2. Jalen Brunson, Villanova, 2015-18
Career stats: 116 games, 14.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 51% FG, 39.3% 3FG
Brunson is best remembered for a stellar junior year, when he led Villanova to the 2018 national championship, but don’t forget that he was also a freshman starter on the Wildcats’ 2016 title team. He proved to be clutch early on, draining two critical free throws with 3.5 seconds left to clinch Villanova’s win over Kansas in the 2016 Elite Eight, creating the opportunity for Kris Jenkins’ wild championship-winning buzzer-beater a week later. By the time Brunson was a junior, he was the best player in the country mostly due to his elite basketball IQ and craftiness with the ball — do not be foolish enough to underestimate him because of his lack of athleticism — solidifying his legacy with a second championship and consensus national player of the year honors.
1. Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse, 2002-03
Career stats: 35 games, 22.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 45.3% FG, 33.7% 3FG
Arguably the greatest one-and-done player in the history of college basketball, Anthony skipped going pro out of Oak Hill Academy in 2002 to enroll at Syracuse. A key piece of Jim Boeheim’s vaunted 2-3 zone defense (Anthony’s 7-foot wingspan was ideal in a zone), Anthony led Syracuse in scoring, rebounding and minutes played. Anthony exploded for 33 points against Texas in the national semifinals, setting up the title bout against Kansas, where he flirted with a triple-double in tallying 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, leading Cuse to its first, and only, title.
Anthony was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. He was just a second-team All-American and he didn’t win national player of the year (Texas guard T.J. Ford did). Still, he takes top billing here because his impact is second to none, and what he did for the program in six months is astonishing. Keep in mind, Syracuse wasn’t ranked in the preseason and had missed the 2002 NCAA Tournament. With Melo, they were national champs.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6488102/2025/07/14/mens-college-basketball-best-25-players-rankings-2000s/