Ranking the top 25 players in men’s college basketball for the 2021-22 season, version 1.0

This is an especially exciting time to update that storied tradition, known as the top 25 player rankings, for the 201-22 men’s college basketball season. We think, we hope, we borderline demand that this will, at last, be a “normal” season.

Gonzaga was ranked No. 1 by a comfortable margin when the AP preseason poll was released last week. Not surprisingly, the Bulldogs also dominate our preseason player rankings.

Junior Drew Timme, freshman Chet Holmgren and senior Andrew Nembhard all made the cut, landing among the top 13 spots. UCLA‘s Johnny Juzang, a familiar face to Gonzaga fans after he scored 29 points against the Bulldogs in the Final Four, also appears early on the list.

A quick reminder that, as always, this is not a mock draft. It is instead a ranking based purely on a player’s anticipated college impact this season.

Here are the top 25 players in the nation for 2021-22: