Memories of the 2025 men’s NCAA championship finale between the Florida Gators and Houston Cougars are still fresh and vivid. Overcoming a 12-point deficit, the Gators scripted a sensational comeback to beat Houston 65-63 in an NCAA title-game thriller.
Men’s College Basketball 2025-26 season: Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith is expected to perform well.(Instagram/@sm1thb)
There is still some time left for the 2025-26 college basketball season to commence, but discussions have already started taking place regarding the potential top-performers of the upcoming campaign.
Here we take a look at the preseason top-10 list for the best guards in America, according to SB Nation.
https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/24481031/college-basketball-best-guards-in-america-for-mens-2025-26-season
College basketball’s 10 best guardsBraden Smith
Braden Smith of the Purdue Boilermakers takes the top spot on the list. Last season, Smith had registered 38 percent from three on six attempts per game and he led the country in assists at 8.7 per game. Winning a national championship at Purdue will be one of his major goals this time. The Purdue point guard won the Big Ten Player of the Year and was also named the winner of the Bob Cousy Award.
Darryn Peterson
Darryn Peterson of the Kansas Jayhawks played a key role in helping USA Basketball win a gold medal at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in the summer of 2023. At 6’5, Peterson is dubbed by many as one of the best guard prospects of the modern generation. He is also understood to be a major candidate to become the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Tahaad Pettiford
The third position is occupied by Tahaad Pettiford of the Auburn Tigers. As a first-year star, Pettiford had an average of 11.6 points per game last season and guided the Tigers to the Final Four.
Bennett Stirtz
Bennett Stirtz was named 2022-23 MIAA Freshman of the Year while averaging å12.6 points. He was also named the winner of the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year. The 6-foot-4 point guard established himself as one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2024-25 college basketball season.
https://godrakebulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/bennett-stirtz/10127
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Donovan Dent
Having transferred from New Mexico to UCLA for the next season, Donovan Dent will be aiming to produce a memorable show this time. A supreme junior season at New Mexico helped Dent win the 2025 Mountain West Player of the Year honor.
Bruce Thornton
Having started every game of his career for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Bruce Thornton has already established himself as “one of the deadliest mid-range scorers in America.”
Labaron Philon
Featuring for the Alabama Crimson Tide is none other than Labaron Philon. He turned out to be a key figure for the Crimson Tide as a freshman. Philon recently made a surprising NBA Draft decision as he returned to Alabama for his sophomore year.
Milos Uzan
Houston Cougars’ Milos Uzan claims the next spot. He has already had an impressive outing during the Cougars’ run to the national championship game.
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Mikel Brown
One of the most promising talents, Mikel Brown, comes next. He has already been reckoned as a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Playing at the U19 FIBA World Cup over the summer, Brown came up with some overwhelming performances against Canada and France.
Christian Anderson
A German-American college basketball player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Christian Anderson finds himself placed in the 10th position. Representing Germany at the U19 Basketball World Cup, Anderson had an impressive outing for the silver medalists as he averaged 17.3 points and 6.6 assists per game.
FAQsWho won the Big Ten Player of the Year for last season?
Braden Smith won the Big Ten Player of the Year award for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Who was the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year?
Bennett Stirtz was the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year.