Ranking the best freshmen in men's college basketball
It's similar from an NBA perspective. Miller was the only college player chosen in the top five of the 2023 NBA draft, while last year featured just two college players -- freshmen Reed Sheppard and Stephon Castle -- in the top six. June's NBA draft could feature four or five freshmen in a row at the top of the board.
Here's some context. Entering the week, there were 24 players ranked in the ESPN 100 for 2024 who are now averaging double figures in scoring on their college team. At this point last season, there were just 16 hitting that mark. That group of 24 also doesn't include Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis, BYU's Egor Demin and SMU's Samet Yigitoglu, all of whom are freshmen and would be considered elite recruits had they not been playing professionally overseas before coming to college.
The top of the class is living up to the hype, with 21 of those 24 double-figure scorers ranked in the top 45 coming out of high school. More than 20 players from this class would have been shoo-ins for top-10 freshmen rankings in years past.
Of course, roles will change as the season progresses; some freshmen will get more comfortable with the college game while others will hit a wall. But things are looking awfully rosy for the current freshman class. Let's take stock of the group.
Stats through Dec. 9 games
Top 10 so far
1. Cooper Flagg, Duke Blue Devils
Flagg isn't putting up Zion numbers during his first several weeks at Duke, but he's still been the best freshman -- and one of the best players, period -- in the country. He's averaging 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, and he's played his best basketball in big games: 26 points and 11 rebounds vs. Kentucky; 24 points vs. Arizona; 22 points and 11 rebounds vs. Auburn; 20 points and 12 boards vs. Louisville. Flagg also ranks No. 2 in KenPom's Player of the Year standings.
2. Dylan Harper, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Harper has been sensational at Rutgers, firmly positioning himself as the best guard in the 2025 NBA draft. He was incredible in Las Vegas at the Players Era Festival, posting a two-game total of 73 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while getting to the free throw line 30 times. Harper has been nearly impossible to stop when he goes to the basket. He is averaging 23.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
3. Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois Fighting Illini
Jakucionis has surged to No. 3 in these rankings a terrific four-game stretch. He entered Tuesday averaging 14.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists, while shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range -- but after going for 24 points, six rebounds and five assists against Wisconsin, he's now averaging 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists over his last four games -- making nearly 56% of his 3-point attempts. The Lithuania native entered college with plenty of hype, and he's living up to it.
4. Derik Queen, Maryland Terrapins
A skilled 6-foot-10 big man from Baltimore, Queen stayed home for college, and Kevin Willard has to be grateful every day for that decision. Queen is averaging 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists, also adding more than one steal and one block per game. He opened his career with 22 points and 20 rebounds against Manhattan and has barely slowed down since then. Queen is coming off a 26-point, 12-rebound effort against Purdue, in which he also hit his first two 3s of the campaign.
5. Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Bailey came into college as the most likely player to push Flagg for the No. 1 pick in the draft. While Bailey's teammate, Harper, has been better through the first month-plus of the season, Bailey has shown otherworldly flashes, especially when it comes to making tough shots. The 6-foot-10 small forward is averaging 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds, shooting 36.7% from 3. In two games against Alabama and Texas A&M, he totaled 46 points and 14 rebounds. Bailey also had 15 and 15 on Tuesday night against Penn State.
6. Tre Johnson, Texas Longhorns
Johnson developed a reputation in high school for being maybe the best pure scorer in the 2025 class, in terms of being able to score at all three levels and possessing deep range and supreme confidence. It's played out that way in Austin. He's averaging 21.1 points, shooting nearly 44% from 3-point range. He had 29 points and four assists against Ohio State and 24 points and four assists against UConn, leading the Longhorns in scoring in seven of nine games.
7. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma is one of the eight remaining unbeaten teams in college basketball, emerging as the surprise winner of the Battle 4 Atlantis last month. And Fears, who reclassified and committed to Oklahoma over the summer, has been a major catalyst. He's averaging 16.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists and was terrific in some of the Sooners' biggest games. He had 26 points and five assists against Arizona and 20 points and seven assists vs. Providence.
8. Boogie Fland, Arkansas Razorbacks
John Calipari knows how to recruit high-level point guards and Fland -- who initially committed to Calipari at Kentucky -- is the latest one in that assembly line. He's also been the best guard on a team that hasn't quite clicked on the perimeter yet. The New York native was averaging 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists, shooting better than 40% from 3, entering Tuesday night. He then had 20 points and seven assists against Michigan. He's scored at least 20 points three times and more than held his own against veteran guards from Baylor, Miami and Michigan.
9. Egor Demin, BYU Cougars
From an NBA perspective, Demin would be much higher on this list, given his 6-foot-9 size and ability to shoot, pass and handle the ball. But he's been a little more inconsistent than some of the other players in this elite tier, including an 0-for-10 showing against Providence earlier this month. But Demin is still an incredible talent, and he's shown the full arsenal at times this season, including a career-opening 18-point, 11-assist game against Central Arkansas. He's averaging 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
10. Asa Newell, Georgia Bulldogs
Newell was overshadowed at Montverde Academy (Florida) by Flagg and Queen, but he was still a five-star prospect -- and he's now stepped into the limelight in Athens. He started his career with 26 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee Tech and is averaging 15.9 points and 6.6 rebounds. Newell has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season and had 20 points and 11 rebounds earlier this month against Notre Dame.
Rest of the best
Edgecombe has been bothered by a hamstring injury the past couple of weeks, which has slowed his first-month performance. But after a rocky start against Gonzaga, he began to right the ship before getting hurt. He had the best game of his young career against Tennessee in the Bahamas, finishing with 20 points and three 3-pointers. He's averaging 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Will Riley, Illinois
Riley has taken a back seat on the offensive end to Jakucionis over the past couple of weeks, but he had one of the best single-game performances of any freshman this season when he scored 31 points and went 5-for-6 from 3 against Eastern Illinois to open the season. He's still averaging 15.0 points, and the 6-foot-8 Canada native is shooting nearly 43% from 3-point range.
Thomas Sorber, Georgetown Hoyas
There was considerable buzz coming out of the nation's capital in the preseason about Sorber, and it looks warranted. He's putting up 15.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists, adding 1.7 blocks and 1.6 steals. Sorber opened the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds against Lehigh and has tallied a pair of double-doubles since then -- while also scoring 20-plus points three times.
While McNeeley's outside shot has been inconsistent -- including an 0-for-9 game against Dayton -- he's continued to make an impact in a variety of ways. He opened his college career with two double-doubles and has also scored 20 points against Colorado and 17 against Baylor. He's averaging 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds this season.
Donnie Freeman, Syracuse Orange
Through eight games, Freeman already has four double-doubles, including a pair of 20-10 games. He had 23 points and 12 boards against Cornell and finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds against Notre Dame. He's a terrific athlete with a nose for the ball when it comes off the glass. The Washington D.C. native is averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds.
Joson Sanon and Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State Sun Devils
Since a loss to Gonzaga on Nov. 10 -- when Sanon took just four shots and finished with three points -- the New England native has been on a tear. Over his past six games, he's averaging 19.7 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting nearly 59% from 3-point range. Quaintance, meanwhile, is not putting up anything close to those scoring numbers, but he has two double-doubles and is averaging 3.4 blocks per game.
Kon Knueppel, Duke
When Knueppel opened the season with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting against Maine, it seemed like the October buzz about the Milwaukee native was playing out as expected. And while he's been more inconsistent on the offensive end since then, he's shown more playmaking ability, dishing out eight assists against Kansas and six against Louisville. He's averaging 12.4 points and 3.6 assists.
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State Buckeyes
Mobley hasn't started a game for Ohio State yet, but he's established himself as one of the premier 3-point shooters in the country. He opened his career going 4-for-4 against Texas and has hit multiple 3s in all but two games this season. Through nine games, Mobley is averaging 12.9 points and shooting nearly 56% from 3-point range.
Robert Wright III, Baylor
Another player who has been exclusively coming off the bench this season, Wright looks like a future star in Waco. He's hit double figures in all but one game, including 17 points against St. John's in the Bahamas and 22 points and four assists against UConn. He's averaging 13.1 points and 4.6 assists, showing the same toughness and aggressiveness that made him so effective at Montverde.