Ranking the top 10 men’s college basketball freshman of the year contenders

The availability of Kansas’ Darrin Peterson has been a major story in college basketball this season, especially after the projected top pick in the 2026 NBA draft missed his team’s win over No. 1 Arizona last week in Lawrence.

But another program is now heading into uncharted waters without its star freshman: North Carolina. The Tar Heels will be without Caleb Wilson, who broke his left hand in last week’s loss at Miami. On Monday, Hubert Davis said Wilson could return “soon” even though the program’s official announcement about the injury listed him “indefinitely.”

Wilson retains his No. 4 spot in this week’s freshman rankings, but his late return could still affect the rankings, and UNC’s entire season ahead of Sunday’s selection.

While Cameron Boozer may be in a league of his own in every national award race, this week’s movement in the freshman rankings proves that the individual status of the most talented freshman over the years isn’t even close to solidifying.

Previous Rank: 1

Biggest performance so far: 30 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals vs. Stanford on Jan. 17

The gap between Boozer and everyone else for No. 1 in this ranking — and No. 1 in any Player of the Year ranking — hasn’t narrowed, even as Boozer’s stat lines have looked a bit more human in recent weeks. For Buzzer, though, everything is relative. He still had 24 points and 11 rebounds against North Carolina; 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists against Pitt; 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Clemson; And, this week, 22 points and 12 boards against Syracuse. Like we said, it’s all relative. He entered the week second among all freshmen in scoring, fourth in rebounds and in the top 20 in assists and steals — doing so for a team ranked No. 3 nationally. The rest of the way he is incredibly hard to topple. — Jeff Borzello

the game

Cameron Boozer’s 22-point double-double fueled Duke’s streak

Cameron Boozer scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as No. 3 Duke knocked off Syracuse.

Previous Rank: 3

Biggest performance so far: 43 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Utah on Jan. 24

Losing Richie Saunders to a season-ending knee injury will put more weight on Debantser’s shoulders in the latter part of the season. But a full fall — with games against Arizona, Iowa State and Texas Tech remaining on the schedule — could also make the road to Sunday’s election even more daunting. Dibantsa seems built for pressure, though. He averaged 29.1 points and 4.5 assists over his last seven games, shooting 44% from the 3-point line. Dibantsa is becoming one of the most complete players in the country. — Myron Medcalf

Previous Rank: 7

Biggest performance so far: 49 points, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 6-for-10 from 3-point range vs. Alabama on Feb. 18

Acuff has been sensational recently, playing himself in the top 10 of NBA mock drafts. He’s also making a real push for SEC Player of the Year honors, leading the league in both scoring and assists in conference games. His best performance on Wednesday night was 49 points, five assists and just one turnover, making six 3-pointers. In his previous six games entering the week, Acuff had averaged eye-popping numbers: 26.2 points, 6.5 assists, 1.7 turnovers — while shooting 50% from beyond the arc. — Borjello

Previous Rank: 4

Biggest performance so far: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals vs. Kansas on Nov. 7

After an epic 23-point effort in a win over Duke, Wilson broke his hand in the next game, a loss at Miami. Now, Tar Heels fans will have to wait for the projected top-five draft pick to return. He responded to concerned fans on social media, making it clear in multiple posts that his season was not over. UNC may have to navigate the final weeks of the regular season — including matchups against Louisville, Clemson and Duke — as the nation awaits the potential return of one of America’s best talents. If he can make it back, Wilson could be college basketball’s greatest comeback story. — Medcalf

Previous Rank: 5

Biggest performance so far: 46 points, 4 assists, 9-for-11 from Jan. 24 3 vs. Purdue

Wagler is coming off his breakout 46-point performance since late January. He’s posted three more games of 22-plus points — including last week’s loss to Wisconsin, when he finished with 34 points and seven assists and went 5-for-10 from 3. He averaged 21.5 points, 45.2% shooting from 3-point range, rebounds and 4.53 in Big Ten games. With Keelan Boswell out, Wagler had to take on more attacking duties. With Boswell now back from injury, the star freshman should excel with less defensive focus. — Borjello

Previous Rank: 6

Biggest performance so far: 42 points, 6 assists vs. Texas Tech on Jan. 24

The Cougars won six straight games before losing to Iowa State on Monday night. During that time, Flemings had 30 assists with Kelvin Sampson as the primary playmaker. But entering Monday in the previous two games — when he scored 22 points — Flemings also went 4-for-22 from the field and committed five turnovers. For the first time in months, he looked like a freshman, rather than a seasoned guard, with those brief stumbles proving what Sampson has preached all year: Flemings is still a teenager, with a lot to learn. — Medcalf

Previous Rank: Unranked

Biggest performance so far: 45 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 10-for-16 from 3-point range vs. NC State on Feb. 9

Brown had the best three-game run in college basketball over the past eight days, easily deserving of a spot back in the rankings after nearly two months out. Highlight performance: 45 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals on 14-for-23 shooting against NC State. He was 10-for-16 from 3 and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. He then followed that performance with 29 points, 6 assists and 5 steals against Baylor on 8-for-14 shooting, going 5-4 from 3 and making nine of his foul shots — and then He had 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4-for-8 shooting from 3 in the loss to SMU. It’s been a remarkable stretch: In those three games, he’s averaging 34.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.3 steals and 60.0% shooting percentage from the field, 62.1% from 3 and 100% from the free-throw line. — Borjello

Previous Rank: 9

Biggest performance so far: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists Jan. 24 at Alabama

It took a few months, but Ament finally seems like the five-star high school recruit the top programs were chasing last year. Rick Barnes has made more and more demands of his team’s top NBA prospects in recent weeks, and Ament certainly delivers. He had averaged 23.5 points over the past seven contests entering Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma. The Vols also went 6-1 over that stretch, a testament to what the 6-foot-10 forward is capable of when he plays to his potential. The Vols currently sport a top-25 defense, are the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in America — and their young star is blossoming at the right time. — Medcalf

Previous Rank: 2

Biggest performance so far: 26 points, 3 assists, 11-of-13 FG in 23 minutes vs. Baylor on Jan. 16

Peterson hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, mainly since his 26-point performance on Jan. 16. Sure, there have been a few absences: missing the win over Kansas State with a sprained ankle, missing the win over then-No. Arizona with flu-like symptoms. In fact, since that January 16 game against Baylor, Peterson is averaging just 15.4 points and 2.8 rebounds on 42.4% shooting. He is very good at not bouncing down the stretch of the season, but one can make the case that his previous two games were his least effective. — Borjello

Previous Rank: 8

Biggest performance so far: 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals vs. BYU on Jan. 26

Even though Arizona suffered its first loss of the season last week at Kansas, one thing was clear: Tommy Lloyd trusted Burris to have the ball in his hands in a tight game. Burris’ 25 points in an 82-78 loss didn’t help the Wildcats escape Lawrence with the win, but he hit a flurry of tough shots to keep them alive. The 6-4 guard is one of the most solid players in America. He has become one of its better shooters (39% from beyond the arc in Big 12 play). — Medcalf