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The first week of the 2024-25 college basketball season is in the books, and the 2024 recruiting class is already living up to the preseason hype. This class is considered one of the best recruiting classes in the modern era, and they’re already leaving their mark on the sport for their respective teams.
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made his college debut last week. Flagg had impressive stat-stuffing performances in wins over Maine and Army and showed why the hype is real around his name. Rutgers star Dylan Harper, the No. 3 ranked player in the class, scored 20 points in his college debut in a 75-52 win over Wagner.
Harper’s five-star teammate Ace Bailey, the second-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting class, missed Rutgers’ season-opener and didn’t play Monday against Saint Peter’s after suffering an unspecified injury in practice last week. Bailey debuted at No. 2 in our preseason freshmen rankings.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten 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 every-Tuesday feature. Each week we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
The biggest (early) win of the college basketball season belongs to Auburn. The Tigers can thank Pettiford for making that happen. The No. 29 player in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports came off the bench and provided a spark in the 74-69 win over Houston. Pettiford finished with 21 points, three rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes and had timely buckets down the stretch to seal the victory.
Houston is known for its incredible defense, and Pettiford did a great job creating his own shot. Pettiford finished 7 of 12 from the floor and knocked down five 3-pointers after going scoreless in 19 minutes in the season-opener against Vermont. Pettiford earned more minutes after this performance. He could be a dark horse for SEC Freshman of the Year.
Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshman
1. Cooper Flagg | G/F | Duke
Stats: 15.5 PPG | 9.0 RPG | 4.0 APG
Flagg introduced himself to the country with two standout performances. Flagg might not be the top scorer on this list, but his impact stretches far beyond the box score. Flagg finished with three steals against Maine and recorded three blocks and two steals against Army. Flagg scored 18 points in his college debut and recorded the first double-double of his career (13 points, 11 rebounds) the following game. Flagg didn’t play much in the second half against Maine due to cramping.
2. Egor Demin | G/F | BYU
Stats: 19.0 PPG | 9.0 APG | 4.5 RPG
Except for Flagg, Demin has been the most impressive freshman in college basketball. The 6-foot-8 guard out of Russia showed why scouts are so high on him ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft. Demin recorded 18 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and four steals in the season-opening win over Central Arkansas and followed it up by scoring 20 points against UC Riverside. Demin is playing more of an on-ball role for BYU first-year coach Kevin Young and it’s working. If Demin plays like this throughout the season, he could slide into the top five of the draft this summer.
3. Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers
Stats: 22.0 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 2.5 APG
With Bailey out due to injury, Harper had a chance to run the show during his team’s first two games. Harper scored 24 points and added six rebounds in the 75-65 win on Monday over Saint Peter’s. The Scarlet Knights started slow before outscoring the Peacocks 38-23 in the second half to move to 2-0.
4. Tre Johnson | G/F | Texas
Stats: 28.5 PPG | 3.5 RPG | 3.5 APG
When you break a record set by program legend Kevin Durant, you must be doing something right. Durant had 20 points in his first college game against Alcorn State in 2006, and Johnson did even better, scoring 29 against Ohio State. Johnson shot 10 of 20 from the floor and added five rebounds and four assists. He followed it up by scoring 28 points against Houston Christian. He is the early candidate to lead this class in scoring.
5. Liam McNeeley | F | UConn
Stats: 14.0 PPG | 10.5 RPG | 1.0 APG
Former UConn standout Stephon Castle was a staple in these rankings last year en route to his team winning a national title. The next big thing on UConn’s campus is McNeeley, one of the best 3-point shooters in the class. While McNeeley is known for his shooting, he did a great job crashing the glass. McNeeley finished with double-digit rebounds (and double-doubles) in back-to-back games.
6. Kon Knueppel | G/F | Duke
Stats: 18.5 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 2.0 APG
What if I told you Duke had not one but two lottery picks on the roster? While Flagg is the Blue Devils’ star, Knueppel isn’t far behind. He received significant lottery hype in the months leading up to the season, and the first week showed why. Knueppel scored 22 points against Maine and followed it up by scoring 15 against Army. His shooting will be extremely valuable.
7. Boogie Fland | G | Arkansas
Stats: 17.0 PPG | 5.0 APG | 4.0 RPG
John Calipari produced numerous lottery picks during his time at Memphis and Kentucky. Fland might be next. The No. 22 player in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports scored 17 points in back-to-back games against Lipscomb and Baylor. Fland added seven assists, five rebounds and a steal in the 72-67 loss to the Bears.
8. Will Riley | G/F | Illinois
Stats: 22.5 PPG | 7.0 RPG | 1.5 APG
Riley’s calling card on the AAU circuit was his incredible shotmaking. That attribute appears to have transferred over to the next level, as he knocked down 10 of 13 attempts in a 112-67 win over Eastern Illinois in his college debut. Riley finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Simply put: Riley is a bucket.
9. VJ Edgecombe | G | Baylor
Stats: 7.5 PPG | 7.5 RPG | 3.0 APG
When Edgecombe figures out the offensive side of the ball (and I think he will as the season goes on), he will jump in these rankings. The tools — and athleticism — were on full display during Baylor’s first two games. Edgecombe postered Joe Few, the son of Gonzaga coach Mark Few, in the closing moments of a blowout loss and had an incredible block against Arkansas that briefly sent him to the locker room. Edgecombe might be the best athlete in college basketball since Zion Williamson.
10. Derik Queen | C | Maryland
Stats: 15.0 PPG | 10.5 RPG | 2.0 APG
Queen had one of the best performances of any player — regardless of position or age — in Maryland’s 79-49 win over Manhattan. Queen scored 22 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in 27 minutes to become the first player in program history with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Joe Smith in 1995. Queen scored 11 points in a blowout win over Florida A&M on Monday.
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