BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Illinois' Keaton Wagler, Houston's Kingston Flemings are stars on historic day for freshmen

A special freshman class added another chapter to an all-time season Saturday. Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler waltzed into Mackey Arena — long a house of horrors for the opposition — and delivered a 46-point performance to lead No. 11 Illinois to an 88-82 victory over No. 4 Purdue. The Boilermakers got a brilliant showing from preseason All-American Braden Smith, but it was a slender freshman from Kansas who was the best player on the floor in this one. 

Wagler wasn't alone. Just an hour earlier, Houston freshman Kingston Flemings sauntered into Lubbock and dropped a 42-point, six-assist masterpiece as the No. 6 Cougars lost 90-86 to No. 12 Texas Tech despite Flemings' jaw-dropping display.

Freshmen weren't finished, however.

An hour later, it was AJ Dybantsa's turn. Dybantsa ballooned for 43 majestic points in No. 13 BYU's runaway, 91-78 win over rival Utah in the Holy War.

You have to go back to 1997 to find the last time that two freshmen have scored 40+ in a game, per CBS Sports research. Can you name 'em? I can't. Take a bow, Texas Southern's Randy Bolden and TCU's Mike Jones. But three? It's never been done in at least the previous 30 years of college basketball. Wagler, Dybantsa and Flemings will stand alone in the college basketball record books. 

It was a captivating, enthralling display of basketball. One in West Texas. One in the heart of Boilermaker country. One out in the mountains of Provo. Three unforgettable showings. One was entirely predictable. The other two? Not so much.

The kids are all right

Record-breaking performances from freshmen on Saturday.

College basketball's newest stars on display

Just because Dybantsa was presumed to be the next great thing does not make Saturday's showing any less special. The hype was high for Dybantsa, but he's somehow surpassed almost all of it. 

The jet-like rise of Flemings and Wagler was a bit more under the radar, though.

Houston's best player was predicted to be Milos Uzan or Emanuel Sharp. Both of those terrific, two-way veterans have gotten out of the way to clear the runway for Flemings. The dynamic, explosive point guard has elevated into the best player on one of the Tier 1 National Championship contenders. Flemings is primed to become maybe the best player that Kelvin Sampson has ever coached in his 35-plus years as a head ball coach.

A similar script has brewed in Champaign. Illinois' best player was a mystery in the preseason. Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic were the likeliest candidates, but Illinois believed it could be a Big Ten contender with balance. Everybody can eat for the best offense in the land, but Wagler has cemented himself as the unquestioned best player on this team. 

Saturday was his Mona Lisa. Wagler splashed nine 3-pointers to keep short-handed Illinois in the fight against behemoth Purdue. 46 points on 17 shots is video game-like stuff. It's the most points a visitor has ever scored in Mackey Arena's hallowed halls.

Many national championship benchmarks are fallible and fickle. But one goalpost can't be moved back: every NCAA Tournament Champion since 1976 has produced a first-round NBA Draft pick except for Indiana in 1987 with Steve Alford the first Hoosier drafted that year. Alford was chosen No. 26 by Dallas, but that was a second-round selection that season.  

Houston likely has a rising NBA star in Flemings and his jump-cut drives that left Texas Tech defenders in the dust will be featured heavily in the 2026 NBA Draft. Illinois also has a future first-round pick in Wagler, and unfortunately for Purdue's Jack Benter, Daniel Jacobsen and Oscar Cluff, their follies trying to guard him will be featured early and often in the Illini guard's mixtape on draft night. 

They're also doing it with supreme humility and class. Flemings is beloved by his teammates near and far. Anyone associated with Illinois raves about Wagler's composure amid an out-of-nowhere rise for a recruit who was ranked No. 150 in the Class of 2025 and, at one point, was considered a potential redshirt candidate.

Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. delivered 31 points for the Hogs in a win over LSU. Duke's Cameron Boozer had a national player of the year-type showing with 32 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in a win over Wake Forest. UNC's Caleb Wilson was a lean, mean, dunking machine in the Tar Heels' impressive road win over Virginia. 

Savor this class. It's already proven that it is a special bunch of diaper dandies, sure to steal the spotlight again in March, just like it has in November, December and January.