Typically, The Athletic’s preseason All-American predictions age like milk. But this year? Six of our preseason picks are still here into late January — including three from our first team, all of whom were unanimous selections in last week’s staff vote.

Seven of our 10 members are either seniors or graduate students, a nod to this era of the sport, when the rosters are most experienced, a result of the extra COVID-19 year of eligibility. Two of the remaining three honorees are in their third college seasons. And then there’s our lone freshman: Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the projected top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

But our top-10 vote-getters are emblematic of other changes in college basketball, too. We have six transfers — three in their first seasons at their new schools — and five guards, the most critical position for postseason success. Even our players’ versatility meshes well with the new standard; our three “bigs” all can (and do) regularly play along the perimeter, as liable to shoot 3s as they are to post up inside.

Without further ado, The Athletic’s midseason All-Americans. Stats are through Jan. 25. Players are listed in descending order of the number of votes received, starting with our three unanimous first-team selections:

First team

Cooper Flagg, freshman forward, Duke

Stats: 19.5 points, 8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks, 80.7 percent FT

Only two freshmen have ever won the Wooden Award — Anthony Davis in 2012 and Zion Williamson in 2019 — but Flagg is well on his way to becoming the third. The 6-foot-9 Maine native leads the Blue Devils in every major statistical category: points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. If that holds for the rest of this season, he’d be the first freshman to ever do so while also leading his team to the NCAA Tournament. (Ben Simmons had the stats at LSU but missed the Big Dance.) Flagg has been the centerpiece of a borderline historic defense, which ranks third nationally in adjusted efficiency.

Flagg caught a lot of flack for his late-game miscues versus Kentucky and Kansas in November, but he’s been on another level since returning from winter break. In the seven games since, he’s averaging a staggering 24.9 points, seven rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 46.4 percent from 3, a vast improvement over his season-long 33.3 percent. That includes a 42-point breakout versus Notre Dame which set the ACC single-game freshman scoring record. At this point, the only questions surrounding Flagg are if he can lead the Blue Devils to their first Final Four under Jon Scheyer — and their first national title since 2015.

Johni Broome, graduate center, Auburn

Stats: 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.8 blocks, 53.2 percent FG

Broome’s MVP performance at the Maui Invitational in November wasn’t just Auburn’s coming-out party as a national championship contender; it vaulted Broome to the front of the list for every national individual honor. Even having missed two weeks with a sprained ankle — Broome returned Saturday versus Tennessee, dropping 16 points, 13 rebounds and the game-winning assist — he’s still second nationally in win shares per 40 minutes and player efficiency rating. His missed time has opened the door for Flagg as a Wooden Award contender, but it’s a two-horse race, and given the competition Broome will face in the SEC for the next six weeks — compared with the lackluster teams Flagg will see in the ACC — there’s plenty of time for the 6-foot-10 senior to reclaim the throne.

Prior to his injury, Broome was posting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and 2-point percentage, while simultaneously posting the highest usage rate and lowest turnover percentage of his career, per KenPom. He’s top-20 nationally in block rate and defensive rebounding rate, too, having emerged as a legitimate rim protector. Auburn’s strength is its depth, but Broome is the sort of do-everything focal point who makes all the Tigers’ pieces fit. Auburn scores 10.8 more points per 100 possessions with Broome on the floor compared with without him, per CBB Analytics.

Kam Jones, senior guard, Marquette

Stats: 19 points, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 71.7 percent FT

Our third and final unanimous selection is Jones, who was spectacular in spurts last season — especially when Tyler Kolek and/or Oso Ighodaro missed time — but has made his full star turn as a senior. Not only is the 6-foot-5 guard averaging career bests in points, rebounds, assists and steals, but he has Marquette atop the Big East and poised for its second conference title in three seasons.

While Jones’ scoring has sagged of late — he’s averaging only 15 points over Marquette’s past five games — his playmaking has hit a new level; he has more than doubled his previous career high in assists per game (2.5 last season) and is eighth nationally in assist rate, per KenPom. It’s not hyperbole to say Jones is having a historic season handling the ball. He’s on pace to become the first player ever in Division I with an assist rate over 40 percent and a turnover rate under 10 percent.

Braden Smith, junior guard, Purdue

Stats: 15.4 points, 8.9 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 38.8 percent 3PT, 86.2 percent FT

The nation’s third-leading assister, who still has Purdue playing like a Big Ten favorite despite losing his two-time Wooden Award winning teammate? Yes, we’re still very much in on Smith. With Zach Edey in the NBA, the spotlight in West Lafayette is firmly on Smith, and thus far he’s proven more than capable of keeping the Boilermakers in contention. Obviously much of that stems from his ballhandling and passing — Smith is tops nationally in assist rate, per KenPom — but Smith has also grown as a scorer.

Look no further than the 24 points he had in a 27-point blowout over Michigan on Friday — his sixth 20-point effort this season, or more than he had in his first two seasons combined. Between that and his pesky on-ball defense — Smith has more games (9) with three-plus steals than games with one or no steals (6) — the 6-footer has been arguably the best point guard in the nation.

PJ Haggerty, redshirt sophomore guard, Memphis

Stats: 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.2 steals, 50.4 percent FG, 40.7 percent 3PT, 81.1 percent FT

The votes were tight for our final first-team spot, but the nod went to the crown jewel of Memphis’ standout transfer portal class. He is the Tigers offense. Haggerty is second nationally and first among guards in terms of scoring — and no, he’s just not racking up empty calories against lackluster AAC teams. In Memphis’ seven nonconference games against top-50 opponents, Haggerty averaged 20.4 points per game, 6.9 of which came at the free-throw line. (He’s second nationally in free-throw attempts, too, with 8.9 per game.)

Haggerty put up similar counting stats as a redshirt freshman at Tulsa last season, with one major improvement this season: his 3-point shot. The 6-foot-3 guard shot 28.9 percent from deep last season, and on lesser volume, but is now a top-250 3-point shooter nationally to go along with his aggressiveness attacking the rim. That makes him one of the toughest one-on-one covers in America and a big reason to believe that Penny Hardaway can make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his tenure.

Second team

Mark Sears, graduate guard, Alabama

Stats: 18.1 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 82.8 percent FT, 34.8 percent 3PT

Sears was our lone unanimous preseason All-American, and while he came up just shy of the midseason first team, that’s liable to change amid Alabama’s push for the SEC title. He hasn’t been quite as potent offensively as he was last year when the Crimson Tide made the first Final Four in program history, but per CBB Analytics, he’s still one of just six high-major players averaging at least 18 points and four assists per game. (The other five? Flagg, Jones, West Virginia guard Javon Small, Northwestern wing Brooks Barnhizer and Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper.) That doesn’t mean Sears has been perfect — coach Nate Oats benched him in the second half of Alabama’s win Saturday over LSU — but before then, he was averaging 21.2 points and seven assists per game in conference play, while shooting 37.5 percent from 3 on 6.7 attempts per game.

If Sears has improved on anything since last season, it’s primarily as a creator and driver. Not only is Sears posting the best assist rate of his Alabama career, per KenPom, but his comfort running Oats’ offense is integral to the Tide leading the nation in adjusted tempo. And as a driver, Sears is putting more pressure on the rim than ever; he’s drawing 6.4 fouls per 40 minutes, per KenPom — a top-50 rate nationally — and has made the ninth-most free throws in Division I. Consider Saturday’s benching an irregularity for a player whose arrow was otherwise pointed up.

Eric Dixon, graduate forward, Villanova

Stats: 24.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 46.2 percent 3PT, 84.3 percent FT

The nation’s leading scorer might be the most dominant singular offensive player in college basketball. After primarily playing center his first four seasons on the Main Line, the 6-foot-8 graduate has become the best inside-out threat in the sport playing as more of a stretch-forward; he’s one of only four high-major players averaging at least 15 points per game while shooting above 45 percent from 3. (And that’s not just because he’s making one or two 3s per game; Dixon is attempting 7.3 3s per game, which is in the 99th percentile nationally, per CBB Analytics.) Dixon leads the country in offensive win shares, is fifth in usage rate and has dropped at least 20 points in 16 of the 20 games he’s played. He’s been especially lethal in the pick-and-pop, too. Per Synergy, Dixon has made 18 of his 32 3-point attempts as a roll man, good for a whopping 56.3 percent.

But through no fault of his own, Dixon is on the verge of infamy: becoming the latest high-major leading scorer to miss the NCAA Tournament. In the past 10 seasons, only Markelle Fultz at Washington has “earned” that designation, although Virginia Tech’s Erick Green also missed out in 2012-13. After Villanova’s road loss Friday at Marquette, which sunk the Wildcats to 12-9 overall, that reality is looking more likely.

Eric Dixon leads the nation in scoring, but can he carry Villanova to the NCAA Tournament? (Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

Javon Small, senior guard, West Virginia

Stats: 19.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 88.6 percent FT, 34.6 percent 3PT

Transfer of the year? Small certainly has an argument as the engine of a revamped team that looks NCAA Tournament-bound. The Mountaineers were picked to finish 13th in the Big 12 in the preseason, but WVU already has four Quad-1 wins, including a road victory over Kansas — and don’t forget about the team’s impressive nonconference resume, which includes wins over Gonzaga, Arizona and Georgetown. Small was supposed to be the Robin to Tucker DeVries’ Batman, but with DeVries sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, Small quickly emerged as Darian DeVries’ leading man. He’s averaging career highs in points, rebounds and steals while having the highest usage rate of his career. Most impressive though is how Small saved his best for West Virginia’s biggest games. In the Mountaineers’ four top-20 wins, the 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 21.3 points, seven rebounds and 5.3 assists, while making 28 of his 32 free-throw attempts.

Hunter Dickinson, graduate center, Kansas

Stats: 15.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.2 steals, 53.4 percent FG, 78.8 percent FT

Bill Self loaded up on high-profile names like AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen in the transfer portal last offseason, but once again, he’s fallen back on old reliable: Dickinson, one of the most consistent bigs in the country. Not only does the 7-foot-1 graduate lead Kansas in scoring and rebounding, but his nine double-doubles are tied for 11th-most in the country. Now, is Dickinson having his best season? No. His 3-point shot has trailed off significantly, he’s getting to the free-throw line less than ever, and his overall field goal percentage is a career low. But that he’s having, by most accounts, a “down” season and still makes this list tells you how dependable Dickinson is most nights.

Chaz Lanier, graduate wing, Tennessee

Stats: 18 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 42.3 percent 3PT, 77.6 percent FT

If not for Iowa State’s top two guards, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, splitting our panel’s vote, one of them would’ve earned our last spot. Lanier edged out both, as well as Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. and Stanford center Maxime Raynaud. That’s mostly because of Lanier’s nonconference performance, where he looked like one of the best pure scorers in the country. But since SEC play began, Lanier has been good, just not exceptional. In November and December, he averaged 19.6 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from 3. In January, he’s down to 14.9 points per game while shooting 35.1 percent from 3.

That said, Lanier has canned multiple 3s in all but three games this season. And he has arguably the quickest shot in the country. Lanier has the highest usage rate of his career, per KenPom — he’s third among all high-major players in the percentage of his team’s shots he takes, behind only Notre Dame’s Markus Burton and Dixon — while also posting the lowest turnover rate of his five college seasons. For Tennessee to make a push for the SEC championship, and another deep run in March, it’ll need Lanier to get back to being the pure flamethrower he was the first two months of the season.

Also receiving votes: Walter Clayton Jr., Florida (three votes); Curtis Jones, Iowa State (three votes); Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State (three votes); Maxime Raynaud, Stanford (three votes); Graham Ike, Gonzaga (two votes); Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee (two votes); Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois; Danny Wolf, Michigan; Emanuel Sharp, Houston; Great Osobor, Washington

(Voting panel: Brendan Marks, CJ Moore, Lindsay Schnell, Brendan Quinn, Brian Hamilton, Justin Williams, Scott Dochterman and Joe Rexrode)

(Top image: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Stew Milne, Patrick McDermott / Getty; Rich von Biberstein/ Icon Sportswire)