When settling on our college basketball rankings for the 2025-26 season, the college basketball team of contributors on our staff sat down to compare notes. We all worked together on our college basketball projections, but we wanted each others' feedback on who might be over/under projected.
As part of that process, I scoured my favorite college basketball resources for any type of player rankings, both general and fantasy. I checked the Wooden Award odds, as well as any generic list of top guards/forwards in the game. The goal was to find outliers. Did we overlook or underestimate anybody?
This ultimately resulted in a handful of players that RotoWire either ranked or projected relatively high, but weren't referenced elsewhere. For many of them, we remained confident that they could live up to their projection. Here are the standouts; effectively, our 2025-26 College Basketball "All-Sleeper" teams.
2025-26 College Basketball Breakout Candidates: All-Sleeper First-Team
G: Jaden Bradley, Arizona 
Bradley was a useful fantasy asset for much of last year, with averages of 12.1 ppg, 3.7 apg and 3.4 rpg. The difference in 2025-26 is that known chucker Caleb Love (14.5 FGA/G, 7.8 3PA/G) is now out of the picture. The Wildcats have two five-star freshmen coming into the fold, but Bradley is the known presence as a returning senior who started all 37 games a season ago.
G: Jackson Shelstad, Oregon 
Shelstad was already the second-leading scorer (13.7 ppg) in 2024-25, and Oregon loses its third and fourth-leading scorers in TJ Bamba and Keeshawn Barthelemy, respectively. In addition to picking up his scoring, Shelstad still has veteran big man Nate Bittle down low to feed for easy assists.
F: Michael Rataj, Baylor 
Rataj was an elite producer (16.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) with Oregon State out of the WCC, and while the move to the Big 12 will be a bit tougher, Baylor has completely re-tooled its roster. Nobody scoring more than 2.0 ppg has returned for the Bears, and somebody has to ease the burden on five-star freshman Tounde Yessoufou. Of a starting lineup composed entirely of Yessoufou and transfer players, Rataj has the experience and skills to be the go-to player.
F: Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State 
Jefferson came out as a top-10 player when we first ran our projections. While we bumped him down a bit (not much), I don't see why he can't increase his averages of 13.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg from last year. Center Dishon Jackson is gone, Milan Momcilovic has been inconsistent, and Tamin Lipsey (knee) will likely be unavailable to start the season. Jefferson also brings solid peripherals, offering 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals with the Cyclones in 2024-25.
F: Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech 
It was a disappointing year for Damon Stoudamire and the Yellow Jackets, but Ndongo again shined in his second season as a full-time starter, modestly increasing his numbers to 13.4 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 bpg and 1.0 spg. That five-category contribution is rare. Four-star center Mouhamed Sylla might cut into his work down low, but Sylla has a under-developed, limited offensive arsenal at this time. Ndogno should still cook.
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, roles and overall player performance, head to RotoWire's latest college basketball news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.
2025-26 College Basketball Breakout Candidates: All-Sleeper Second-Team
G: Boopie Miller, SMU 
Miller flies under the radar playing for SMU out of the ACC, but the counting stats are there. He quietly put up 13.2 ppg, 5.5 apg and 2.9 rpg on 41.5 percent shooting for a Mustangs squad that was on the NCAA Tournament bubble. This will be the first time since 2022-23 he'll have played consecutive seasons with the same program/coach.
G: Malik Mack, Georgetown 
Georgetown saw modest improvements in Year 2 of the Ed Cooley era, with Mack leading the way at PG with averages of 12.9 ppg, 4.3 apg and 3.6 rpg. Cooley also had the team playing at a faster tempo. This offseason, he used the portal to tremendously improve the quality of the pieces around Mack, so the stage is set to become a star in the Big East.
F: Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State 
Player development does still occasionally happen in college basketball, and Kohler is a great example. He became a full-time starter his junior year and posted excellent per-minute marks of 7.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg across just 20.7 mpg. MSU has a strong recruiting class, but it's tough to get on the court as a freshman under Tom Izzo. I don't see major roadblocks to Kohler's minutes increasing, which means a big boost in counting stats ahead.
F: Rienk Mast, Nebraska 
Mast is a 6-10 super-senior who shoots the three at a respectable 34.4 percent clip, in addition to logging averages of 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds back in 2023-24. He missed all of last season due to knee surgery, which explains why he's flying under the radar, but has now received full medical clearance for his fifth full collegiate season. There's a ton of ceiling here if he can return to, or exceed, his past form.
F: Flory Bidunga, Kansas 
Bidunga is probably a lot closer to Udoka Azubuike than Hunter Dickinson in terms of the types of contributions he offers, but he now takes the reins as the starting center for a Kansas team that lost its top-5 scorers. Bidunga, who checked in at No. 6, logged 5.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg across only 16.2 mpg. Toss an extra 10-15 mpg on there, and you have a nightly double-double threat. Projected backups Bryson Tiller and Paul Mbiya haven't played a single minute of college ball.
See how these players stack up among other power conference talent in RotoWire's fantasy college basketball rankings.
2025-26 College Basketball Breakout Candidates: All-Sleeper Third-Team
G: Nick Boyd, Wisconsin 
Wisconsin is no longer the fantasy black hole it once was. Greg Gard had the Badgers playing at Kenpom's 149th-ranked adj. tempo rating -- the first time in nearly 20 years the program has been above-average in that area. Last year the Badgers didn't have a true point guard, but this year they do in the form of Boyd -- a fifth-year senior with Final Four experience who is defensively sound and averaged 13.4 ppg, 3.9 apg and 3.9 rpg with the far slower-paced Aztecs in 2024-25.
G: Donald Hand, Boston College 
Boston College is atrocious and probably will be again -- no reason to sugercoat it. But this is fantasy, and big stat producer like Hand shouldn't fall under the radar in drafts. In his first year as a full-time starter in 2024-25, he put up impressive averages of 15.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Looking at that projected lineup, I don't see anyone that will cut into those scoring chances. He could go for 18-20 ppg.
F: Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech 
There are always a couple of international players who get a heavy role, and they fly under the radar since they don't show up in recruiting rankings. Avdalas is raw -- he was actually loaned out by his EuroLeague parent team because they were too loaded, but the 19-year-old got his minutes in another Greek League. He's currently a projected second-round pick, according to NBADraft.net.
F: Tre'Von Spillers, Wake Forest 
Spillers is the leading returning scorer for a Wake Forest team that lost 33 ppg from the departures of Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth. The Demon Deacons didn't exactly load the frontcourt with consensus top-100 prospects or high-major transfers, leaving the door open for Spillers to build on averages of 9.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg.
F: Quincy Ballard, Mississippi State 
Finding big men in the later rounds is the key to winning in a lot of league types, and Ballard fits the bill. This will be his SIXTH collegiate season, and he'll be heading to Starkville after a career year with Wichita State that saw him record averages of 10.9 ppg (on 75.1 percent shooting), 9.2 rpg and 1.9 bpg. Competition will get tougher in the SEC, but the offensive pace stays roughly the same, and Ballard will essentially be replacing Keshawn Murphy (11.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg in 24.0 mpg), who transferred to Auburn.
Want to see how the latest injuries might affect the top pickups in college basketball? Head on over to RotoWire's college basketball injury report.
