College basketball has had seniors forever. That’s kind of how it works. This time, though, the sport is loaded with senior citizens.

OK, so that’s an exaggeration.

We’re making a point here.

Of the 15 players on The Sporting News preseason All-America team, six are playing their fifth full season at the Division I level, including first-team guards RJ Davis of North Carolina and Mark Sears of Alabama.

It’s a situation that developed from the extra year of eligibility granted to those players who were interested as a result of the impact on their experiences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic that lingered through the 2020-21 season, when this year’s fifth-year group were freshmen.

There may still be a few players who play a fifth year in 2025-26 because of injury redshirts, but for the most part this is the last of the older generation.

It’s made college basketball deeper and more competitive.

And for so many of this year’s All-Americans, more more rewarding.

MORE: SN’s college hoops preseason Top 25

First team

RJ Davis, SG, North Carolina

Last year’s stats: 21.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg, .398 3-PT

Why he’s here: He was here last year, and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to get worse. Davis produced four games of 30 or more points in 2023-24 and 11 games of 25 or more. He was held to single-figure scoring just twice, and the Tar Heels won both of those games. It’s likely Davis will use his extra year wisely. The addition of Elliot Cadeau last season allowed Davis to be what he is as a player: a scorer who can (and will) pass the ball, but primarily a scorer. Having him as the team’s first option carried the Heels to an ACC regular-season title and the NCAA Sweet 16 last season.

Cooper Flagg, F, Duke

Last year’s stats: 16.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.7 bpg, .550 FG (prep school)

Why he’s here: The most gifted player in college basketball is not always going to overwhelm the opposition with exorbitant point totals, but Flagg most often will find a way to overwhelm. It is hard to find a flaw in his game. He’s as impactful a wing defender as a freshman can be; he blocks shots, disrupts action, frequently takes the ball. On offense, he may be the best facilitator this Duke team has, an indication of how advanced he is. If he can shoot 35 percent or better from 3-point range (preferably better), he could contend for national player of the year.

MORE: What we can expect from Cooper Flagg, a hoops prodigy from Maine

Kam Jones, SG, Marquette

Last year’s stats: 17.2 ppg, 2.4 apg, .501 FG, .406 3-PT

Why he’s here: Not sure where the saying “He’s a bucket” originated, but it might have been invented to describe Jones. He was not the primary focus of Marquette’s Sweet 16-bound attack last year; so long as the Golden Eagles had Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro, they were going to use their pick-and-roll mastery as often as possible. Jones benefited by serving as the wing on the opposite side of their two-man game, but now coach Shaka Smart will need as much as he can get from a player who ranks with the best pure shooters in NCAA basketball.

Alex Karaban, PF, Connecticut

Last year’s stats: 13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .495 FG, .379 3-PT

Why he’s here: Karaban wisely went through the NBA Draft process after starting for NCAA championship teams in each of his first two seasons. And then, after learning what he could, he wisely withdrew to inherit the opportunity to become UConn’s featured player in 2024-25. He’ll get an even greater platform to show what his offensive versatility can mean to winning. He was third among the Huskies in shot attempts last year, and only fourth as a freshman, but he’s accurate from a variety of distances and an extraordinary foul shooter. He is an excellent ballhandler who has committed only 79 turnovers in 2,352 minutes of play, a significant portion of that time in highly consequential games. Karaban helps give UConn a legitimate chance to win a third consecutive NCAA Tournament – and another year at UConn gives him a shot at being fully valued by the NBA.

Mark Sears, PG, Alabama

Last year’s stats: 21.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.2 rpg, .508 FG, .436 3-PT

Why he’s here: When the Naismith Hall of Fame folks requested nominations for their positional awards – Bob Cousy Award for top point guard, Jerry West award for shooting guard – the problem with Sears was which honor best suited his responsibilities and accomplishments with the Crimson Tide. Maybe both? He wound up on the Cousy watch list, but because coach Nate Oats often played Sears with Aaron Estrada last season and now gifted freshman Labaron Philon, Sears spends a fair amount of time without the ball, working to get open. He’s great in either role, and it’s a luxury for Alabama to frequently have multiple playmakers on the floor. Sears averaged 24.2 points and 3.6 assists in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

Second team

Jay Biggerstaff

Hunter Dickinson, C, Kansas

Last year’s stats: 17.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg, .546 FG, .354 3-PT

Why he’s here: This will be Dickinson’s fifth year of college basketball, and he’s put up significant numbers in each of the previous four. He’s never averaged fewer than 14.1 points or 7.4 rebounds and never shot below .548 from the field. He’s one of the most difficult players to defend in Division I. With a more talented team around him than KU was able to manage a year ago, he’ll have better opportunities to produce – and dominate.

Graham Ike, C, Gonzaga

Last year’s stats: 16.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, .609 FG, .368 3-PT

Why he’s here: A year ago, following his phenomenal sophomore season at Wyoming and a transfer to the larger stage with the Zags, I placed Ike onto the preseason All-America first team. Maybe I was a year premature? He had an effective season and led the Sweet 16-bound Zags in scoring, but he was one of four Gonzaga players to attempt at least 350 shots. That offensive balance didn’t make the Zags a great team – and didn’t allow Ike to impact games like he might have. This year’s team is deeper and might not need more shots from him, but there might be more production because the defensive resistance against Gonzaga will have more to manage.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton

Last year’s stats: 17.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.1 bpg, .646 FG

Why he’s here: Kalkbrenner is the best two-way big man in college basketball, having grown from a freshman who blocked the occasional shot but rarely scored to a force in both lanes and an elite pick-and-roll rim-runner. His 19-point, 14-rebound, 5-block performance against Oregon got the Bluejays to a second consecutive Sweet 16, and he continued to excel against a battalion of big Tennessee defenders in a fierce battle in the Midwest Region semis.

Tamin Lipsey, PG, Iowa State

Last year’s stats: 12.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.7 spg, .391 3-PT

Why he’s here: Lipsey was rated only the 186^th player in his recruiting class – and 30^th point guard – even though he performed well enough to make USA Basketball’s squad for the U16 FIBA Americas tournament in 2019 (the qualifier for a U17 World Cup that was canceled because of the pandemic). Coming from Ames High, he’s been a hometown hero for the Cyclones and one of the top defensive guards in the nation. He expanded his game to become a more frequent (and accurate) 3-point shooter as a sophomore.

Braden Smith, PG, Purdue

Last year’s stats: 12.0 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5.8 rpg, .546 FG, .431 3-PT

Why he’s here: Purdue’s most obvious asset in its run to the 2024 NCAA Championship game was All-American Zach Edey, but the audacious play of Smith at point guard wasn’t all that far behind. Smith, like Lipsey, was vastly underrated as a prospect but made an even more immediate statement as a collegian by leading the Boilers to dual Big Ten titles and a No. 1 NCAA seed. He improved last season in every prominent statistical category but foul shooting. He’ll need to demonstrate he can run a show that no longer includes the big guy.

Third team

Johni Broome, C, Auburn

Last year’s stats: 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 4.2 rpg, 2.2 bpg, .548 FG, .354 3-PT

V.J. Edgecombe, SG, Baylor

Last year’s stats: 17.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg (prep school)

Caleb Love, SG, Arizona

Last year’s stats: 18.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg

Hunter Sallis, SG, Wake Forest

Last year’s stats: 18.0 ppg, 2.5 apg, 4.1 rpg, .487 FG, .405 3-PT

Wade Taylor IV, PG, Texas A&M

Last year’s stats: 19.1 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.8 spg, 3.5 rpg