March is only a day away which means the weekly staple of Freshman of the Week is nearing an end this season, but it continues to deliver drama late in the season as more and more newbies emerge for their respective teams. The latest late-bloomer this week is Indiana freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino, who, after Kansas star Gradey Dick won his first FOTW award last week, delivered a legendary performance vs. a top-five Purdue team to ring in his own first FOTW honor.
Hood-Schifino in two games this week averaged 25.5 points and made 20 of his 37 shot attempts from the field led by a career-high 35 on Saturday vs. the Boilermakers. He picked apart Purdue’s defense with an array of mid-range jumpers, floaters and attacks at the rim in dragging the Hoosiers to their best win of the season.
“It was an unbelievable display of basketball,” IU coach Mike Woodson said of Hood-Schifino’s big game. “We knew when we recruited him he could get to those spots and make shots, so I try to put my offense around him. And tonight we ran a lot of pick and rolls with the ball in his hands and he made a lot of good offensive plays.”
Let’s dive into the rankings this week.
Freshman of the Week: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the five most impressive freshmen in college basketball. CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this weekly feature. Each week we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
Indiana has emerged down the stretch of this regular-season as a lethal threat to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Propelling this Hoosiers team all season has been the known stardom of Trayce Jackson-Davis, one of college basketball’s most well-rounded bigs, but the emergence of a Robin to his Batman — Hood-Schifino — has turned IU into a giant killer.
“We feed off of him,” Jackson-Davis said of Hood-Schifino after the victory vs. Purdue. “I told him before the game even started, I said you’re gonna get your opportunities… coach Woody was trying to get me baskets and I told him ‘coach not right now, we’re riding him.’ When a guy’s hot like that you gotta keep giving him the ball.”
As a five-star recruit in the 2022 cycle, there were plenty of expectations for Hood-Schifino entering a situation where backcourt play seemed ripe for someone to emerge. Indeed, he has done precisely that as March approaches, giving Indiana now two true stars to roll with into the postseason.
Now, without further ado, let’s jump in to this week’s rookie rankings — with a brief pit stop highlighting the previous Freshman of the Week winners this season:
- Nov. 22: Anthony Black, Arkansas
- Nov. 29: Fletcher Loyer, Purdue
- Dec. 6: GG Jackson, South Carolina
- Dec. 13: Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
- Dec. 20: Brandon Miller, Alabama
- Dec. 27: Cason Wallace, Kentucky
- Jan. 3: GG Jackson, South Carolina
- Jan. 10: Jarace Walker, Houston
- Jan. 17: Brandon Miller, Alabama
- Jan. 24: Brice Sensabaugh, Ohio State
- Jan. 31: Jarace Walker, Houston
- Feb. 7: Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary’s
- Feb. 14: Taylor Hendricks, UCF
- Feb. 21: Gradey Dick, Kansas
Frosh Watch: Top five freshmen rankings
While engulfed in an off-court controversy that has become one of the biggest stories of the season in college basketball, Miller continues to shine on the court. He scored a career-high 41 points for Alabama in an overtime win at South Carolina last week and followed up with 24 in a win over Arkansas on Saturday. The 6-foot-8 wing made 22 of 40 shots from the field over the two games and looked unstoppable..
Dick’s consistency and versatility have been a lifeblood for Kansas as the Jayhawks have recovered remarkably well from the loss of several key contributors to position themselves for a Big 12 title and potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Billed as a shooter, Dick has proven to be an elite outside threat but also so much more. When teams run him off the 3-point line, he can attack the rim or create shots for others. His length as a 6-8 wing also makes him a defensive asset. Dick has played at least 26 minutes in every game for the Jayhawks and made at least one 3-pointer in every game but one. He was 5 for 8 from deep in KU’s win over West Virginia on Saturday in one of his best and most-needed shooting performances of the season.
Other freshmen in Duke’s lineup have begun stepping up as the Blue Devils mount a late-season surge with an overhauled roster and first-year coach in Jon Scheyer. Even still, Filipowski remains a consistent source of production for the team. He finished with an efficient 12 points on just seven shots in a win over Virginia Tech on Saturday while reaching double figures for a fourth straight game. As a 7-footer who can play power forward or center, Filipowski continues to bring impressive versatility, which gives Scheyer a plethora of lineup combinations. With 12 double-doubles this season, Filipowski is a runaway favorite for ACC Freshman of the Year.
George suffered an ankle sprain early in Baylor’s win over Texas on Saturday that kept him out of Monday’s win at Oklahoma State, but it shouldn’t be a long-term issue for the talented guard. Against Kansas State last Tuesday, he scored 23 points in a loss, marking his second straight 20-point outing. While he hasn’t always been the most efficient player, George is an aggressive and dynamic weapon who helps comprise what is likely the nation’s best backcourt. He has the potential to help carry the Bears to another deep NCAA Tournament run.
Hood-Schifino has been knocking on the door of our freshman rankings all season, but some minor injury issues and the occasional rough offensive performance kept him on the outside looking in. Well, he finally busted down the door Saturday with his monster performance in Indiana’s win at Purdue. Hood-Schifino’s development into a star for the Hoosiers has coincided with the team’s climb up the rankings as the postseason nears. The Hoosiers appear to be peaking at the right time, and Hood-Schifino deserves much of the credit as a dynamic, playmaking guard who has helped open up the IU offense.
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