Men's Basketball Top 10 Freshman of the Year Contenders Reranked

We've considered this to be the best freshman class in recent memory: standout performances from stars like BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson have been cornerstones of that theory. But the good thing about this class is that it is full of high-level players who could become household names by the end of March.

Have you heard of Hannes Steinbach, the 6-foot-11 German forward who averages a double-double for the Washington Huskies? Keep reading. What about Keaton Wagler, a four-star guard who didn't earn a spot on the SC Next 100 high school recruiting rankings but could reach the first round of the 2026 NBA draft? Or Killyan Toure, the Iowa State freshman who is a versatile force for one of America's best teams?

All three made it to ESPN's latest rankings of Freshmen of the Year candidates, while projected lottery picks like Arizona's Koa Peat and Tennessee's Nate Ament have fallen from our top 10 after not playing up to their potential in recent weeks.

With the goal of highlighting freshmen who play the best basketball. right nowWe also left out Kansas star and projected No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson, whose injury problems have meant he hasn't met our criteria of participating in at least 50% of his team's games.

Previous ranking: 1

Highest performance yet: 35 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists against Arkansas on November 27

Boozer remains the clear favorite for Freshman of the Year and National Player of the Year, producing at an incredibly high level against one of the toughest schedules in the country. He's had some lulls in the first halves of certain games (0 points vs. Texas, 7 vs. Kansas, 2 at Michigan State), but his dominance when it matters remains unmatched. In those three aforementioned games, Boozer still finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds against Texas; 18 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists against Kansas; and 18 points, 15 rebounds and 5 rebounds against Michigan State. Entering the week, he led the country in scoring with 23.0 points per game and was in the top 20 in rebounds with 9.9 per game. –Jeff Borzello

Previous ranking: 2

Highest performance yet: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists against Clemson in New York City on December 9

When BYU gave up a 21-0 run late in the first half against Clemson last week, it seemed like the Cougars had been humiliated by their fifth halftime deficit of the season. Dybantsa then took control in the second half, showing just how talented he is in the race for the top pick by scoring or assisting on 34 of his 45 points in the second half, according to ESPN Research. No player has had a better second-half stretch than we witnessed since the freshman sensation in a comeback victory over the Tigers. -Myron Medcalf

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AJ Dybantsa rises for the slam against UC Riverside Highlanders

AJ Dybantsa shakes the rim with a powerful jam

Previous ranking: 3

Highest performance yet: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists against Kansas on November 7

Wilson shows no signs of slowing down, and as NBA scouts Jeremy Woo and I spoke to recently indicated, the gap between him and Dybantsa isn't as wide as one might think. Wilson entered the week inside the top 50 nationally in scoring (19.4) and among the top 10 in rebounding (10.6), recording seven double-doubles in his last eight games. He continues to find ways to impact games, even when he's not particularly efficient from the field. Take, for example, his performance against Kentucky. He wasn't at his best offensively, shooting just 5 of 19, but he still made his presence felt with 15 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high 6 assists. –Borzello

Previous ranking: 6

Highest performance yet: 17 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds against Louisville on December 3

Since Arkansas' loss to Duke on Nov. 27, the Razorbacks have been eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency and have made 40% of their 3-point attempts, according to barttorvik.com. And Acuff's brilliance has been the key factor in that rise. In the first three games of December, which included wins over ranked teams Louisville and Texas Tech, Acuff averaged 18.3 points and connected on 57% of his shots inside the arc. He also nearly posted a 4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio during that stretch. Acuff will enter the conference in January as a serious contender for SEC Player of the Year. — Medcalf

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Darius Acuff Jr. heavens for a big jam

Darius Acuff Jr. heavens for a big jam

Previous ranking: Unclassified

Highest performance yet: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists against UCLA on December 3

Steinbach, one of three new names in the latest edition of this ranking, returned from an ankle injury that cost him three games in November to play some of the best basketball in the country. He had 29 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists in a two-point loss to UCLA; 24 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists in a win at USC; then 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in just 23 minutes against Southern Utah. The Germany native has been remarkably efficient, shooting 65% from the field with a KenPom offensive rating in the top 50 nationally. Entering the week, he was averaging 17.9 points and 11.9 rebounds, tied for first in the country in the latter category. –Borzello

Previous ranking: 5

Highest performance yet: 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 1 block against Auburn on November 16

Houston ranks 357th among 365 Division I teams in adjusted pace, and Flemings is fourth among the team's starters in shooting percentage when he's on the court, both according to KenPom. All of that means Flemings has fewer opportunities to influence games because of Houston's slower pace. If you imagine him as a freshman who played 40 instead of 28.9 minutes per game, he would look like a bona fide superstar: His averages would extrapolate from 14.8 to 20.4 points per game, 4.9 to 6.8 points per game, and 2.0 to 2.8 points per game. Still, he loses a spot due to recent lackluster efforts against Jacksonville State and Notre Dame. — Medcalf

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Kingston Flemings knocks down shot

Kingston Flemings practices basket against New Orleans Privateers

Previous ranking: 4

Highest performance yet: 29 points, 5 assists against Kentucky on November 11

Brown drops a couple of spots after some uneven performances in recent weeks, especially when it comes to filming. Part of this could possibly be attributed to a lower back injury that kept him out of Tuesday's loss to Tennessee. Since his breakout performance against Kentucky, Brown is shooting 32.9% from the field and 25% from 3 in his last seven games, including just 18.2% from 3 since our last update two weeks ago. On the plus side, he still went toe-to-toe with Acuff in their head-to-head matchup on December 3 and finished with 22 points, 16 of which came in the second half as Louisville attempted a comeback against Arkansas. –Borzello

Previous ranking: Unclassified

Highest performance yet: 19 points and 10 assists against Nebraska on December 13

Wagler, a four-star recruit in the class of 2025, didn't enjoy the hype his peers enjoyed in high school, but he continues to prove he belongs in the conversation of the most talented freshmen with elite efforts in Illinois' most challenging games. He finished with 19 points and 10 assists in a close loss to Nebraska last Saturday. He had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in the victory over Tennessee. And he scored 23 points in the win over Ohio State. The 6-foot-6 standout tends to have a great freshman season, shooting 38.9% from 3 so far. — Medcalf

Previous ranking: Unclassified

Highest performance yet: 28 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists against Alabama on December 13

After the top three, there may not be anyone on this list who has played better basketball in recent weeks than Burries. Burries, a five-star prospect, got off to a slow start, averaging just 7.8 points in his first five games while shooting 33.3% from the field and 29.4% from three. But in his last four games, Burries is averaging 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, shooting 56.9% from the field and 39.1% from three. He was fantastic in last Saturday's win over Alabama with 28 points. and five triples. –Borzello

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Brayden Burries flies for a Wildcats dunk

Arizona turns defense into offense and Brayden Burries hits the dunk.

Previous ranking: 10

Highest performance yet: 19 points, 6 assists, 3 steals vs. Syracuse in Las Vegas on Nov. 26

Touré doesn't have the raw numbers to compete with the outlandish statistics some of the freshmen on this list have produced (11.4 ppg, 2.4 ppg, 2.1 ppg), but he exemplifies the value of analytics. According to data from Synergy Sports, opposing players have connected on just 29% of their field goal attempts when Iowa State plays man-to-man defense, and it ranks as an excellent defender. He and Milan Momcilovic also rank 24th on EvanMiya.com's lists of the country's most efficient couples. Touré is a key player in Iowa State's success this season. — Medcalf