Our picks for college basketball's midseason All-Americans

As conference play rolls on, college basketball teams across the country are looking to solidify themselves as surefire March Madness squads, and the best of the best are eyeing a deep run in the tournament.

Programs, coaches, and deep benches help, but a team can truly only go as far as its stars take it. In a year filled with elite freshmen, notable transfers, and seniors who stayed in school because of newfound NIL funds, there's as much star power in college hoops as ever.

With that said, let's look at one player at each position who's earned a spot on our midseason All-American team.

Point Guard: Braden Smith, Purdue

Smith is halfway through his senior season and potentially in reach of a serious milestone. The Purdue floor general is just 163 assists away from breaking Bobby Hurley's all-time career record. His season average of 9.8 per contest suggests that he can hit the mark in approximately 17 games. The Boilermakers have 15 regular-season tilts remaining, with at least one Big Ten Tournament game and one NCAA Tournament contest being all but assured.

Smith has proven to be one of the best four-year players in modern college basketball history, and he's having his best campaign yet. While his scoring is down slightly from last season, his efficiency from the field is way up; he sits seventh in the Big Ten in offensive rating. Considering his assist tally has jumped significantly from last year, when he was selected to the All-American first team, it would be stunning for him not to make the list this go-around.

Smith's primary goal this season likely isn't the assist record. The Boilermakers are still pursuing their first national championship after coming so close with Zach Edey two years ago. Purdue is 15-1, including 5-0 in conference play, and it's due in large part to its diminutive on-ball superstar.

Shooting Guard: Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

The shooting guard spot is by far the most wide-open. The most talented option is Kansas star Darryn Peterson, a likely top-two pick in the upcoming NBA draft, but his nagging hamstring injury has prevented him from taking the floor in enough games to qualify. Therefore, in a field that features multiple elite point guards, the answer could be as simple as giving one of them the second guard spot.

Houston's Kingston Flemings, Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner, UConn's Silas Demary Jr., Alabama's Labaron Philon, and Iowa's Bennett Stirtz could all make a compelling case, but I narrowly lean toward Anderson. There's perhaps no guard in the country more important to their team. Due to Texas Tech's lack of depth, Anderson plays the second-most minutes in college basketball at 38.3 per game. He has sat one minute across three Big 12 contests.

Anderson is also one of two players to average 19 points and seven assists while shooting 40% from deep (alongside SMU's Boopie Miller), not to mention he's doing so for a top-15 team. Plus, he has a signature moment: elite shotmaking down the stretch of a stunning win over Duke on Dec. 20, when he finished with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

Small Forward: AJ Dybantsa, BYU

With Peterson's aforementioned injury, Dybantsa is starting to look more and more like the No. 1 overall pick in June, and his monstrous all-around play makes him a clear All-American contender. After a somewhat quiet start to his college career, the freshman has scored at least 20 points in nine straight games, all wins for the 15-1 Cougars.

What makes Dybantsa special is his combination of athleticism and versatility. He gets to the hoop and free-throw line at will, scoring 18 points per game from those areas alone. With the occasional 3-pointer, he's a three-level threat. Dybantsa leads national title contender BYU in points and rebounds while ranking second in assists and steals.

When Dybantsa has a full head of steam on the break, there isn't a more unstoppable force in the sport. Teams have been trying to cut off his drives for weeks, but his ball-handling and athleticism are too much for opponents. So long as Dybantsa's on the floor, BYU can beat anyone in the country.

Power Forward: Cameron Boozer, Duke

The current front-runner for National Player of the Year, Boozer is an obvious inclusion on this list. He's easily the most well-rounded player in the country, leading the No. 6 Blue Devils in points, assists, rebounds, and steals, all while shooting 58% from the field and 38% from deep. He is arguably putting forth the most complete statistical campaign in college basketball history, as nobody has matched both his numbers and efficiency.

What makes Boozer so dangerous is that there's no ideal way to defend him. Play too high and he'll use his dribbling skills and power to blow by you. Sag off and he'll hit the open 3-pointer. Deploy single coverage in the post and he'll put his shoulder into you and score with ease. Double-team him and he'll find the open man with advanced passing reads.

Boozer isn't a perfect player. He lacks the elite above-the-rim athleticism and burst that NBA superstars often possess. But in the college game, he's perhaps the closest we've seen to the platonic ideal of a player. It says something that he's already on his way to one-upping last year's Duke star and eventual No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg.

Center: Caleb Wilson, North Carolina

We're going back to the historic freshman class yet again. Wilson wasn't quite as heralded as Boozer or Dybantsa entering the year, but he's been just as impactful for a North Carolina squad that's very low on talent in the backcourt.

Wilson is fourth nationally in rebounding, first in dunks, and one of four power conference players to average at least 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. His scoring is relatively straightforward; he does almost all of his damage near the rim and has made just 10 jump shots all year. But he's far from a typical low-post big man, regularly showcasing his fluidity, ball-handling, and passing. Case in point: He's thrived next to a fellow big in Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar.

Wilson may not have the same allure as Dybantsa or Boozer, and his team isn't quite as dominant, but his combination of stats and value has him firmly in the running for the nation's top big. Texas Tech's JT Toppin and St. John's Zuby Ejiofor are also serious competitors for that title.

Matthew Winick is a college basketball analyst and consultant. You can find his work on X at @matthewwinick.