10 college teams with the most NBA-level talent? Rutgers joins Duke, UConn
Labeling the “most talented” teams in college basketball can sometimes be misleading or reductive — it doesn’t always correlate to success, nor is it representative of which programs are the best. It does, however, make a difference from the NBA’s perspective. Certain teams will be must-see for scouts and, most likely, produce multiple NBA draft picks in June.
It’s perhaps a sign of the times this season’s preseason No. 1 ranked team, the Kansas Jayhawks do not crack this list, with only one player (AJ Storr) who makes ESPN’s Big Board of the top 100 NBA draft prospects. The Jayhawks are built heavily around older transfers, a recipe for success in the current college hoops landscape, but not necessarily a major draw for NBA scouts.
By that same token, Kentucky, once a one-and-done factory, has three top-100 prospects in its first season under coach Mark Pope, with John Calipari taking much of the Wildcats’ roster and commitments with him to Arkansas.
Even with the transfer portal and NIL altering the balance of power in college basketball, there’s plenty of talent this season. And whether you’re curious about which college teams are worth a watch, or want to know the NBA draft prospects to keep tabs on, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, Jonathan Givony and Jeff Borzello have ranked this season’s most prospect-laden schools.
To create this list, we used a simple formula attributing points based on their place in ESPN’s Big Board, weighted to account for the presence of top 50 out of the 100 ranked players.
Jump to a team:
Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | Baylor | BYU
Duke | Illinois | Rutgers | UConn | UNC
Top-50 players: Cooper Flagg (No. 1), Kon Knueppel (No. 6), Khaman Maluach (No. 8), Tyrese Proctor (No. 28), Caleb Foster (No. 44), Isaiah Evans (No. 49)
Other pro prospects: Sion James (No. 54), Darren Harris, Patrick Ngongba II, Mason Gillis, Maliq Brown
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Cameron Boozer (ESPN 100 No. 2), Cayden Boozer (ESPN 100 No. 17)
With three projected top-10 picks and six total top-50 prospects, this is the roster NBA scouts will spend the most time evaluating this season. It’s also notable that all six (who could also very well comprise the starting lineup) were recruited out of high school by Duke, an indication of how differently coach Jon Scheyer is approaching roster-building compared to many of his blueblood peers (including Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State) who are largely absent from this ranking.
Flagg, the projected No. 1 draft pick, is a dream player for any coach thanks to his defensive versatility, passing, perimeter shooting, intensity, unselfishness and feel for the game. But expectations will be astronomical for the 17-year-old, who will turn 18 on Dec. 21; it’s almost unprecedented for a player of this age to be a dominant figure at the highest levels of college basketball.
Fellow freshman Knueppel has been the talk of Duke’s preseason, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility he ends up being the Blue Devils’ top scorer thanks to his exceptional perimeter shooting and versatility.
Still, college basketball is built around guard play. Duke will need its likely starting backcourt of Proctor and Foster to take big steps forward from last season and provide steady shot creation, decision-making and perimeter shooting to advance deep in the NCAA tournament. Both players have quite a bit riding on their draft stock. — Givony
Top-50 players: Airious “Ace” Bailey (No. 2), Dylan Harper (No. 3)
Other pro prospects: None
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Gevonte Ware (3-star), Lino Mark (NR), Kaden Powers (NR)
An unprecedented number of scouts will descend upon New Brunswick, New Jersey this season to get a feel for Bailey and Harper, a duo that makes Rutgers a destination for NBA teams expecting to select early in the 2025 draft. With essentially no continuity from last season’s 15-17 team, both star freshmen will have ample opportunity to stand out. That was certainly a major part of the appeal for them to land at Rutgers, which traditionally isn’t a one-and-done landing spot. And, they give coach Steve Pikiell the opportunity to build momentum with higher-level recruits moving forward.
Pikiell will rely on Bailey, a jumbo-sized shotmaking wing, and Harper, a high-feel playmaking guard. Both will also make their cases to be the No. 1 draft pick, although it might take a Herculean effort to unseat Flagg. Fortunately, their skill sets mesh well together — in theory, at least.
Harper is one of the most college-ready freshmen in the country. He is a natural distributor and lead guard, with plus positional size, an unselfish approach and excellent vision as an on-ball operator.
Bailey has all the traits you want in a top-flight scorer, with excellent size, explosive athleticism, and scoring instincts as a pull-up shooter and slasher. With the mix of qualities he possesses, he can be a dynamic defender. It will take Bailey time to hone his shot selection and approach, but he will get the minutes he needs to get up to speed.
Rutgers’ star freshmen should see enough of the ball to work in concert and in roles that reflect the kind of work they’ll do in the NBA. Both will also face major learning curves against the physical defenses of the Big Ten.
While the range of outcomes for the Scarlet Knights is somewhat varied, NBA evaluators will be glued to their games. — Woo
Top-50 players: Carter Bryant (No. 13), Motiejus Krivas (No. 17), KJ Lewis (No. 34)
Other pro prospects: Jaden Bradley (No. 55), Caleb Love (No. 89), Tobe Awaka, Anthony Dell’Orso
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Dwayne Aristode (ESPN 100 No. 20)
Arizona brings plenty of intrigue into the 2024-25 season. From an NBA perspective, though, it might have more questions than answers. Freshman Bryant, the Wildcats’ top-ranked prospect, isn’t one. Highly touted since early in his high school career, he had consistency issues, but his decision-making and work ethic improved in the past year. Will that continue in college? Early buzz out of Tucson has been positive.
The other three projected draft picks on coach Tommy Lloyd’s roster are returnees — but Krivas, Lewis and Bradley did not start any games last season. Krivas is still one to watch. He’s replacing All-Pac-12 big man Oumar Ballo, and showed flashes as his backup a season ago. The 7-foot-3 center is already a terrific defensive player. It’s worth noting he and Bryant have both been slowed by preseason injuries.
Lewis and Bradley were “super subs” last season, providing an element of physicality and defensive toughness the Wildcats lacked in previous seasons. Any one of the three could step up and become a focal point for Arizona?
Then there’s Love, who could have gone pro after leading North Carolina to the national championship game in 2022 but transferred to Arizona, where he became a first-team All-American last season. Three transfers — Trey Townsend (Oakland), Awaka (Tennessee) and Dell’Orso (Campbell) — will also play significant minutes.
The players who step up to become consistent factors around Love will determine the Wildcats’ ceiling — as well as how many 2025 draft picks they produce. — Borzello
Top-50 players: Liam McNeeley (No. 10), Alex Karaban (No. 30), Jaylin Stewart (No. 33),
Other pro prospects: Samson Johnson (No. 85), Solomon Ball, Aidan Mahaney, Jayden Ross, Tarris Reed
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Darius Adams (ESPN 100 No. 19), Eric Reibe (ESPN 100 No. 23)
Back-to-back national championships and six players selected in the past two NBA drafts sells itself to potential recruits — one would assume. Before this summer, coach Dan Hurley had landed one five-star recruit (2024 first-round pick Stephon Castle) since arriving at UConn in 2018, indicating just how well the Huskies’ vaunted player development system has worked. UConn added another five-star recruit in McNeeley, who will enter the season as a projected lottery pick, with high expectations.
The development of sophomores Ball, Stewart and Ross will significantly affect the type of season the Huskies have, and how pro teams perceive them. Stewart, in particular, has everything scouts look for but will need to find consistency on both ends of the court to increase his draft value.
Karaban, a junior, has had a decorated college career but will need to take a big step forward as well with his usage, aggressiveness and versatility on both ends. Emerging as an All-American contender would bolster his chances of being a 2025 first-round pick. — Givony
1:37
Can Dan Hurley guide UConn to a 3-peat?
The “Unsportsmanlike” Crew debate whether Dan Hurley and UConn can win a third consecutive NCAA championship after the coach spurned the Lakers to remain in Storrs.
Top-50 players: Drake Powell (No. 7), Ian Jackson (No. 27)
Other pro prospects: Elliot Cadeau (No. 72), R.J. Davis, Seth Trimble, Cade Tyson, Jalen Washington
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Derek Dixon (ESPN 100 No. 51)
North Carolina has a different look this season. Gone is two-time All-American Armando Bacot, who anchored the Tar Heels’ interior for five years. And without the typical allotment of five-star bigs, coach Hubert Davis will lean heavily on a deep and talented — albeit mostly unproven — perimeter group.
The headliners from an NBA standpoint are five-star freshmen Powell and Jackson, who give UNC a chance for its first lottery pick since Coby White (2020 No. 7 overall pick by the Chicago Bulls) and Cam Johnson in 2019 (No. 11 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves). Powell should be an elite and versatile defender from day one, but scouts will want to see his offensive game develop. Jackson has had hype for years, but he arrived with zero ego or selfishness, according to Davis. He can really score.
Cadeau, a former five-star recruit, reclassified and enrolled at UNC a year early. He showed flashes of his vision and passing ability but struggled to make shots. Davis told ESPN earlier this month that this season’s version of Cadeau is, comparatively, “unrecognizable.” If he can make strides as a shotmaker, he’ll rise up draft boards.
We’ve somehow made it this far without mentioning arguably the preseason Wooden Award favorite in Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and someone with an outside shot at finishing his career as UNC’s all-time leading scorer. He has shown remarkable development during his four-year career in Chapel Hill.
Minutes and role allocation on the perimeter — especially with the early buzz on campus about Trimble — will be interesting to monitor, as will a much-needed step forward from Washington. — Borzello
Top-50 players: Egor Demin (No. 11), Kanon Catchings (No. 23)
Other pro prospects: Keba Keita
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: None
Few expected Provo, Utah, to emerge as a hotspot for NBA talent when coach Mark Pope departed for Kentucky. The savvy hire of Phoenix Suns associate coach Kevin Young, along with boosters electing to fund one of the biggest NIL budgets in college basketball, have helped make BYU an essential scouting destination, despite the fact the Cougars have not had a player drafted since 2011, or won an NCAA tournament game since 2012.
BYU’s attractive situation already has the attention of the No. 1 player in the 2025 ESPN top 100, A.J. Dybantsa, who will spend his final year of high school a few hours down I-15 at Utah Prep. He could very well become the highest-paid player in college athletics history (football included) if he decides to stay in-state next year.
For now, freshmen Demin and Catchings are the big draws for NBA scouts. Demin is a 6-9 Russian guard with versatility as a ball handler and passer, who is oozing with talent, offering explosiveness and perimeter shooting. Satisfying a seven-figure buyout from Real Madrid in Spain allowed him to arrive at BYU, something that would not have happened before the NIL era.
Catchings also brings terrific size and length at 6-9 with dynamic shotmaking ability and defensive versatility. He has been up and down from a productivity standpoint but has intriguing traits coveted by NBA scouts if he can put it all together this season. — Givony
Top-50 players: Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 15), Will Riley (No. 22)
Other pro prospects: Kylan Boswell (No. 75), Ben Humrichous (No. 79), Carey Booth, Morez Johnson, Tomislav Ivisic
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: None
The Illini continue to reload effectively under coach Brad Underwood, signing two international standout freshmen — Jakucionis, a Lithuanian guard, and Riley, a Canadian wing — to headline a team that also includes a solid group of transfers in Boswell (Arizona), Humrichous (Evansville) and Booth (Notre Dame). Illinois has become an attractive program for prospects recently, having put players in the right roles to succeed, utilizing the transfer portal and pulling in a high-level freshman class this season.
Jakucionis, who spent the past two years developing at Barcelona, has a strong résumé atypical of most international recruits. The Illini will benefit from his decision-making and scoring ability in lineups that feature multiple ball handlers. Though he must adjust to the Big Ten’s physicality, a strong season could solidify him as a one-and-done prospect.
Riley is one of the best pure shooters in the freshman class and should play important minutes if he can provide high-level spacing. While he might be a defensive liability, adding strength and making the most of his size on that end will be key improvement areas.
Boswell, who started at point guard for Arizona last season, could benefit from a change of scenery. Humrichous is a late-blooming, former NAIA player who shot 41% from beyond the arc in one season at Evansville. Booth, the son of Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth, offers long-term intrigue with his combination of size and shooting ability. And Johnson, a Chicago product with good physical skills in the frontcourt, will also be on radar of scouts.
With most of last season’s rotation having moved on, there should be opportunity and minutes for new faces to break through. — Woo
Top-50 players: VJ Edgecombe (No. 4)
Other pro prospects: Jeremy Roach, Norchad Omier, Jason Asemota, Langston Love, Robert Wright III
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Tounde Yessoufou (ESPN 100 No. 18)
As Baylor’s sole surefire NBA prospect, Edgecombe is coming off an impressive summer, firmly positioning himself as a potential top-five pick.
He is one of the most athletic players in college basketball and a downhill-oriented scorer who will be an offensive focal point for Baylor. NBA teams will be curious to see how much of an on-ball role he plays. He flashed that ability over the summer with the Bahamas national team, and that might be where his highest-upside development outcomes reside. Nonetheless, the Bears also brought in Roach, a Duke transfer who is best suited to playing on the ball.
Though this won’t be Baylor’s most NBA-ready roster, its track record of producing talent probably contributed to the appeal for Edgecombe, who could wind up as one of the best one-and-done players in coach Scott Drew’s tenure — a group that includes recent first-round guards such as Keyonte George (2023 No. 16 pick by the Utah Jazz) and Ja’Kobe Walter (2024 No. 19 pick by the Toronto Raptors), as well as San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (2022 No. 9 pick). — Woo
Top-50 players: Derrion Reid (No. 19), Jarin Stevenson (No. 46)
Other pro prospects: Mark Sears (No. 82), Grant Nelson (No. 93), Cliff Omoruyi (No. 94), Aden Holloway, Aiden Sherrell, Chris Youngblood, Labaron Philon, Naasir Cunningham
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: London Jemison (ESPN 100 No. 48), Amari Allen (four-star)
Coach Nate Oats has turned football-frenzied Alabama into a college basketball powerhouse. An attractive, up-tempo style of play, coupled with the success his players have had in the NBA draft (three lottery picks in four years), has resonated with pro prospects.
Oats’ roster this season features a blend of four- and five-star recruits with some of the best portal transfers: Omoruyi (Rutgers), Youngblood (South Florida) and Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), as well as sophomore Holloway, who transferred from Auburn.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the top-50 recruits who will draw the bulk of the attention from NBA scouts.
Reid, a McDonald’s All American is the headliner, but injuries (most recently breaking his left hand) might set him back.
Stevenson, who turned 19 on Oct. 15, would be entering his freshman season if he hadn’t reclassified and enrolled early a year ago. He had an up-and-down season, and nearly left for the NBA in the spring, before withdrawing at the deadline. He is getting strong reviews in the preseason for improving his physicality and intensity. At 6-10, with legitimate perimeter skill, Stevenson will be monitored closely by scouts.
Philon, a freshman, isn’t ranked in the ESPN Top 100, but that could change based on early Alabama practices. With an impressive explosiveness, toughness and defensive versatility, he’ll push for more minutes in a crowded Crimson Tide backcourt. His thin frame and streaky shooting might ultimately make the 2026 draft a more realistic goal, but he is someone to keep an eye on. — Givony
3:24
Calipari talks Razorbacks’ well-rounded group and early challenges
John Calipari recognizes the potential of the Arkansas program and is ready to take on the country’s best early and often.
Top-50 players: Boogie Fland (No. 32), Adou Thiero (No. 40), Zvonimir Ivisic (No. 45)
Other pro prospects: Jonas Aidoo (No. 71), Johnell Davis (No. 99), D.J. Wagner, Trevon Brazile, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond
Commitments in the 2025 high school class: Darius Acuff (ESPN 100 No. 8)
A John Calipari-coached team loaded with at least half a dozen NBA prospects? That shouldn’t be a surprise. What’s slightly different in Fayetteville than the peak-Calipari rosters at Kentucky is the lack of high-end lottery pick talent, with Fland projected just outside the first round.
That could be a microcosm of Calipari’s different approach to roster construction, with more emphasis on balancing experience and transfers with his typical collection of five-star freshmen. Or perhaps it’s a symptom of taking over a program in April without (at the time) any players on the roster, then luring six players from Kentucky — three transfers and three recruits — and landing a pair of top-10 transfers in Davis and Aidoo. (Brazile ultimately opted to return to Fayetteville, too.)
Aidoo, an All-SEC big man, and Davis, the co-AAC Player of the Year, are the most proven players, even though the former Kentucky players and signees will draw most of the NBA attention.
Wagner didn’t live up to his hype as a freshman, and still averaged 9.9 points and started 28 games. Thiero has reportedly transformed his body, and Ivisic needs to build off the flashes he showed in his debut cameo.
Fland is the most intriguing of the freshmen: He’s a dynamic scorer whose jumper has really improved over the course of his high school career. His ability to balance shotmaking with running an offense will be what Calipari needs, and what NBA personnel will be watching. — Borzello
