Who would make a college basketball all-star game? Flemings, Stirtz and the West team

If the NBA can have an All-Star game, then why can’t college basketball? Particularly in this star-studded season full of fabulous freshmen, a showcase contest between the best of the best in the sport would be an unbelievable spectacle. Realistic? No. But fun to dream about? Absolutely.

These theoretical West and East teams use the Mississippi River as the dividing line. That still probably tilts the talent pool towards the east, but with most of the loaded Big 12 residing in the west, this would likely still be a hyper-competitive contest.

We will start with that West squad, which sprinkles in a couple of Big Ten studs to go with that phenomenal Big 12 contingent. Stay tuned for the East All-Stars, coming tomorrow.

Starters

Kingston Flemings, G, Houston

One of the bigger surprises in the freshman class, Flemings has become the undisputed alpha for a team that returned three starters from the national runner-up. He is lightning quick getting to the rim, he is excellent in the mid-range, and he has been better than advertised from beyond the arc. He is among the national leaders in every single all-in-one statistical metric: EvanMiya’s BPR, CBB Analytics’ RAPM, PER, Win Shares, etc. Flemings is likely the most talented player Kelvin Sampson has ever coached, and his one-on-one scoring might be what gets Sampson and the Cougars over the ultimate hump in the NCAA Tournament.

Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa

After following Ben McCollum from Drake (and Northwest Missouri State before that), Stirtz has somehow gotten even better this year despite playing a Big Ten schedule instead of a Missouri Valley one. His shooting percentages have all risen, and he is still playing one of the heaviest minutes loads in the entire sport (91.0 percent of Iowa’s minutes, 11th-highest in the country).

Two of the most impressive Stirtz stats: For someone perceived as having an athleticism deficiency, he is shooting 75.3 percent at the rim, per CBB Analytics, which puts him in the 92nd percentile nationally. He is also shooting 40.6 percent from 3, despite having only 37.5 percent of his makes assisted (second percentile).

Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State

Jefferson is the catalyst for a top-five team in the country, and yet he has somehow flown under the national radar. He has sat second in KenPom’s Player of the Year measure for nearly the whole season, lurking behind heavy favorite Cam Boozer, yet he has nowhere near the same level of hype. He is essentially a poor man’s Boozer. He can bully his way inside, initiate the offense as a point forward, knock down perimeter jumpers. In fact, per Bart Torvik, only two players in the country satisfy the following criteria: usage rate over 25 percent, assist rate over 25 percent, and defensive rebound rate over 20 percent. Those two? Boozer and Jefferson.

Jefferson will likely rise in profile as Iowa State’s schedule stiffens. The Cyclones still play Kansas, Houston, BYU, Texas Tech and Arizona over the course of the regular season.

Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas

Bidunga has been the Jayhawks’ interior rock all season long. He painted his masterpiece against No. 1 Arizona on Monday, racking up 23 points and 10 rebounds against arguably the most imposing frontcourt in the country. His blend of explosive athleticism and patient footwork is a rarity. And then you have the defensive end, where he might be the front-runner for National Defensive Player of the Year thanks to his versatility and rim denials. He has had multiple blocked shots in every game since Jan. 10, including seven against Utah this past weekend, and he is the clear anchor for a top-10 defense.

JT Toppin, F/C, Texas Tech

Like Bidunga, Toppin is a bouncy southpaw who has been invaluable for a Final Four contender. The two have different games, though, as Toppin is more refined offensively thanks to his divine touch on floaters and half-hooks around the basket. It is a stunner any time he fails to finish inside, and he is dominant on the glass as well. He is shooting over 60 percent from inside the arc in 12 “Tier A” games, as defined by KenPom, displaying his high-level ability against elite competition.

Bench

Jaden Bradley, Arizona

With sincere apologies to big Mo Krivas, Bradley has been the engine for arguably the best team in the country. Appropriately, every metric at CBB Analytics adores him.

He’s a steady playmaker on the ball, lethal in transition, a terrific defender, and, perhaps most importantly, he’s gotten the Wildcats some colossal buckets late in their limited number of close games. Some of his best games have come when Arizona needed it most: 27 points and five assists against Florida in Vegas, 21 points at UConn, 23 points and five assists at UCF, 26 points at BYU.

Christian Anderson, Texas Tech

Texas Tech is the only team in the “West” to which I awarded two all-stars. I tried to avoid it since there are so many great players, but Anderson and Toppin have both been indispensable.

Anderson has been dazzling offensively, as both his per-game and advanced stats are comfortably among the country’s elite. He is up there with Stirtz as one of the best off-the-dribble 3-point shooters nationally, and his interplay with Toppin in ball screens has been devastating for the opposition. Per CBB Analytics, Anderson has assisted Toppin on 65 baskets this year; only one other combo (Central Connecticut’s Jay Rodgers and Max Frazier) has even hit 50-plus connections.

Mason Falslev, Utah State

Falslev sneaks on this team just ahead of Saint Louis’ Robbie Avila for a bit of mid-major flavor. He’s a dominant wing scorer for the Aggies, who now sit inside the top 30 at KenPom and the NET. He can hit jumpers, but he is more comfortable getting downhill or playing in transition. He is wildly efficient and knows how to set up his teammates. Falslev is also a menace in Utah State’s zone defense, using his terrific anticipation and pesky hands to rank in the top 40 nationally in steal rate.

AJ Dybantsa, BYU

It is probably a mild upset to see Dybantsa coming off the bench for this team, and if there was a fan vote, he’d probably be suiting up for the opening tip. But BYU’s recent skid dropped him to the bench for me, even though those losses are hardly all Dybantsa’s fault. He is a preternatural scoring threat from the wing, and his combination of size and athleticism has helped him live at the free-throw line (top 10 nationally in free-throw attempts). His playmaking has been a sneaky-strong asset this year, which has been vital for a team that is limited in that department.

Darius Acuff, Arkansas

The emergence of Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings has overshadowed Acuff, one of the most highly touted freshman lead guards in the glass. But that’s no slight on Acuff, who has been tremendous all year as the Razorbacks’ alpha. He has been especially deadly as a closer, using his speed and feathery touch to get into the rim and finish over size at crucial moments. Per CBB Analytics, he is shooting 69.4 percent at the rim, an outstanding number for a 6-3 rookie guard, and he is connecting on over 41% of his 3s, as well. He’s not a great defender yet, but his enormous offensive impact is enough to earn him a spot.

Rienk Mast, Nebraska

I went back and forth on whether to include Mast or Sandfort from Nebraska. Sandfort’s advanced metrics are surprisingly a little better than Mast’s. Plus, Nebraska nearly won at Michigan without Mast. But I still think the big Dutchman is the skeleton key to Fred Hoiberg’s five-out attack thanks to his proficient shooting and outstanding passing vision, and he is an extremely stout interior defender. Selfishly, my all-star squad also has a need for a big man.

Graham Ike, Gonzaga

It came down to Ike or Avila for the final big man slot. Both teams have been exceptional, though Gonzaga sits a notch above Saint Louis at every analytical outlet. Ike’s individual scoring numbers are much better than Avila’s, which offsets the massive gap in playmaking ability. Ike is one of the most dominant post-up players in the country: per Synergy, he ranks in the 89th percentile in frequency and the 94th percentile in efficiency. For a Zags squad that has tilted more towards defense on the perimeter, Ike has been invaluable – especially with Braden Huff missing time due to injury.

Honorable mention: Robbie Avila, Saint Louis; Darryn Peterson, Kansas; Motiejus Krivas, Arizona; Milan Momcilovic, Iowa St.; Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska; Rashaun Agee, Texas A&M; Hannes Steinbach, Washington; Boopie Miller, SMU; Richie Saunders, BYU; Paulius Murauskas, Saint Mary’s.

A note on Peterson: He is clearly one of the best players in the country, but he has only played in 13 of KU’s 24 games.

An earlier version of this story did not include Darius Acuff of Arkansas on the West roster. Acuff, who plays for Arkansas, was initially placed on the East team, but he should be in consideration for the West team. Also, with Acuff’s addition to the West team, Texas’ Dailyn Swain has been removed from our roster.