25 surprising stars: Tyler Tanner, Ebuka Okorie, more breakouts

The 2025-26 men's college basketball season has been defined by the stars who have turned it into one of the most exciting for the sport in recent memory. The freshman class has an abundance of talent, and there are transfers who have transformed programs, with multiple from either category emerging as household names.

Who else should be on your radar, though?

We've identified 25 breakout stars to know -- players who have bounced back from injuries, returnees who have made significant strides with the same program, and prospects who weren't projected to have the immediate impacts they have had in their first seasons of Division I basketball.

1. Thomas Haugh, F, Florida

Last season, Haugh was a key reserve for the Florida team that cut down the nets in San Antonio. This season, he is a bona fide All-America candidate and first-round NBA draft prospect who could lead the Gators to their second back-to-back national title reign in program history. His scoring average has increased from 9.8 to 16.9 points while maintaining a similar impact on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game.

2. Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech

Last season, Anderson was a star in the Sweet 16. This season, he has taken advantage of a bigger workload -- jumping from 30.5 to 38.7 minutes per game -- to emerge as an All-America candidate with 19.6 PPG, 7.7 APG and a 43.9% 3-point shooting rate. With teammate JT Toppin out for the season, Anderson will have to be both Batman and Robin for the Red Raiders come March.

3. Labaron Philon Jr., G, Alabama

Nate Oats coached Alabama to top-five finishes in offensive efficiency with former All-America guard Mark Sears running the show the previous two seasons. Now Philon is the catalyst who has helped the Crimson Tide sustain that production. He's averaging 21.3 points as a sophomore, effectively doubling his 10.6 PPG mark as a freshman.

4. Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois

Though MaxPreps named Wagler its Kansas High School Player of the Year for 2024-25, the 6-foot-6 guard didn't receive many scholarship offers -- Illinois was only one of two high-major programs to extend him one. But the Fighting Illini found an unheralded freshman who could lead them to their first Final Four since 2005, win Big Ten Player of the Year and secure an NBA draft lottery spot.

5. Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt

After not starting a single game as a freshman, Tanner is in contention for SEC Player of the Year, averaging 18.5 points while leading Vanderbilt to what will be only its second NCAA tournament appearance since 2017. He's the reason Mark Byington is a national Coach of the Year candidate.

6. Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State

Momcilovich was a contributor (11.5 PPG) on the 2024-25 Iowa State team that earned a 3-seed before losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Now he's averaging a career-high 17.4 points and is one of the greatest 3-point shooters (50.7%, No. 1 in the nation) in recent college basketball history. The 6-foot-8 forward is the catalyst for a top-20 offense.

7. Flory Bidunga, F, Kansas

Amid the ups and downs of Darryn Peterson's availability, Kansas has relied on the consistency of Bidunga. The Jayhawks are plus-28.7 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court, per advanced analytics site EvanMiya, and have benefitted from his defensive presence (9.2 RPG).

8. Tarris Reed Jr., C, UConn

The 6-foot-10 big man is arguably UConn's most important player. After making only one start last season, Reed has started every game he has been healthy for this season (24). The Huskies are at their best when he plays -- they're plus-11.5 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court, according to EvanMiya.

9. Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida

The defending national champion Gators have lost only two games since Dec. 9, featuring the No. 3 defense in America over that stretch. Chinyelu's contribution to that rise? Opposing players have made just 37% of their shots around the rim against him.

10. Braden Huff, F, Gonzaga

Mark Few has said Huff could return from a left knee injury in time for the NCAA tournament, which makes the 6-foot-10 star eligible for this list. Since he last played on Jan. 8, Gonzaga's offense has dropped to 62nd in adjusted efficiency -- a sign of the impact that he and his 17.8 PPG have had in a breakout season that has been affected by injury.

11. Rienk Mast, F, Nebraska

Mast sat out the 2023-24 season because of a knee injury before returning this season to lead Nebraska's historic 20-0 start. The 6-foot-10 center has demonstrated that few big men in America can match his well-rounded game: He is top-three in points (13.8), rebounds (6.1) and assists (3.1) for the Cornhuskers.

12. Isaiah Evans, G, Duke Blue Devils

Cameron Boozer is the leader of a strong Duke team -- that much is clear -- but Evans is a critical catalyst for the Blue Devils. He has connected on 44.4% of his 3-point attempts during their five-game winning streak, a sign of a significant turn for a player who has gone from 6.8 points to 14.7 season over season.

13. Aden Holloway, G, Alabama

As the backup for All-America point guard Mark Sears last season, Holloway looked the part of a future leader for an Alabama team that reached the Elite Eight a year ago. He has become much more than that, as evidenced by the 16.4 points and 4.9 assists he has averaged over the Tide's current seven-game winning streak.

14. Motiejus Krivas, C, Arizona

A lower leg injury cost Krivas the bulk of last season; he played in only eight games. He has since returned as one of the anchors of an Arizona team that won its first 23 games. Averaging 10.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, Krivas is rated as an excellent offensive and defensive player by Synergy Sports in his comeback season.

15. Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford

In high school, the 6-foot-2 guard wasn't even ranked as a top-three prospect in the state of New Hampshire. Now, Okorie is fifth in the country in scoring (22.8) in one of the season's most surprising rises for a freshman who wasn't even on the national radar before this season. He has scored 30 or more points five times in 2025-26.

16. Patrick Ngongba II, C, Duke

Ngongba has become one of Duke's top contributors, seemingly betting better with each passing game. The 6-foot-11 center helped the Blue Devils conquer one of the most dominant frontcourts in America when they beat then-No. 1 Michigan on Saturday. And he has made 60.2% of shots while holding opponents to a 52% mark around the rim.

17. Collin Chandler, G, Kentucky

Chandler has been a consistent starter for Kentucky a season after averaging 10.4 minutes. The 6-foot-5 guard has made one of the nation's most impressive leaps as a shooter over the last year, jumping from a 34.7% clip from 3-point range a season ago to 43.1% this season (including 46.1% in SEC play).

18. Boopie Miller, G, SMU

The leap by Miller over the past year -- from 13.2 PPG and 34.1% from 3 to 18.6 and 41.9% -- is the reason SMU could earn an at-large NCAA tournament bid for the first time in nearly a decade. In his team's biggest wins of the season, against North Carolina and Louisville, the 6-foot guard scored 50 total points.

19. Thijs De Ridder, F, Virginia

When first-year head coach Ryan Odom announced the signing of the 6-foot-9 forward from Belgium, he said the freshman would "have an immediate impact in our frontcourt." Ridder has lived up to that expectation with his production (15.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG). With the first-year standout on the court, Virginia has registered 121.3 points per 100 possessions.

20. Tomislav Buljan, F, New Mexico

It's not easy to project the impact young European prospects can have in college, but New Mexico could win the Mountain West in Eric Olen's first season at the helm as a result of his recruitment of Buljan. The Croatian standout is nearly averaging a double-double (11.9 points, 9.8 rebounds).

21. Terrence Hill Jr., G, VCU

Hill averaged just 6.2 minutes a season ago and is now the leading scorer -- 14.3 on 36.5% shooting from 3 -- for a VCU team that's chasing Saint Louis for the Atlantic 10 title and its third NCAA tournament appearance in four years.

22. Jaquan Johnson, G, Bradley

At 5-foot-11, Johnson is one of the top players in America. He is also one of the most improved, going from 6.6 PPG last season to 17.4 this season -- and that's in addition to 3.5 APG and 2.6 SPG while shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc.

23. Jaxon Kohler, F, Michigan State

The Spartans' standout has made significant strides in scoring (12.3 PPG), on the glass (9.3 RPG) and at the free throw line (86%). But the 6-foot-9 forward's transformation as a deep-ball, high-volume threat (40% on 4.1 3-point attempts per game) has given Tom Izzo's squad a significant boost in its pursuit of another deep tournament run.

24. Amari McCottry, G, Saint Louis

The 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, who has made 59% of his shots inside the arc, is a two-way threat for Josh Schertz's squad. McCottry is listed as a "very good" defensive player for a Billikens squad that has played top-25 defense this season. Robbie Avila is the face of the program, but McCottry is an essential component in this team's success in 2025-26.

25. Kevair Kennedy, G, Merrimack

The 6-foot-2 freshman wasn't bombarded with scholarship offers after winning Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Averaging 18.3 points for a Merrimack school seeking the first Division I NCAA tournament appearance in school history, the five-time MAAC Rookie of the Week has made a lot of the schools who passed on him look foolish.