College basketball has a long and storied history. Because the league has been around for so long, the vast majority of college player rankings include nearly exclusively old-school players that played prior to 2000. This makes sense, as most great players in today's era go the one-and-done route.
Most greats play one year and then head to the NBA level, where as back in the day almost everyone would play the full four years. Even so, there have been a handful of players in recent seasons who stuck around for more than that one year and had legendary careers that deserve to be talked about with the greatest college basketball players of all time. As for some of the one or two-year college players of recent, some of them have had short careers so dominant that they will still be remembered forever.
In this article, we are going to rank the 25 greatest college basketball players of the 21st century in order to give the new-era players some love that they might not see on most all-time lists. Players who played full collegiate careers will have the upper hand in terms of securing a top ranking on this list, but there are plenty of players who excelled in a short amount of time that were deserving of being included. To qualify for this list, you most have played at least one season in the 21st century.
HM. Markus Howard: Marquette, 2016-20
In recent seasons, there have been plenty of undersized, score-first guards who played multiple seasons that dominated college basketball, but Markus Howard was arguably the best of the bunch. The guard out of Marquette was one of the most prolific scorers of all time. Marquette's all-time leading scorer, Howard led the nation in scoring in 2020.
Despite being shorter than 6 feet tall, the guard put up 27.8 points per game that season. It was the third straight season in his four-year career that he was above 20 points per game. That season, Howard scored 28.7 points per game in conference play, which is a record for the Big East. He was robbed of the Big East Player of the Year award that season, but he did win it the year prior. Howard was also a two-time All-Big East First-team member and a one-time All-Big East Second-team member. He carried Marquette to March Madness twice.
25. Juan Dixon: Maryland, 1998-2002
Juan Dixon is one of the most forgotten legends of the early 21st century. Dixon was a four-year player at Maryland and even carried the Terrapins to a national championship, a rare feat for a team that isn't considered as prestigious as many other recent champions.
Dixon was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player that year (2002), but Dixon wasn't just a one-season wonder. He was one of the best scorers in the nation in three straight years, starting during his sophomore campaign, and he was also First-team All-ACC all three of those seasons.
24. Evan Turner, Ohio State, 2007-10
Evan Turner did everything for Ohio State, and it culminated with him being the consensus National College Player of the Year in 2010. Turner was uber-versatile. He could defend multiple positions, he was the top scoring option, and he was a 6 foot 6 inch facilitating guard/forward.
Over a three-year career, Turner had a stat line of 15 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, illustrating how he really could do everything. He was twice a First-team All-Big Ten selection.
23. Shabazz Napier: UConn, 2010-14
Shabazz Napier wasn't quite as good as a certain backcourt teammate of his at UConn (more on that later), but Napier had a great career for the Huskies. He won two national championships, the first as a role player during his freshman season and the last during his senior year as the star player.
Napier knew how to win, and he is one of the most important players from UConn's storied history over the last 30 years or so. Napier was the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player during that 2014 run, and he always elevated his play in March.
22. Adam Morrison: Gonzaga, 2003-06
Many people remember Adam Morrison for his failed NBA career, but that shouldn't be the case. Morrison is one of the greatest college players ever and is a big reason that Gonzaga is the powerhouse that they are today. Morrison was the scoring leader in 2006, and his game was really ahead of its time.
He could bang inside, but he could also stretch the court and shoot it from outside. He shot 42.8% from three his last season en route to scoring 28.1 points per game.
21. Trey Burke: Michigan, 2011-13
The Fab Five is the most famous team in Michigan history, but Trey Burke's Michigan squad was pretty memorable too. Burke was the point guard and leader of a team with a bunch of future NBA players. While they weren't able to bring home a championship, the Wolverines did get to the championship game in Burke's final season.
The point guard scored 14.8 points per game his freshman year and followed that up with 18.6 points per game in his National College Player of the Year season. He led the nation in points produced because he was also a great assist man.
20. Frank Kaminsky: Wisconsin, 2011-15
Frank “the tank” Kaminsky nearly led an unsuspecting Wisconsin team to glory. The Badgers narrowly lost a thrilling championship game in 2015 that followed one of the best Final Four games ever. Even though he lost the championship, Kaminsky still had a great senior season.
He was the consensus National College Player of the Year and put up 18.8 and 8.2. Kaminsky didn't do much in his first two years in college, but his later two were both great seasons.
19. Trae Young: Oklahoma, 2017-18
Trae Young only played one year of college basketball, but he was electric in his lone season. Young was the first player to ever lead the nation in both points (27.4) and assists (8.7) per game, and he did it as a freshman. Young is also only one of three freshmen to lead the nation in assists and one of two freshmen to lead the nation in scoring.
18. Blake Griffin: Oklahoma, 2007-09
When people think of Blake Griffin, they often think of the highlight dunks. While those are memorable, people often forget that he was an elite rebounder and a great playmaker for a forward in college. He led the nation in rebounding en route to becoming the consensus National College Player of the Year in 2009.
17. Shane Battier: Duke, 1997-2001
Most of Shane Battier's career did come in the '90s, but he qualifies for this list since he played his senior season in 2000-01. In that season, he won the NCAA Championship, was the Wooden award winner, and was the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Shane Battier was a complete player.
He was a three-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year winner, a feat that has only been accomplished by two other players and by no one since.
16. Jalen Brunson: Villanova, 2015-18
Jalen Brunson was viewed by many as a college star who wouldn't pan out in the NBA. His professional career has proven he is just an all-around baller. The point guard won two championships in three years, and he was the consensus National College Player of the Year in 2018.
His statistics were impressive but not jaw-dropping, but Brunson was the ultimate leader. His Villanova teams were a one-seed all three years he was there.
15. Buddy Hield: Oklahoma, 2012-16
One of the greatest shooters ever at the college ranks, Buddy Hield had a great four-year career at Oklahoma. He was a premier scorer in his final three seasons, but his senior season was one of the greatest displays of shooting ever.
Hield put up 25 points per game on 8.7 three-point attempts per game. He connected on 45.7 percent of his long balls, and it landed him the Wooden award and Naismith College Player of the Year honors. He scored 30 plus points in 12 games his senior year, and the Sooners made the NCAA Tournament every year that Hield was on the team.
14. Michael Beasley: Kansas State, 2007-08
Michael Beasley was a flat-out bucket-getter at Kansas State. He averaged 26.2 points per game, which was third in the nation. Amazingly, though, he was an even better rebounder. Beasley led the nation with 12.4 rebounds per game. If Beasley stayed in college longer he seemed destined to become one of the greatest college basketball players ever. Instead, fans got to witness one of the best freshman seasons in history.
13. Anthony Davis: Kentucky, 2011-12
Anthony Davis' 14.2 points per game in his lone collegiate season might not blow you away, but he was one of the most imposing defensive forces that the game has ever seen. The NABC Defensive Player of the Year led the nation in blocks, and it was nearly impossible to get shots up in the painted area on “The Brow” in college. In a season in which he won the Wooden award, Davis led Kentucky to their only national championship under John Calipari.
12. Luka Garza: Iowa, 2017-21
Luka Garza was unstoppable in the final two seasons of his four years at Iowa. The big man combined old-school post-play down low with a modern ability to step outside and shoot. He shot 44 percent from three while scoring 24.1 points per game during his consensus National College Player of the Year campaign in 2020-21.
He won two Kareem Abdul-Jabbar awards and was twice the Big Ten Player of the Year. Garza is definitely one of the greatest college basketball players over the last few seasons, if not the best considering he was a multi-year player.
11. Carmelo Anthony: Syracuse, 2002-03
Carmelo Anthony really set the precedent for freshman hoopers making a big impact on the college basketball scene. The National Freshman of the Year led Syracuse to a national title. He was the NCAA Basketball Tournament Player of the Year, and his success as a freshman paved the way for one-and-done players to make a quick and impressive impact in college before heading to the NBA after one year. Anthony averaged 22.2 points per game.
10. Zion Williamson: Duke, 2018-19
Expectations were sky-high for Zion Williamson coming into what was expected to be a one-and-done collegiate career. Williamson was one of the greatest high school players ever, and his skillset was jaw-dropping at Duke. Williamson is one of the best athletes ever, and his ability to dunk was unbelievable, especially considering his incredible size and strength.
The high-flyer averaged 22.6 points per game on 68 percent efficiency. He even missed some time due to injury, but he was so impressive when on the court that his spot in the top 10 is warranted. Despite being a freshman, Williamson was the consensus National College Player of the Year.
9. Jason Williams: Duke, 1999-2002
The early 2000s Duke teams were nasty, and Jason Williams was the offensive spark plug for the team. He was fast and could shoot the lights out. He was the NABC Player of the Year in 2001, and he won every Player of the Year award the following season.
8. Kemba Walker: UConn, 2008-11
Kemba Walker has some of the most memorable moments in college basketball history. The one that stands out is his step-back game-winner at the buzzer in the Big East tournament against Pittsburgh. The 2011 season was one of the best seasons in college basketball history, especially come tournament time. In that year, Walker led the Huskies to a championship victory and was the NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
7. Doug McDermott: Creighton, 2010-14
While Tyler Hansbrough was a rare superstar to stay in college for all four years, Doug McDermott's four-year collegiate career was even more rare considering it came in the 2010s. It culminated with McDermott ending his collegiate career as the fifth all-time leading scorer in Division 1 history, although he is now seventh on that list. McDermott could score in a variety of ways, but he was most prolific as a three-point shooter.
McDermott shot 45.8 percent from deep over his career, and his best season saw him knock down 2.7 deep balls per game. Nicknamed “McBuckets,” the forward was the consensus National College Player of the Year, and he continued to dominate even when Creighton moved to the Big East.
6. Kevin Durant: Texas, 2006-07
One-and-done is the new wave in college basketball, and Kevin Durant had arguably the best single season of college hoops ever. Durant was the first freshman to ever be the National College Player of the Year. The Longhorn was a scoring machine.
He put up 25.8 points per game with incredible efficiency. One would have to imagine that if Durant stayed in school longer that he would have gone down as one of the greatest college players ever.
5. Jimmer Fredette: BYU, 2007-11
Jimmer Fredette was one of the most popular college basketball players in history. He had a knack for hitting the big shots, and “Jimmer Mania” took over the nation. Fredette's 28.9 points per game led the nation his senior year, and it made him the consensus National College Player of the Year. The BYU point guard is still the all-time leading scorer in Mountain West history.
4. Steph Curry: Davidson, 2006-09
Steph Curry is one of the greatest shooters of all time, and that was true before he went on to change the NBA game forever. Curry could pull up from well beyond the college three-point line, and he still shot 41.2% from deep for his career. Because he played at a smaller school, he didn't win some of the big accolades that he may have deserved, but he still had a memorable career at Davidson.
He led the nation in scoring in 2009, but it was the 2008 March Madness run that put him on the map. During his sophomore year, Curry led one of the biggest Cinderella stories ever when he took Davidson all the way to the Elite Eight after a number of memorable performances.
3. Zach Edey: Purdue, 2020-24
Only three players have won the Naismith Player of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons. Bill Walton did it, and Ralph Sampson last did it (three times in a row) in the early '80s. Fans doubted that anyone would ever accomplish that feat again in the modern era, but then, Zach Edey came along. At 7-foot-4, Edey is a massive big whose game was reminiscent of basketball of old, and it worked, leading to back-to-back Naismith Player of the Year Awards and an appearance in the Final Four.
Edey was the leader of a one-seed that lost to a 16-seed, and that holds him back from the top spot on this list, as that had only happened once before. The big man more than made up for that in his senior season by taking the Boilermakers all the way to the National Championship Game, though.
That senior season is what gets him on this list, as he was dominant all 2023-24, but especially in March. Edey's seven straight March Madness double-doubles are an all-time record, and his 177 tournament points in 2024 are the second most ever in a single NCAA Basketball Tournament. His 474 career rebounds are the second most in Big Ten history, and his 30 double-doubles this past season were the fourth most ever in a single year.
2. JJ Redick: Duke, 2002-06
Duke has had plenty of villains throughout their history, and JJ Redick was one of the best. To be a Duke villain, you also have to dominate, and the Blue Devils' sniper did just that. Redick is known as a three-point shooter, and his 457 made three-pointers back that up. That is the fifth most ever, but he was much more than just a shooter. Redick is also 21st in all-time scoring with 2,769 total points.
Redick played on some good Duke teams, but a national championship is the one thing missing from his resume. Still, he averaged 19.9 points for his career and had 26.8 points per game in his best season, making him firmly one of the greatest college basketball players of the 21st century.
1. Tyler Hansbrough: UNC, 2005-09
In the modern era, it is rare that a college player plays all four years. It is even more rare that he dominates for all four years. Tyler Hansbrough is one of the best college basketball players ever, regardless of era. Psycho T has a case as the greatest UNC Tar Heel of all time, an impressive conversation to be mentioned in considering how prestigious and decorated that basketball program is.
The gritty player won a national championship, was the consensus National College Player of the Year, was the National Freshman of the Year, and First-Team All ACC all four years at UNC. He was a First or Second-team All-American every year.
Hansbrough's accolades go on and on, but his legacy is just as legendary. No one will ever forget the bloodied Hansbrough that dominated despite being knocked in the face by an elbow. Hansbrough scored more points in ACC history than anyone else, and that conference is arguably the best in college basketball history. He also ended his career as one of the leading scorers in Division 1 history, and he currently ranks 16th in all-time Division 1 scoring.
Hansbrough always got the crowd going, and it led to him never losing a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Because of his prolonged dominance, longevity, and ability to win, Tyler Hansbrough is the greatest college basketball player of the 21st century.
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