College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

Midseason All-Americans for the 2022-23 season

Can we really be halfway through the 2022-23 college basketball season?

While there’s still a lot of work to be done before the bracket for the 2023 NCAA Tournament is announced on March 12th, we’ve still gotten a pretty good sample size of which teams will be poised to make deep runs in March Madness and which players will lead them there.

Below please find College Hoops Today’s list of midseason All-Americans for the 2022-23 season:

First Team

Zach Edey, Purdue (21.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks)
Edey isn’t Yao Ming, but he plays like the Yao Ming of college basketball. The 7-4 big man is having a historical season statistically and is the biggest reason why Purdue was ranked No. 1 in this week’s ROTHSTEIN 45. Edey has already had two games this season with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds and five games already this season with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Drew Timme, Gonzaga (22 points, 7.6 rebounds)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Do not take Timme for granted. This guy has been one of the best players in college basketball for the last three seasons and is in prime position to again be a first-team All-American. He’s also not just feasting on mid-major opponents and padding his stats during WCC play. In eight games this season against power conference opponents, Timme is averaging 20 points and 8.3 rebounds.

Brandon Miller, Alabama (19.5 points, 8.4 rebounds)
The best freshman in college basketball is also one of the sport’s best players and has a chance to potentially be the first college player selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 6-9 Miller is shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range for a team that hasn’t lost since Dec. 17th and has a legitimate chance to win a national title. Don’t discount the possibility of Miller doing for Nate Oats and Alabama what Carmelo Anthony did for Jim Boeheim and Syracuse in 2003.

Jalen Wilson, Kansas (21.4 points, 8.6 rebounds)
The offensive improvement that Wilson has made from the end of last season until now is simply astounding. After averaging 11.1 points as a role player on last year’s team that won the national title, the 6-8 forward has emerged into a focal point for Kansas. He’s currently averaging 21.4 points to go along with 8.4 rebounds and has already scored more points (467) this year than he did during all of last season (411). Wilson has also already made 45 three-point shots this year after only making 30 a season ago.

Mike Miles, TCU (19.1 points, 3.2 assists, three rebounds)
The Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year is a primary reason why the Horned Frogs look like they’re going to be a trendy Final Four pick on Selection Sunday. Like a cheetah in an open field, Miles has incredible burst in the open court and has also become a much more efficient scorer. He’s currently shooting 53.2 percent from the field as a junior after shooting just 38.2 percent from the field last season as a sophomore. A lethal defender who’s always in attack mode, Miles also brings the same relentlessness to the offensive side of the floor. He’s already had 10 games this season where he’s attempted 10 or more free throws.

Second Team

Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona (19.9 points, 9.5 rebounds)
Tommy Lloyd challenged Tubelis during the offseason to become a better player and he’s responded in a major way. The 6-11 forward has posted eight double-doubles in Arizona’s first 20 games all while becoming an incredibly efficient offensive player. Tubelis is shooting a career-high 55.8 percent from the field while shooting an astronomical 45 percent from three-point range. He shot just 26.8 percent from long distance last season. Tubelis isn’t just one of the best players in the country — he’s one of most improved players in the country. Now a junior, he’s averaging six points and nearly three and a half rebounds more per game than he did a year ago when he was a sophomore.

Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (19.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 blocks)
Every player on this list is a terrific talent, but Jackson-Davis has been playing recently like he’s from another planet. The 6-9 senior had 25 points, 21 rebounds, and six blocks in Wednesday’s win at Minnesota and is averaging 30.3 points, 15 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks over his last three games. Those are video game like numbers.

Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State (18.3 points, 7.5 rebounds)
After not playing competitive basketball for nearly two years following a heart issue while he was at Florida, Johnson is now thriving for the upstart Wildcats, who were ranked THIRD in this week’s ROTHSTEIN 45. Johnson’s comeback isn’t just one of the best stories in college basketball — it’s one of the best stories in all of sports. He’s currently playing at a higher level now than he was during the 2019-20 season at Florida (14 points, 7.1 rebounds), which was the season before he was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

Jaime Jaquez, UCLA (16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds)
Operating with the focus of a surgeon, Jaquez doesn’t beat or bully his opponents — he carves them up into little pieces. Smooth, skilled, and tougher than a summer without air conditioning in Palm Springs, this 6-7 wing is a throwback to what college basketball used to be. What does that mean? Regardless of how he’s playing offensively, Jaquez never lets his offense affect the rest of his game. Two weeks ago against Colorado, he had five blocks and four steals in a comeback victory. Then last week against Arizona State, Jaquez only scored nine points, but had several key defensive rebounds late in the game to seal a key win on the road. When you lose to this guy, it’s death by 1,000 paper cuts.

Souley Boum, Xavier (16.8 points, five assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals)
Sean Miller knew that he was getting a good player when he landed Boum last spring as a grad transfer from UTEP, but he didn’t know that he was getting someone who would develop into one of the best guards in the sport. The 6-3 Boum has been a revelation for the Musketeers and is one of the main reasons why Xavier is in position to win a Big East regular season title and earn a quality seed in the NCAA Tournament. An incredibly efficient offensive player, Boum is currently shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 45.1 percent from three-point range, and 88.3 percent from the foul line. That’s ridiculous.

Third Team

Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (16.6 points, 13.9 rebounds)
Tshiebwe hasn’t gotten nearly the attention that he received a year ago because of the Wildcats’ slow start, but he’s still one of the best players in the sport. The reigning National Player of the Year has tallied six games this season with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds, which was highlighted by a 37-point, 24-rebound performance against Georgia on Jan. 17th.

Armando Bacot, North Carolina (17.9 points, 11.4 rebounds)
A rebounding machine who seems to grab everything that comes off the glass, the 6-11 Bacot is performing at a comparable level to what we saw during last season’s NCAA Tournament when the Tar Heels advanced all the way to the national title game. He’s already had five games this season with 15 or more rebounds and is averaging 18.8 points and 14.5 rebounds over his last four games. Bacot also recently passed Tyler Hansbrough to become North Carolina’s all-time leading rebounder.

Kris Murray, Iowa (21.3 points, 8.9 rebounds)
Don’t EVER call him Keegan’s brother again! Kris Murray hasn’t just made a jump following the departure of his brother in Iowa City — he’s made a quantum leap. After averaging 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds last season as a sophomore, the 6-8 forward now averaging 21.3 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior. Murray has also made three or more three-point shots in six of his last seven games.

Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (17.1 points, 8.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds)
Confidence is the greatest performance enhancing drug and Jerome Tang has instilled that in Nowell. One year after being a solid player in the Big 12, the 5-8 Nowell has become one of the elite guards in college basketball. His ascension is a major reason why the Wildcats have become one of the great stories in the sport as he often slays the opponent with the biggest weapon that he has — his heart. Nowell has already had three games this season with at least 23 points and 10 assists.

Marcus Sasser, Houston (16.7 points, 3.2 assists)
Sasser came back to college in an effort to be one of the sport’s best players and put the Cougars in position to go to their second Final Four in the past three seasons. He’s accomplishing both. Houston improved to 19-2 following Wednesday’s win at UCF and Sasser is in the middle of an outstanding stretch. The 6-2 senior is averaging 19.2 points and 3.8 assists over his last five games.

Honorable Mention

  • Adama Sanogo, UConn
  • Bryce Hopkins, Providence
  • Terquavion Smith, NC State
  • Jalen Pickett, Penn State
  • Kendric Davis, Memphis

Leftovers