2024-25 CBS Sports Preseason All-America team: SEC, Big East lead way among college basketball’s best players

Student-athletes now being allowed to profit off of their name, image and likeness has brought a lot of things to college athletics — not all of them great. But one undeniable positive is that some talented players are remaining in school longer than they probably otherwise would.

Mark Sears is an obvious example.

After an incredible senior year that culminated in Alabama’s first ever trip to the Final Four, Sears, in a different era, would’ve likely entered the NBA Draft and remained in it given that he’s already a 22 year-old college graduate with little else to prove or accomplish at this level. In a different era, it would’ve probably been time to be a professional and earn a paycheck in whatever form. But in this era, where some student-athletes are literally making millions of dollars while playing college basketball, it makes sense for anybody who isn’t guaranteed to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft to weigh the amount of money they project to make as a professional against the amount of money they’re being promised to remain in school. And when Sears did that, it’s reasonable to assume he concluded that it was more profitable to remain at Alabama than leave it.

So he stayed in school.

And now Sears has been voted a CBS Sports First Team Preseason All-American alongside Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson and North Carolina’s RJ Davis. Like Sears, Kalkbrenner, Dickinson and Davis will all be playing a fifth year of college basketball, an opportunity that was afforded every player who competed in the 2020-21 COVID-influenced season.

Sears was the only unanimous member of the First Team.

The Second Team features Auburn’s Johni Broome, Arizona’s Caleb Love, UConn’s Alex Karaban, Purdue’s Braden Smith and St. John’s Kadary Richmond. The Third Team features Houston’s L.J. Cryer, Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis, Marquette’s Kam Jones, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor and Arkansas’ Johnell Davis. That means the SEC and Big East lead all conferences with four CBS Sports Preseason All-Americans each. The ACC and Big 12 each have three members. The Big Ten has one.

Flagg is the only freshman honored, which illustrates how the sport has “gotten older” in recent years. In another sign of the times, eight of the 14 non-freshmen on one of the All-America teams are enrolled somewhere other than where they enrolled out of high school. For more, be sure to scroll down and read our capsules on each player.

Note: The 2024-25 CBS Sports Preseason All-America Teams were voted on by college basketball writers at CBS Sports, 247Sports and broadcasters from CBS and CBS Sports Network. 

2024-25 CBS Sports Preseason All-America First Team

Mark Sears | Alabama | CG | 6-1| Gr.

The only unanimous All-America First Team pick from us – and it’s a deserved honor for Alabama’s sharpshooting Sears. The Crimson Tide star is coming off a career year in Tuscaloosa where he averaged 21.5 points, 4.0 assists and hit 43.6% of his 3s on a team that hung its hat on chucking deep bombs at a volume only a handful of others topped. He was the face and force of Alabama as it finished second in offensive efficiency on the season while leading the sport (among all 362 teams!) in points per game.

Sears was not just a stat-stuffer, either. He led Alabama as a No. 4 seed to its first-ever men’s Final Four appearance and was dazzling to boot, averaging 24.2 points and 3.6 assists per game during the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Even in a season-ending loss to No. 1 seed and eventual champion, UConn, he went down swinging with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and played all 40 minutes.

As the leading returning scorer in the SEC entering the 2024-25 season, expectations for both Sears and his Tide are at a high water mark. Coming off an SEC regular title and SEC tourney crown, they’ll be the hunted this season as the frontrunner to repeat in the SEC so long as Sears continues playing at a level remotely resembling his stardom from last season. — Kyle Boone

Cooper Flagg | Duke | F | 6-9 | Fr.

Marvin Bagley III. RJ Barrett. Cooper Flagg.That’s the short list of former No. 1 recruits who signed with Duke out of high school. Both Bagley and Barrett were consensus All-Americans in their one-and-done seasons – and we’re expecting Flagg could fly into the spotlight and produce at a similar level.

The 6-foot-9 Maine product is a shot-swatting, smack-talking star-in-waiting for a Duke team that has the talent to win it all. He spent the summer training with Team USA on the Select Team ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris, and in the process turned heads with his versatility as an inside-out scorer who refuses to back down from a fight.

Flagg’s familiar with being the head of the snake for a frontrunner – he was the star of a Montverde Academy team that may be the most talented in high school history – and that experience should make his transition to Duke relatively seamless. He’ll put up big stats, he’ll produce some flashy highlights, and Duke is going to win big – but it’s the consistent impact he has on games beyond the box score that makes him an early frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and a real threat to be the Player of the Year in college basketball as a freshman.— KB

Hunter Dickinson | Kansas | C | 7-2 | Gr.

Dickinson is a two-time consensus All-America Second Team selection (2021 at Michigan and 2024 at Kansas) who we’re betting will break through to First Team status in his Super Senior season. He’s been a bit overshadowed by big men over the years like Zach Edey, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kofi Cockburn, but in a year full of talented bigs he figures to be the face of the sport on a team that will be the favorite in the Big 12 and a contender to be preseason No. 1.

Last season was Dickinson’s first at KU after three previous seasons producing like an All-American at Michigan, and all he did was average 17.9 points per game and career-highs in rebounds (10.9) and assists (2.3). Another year in the system playing for a center-friendly coach in Bill Self? We’re comfortable penciling him in for a production spike. He’ll continue to be the guy in the frontcourt for KU and a necessary chess piece for this team to reach its ultimate ceiling.

Kansas overhauled its roster in the offseason around Dickinson and has eight newcomers on the way, composed primarily of upgrades in the backcourt. Those transactions may ultimately be substantial enough to eat into Dickinson’s counting stats as a scorer just a smidge, but make no mistake about it: KU and its title hopes rest entirely on the broad shoulders of 7-foot-2 star Dickinson. He’s the man who makes it happen for KU.  — KB

RJ Davis | North Carolina | CG | 6-0 | Gr.

Davis joined exclusive company among Tarheel elite last season, becoming the fifth UNC guard – along with Michael Jordan, Phil Ford, Ty Lawson and Joseph Forte – to be voted ACC Player of the Year. Davis also earned consensus All-America honors last season as reward for his true star turn where he averaged an ACC-leading 21.2 points per game and improved on his passing numbers while cutting down on mistakes.

The way in which Davis accrued points was all the more impressive in explaining how he became a supernova. He set the UNC single-season record with 113 3-pointers made and averaged 3.1 3-pointers per game, which ranks ninth-most in a season in ACC history. His development in that aspect and willingness to launch from any angle on the court was a huge part of what turned UNC into a top-15 offense in the sport and one of the most burdensome to prepare for and stop.

With big man and long-time teammate Armando Bacot gone, UNC will rely even more heavily on both the production and leadership of Davis, who is entering his fifth season in Chapel Hill. There are eight new faces to the Tar Heels’ ranks this season. Two of them are five-stars with lottery potential. All three transfer adds previously averaged double-figures at former schools. No one, though, is more capable of elevating the talent around him and operating as the clear No. 1 than is Davis. It’ll be on him to add even more pieces to his game and make the new pieces on this team work – and work well.— KB

Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton | C | 7-1 | Sr.

Here’s a stat that tells you just how good – no no, just how dominant – Kalkbrenner’s been at Creighton: He became the third player in Big East history last season to earn Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors at least three times. The other two players are Patrick Ewing, who won it four times, and Alonzo Mourning, who won it three times.

He’s a special defender at the center position who eats up space and shrinks the court in the painted area. With long arms and impeccable timing, his towering 7-foot-1 frame makes opposing players think twice before trying him at the rim.

Kalkbrenner is not just a specialist who swats shots with regularity. He’s an efficiency darling on offense. His effective field goal percentages of 66.8 and of 70.5 rated 14th and third in the entire country the last two seasons, respectively, per KenPom.com data. And his true shooting percentage two seasons ago of 72.5% was first in the country.

Coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 17.3 points, 3.1 blocks and 7.6 rebounds per game, Kalkbrenner will be in the running as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. And even in an era of basketball predicated on launching 3-pointers and building high-flying offenses, we appreciate as much as anyone someone like Kalkbrenner who has the ability to fundamentally change matchups with the way he can play defense. — KB

2024-25 CBS Sports Preseason All-America Second Team

Johni Broome, Auburn | F/C | 6-10 | Sr.

Between two seasons at Morehead State and two at Auburn, Broome has already reached 2,000 career points. But the four-time all-conference performer is still expanding his game as he embarks on his fifth and final season. Broome hit 35.4% of his 3-pointers last season, further refining his offensive-skill set as he led the Tigers in scoring for a second straight season. Great as he is offensively, Broome may be even better defensively as he pairs with Dylan Cardwell to give Auburn an elite duo of rim protectors. — David Cobb

Caleb Love, Arizona | SG | 6-4 | 5th

After three up-and-down years at North Carolina, Love enjoyed a renaissance at Arizona last season, averaging 18 points per game while leading the Wildcats to the Pac-12 title. Love earned Pac-12 Player of the Year while averaging 20 points on 37.3% 3-point shooting against league foes. Now in his fifth year, Love will be tasked with playing in a third league as the Wildcats transition to the Big 12. — DC

Alex Karaban, UConn | SF/PF | 6-8 | R-Jr.

Karaban is the lone returning starter for a UConn team that has won back-to-back national titles. After flirting with the NBA Draft, he opted to return and anchor the Huskies as they aim for a three-peat. The stretch forward is a 3-point marksman and reliable two-way player with 77 career starts. After averaging 13.3 points last season, he could be in line for another uptick in productivity. — DC

Braden Smith, Purdue | PG | 6-0 | Jr.

Smith finished second nationally in assists per game at 7.5 while shepherding Purdue to its first Final Four since 1980 as a sophomore. He also chipped in 12 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while blossoming into one of college basketball’s top all-around point guards. Following the departure of star center Zach Edey, Smith will be challenged in 2024-25 as the Boilermakers seek to establish a new identity. — DC

Kadary Richmond | St. John’s | SG | 6-6 | Gr.

Richmond spearheaded Seton Hall’s run to the NIT title before leaving for Big East rival St. John’s. The multi-faceted point guard will be essential to the Red Storm’s hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament in Year 2 under coach Rick Pitino. Richmond is a dogged defender who had 22 multisteal games last season, and he reached double figures offensively in all but four games. — DC

2024-25 CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Team

Hunter Sallis | Wake Forest | SG | 6-5 | Sr.

Nine All-Americans last season were Year 2 transfer breakouts, and Sallis is primed to keep that trend alive in 2024-25. Wake Forest is slated to hand him an even bigger role, but if he can maintain the efficiency from last year, he’ll be an easy first-round NBA Draft pick next summer. Sallis splashed 40% of his 3-pointers, 50% (!) of his off-the-dribble, two-point jumpers and a ho-hum 64% at the rim. Super. Star. — Isaac Trotter

L.J. Cryer | Houston | SG | 6-1 | Gr.

Everyone knows Cryer is a shooter, and he still finds a way to make ’em pay. Cryer shot 39% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers last year and 37% on off-the-dribble treys. It’s hard to find someone that consistent when every defense is draped all over him. If not for UNC’s Davis, Cryer might have a legit case to be the best shooter in college basketball. His floater is automatic, too. — IT

Kam Jones | Marquette | CG | 6-5 | Sr.

Jones is the best bet to lead the Big East in scoring. He didn’t take a single midrange jumper last season, instead relying on a feathery 3-point stroke and a boatload of creative, lefty finishes in traffic. Jones’ usage rate is poised to spike, and if he gets to the free-throw line more often, he’ll flirt with routine 30-pieces. — IT

Wade Taylor IV | Texas A&M | SG | 6-0 | Sr.

Buzz Williams will never admit it, but Taylor is the type of guard that can scare both coaching staffs when he rises from 33 feet for a 3-pointer. He is fearless, bold and unfazed. Taylor can make every shot from the moment he crosses halfcourt, and he’s cracked double figures in 61 of his last 71 games. Bold prediction: Taylor scores at least 10+ points in every single game this season. — IT

Johnell Davis | Arkansas | SG | 6-4 | Gr.

John Calipari is thrilled when he can hand the ball to a lead guard and let them cook. Davis is a professional bucket-getter who gets to show it off in college one last time. Davis makes tough shots look easy, and he’s worked hard to become an improved playmaker and knockdown sharpshooter from downtown. Driving to the basket is still his specialty, but the fifth-year senior is the total package. — IT