Ranking the 25 Best Players in the 2024 Men's NCAA Tournament

The road to a national championship is the main headline of the 2024 men's NCAA tournament, but March Madness doubles as a showcase of the country's best players.

In many cases, the Big Dance is the final opportunity to watch that season's stars in a college uniform.

Once a team is eliminated—or after the champion is cutting down the nets—most superstars will enter the NBA draft. We already know Purdue's Zach Edey, for example, will be making his final appearance for the Boilermakers during the NCAA tourney.

Additionally, the tournament shines a brighter spotlight on standouts from mid-major and one-bid leagues.

Bleacher Report has ranked the 25 best players—well, 27, because I cheated—set to play for a national title in 2024.

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25. Enrique Freeman, Akron

This season's MAC Player of the Year and a four-time All-MAC defender, Enrique Freeman has collected a mountain of accolades in his time at Akron. He's averaged a double-double in three straight seasons, including career-best marks of 18.6 points and a Division I-leading 12.9 rebounds with 1.8 blocks per game.

24. Shahada Wells, McNeese

First-year coach Will Wade revamped the roster through the transfer portal, and TCU departure Shahada Wells has become the star of McNeese's show. He's stuffed the box score with 17.8 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals—the nation's second-best mark—per game.

23. Isaiah Stevens, Colorado State

Safe to say Colorado State will be missing this guy soon. Isaiah Stevens is a five-time All-Mountain West player and the catalyst of the Rams' offense. While producing 16.5 points and 7.0 assists per game, he's also knocked down 44.7 percent of his 4.1 triples.

22. PJ Hall, Clemson

PJ Hall has averaged 15-plus points in three consecutive years at Clemson, which is seeking its first NCAA tournament victory since 2018. Hall is a crafty scorer with 18.8 points per game, doing much of his damage in and around the post. The senior forward has provided 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 assists per contest, as well.

21. Boo Buie, Northwestern

Similar to Stevens, Boo Buie is a five-year contributor at Northwestern. His efficiency has jumped substantially this season, besting last season's career-best 40.6 percentage with a 45.0 clip in 2023-24. From the perimeter, Buie has smashed his previous high of 36.0 percent with a 44.3 mark. Buie is a terrific on-ball playmaker, averaging 19.2 points and 5.1 assists for the Wildcats.

20. Armando Bacot, North Carolina

One of the "Perry Ellis; How Is He Still Playing?" nominees of the year, Armando Bacot is wrapping up his fifth and final season at North Carolina. He's registered 14.1 points and 10.2 blocks per contest and helped the Tar Heels secure an ACC regular-season title and No. 1 seed.

19. KJ Simpson, Colorado

KJ Simpson has been CU's top player all season, but he keyed a critical surge down the stretch. Colorado ripped off an eight-game winning streak that propelled the program from an NCAA tourney afterthought to a team on the right side of the bubble. Along the way, Simpson averaged 21.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists while burying a ridiculous 51.9 percent of his 6.5 threes per night.

18. Tucker DeVries, Drake

The back-to-back Missouri Valley Player of the Year, Tucker DeVries is a tremendous scorer. Playing for his father Darian—who's made the Big Dance in three of his six seasons at Drake—the younger DeVries has poured in 21.8 points per game. He's added 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists, too.

17. Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

As part of an elite defense in Ames, Tamin Lipsey has emerged as one of the nation's greatest pests. He ranks fourth in the country with 2.8 steals per game. Lipsey is also an integral piece of the ISU offense, averaging 12.3 points and 4.9 assists for the second-seeded Cyclones.

16. Caleb Love, Arizona

Arizona has unlocked an improved version of Caleb Love, who started for three seasons at North Carolina but never shot better than 37.8 percent from the floor. This year, the transfer guard has bumped that number to 42.1, including a 34.7 clip beyond the arc. Along with his 18.1 points and 3.4 assists per game, he's committed a career-low 2.0 turnovers.

15. Kentucky's Star of the Day

Behold, where I cheated. Some games, it's Antonio Reeves. Other moments, it's freshmen Rob Dillingham or Reed Sheppard. All three Kentucky players—who each shoot 44.1 percent or better from long distance while taking at least 4.4 per game—deserve to be mentioned. Reeves is the leading scorer at 20.0 points, while Sheppard has UK-high averages of 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals.

14. Baylor Scheierman, Creighton

Creighton could also merit a trio thanks to center Ryan Kalkbrenner and guard Trey Alexander. However, the nod belongs to former South Dakota State star Baylor Scheierman. A sweet-shooting lefty, he's collected 18.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per outing while drilling 37.2 percent of his 8.3 triples.

13. Johni Broome, Auburn

Here's a fun fact: Johni Broome has earned tournament MVP honors in both the Ohio Valley and SEC. Previously at Morehead State, Broome has paced Auburn in his two seasons on the Plains. This year, he's averaged 16.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

12. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

Like his teammate McCullar, Hunter Dickinson is facing an injury concern (shoulder) entering the Big Dance. When healthy, nevertheless, the veteran is a steady force in the post. Dickinson, who transferred from Michigan, has tallied 18.0 points and a career-best 10.8 rebounds per game, chipping in 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks.

11. Kyle Filipowski, Duke

Kyle Filipowski can make an impact just about anywhere on the floor. Offensively, the stretch forward has offered 17.1 points, 2.8 assists and 1.1 threes per game while hitting 35.0 percent of his perimeter looks. On the other end, he's corralled 8.2 rebounds with 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals. Filipowski, in all likelihood, will be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

10. Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State

Jaedon LeDee is yet another example of a long journey that eventually finds the right spot. Initially, he played one season at Ohio State. LeDee transferred to TCU, where he spent two years as a backup. He joined San Diego State and helped the Aztecs make their surprise run to a national runner-up finish. LeDee started four games in those four seasons and never averaged more than 7.9 points. This year? Oh, just 21.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

9. DaRon Holmes II, Dayton

A three-time All-Atlantic 10 player, DaRon Holmes II has a well-rounded skill set. The junior has notched 20.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per night, also shooting 38.5 percent beyond the arc. Dayton slipped late in the season but is a dangerous No. 7 seed behind Holmes.

8. Mark Sears, Alabama

Mark Sears has made an impressive leap in 2023-24, taking on a more featured role for Alabama in a very efficient manner. After averaging 12.5 points on 40.6 percent shooting last year, he's racked up 21.1 per game on a 50.4 clip—including a 43.1 rate on threes. Throw in his 4.1 assists, and Sears is the cornerstone of the nation's highest-scoring offense.

7. Tyler Kolek, Marquette

Though he's expected to play, Tyler Kolek is dealing with an oblique injury. Hopefully, that concern won't limit the outstanding passer too much. Kolek has scored 15.0 points per game with a 40.0 three-point clip while dishing a nation-high 7.6 assists for Marquette.

6. Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois

Illinois won a Big Ten tourney crown thanks to Terrance Shannon Jr., who averaged 34.0 points in the Fighting Illini's three victories. That stretch epitomized his on-court value as an explosive scorer. He ranks third in the country with 23.0 points per game.

5. Jamal Shead, Houston

Last season's AAC Defensive Player of the Year earned the same honor as Houston joined the Big 12 in 2023-24. Jamal Shead is the anchor of the Cougars' top-rated unit, generating 2.3 steals per game. On offense, he's scored 13.1 points per night with a team-high 6.2 assists.

4. Tristen Newton, Connecticut

After leaving East Carolina, Tristen Newton won a national title in his first season with UConn. As the Huskies defend their championship, he's absorbed the leading role. Newton leads UConn with 15.2 points and 6.0 assists per game, narrowly missing the top rebounding mark at 7.0 to Donovan Clingan's 7.2.

3. RJ Davis, North Carolina

Love's departure to Arizona cleared the path for RJ Davis to command the UNC offense. While his usage rate has climbed, so too has Davis' effectiveness. He's tallied an ACC-high 21.4 points per game behind a perimeter surge, draining 40.6 percent of his 7.7 threes per night.

2. Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

The latest big transfer success story is Dalton Knecht, who starred at Northern Colorado last season. He averaged 20.2 points with the Big Sky program and has edged up to 21.1 at Tennessee this year. Knecht has seven 30-point performances with a recent high of 40, so there are few scorers as dangerous as him in March Madness.

1. Zach Edey, Purdue

Purdue is hoping to atone for last season's Big Dance debacle as Zach Edey suits up for a final NCAA tournament trip. The NBA-bound center won a second Big Ten Player of the Year honor, averaging a nation-best 24.4 points with 11.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.