Key
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded at that point |
| Awarded for | the most outstanding NCAA men's basketball players in all levels of competition |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| History | |
| First award | 1961 |
| Most recent | Zach Edey, Purdue |
| Website | Website |
The Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year award was established in 1961 to recognize the best men's college basketball player of the year, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP).
The only three-time winner is Ralph Sampson of the Virginia Cavaliers program. Lew Alcindor, Jerry Lucas, David Thompson, and Bill Walton each won the award twice.
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded at that point |
| School | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Duke | 7 | 1963, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2019 |
| UCLA | 5 | 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1977 |
| Ohio State | 4 | 1961, 1962, 1964, 2010 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 1984, 1998, 2008 |
| Virginia | 3 | 1981, 1982, 1983 |
| Indiana | 2 | 1976, 1993 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 2012, 2022 |
| LSU | 2 | 1970, 1991 |
| Michigan | 2 | 1966, 2013 |
| NC State | 2 | 1974, 1975 |
| Purdue | 2 | 1994, 2023 |
| Arizona | 1 | 1989 |
| Bradley | 1 | 1988 |
| Brigham Young | 1 | 2011 |
| Cincinnati | 1 | 2000 |
| Creighton | 1 | 2014 |
| Dayton | 1 | 2020 |
| DePaul | 1 | 1980 |
| Georgetown | 1 | 1985 |
| Houston | 1 | 1968 |
| Indiana State | 1 | 1979 |
| Iowa | 1 | 2021 |
| Kansas | 1 | 2017 |
| La Salle | 1 | 1990 |
| Marquette | 1 | 1978 |
| Maryland | 1 | 1995 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 1996 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 2016 |
| Navy | 1 | 1987 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 1971 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 2009 |
| Princeton | 1 | 1965 |
| Saint Joseph's | 1 | 2004 |
| St. John's | 1 | 1986 |
| Texas | 1 | 2007 |
| Utah | 1 | 2005 |
| Villanova | 1 | 2018 |
| Wake Forest | 1 | 1997 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 2015 |
| Xavier | 1 | 2003 |