AP All-America Teams revealed ahead of NCAA Tournament
A historic freshman class has officially left their mark on college basketball. Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa and Darius Acuff Jr. were all named first-team AP All-Americans on Tuesday.
The trio headlines a group that lived up to enormous preseason expectations. They arrived as part of one of the most hyped recruiting classes in recent memory, and quickly proved why. Check out the full list of players chosen below.
First Team
- Cameron Boozer, Duke
- AJ Dybantsa, BYU
- Darius Acuff, Arkansas
- Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
- JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Second Team
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
- Braden Smith, Purdue
- Jeremy Fears, Michigan State
- Keaton Wagler, Illinois
- Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
Third Team
- Kingston Flemings, Houston
- Labaron Philon, Alabama
- Thomas Haugh, Florida
- Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
- Graham Ike, Gonzaga
Moreover, Boozer was a freshman standout for Duke, and he was rewarded with a unanimous selection among the 61 voters. He follows in the footsteps of former Blue Devil Cooper Flagg, who earned the same honor as a freshman last season.
“He’s all about his teammates,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said. “He’s not about numbers. He’s about winning.”
That mindset translated into results. Boozer led Duke to both ACC regular-season and tournament championships, helping secure the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Dybantsa and Acuff were equally impactful. Dybantsa, the nation’s leading scorer at 25.3 points per game, earned first-team honors on all but four ballots while powering BYU to a strong season. Acuff, meanwhile, became Arkansas’ first first-team All-American since 1979, cementing his place in program history.
Rounding out the first team were Yaxel Lendeborg of Michigan and JT Toppin of Texas Tech. Lendeborg helped guide Michigan to a No. 1 seed, becoming the program’s first first-team All-American since Trey Burke in 2012-13.
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“This has been the best year of my life,” Lendeborg said, reflecting on a season that elevated both his game and his team.
Toppin’s selection came despite adversity. The Texas Tech star suffered a torn ACL in February, cutting his season short, but his impact was undeniable as he became the first first-team All-American in program history.
“You know how much JT loves our team,” head coach Grant McCasland said. “He’s an unbelievable competitor.”
Together, the five selections represent a blend of elite young talent and proven production. The group not only dominated the regular season, but now they’re turning their attention to March, where their legacies can grow even further.