College Basketball's Best Freshmen This Season

For the Past years of college basketball Freshman have been killing College basketball. With players like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and Ace Bailey have shown that age doesn’t matter when talent meets opportunity. This season is no different with multiple Freshmen already playing like future NBA stars.

#1 Darryn Peterson

In my opinon, Darryn Peterson is by far the best prospect and college freshman in college basketball this year. If I had the number 1 pick in the NBA draft, I would draft him without hesitation. He showed that in his matchup against #13 BYU, going head to head with another potential #1 pick in the NBA draft, AJ Dybantsa. Peterson dominated the moment, going off in the first half with 18 points, not shying away from the moment. Some people are questioning his ability and not ranking him high as the best prospect because of his recent injury history missing a couple of games.I believe it’s a short term issue that will resolve in the long game. But when Peterson is on the floor, there’s no doubt he is the best player. He can get to his spots effortlessly and knock down open, making his game look easy.

#2 Cameron Boozer

Cameron Boozer has been the most dominant player in college basketball right now with leading Duke in almost every stat, he’s looking quite unstoppable in every game. He clear frontrunner for Freshman of the Year candidate. He’s averaging about 23.5 points, 4.1 assists and 9.8 rebounds per game on 59% shooting, which is very efficient and rare to see for a Freshman. He has already recorded 4 30+ point games, including a insane performance against #22 Arkansas with a very efficient 35 points on just 11 shots. While his 3pt shooting (about 38%) could still improve thats not a major concern, especially for a big. Once he becomes more consistent from deep, he will be a absolute nightmare matchup.

#3 AJ Dybantsa

AJ Dybantsa is one of the most highly touted prospects having a deal with Nike and coming out of high school as the #1 ranked player, the spotlight has been on him since day 1. At BYU he’s averaging about 23.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, and he recently made history by breaking the school’s single game Freshman scoring record with 43 points, shooting 62% from the field against Utah. That was by far one of the best performances I’ve seen from a Freshman and could easily be a #1 draft pick. His 3 point shooting is (around 32%) still needs work, but once that becomes more consistent, he could easily rise to the top of this list.

#4 Darius Acuff Jr.

At just 6’3, Darius Acuff Jr. plays much bigger than his size. He’s a very strong point guard, who can get to a bucket whenever he wants. In my opinion, he’s the best point guard in this years class. Playing under Coach Calipari at Arkansas, there’s no surprise. He’s averaging 20.3 points per game and tied the SEC record with being Freshmen of the week 6x already this season. He recently dropped 31 points against LSU, completely taking over the game.

#5 Caleb Wilson

Caleb Wilson might be the most intriguing prospect on this list. He has a incredibly high ceiling and honestly he could end up surpassing everyone ranked above him. Wilson is averaging 20 points and 9.8 rebound per game, which is impressive on it’s own. Standing at 6’10, he moves like a guard, which makes him extremely difficult to defend. Because of the team he plays many people might overlook him, but don’t be surprised if he becomes a household name by the end of the season.

# 6 Kingston Flemings

Kingston Flemings is one of the most underrated freshmen in college basketball right now. Playing one a very experienced Houston team, he’s still managed to emerge and stand out as their lead guard. His breakout moment came against #12 Texas Tech, where he dropped a incredible 42 points, shooting 57% from the field. Buy stock into Flemings now, before everyone else catches on. He’s a future star and should absolutely be in the top-10 NBA draft conversation.

#7 Keaton Wagler

Keaton Wagler is another player who hasn’t seen a bunch of attention, until recently. His breakout performance came against #4 Purdue, where he exploded for 46 points setting both a single-game school record and single game three-point record by hitting 9 threes. Shooting 76% from the field in that game is unreal. Standing a 6’6 and averaging 18 points per game, Wagler has officially put himself on the map.