In the NIL era of college basketball, seniors aren’t clinging to one last shot. They’re cashing in while making it. Some will earn more money than they would as NBA athletes. They are becoming the face of brands while still preparing for their final year, and it’s the last chance for all prospects to impress scouts. They naturally will have the responsibility of being the leader on their respective sides. Let’s glance through college basketball reporter Andy Katz’s top 10 seniors for the upcoming season. 

1. Yaxel Lendeborg

It’s a miracle for Michigan that Yaxel Lendeborg is still a college athlete. Lendeborg was the No. 26 prospect in ESPN’s NBA draft projections, but he feels he can do better. He finished last season averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 55% from 2-point range and nearly 36% from deep for UAB. 

Lendeborg became one of only two players in Division I history to post 600-plus points, 400-plus rebounds, and 150-plus assists in a season, along with Larry Bird. He has been the Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC for the last two years. “He can play better than that,” Wolverines HC Dusty May had said after the youngster dropped 31 points and 12 rebounds, “He can impact winning more than he did, and that just shows how high of a ceiling he has.”

2. Braden Smith 

Braden Smith is among the reasons the Purdue Boilermakers are sitting at AP Preseason No.1. Smith averaged 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game for the Boilermakers as a junior. Smith was a first-team All-American and the winner of the Bob Cousy Award (given to the nation’s best point guard). The upcoming season is even more exciting for Smith as he has multiple quality shooters around him.

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However, Braden Smith needs to have an outstanding season to be drafted, given his 6-foot frame. Since the 2015 NBA Draft, only 15 players at 6-foot or shorter have been drafted, and only one was a senior.

3. Zuby Ejiofor

Zuby Ejiofor could lead Red Storm and Rick Pitino to another level. Last season, he averaged 14.7 points on 57.7% shooting from the floor, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game while the Red Storm finished with a 31-5 overall record. Ejiofor led the league in double-doubles and ranked second in the division in rebounds per game and total rebounds (291). “The coaching staff and Coach Pitino trust me. I’m really grateful for that. Being an experienced guy going into my third year under Coach Pitino, I understand his system. I understand him as a person, and that’s how I try to lead,” Ejiofor said during Media Day. 

4. PJ Haggerty 

PJ Haggerty’s reported $4 million demand from his new side ruffled a few feathers. But there’s a reason Kansas State signed him from Memphis. “It was about a fit and how they wanted to use me in a sense of winning,” he explained.

Haggerty praised coach Jerome Tang as “very steady” and noted, “He always lets his guards play.”

Last season, PJ Haggerty became the first Division I player since Ja Morant to average more than  21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals to go with 6.5 free throws per game. His stat line: 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals. It’ll be exciting to see how Haggerty improves this season!

5. Donovan Dent 

UCLA’s dream of a deep NCAA run is riding on its premier transfer, Donovan Dent. Dent is coming off a season with New Mexico, where he averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. His elite scoring and playmaking abilities immediately change how this UCLA side plays. But is he ready to make the leap from the Lobos?

“It’s an honor just having the four letters in front of you,” Dent said, “It’s a very historical program. The point guard position has been very elite here. It’s a blessing for me.” The Bruins are building around Dent, and with their multiple transfers, they are an exciting team to keep an eye on.

6. Trey Kaufman-Renn

Trey Kaufman-Renn is the second pillar for Purdue in its quest for the title. He leaped his scoring last year, averaging 20.1 points per game (team high), tripling his scoring output from his second to third year. The returning senior also chipped in with 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists. His partnership with Braden Smith has already been established, and that’s honestly the best thing heading into the new season. Per Cobra Stats, Smith has dished out 154 assists to Kaufman-Renn. That’s the second-most of any teammate Smith has played with, behind only Zach Edey. And that number is only set to rise this season. 

7. Otega Oweh

Otega Oweh is a beast on both ends of the court for Kentucky. Oweh is coming off a breakout season, scoring 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game, 1.6 steals per game, and 0.5 blocks per game. All are career-best numbers. He also led the Wildcats in steals with 57 on the season.

Oweh aims to win the national championship for Kentucky with its stacked roster. “We have big goals to win No. 9 (national championship) and have a great year. I feel like we all achieve everything that we want to achieve. We all get what we want, and the bottom line is just to win,” the youngster recently said. 

8. Nick Martinelli

Nick Martinelli arguably finished last season as the best player in the conference. In 33 games, he averaged 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and  0.7 steals, at 47.1% FG while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc.

“The kid’s got touch, toughness, and talent. He’s the Wildcats’ scoring Rolls Royce,” Dick Vitale wrote while putting the youngster on his preseason second team. Despite his prominent size at 6-7, Martinelli often blows by defenders using his speed and agility. He dipped a toe in the NBA pool, but ultimately returned for a final season at Northwestern. 

9. Darrion Williams

As his right thigh reads, Darrion Williams will be ‘humble’ coming into this season. Last year, Williams and the Red Raiders squandered a 9-point lead against eventual champions Florida to crash out before the Final Four. Williams averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team. He is primed for another season to break into the NBA. “Darrion played like a first-team All-American in the NCAA Tournament last March,” said CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein. “Now that he’s the focal point for Will Wade and NC State, his numbers are primed to spike.”

10. Nate Bittle

Despite being among the best players in the country, Nate Bittle was ignored for the NBA Draft Combine. Maybe because scouts wanted to see if he could maintain his standard from the 2024-25 season. His first two years with the Ducks were relatively quiet, but then he was plagued by injury and illness as a junior. Last season, however, he averaged a team-high 14.2 points along with 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.9 assists while leading the conference in total blocks (75). If Bittle maintains this standard or even improves it, they could be the dark horses in the Big Ten and even make some noise in the NCAA tournament.