEAC|MVC|MW|NEC|OVC|Pac-12|Patriot|SEC|SoCon|Southland|SWAC|Top|Sun Belt|WCC|WAC American Athletic Conference Alijah Martin|6-2|G|Florida Atlantic Owls After balancing 15.2 PPG during FAU’s go to the Last

Four last season, Martin is back to lead the Owls in their first season in the AAC.Top competitors: Jordan Brown, Memphis Tigers (19.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG at Louisiana) America East Conference Clarence O. Daniels II|6-foot-6|F|New Hampshire Wildcats Although he had multiple suitors after going into the transfer portal this summer season, Daniels(15.3

PPG, 10.7 RPG) chose to return

to New Hampshire. The 2022-23 America East all-conference first-teamer will play under new coach Nathan Davis this season.Top competition: Earl Timberlake, Bryant Bulldogs(13.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG ) Atlantic Coast Conference Armando Bacot |

6-11|F|North Carolina Tar Heels Although the Heels failed to make the

NCAA competition despite going into

the 2022-23 season as the No. 1 team in America, Bacot(15.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG)unquestionably is

one of the top returning players in the country.Top competitors: Kyle Filipowski, Duke Blue Devils( 15.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG ) ASUN Conference Demarcus Sharp|6-3|G|Austin Peay Governors Last season’s Southland Player of the Year(19.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.0 APG at Northwestern State now bring his skills to Austin Peay, where he’ll try to reenergize a program that ended up 9-22 in 2022-23. Leading competition: Devontae Blanton, Eastern Kentucky Colonels(16.9 PPG, 37 %from the 3-point line )

Atlantic 10 Conference DaRon Holmes II|6-10|F|Dayton Flyers A year after protecting all-Atlantic 10 first-team honors, Holmes(18.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG)intends to lead Dayton to its first NCAA competition given that 2017. Leading competition: James Bishop IV, George Washington Revolutionaries( 21.6 PPG, 5.2 APG) Big East Conference Tyler Kolek|6-3|G |

Marquette Golden Eagles A thumb injury prevented the reigning Big East player of the year in the 2023 NCAA competition, however Kolek(12.9 PPG, 7.5 APG, 40%from 3)is back to help Marquette chase its very first Last Four look considering that 2003. Top competitors: Ryan Kalkbrenner

, Creighton Bluejays(

15.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG ) Huge Sky Conference Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Dillon Jones|6-6|G|Weber State Wildcats The all-Big Sky first-teamer last season(16.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG) tested the NBA draft waters and even had a strong showing at the G League Elite Camp and NBA draft combine– but eventually picked to return to Weber State, where he aims to lead the program to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016. Leading competition: Aanen Moody, Montana Grizzlies(16.1 PPG, 41

%from beyond the arc) Big South Conference Drew Pember|6-11|C|UNC Asheville Bulldogs The ruling Big South Player of the Year(21.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 38 %from 3) returns to anchor a group that wants to strike the trifecta once again with another league champion, conference competition title and NCAA tournament appearance.Top competitors: DaQuan Smith, Radford Highlanders(13.9 PPG, 40%from 3) Huge 12 Conference Hunter Dickinson|7-1|C |

Kansas Jayhawks Kansas will follow Dickinson (18.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG), an all-Big 10 second-teamer in 2022-23 and the most desired possibility in the transfer website this offseason, as it tries to win its second nationwide

championship in 3 seasons.Top competition: Max Abmas, Texas Longhorns( 21.9 PPG, 37% from beyond the arc at Oral Roberts) Big Ten Conference Zach Edey|7-4|C|Purdue Boilermakers With another excellent efficiency, Edey(22.3 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 2.1 BPG) might end up being the first player to win the Wooden Award in successive years because Ralph Sampson pulled off the accomplishment 40 years ago. He could likewise assist eliminate the memory of that first-round loss to Fairleigh Dickinson with a deep run in the NCAA tournament.Top competitors: Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois Fighting Illini (17.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG) Big West Conference Ajay Mitchell|6-4|G |

. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Mitchell (16.3 PPG, 5.1 APG), who led the Gauchos to a conference competition crown and NCAA competition appearance last season, will chase his second successive Huge West Gamer of the Year award.Top competitors: Elijah Pepper, UC Davis Aggies( 22.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG) Coastal Athletic Association Tyler Thomas|6-3|G|Hofstra Pride The all-CAA second-teamer last season( 16.5 PPG, 41

%from 3)has one goal: to carry Hofstra to its very first NCAA tournament look(the school

won the CAA title in 2020 and would have played had the NCAA tournament not been canceled due to COVID-19 )since 2001. Top competitors: Charles Thompson, Towson Tigers (12.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.7 BPG ) Conference USA Dontaie Allen|6-6|G|Western Kentucky Hilltoppers In February and

March, the previous Kentucky guard began to hit his stride, seeing four games

with 17 points or more. That momentum might move Allen( 9.3 PPG, 38 %from the 3-point line)to new heights under new head coach Steve Lutz.Top competition: Kyle Rode, Liberty Flames (10.9 PPG, 40 %from the 3-point line)

Horizon League BJ Freeman|6-6|G|Milwaukee Panthers Freeman revealed his promise with a 43-point performance in a win over Stetson in last season’s CBI. The guard, who averaged 18.22 PPG, might now assist lead a program that’s on an upward trajectory (22-12, 14-6 league) to its very first NCAA competition appearance in a decade.Top competitors:

Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky Norse (18.8 PPG, 38% from the 3-point line)

Ivy League

Matt Knowling|6-5|F|Yale Bulldogs The all-Ivy League first-teamer (13.6 PPG)headings a team of key returners who were instrumental in winning the regular-season title. They lost out on the 2023 NCAA competition following a nine-point loss to competing Princeton in the conference competition championship.Top competitors: Matt Allocco

, Princeton Tigers (10.7 PPG, 38.3%from beyond the arc) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Mervin James|6-7|F|Rider Broncs The all-MAAC second-teamer led Rider to a 13-7 record last season (second location in the league). Couple that with the departure of Rick Pitino and the exodus of transfers out of Iona, and the door is open for James and the Broncs to win leading MAAC honors.Top competition: Dakota Leffew, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers(13.1 PPG, 38%from beyond the arc) Mid-American Conference Enrique Freeman|6-7|C|Akron Zips An all-MAC first-teamer last season, Freeman(16.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG)anchors an Akron team that could dominate the league and win the regular-season crown for the very first time considering that 2020. Leading competitors: Jaylin Hunter, Ohio Bobcats (13.2 PPG, 41 %from 3) Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Shy Odom|6-6|F|Howard Bison

The buzz around Odom’s MEAC

Player of the Year capacity in 2023-24 increased when he led notched 15 points

(5-for-9)and 8 rebounds in the 16-seed’s 96-68 loss to 1-seed Kansas in the first round of in 2015’s NCAA tournament.Top competitors: Martaz Robinson, Delaware State Hornets(11.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG ) Missouri Valley Conference Tucker DeVries|6-7|F|Drake Bulldogs It would be difficult to topple the ruling MVC player of the year, who returns after averaging 18.6 PPG( 37%from the 3-point line )and leading his team to the NCAA tournament.Top competitors: Bowen Born, Northern Iowa Panthers(17.9 PPG, 37%from 3) Mountain West Conference Jamal Mashburn Jr.|6-2|G|New Mexico Lobos The kid of former NBA and Kentucky star Jamal Mashburn Sr. is a potent scorer(19.1 PPG, 38%from 3)and hopes to place his team to complete for

a Mountain West championship.Top competition: Tyson Degenhart, Boise State Broncos(14.1 PPG) Northeast Conference Nico Galette|6-6 |

F|Sacred Heart Pioneers The all-NEC first-teamer(15.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG)

scored in double figures 30

times and recorded four double-doubles last seasons, making him one of the top returning mid-major stars in the country.Top competition: Ansley Almonor, Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (13.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 38 %from the 3-point line) Ohio Valley Conference Mark Freeman|5-10|G|Morehead State Eagles Head

coach Preston Spradlin

told ESPN.com this summer that Freeman(15.0 PPG, 3.7 APG )has continued to enhance from last season. That’s significant for a player who easily won 2022-23 OVC Gamer of the Year honors.Top competitors: Ray’Sean Taylor, SIU Edwardsville Cougars( 15.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG ) Pac-12 Conference Top stories of the week from Get special access to thousands of premium articles a year from leading authors. – Ranking all 32 NHL goalie tandems” – Ranking CFB’s 22 unbeaten teams”- NBA training school cheat sheets “More ESPN +content “Oumar Ballo|7-0|C|Arizona Wildcats Ballo (14.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG ), an all-Pac-12 first-teamer last season,

is a lock to win this award this year– specifically if he connects on 65 %of his shots inside the arc

the method he performed in 2022-23.

Top competitors: Boogie Ellis,

USC Trojans(17.7 PPG, 39 %from the 3-point line) Patriot League Keegan Records|6-10|F|Colgate Raiders A year after assisting Colgate win the Patriot League’s regular-season and conference competition crowns, Records (13.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG)could effectively orchestrate a repeat.Top competitors: Keith Higgins Jr., Lehigh Mountain Hawks(14.7 PPG, 41 %from beyond the arc ) Southeastern Conference Wade Taylor IV|6-0|G|Texas A&M Aggies The all-SEC first-teamer(16.3 PPG, 3.9 APG )led Texas A&M to the NCAA tournament last season, finishing the 2022-23 campaign with 20 points or more in 12 games. It’s likely he can achieve something comparable this season.Top competition: Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee Volunteers (12.5 PPG, 37%from the 3-point line) Southern Conference Tre Jackson|6-1|G|Western Carolina Catamounts Jackson(15.8 PPG, 43%from beyond the arc)is the leader of a Western Carolina team that returns the bulk of its starting rotation. With Jackson, the Catamounts will chase after the program’s very first conference competition championship and NCAA tournament appearance because 1996. Leading competitors: Keyshaun Langley, UNC Greensboro Spartans(14.3 PPG, 42%from beyond the arc ) Southland Conference Christian Shumate|6-6|G|McNeese Cowboys Shumate (15.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG )is a crucial player for previous LSU coach Will Wade’s new team, which intends to make an instant turnaround from last

season’s 6-12 finish in league play.Top competitors: Jordan Johnson, New Orleans Privateers(18.0 PPG, 48%from the 3-point line ) Summit League Zeke Mayo |

6-3|G|South Dakota State Jackrabbits The departure of Max Abmas and other essential players

in the league has actually opened

the door for Mayo to end up being the very best player this season. However he was already

a contender before they left, thanks to a sizzling February and March (20.4 PPG over the last nine games of the 2022-23 season). Leading competition: Parker Bjorklund, St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies(22.8 PPG

, 8.3 RPG) Sun Belt Conference Austin Crowley|6-5|G|Southern Miss Golden Eagles The

all-Sun Belt first-teamer go back to avenge a 4-for-13 performance in a first-round Sun Belt Conference competition loss to South Alabama– the same loss that sent the league’s regular-season champs home much earlier than anticipated.Top competition: Donovan Gregory, Appalachian State Mountaineers(12.5 PPG, 4.3 APG) Southwestern Athletic Conference PJ Henry|5-10|G|Texas Southern Tigers For the last three years, Texas Southern has won the SWAC tournament, and for that reason the automated bid to the NCAA competition.

The return of Henry(12.4 PPG) might result in a fourth successive berth for coach Johnny Jones’

squad.Top competitors: Jeremiah Kendall, Alcorn State Braves (11.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG) Western Athletic Conference Rayshon Harrison |

6-4|G|Grand Canyon Lopes He was an all-WAC first-teamer last season

after balancing 17.8 PPG and 4.0 RPG,

and leading his team to the NCAA competition. With his return to college basketball, Harrison wishes to show his 20-point effort in the Lopes ’82-70 loss to Gonzaga in the first round wasn’t a fluke.Top competition: Cameron Tyson, Seattle U Redhawks (18.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG )

West Coast Conference

Aidan Mahaney|6-3|G|Saint Mary’s Gaels

With Drew Timme gone, Mahaney(13.9 PPG, 40%from the 3-point line) might emerge as the face of West Coast Conference basketball– particularly if he can lead the Gaels to another conference title( they shared the crown with Gonzaga last season )and an NCAA competition berth.Top competitors: Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga Bulldogs(12.1 PPG, 4.8 APG at Creighton)