Grayson Allen power rankings: College basketball's 2025 love-to-hate list

Every college basketball fan remembers Grayson Allen, the Duke shooting guard whose game was overshadowed by his penchant for tripping opponents. Allen ran afoul of the basketball law on several occasions while wearing the Blue Devils jersey, continuing a long proud tradition of hated Duke players that includes Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner and JJ Redick.

On-court misdemeanors aside, Allen had a great career at Duke, helping Mike Krzyzewski win a national championship as a freshman and then starring for three more years. He's still kicking it (oops, poor word choice) in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, and by the looks of it, he seems to have reformed his ways and become a model citizen in recent years.

I'm a graduate of the University of North Carolina, so as much as I'd like to be the bigger man and forgive and forget Allen's past indiscretions, I'm afraid that my Tar Heel blue blood won't allow me to do such a thing. Much like universities will endow a scholarship in the name of an all-time great alum, we're going to create a new award with Allen's name on it. It's not exactly on par with the Wooden Award or the Naismith Award, but the Grayson Allen Award is still important because it recognizes the person in college basketball that we love to hate the most.

There's a lot of season left, so for now, let's create some power rankings to see who has a shot at winning this prestigious trophy (in case you're wondering, it's shaped like a foot, and it kicks when you press a button).

Had we awarded the Allen Award last year, fellow Duke alum Kyle Filipowski would have taken the (dis)honors for his near-perfect recreation of Allen's form when he tripped UNC's Harrison Ingram in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Filipowski also gets bonus points for denying that he did it on purpose. All things considered, this was the Nadia Comaneci perfect 10 of Allen performances, and isn't likely to be topped anytime soon.

One last note before we begin — our judges have deemed Texas Tech's JT Toppin as currently ineligible after he was ejected early in the Red Raiders' win over Houston this weekend for kicking an opposing player in the privates. Watching the replay, it's unclear if he did it on purpose, which is a requirement to be considered for this award. He is on the midseason watch list, however.

5. Kon Knueppel, Duke

To be clear, Kon Knueppel, Duke's freshman sensation that is not named Cooper Flagg, has done nothing but play great basketball this year. He actually outscored his more heralded classmate in dominating the Tar Heels on Saturday, and yes, that's the last I'd like to speak of it.

Knueppel certainly has the name and pigmentation to make a great Allen Award winner, but alas, that's not enough to take home the hardware. However, Allen Award bylaws do dictate that a Duke player must be in the top-five in voting at all times, so here he is.

4. Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

Since we weren't able to bestow this award last year, all Allen Award points rolled over for those that stayed in school. That's why Hunter Dickinson makes our list.

Dickinson would have finished runner-up to Filipowski last year for his boot to the head on Duke's Maliq Brown, a play that Allen himself would have been proud of, even if it did occur, unusually, against the Dukies. He also had a smorgasbord of elbows, grabs, and various other offenses that toed the line of legality and good taste.

Dickinson still gets into it with opposing players, but he hasn't done anything too egregious this year, which is why he's only in fourth as of right now. Don't count him out yet though, given that he's also the runaway favorite for the Perry Ellis "How is this guy still in college" award (he's got this one locked due to being a Jayhawk, like Ellis). That could give him the boost he needs if his feet do anything they're not supposed to the rest of the way.

3. BJ Freeman, Arizona St.

Caleb Love may no longer be in Chapel Hill, but after what he did to Duke in the 2022 Final Four, he'll always be a Tar Heel in my book. So when someone headbutts him, as BJ Freeman did on Saturday, my protective instinct kicks in.

Love and Freeman were both ejected, despite Love seeming to do nothing more than talking. The two teams didn't shake hands after the game, and Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley (we'll get to that family in a minute), had a few of not-so-nice things to say about Love afterwards. Hurley is, of course, a former Dukie himself, and it's only fair that a player that is Duke-adjacent gets special consideration from our esteemed panel of judges. So congratulations BJ Freeman on your current bronze medal standing.

2. Damian Dunn, Pitt

Just as the Wooden Award rewards strong character, the Allen Award ... well, let's just say it does the opposite. Repeat offenders have a leg up on the competition here, because we want someone that, like Allen, is evil for the love of the game. Everybody is entitled to a momentary slip-up in the heat of battle, but when there are multiple instances of true villainy, that's when we know we've found our man.

Damian Dunn fits our criteria to a T. Now at his third school in six years, he had a brutal foul last year as a member of the Houston Cougars that looked like he was trying to turn an Iowa St. player into Heath Ledger's Joker.

Now with Pitt (coached by former Dukie Jeff Capel — it's such a coincidence that this keeps happening!) Dunn got tossed in early January in the final minute of a blowout loss at Duke for ... what's the proper word here? Nut-punching? Yes, that's it. For nut-punching Duke guard Tyrese Proctor after Proctor shot a three.

Dunn's move was a bit more reminiscent of habitual nut-puncher and fellow ACC alum Chris Paul, but it's the thought that counts. This was a move that Allen would approve of, for sure.

1. Dan Hurley, UConn

We started this endeavor with the intention of finding the player in college basketball that we love to hate the most, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans. There can be no question who college basketball's greatest villain is this year, and he's not a player. He's Dan Hurley, head coach of the UConn Huskies.

Hurley is a snarling, barking, frothing lunatic on the sidelines, screaming at the referees and the players, regardless of which team they play for. His assistants' primary job isn't drawing up plays, but holding him back from committing a crime on the court. He got a tech in the final minute of a tie game against Memphis at the Maui Invitational, costing his team the game and precipitating a disastrous 0-3 Hawaiian trip.

This one was also from Maui, just one day later. Maybe he ate some bad spam?

Hurley raised (or lowered?) the bar two weeks ago against Butler, giving fans a glimpse of exactly how he sees himself.

The Huskies have won back-to-back championships, so nobody can even argue with Hurley that he's the best coach in college basketball. Would it kill him to show a little decency, though? Just as Bobby Knight was a legendary winner, Hurley is heading down the path where his temper is going to get him into trouble one of these days. He's the guy that college basketball fans love to hate, and barring a cataclysmic turn of events in the next two months, he's the heavy favorite to win the 2025 Grayson Allen Award.