The 2025 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award finalists are out, headlined by Duke standout and projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, and Auburn star Johni Broome. The list also includes Florida senior Walter Clayton Jr. and Purdue junior Braden Smith.
As of now, Flagg is the favorite to take home the Naismith Award, with -200 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. Broome is close behind at +230. Which player will emerge as the winner? Let’s take a closer look.
Cooper Flagg vs. Johni Broome Is Cinema
The Naismith, awarded annually to the top player in college basketball, appears to be a two-man race between Flagg and Broome.
Flagg, a freshman, helped lead Duke to both the ACC regular-season and tournament titles, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. He paced the team in all five major statistical categories, averaging 18.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
He put on a show in January against Notre Dame, finishing with a season-high 42 points. Flagg then paced the Blue Devils to an ACC Championship.
Broome, a fifth-year senior, played a key role in Auburn’s SEC regular-season championship and its No. 1 overall seed in March Madness.
The forward led the Tigers in four of five major statistical categories, averaging 18.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. In a December Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup against Ohio State, he posted 21 points and 20 rebounds.
Other than Broome and Flagg, two other players stand out with a potential chance, not to win, but to take votes away from the aforementioned duo.
Walter Clayton Jr. helped Florida to an SEC tournament title and a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed, leading the Gators in points and assists at 17.9 and 4.2 per game, respectively.
Braden Smith guided Purdue to a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten and a No. 4 NCAA tournament seed. The junior led the Boilermakers in assists (8.5) and steals (2.2) while also averaging 16 points per game.
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Time will tell, but the race between Broome and Flagg has lived up to all the hype in the 2024-25 season.
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