NCAAB · 7 hours ago

Top 10 Players Returning to College Basketball for the 2026-27 Season

David Connelly

Host · Writer

10. Braden Huff - Gonzaga
Graham Ike exits stage left after a great collegiate career, and now it's Braden Huff's frontcourt in Spokane. The 6'10" forward finally found his way into the starting lineup as a junior last season, only for a knee injury to cut his season short and leave the Bulldogs shorthanded. He is expected to be fully healthy for the upcoming season, and he should be the focal point of the offense going forward. The addition of rising sophomore seven-footer Massamba Diop should also take a bit of the attention off Huff, making them one of the top frontcourt pairings in the country.
1. Tyler Tanner - Vanderbilt
It was a meteoric sophomore leap for Tyler Tanner in his second season at Vanderbilt. Head coach Mark Byington clearly had enough trust in Tanner to give him a legitimate chance to run the backcourt last season, and he took that chance and ran with it throughout the entire season. His sharpshooting, playmaking, and surprising physicality, even at just six feet tall, make him an elite, all-around guard. He will be a preseason First-Team All-American and should be a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate.
2. Flory Bidunga - Louisville
Arguably the crown jewel of the incoming Louisville transfer class, Flory Bidunga displayed his efficiency and elite defensive ability that make him one of the best two-way players in the country. The Congolese product led the Big 12 in both field goal percentage and blocks per game, seamlessly transitioning into a starting role with the Jayhawks. Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey is going to fall in love with Bidunga's intensity on both ends of the floor, and he will become a staple of a Louisville team that has national championship aspirations.
3. Jeremy Fears Jr. - Michigan State
The best passer in college basketball is returning to East Lansing, joining a lineage of elite point guards that head coach Tom Izzo has taken under his wing over the years. Jeremy Fears Jr. saw his playmaking explode in 2025-26, leading the Big Ten with 9.4 assists per game for Sparty. While his vision is easily his best gift, Fears could become one of the best players in the entire country if he could become a bit more of a scoring threat in his senior season. The Spartans will go as far as he takes them.
4. Milan Momcilovic - Kentucky
When Milan Momcilovic dropped his name into the mix for the NBA Draft, it felt like a done deal that he was off to the pros. To almost everyone's surprise, Momcilovic withdrew in time and will join Mark Pope in Lexington as they hope to conduct a resurgence for Kentucky. He is perhaps the best shooter in the country entering next season after shooting a ridiculous 48.7 percent from beyond the arc and over 50 percent from the floor. Big Blue Nation will be hopeful that Momcilovic is prepared to become a top-scoring option for the Wildcats, a position he has never really been in throughout his collegiate career.
5. Thomas Haugh - Florida
Last season didn't go exactly to plan for Thomas Haugh and Florida, but he remained one of the top big men in the country en route to being named a Second-Team All-American as the team's leading scorer. He will stick around Gainesville for his final collegiate season, hoping to notch a second national championship in three seasons as a final send-off. Perhaps with one eye on the 2027 NBA Draft, don't be surprised if Haugh enters the upcoming season with an improved outside stroke to intrigue teams at the next level.
6. John Blackwell - Duke
John Blackwell waited his turn through three seasons at Wisconsin, and eventually became an elite alpha for the Badgers in 2025-26. He proved to be a bona fide scorer within the Big Ten, most notably pouring in 34 and 31 points on back-to-back nights at the Big Ten Tournament in wins over Washington and Illinois. If head coach Jon Scheyer can find the right way to fit him into their loaded rotation, Blackwell could be a dark horse pick to win ACC Player of the Year.
7. Silas Demary Jr. - UConn
Silas Demary Jr. gave head coach Dan Hurley exactly what he always wants at the point guard position for his teams over the years: A warrior. Demary played through a nasty ankle injury all the way until the final whistle, showing the grit and desire that the Huskies have hung their hat on over the past half-decade. A fully healthy Demary is good enough to win Big East Player of the Year in 2026-27, an all-around guard that can dish it to his talented teammates, while calling his number to get a bucket when necessary. UConn will rely heavily on Demary to get them back to the Final Four next season.
8. Andrej Stojakovic - Illinois
The third try was the charm for Andrej Stojakovic at the collegiate level, finding his true fit at Illinois after spending his first two seasons at Stanford and California. The move to the Midwest felt a bit random to the young man from California, but it made all the sense in the world as he shone under head coach Brad Underwood's elite offensive scheme. Stojakovic went from 42 to 50 percent from the floor, displaying shotmaking and shot selection that weren't always there at previous stops due to a lack of talent around him. The Fighting Illini are bringing back loads of talent, and Stojakovic will spearhead the charge out of the backcourt.
9. P.J. Haggerty - Texas A&M
It's quite remarkable that a player as good as P.J. Haggerty has played in just one NCAA Tournament game across four seasons at the collegiate level. The Texas native is already a 2,000-point scorer, and he has a real chance to get inside the top 20 of college basketball's all-time leading scorers. His ability to get to his spot, draw fouls, and maintain respectable shooting splits despite the crazy level of volume makes him one of the top scorers in the country. Time will tell if Haggerty can make a name for himself on the sport's biggest stage in March with Texas A&M, his fifth school in as many years.
10. Braden Huff - Gonzaga
Graham Ike exits stage left after a great collegiate career, and now it's Braden Huff's frontcourt in Spokane. The 6'10" forward finally found his way into the starting lineup as a junior last season, only for a knee injury to cut his season short and leave the Bulldogs shorthanded. He is expected to be fully healthy for the upcoming season, and he should be the focal point of the offense going forward. The addition of rising sophomore seven-footer Massamba Diop should also take a bit of the attention off Huff, making them one of the top frontcourt pairings in the country.
1. Tyler Tanner - Vanderbilt
It was a meteoric sophomore leap for Tyler Tanner in his second season at Vanderbilt. Head coach Mark Byington clearly had enough trust in Tanner to give him a legitimate chance to run the backcourt last season, and he took that chance and ran with it throughout the entire season. His sharpshooting, playmaking, and surprising physicality, even at just six feet tall, make him an elite, all-around guard. He will be a preseason First-Team All-American and should be a legitimate National Player of the Year candidate.

Top 10 Players Returning to College Basketball for the 2026-27 Season

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