College basketball buy or sell: Is Kansas' Darryn Peterson still the best prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft?

If you asked 10 people before the start of the 2025-26 college basketball season who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, chances are, you would get multiple different combinations about how the first three picks would shake out. Just over two months later, at the midpoint of the season, the debate has gotten even stronger.

There still isn't a clear-cut No. 1 in this class. And that's a good thing. Take your pick because one of Kansas' Darryn Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa, or Duke's Cameron Boozer is going to hear their name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in less than six months.

Part of what has ramped up the debate is how well Boozer and Dybantsa have played. Boozer is the clear favorite (-220 on FanDuel) to win National Player of the Year this season, while Dybantsa has been on an offensive tear the last month and a half. Dybantsa has scored at least 20 points in nine consecutive games and is the first Big 12 player to accomplish the feat since Trae Young did it during the 2017-18 season.

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As for Peterson, he has been more of a mystery. There are flashes on why it would be silly for any NBA executive to pass on him because he is one of the most talented scorers college basketball has seen. Still, due to a hamstring injury/cramping, Peterson has played in just seven games. When he's been on the floor, Peterson has been good as advertised. He scored 32 points last week in a comeback win over TCU, which could serve as reassurance for Peterson-truthers out there that there is still a strong possibility he goes No. 1 this summer.

CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter and Cameron Salerno dive into various topics in the sport they're buying or selling, starting with the conversation around the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Buy or sell: Darryn Peterson is the best prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft

Salerno: Buy. The best way I can describe Peterson is this. One of my good friends (who doesn't watch college basketball much but loves the NBA) watched highlights of Peterson with me, and the takeaway from him was that Peterson didn't look like a freshman. It's pretty much the exact way I feel, too. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to be the general manager who has to decide between Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, or Cam Boozer at No. 1. However, Peterson gives me the vibes of someone who can be a scoring champ in the NBA one day. You can't pass on that possibility. He makes it look effortless with his shotmaking. You're allowed to be concerned about the cramping. That's fine. But there is zero chance I'm passing on Peterson if you made me pick one of the players. I'm confident 10 years from now, we will look back at this as a generational class. But I'm still rocking with Peterson, no matter what happens the rest of the way.

Trotter: Buy. Peterson has now scored 158 points in 190 minutes this season … with a nagging leg injury and noticeably less burst. This dude is a cheat code. There's plenty of medical data to suggest that soft-tissue injuries, like Peterson's hamstring, are not predictors for an injury-riddled future. I don't think Peterson is an injury-prone player. I think he's an all-time talent dealing with a nagging injury. When he's on the floor, he's a brilliant, versatile shooter with handles, to boot. Peterson makes a tough game look incredibly easy, even though he's not at 100% capacity.

BYU's AJ Dybantsa has been dominant. He unequivocally will not go quietly in this race and looks every bit the part of a worthy No. 1 overall pick. But Peterson remains on top of the board for me. The size, shooting, handle, creativity and defensive potential is too tantalizing to ignore.

Buy or sell: Caleb Wilson is the fourth-best prospect in this class

Salerno: Buy. This is a conversation I had with Trotter after the first week of the season. From the moment I watched Wilson play against Division I competition, I was in love. The way he plays the game is also what stands out to me. He acts like he's a walk-on with the little plays he makes despite being a former five-star recruit who is more than likely going in the lottery this summer. There are concerns about Wilson's finishing at the rim, and they're justified. However, that won't be a concern if he dunks the ball every time. I'm half joking and half serious with that statement. Wilson is a special talent. I know we talk about the "Big Three" in this class all the time (and rightfully so), but Wilson is a future star in the league. He's my clear-cut No. 4 prospect if the draft were tomorrow. 

Trotter: Buy. Wilson is not some overly polished offensive hub, but there's beauty in relentlessness. Wilson's motor is his superpower. He will chase every offensive rebound. He will run the floor like a deer every single time. He will fly around on defense as much as humanly possible. There is no off switch, and it raises the level of competitive fire for everyone else on the roster. Every single basketball team could use a Wilson, who has become the Kevin Garnett of college basketball. 

Buy or sell: Kingston Flemings is the best frosh PG in his class

Salerno: Sell … but. It's close. Like, really close. I think Darius Acuff Jr. is the best true point guard in this class. For context, we are not considering Peterson a point guard for this exercise. What Acuff has been doing the last month or so has been special. Another factor for me is how well John Calipari has done at producing point guards who are ready for NBA competition. The track record speaks for itself, but that's not the only reason I'm going with Acuff here. He is a true floor general who can do everything you need from a point guard at the NBA level. Coming into the season, Mikel Brown Jr. was my No. 1 point guard. However, Acuff has closed the gap.

Trotter: Buy. Flemings moves differently. The shiftiness and burst are overwhelming. I compare his nasty crossover dribble to a running back making a jump-cut in the hole to make a linebacker miss. That's the type of stuff Flemings is doing on the hardwood. He makes good defenders disappear with violent, sudden, explosive drives. Flemings is up to a 2.86-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. That's crazy-good ball control for a true freshman who understands the assignment for a Houston club that can destroy opponents on the offensive glass. In Houston's six biggest games, Flemings has posted a 125.4 offensive rating with a bonkers 35.2 assist rate and a minuscule 11.5 turnover rate. He's a tough, competitive leader who drives winning. This Houston team has some veterans who have been there and done that on the biggest of stages, but they are willingly passing the ball to Flemings in huge moments because good things keep happening when the ball is in his hands.

That matters to me. Darius Acuff is tremendous. Mikel Brown Jr. has such a gorgeous jumper, and the absurd dimes jump off the tape at you. Flemings is PG1, though.

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Buy or sell: Someone other than Duke will win the ACC

Salerno: Sell. Coming into the season, I thought two teams would challenge Duke for the ACC title: Louisville and NC State. I was bullish on both teams. Still, I picked Duke to win the ACC, and it was almost a no-brainer decision. Even two months later, I feel the same way. I would be very surprised if anyone other than Duke won the ACC regular season title.

Duke is still trying to figure out its best starting lineup. It's something that's been tinkered with throughout the course of the season. Boozer is the best player in the league, and Isaiah Evans shows flashes of why he was a five-star prospect in the first place. You can be concerned after watching the game against Florida State earlier this month, but it was an off game. The ACC is better this year than last year. That's not necessarily a high bar, but in our latest CBS Sports Brackology projections, we had 10 teams in the field. That would be an incredible result for the conference after four teams went dancing last year. Duke is still the heavy favorite (-260 on FanDuel) to win the ACC. It would be very surprising if anyone other than the Blue Devils won the regular-season title.

Trotter: Sell. Duke is the heavy favorite by every predictive model, for good reason. Duke has the No. 1 player in the league, and Jon Scheyer has proven that he is one of the elite X's and O's coaches in the sport. The schedule isn't easy, but not having to play Miami and ex-Duke assistant Jai Lucas certainly helps the Blue Devils' appeal, too. (You aren't fooling me, ACC schedule-makers.) But Duke is not a flawless basketball team right now. It's changed its starting lineup again this past week against SMU. Part of that was a message to sophomore big man Patrick Ngongba. Part of it was to get the best defensive wing (Dame Sarr) onto the floor to guard SMU star Jaron Pierre Jr. Scheyer, in a way, is still searching for the best lineup combinations to fix a defense that has leaked oil multiple times for the past month.

Duke's roster frankly isn't as talented as last year. It certainly does not have the defensive personnel either, but Duke is still very much in pole position to win a much-improved ACC. North Carolina is good, but the backcourt is a little shaky. Virginia is really good, but it isn't the most athletic bunch. Clemson is quite good, but the guard play isn't dynamic. Louisville is talented but doesn't quite have enough skilled size. SMU is very talented, but it only got to play Duke once … on the road. Duke won't run the table in the ACC, but it will win this league by a game.

Buy or sell: JoJo Tugler is the best defensive player in the country

Salerno: Buy. I was very tempted to go with Mara because he's such an eraser whenever he's on the floor. However, I still think Tugler is the best defensive player in the country. Tugler is averaging 1.6 blocks and 1.9 steals (career high). He is the anchor of everything coach Kelvin Sampson wants to accomplish on that end of the floor. The other name I would consider (when he's fully healthy) is Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance. What he did last season at Arizona State on the defensive end of the floor, despite being the youngest player in the sport, was incredible. Tugler is such an impactful and valuable player on the defensive end.

Trotter: Sell. Tugler is my pick for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, but Michigan's Aday Mara is putting together one of the most dominant defensive showings in recent memory. Opponents shoot just 40% at the rim when Mara is on the floor. He completely changes the tenor of opposing offenses with his rim protection. When Mara is on the floor and can sag into the paint, he turns each game into a jump-shooting contest because he almost single-handedly builds a brick wall around the rim. His 12.2 block percentage is ludicrous, and he's an excellent rebounder as well. Mara is the most impactful defender on Michigan's No. 1-rated defense. He gets the nod for now. 

Buy or sell: Nebraska will win the Big Ten regular-season title

Salerno: Sell. Nebraska has been the story of the year in college basketball through the first two months of the season. If the season ended today, Fred Hoiberg would be one of -- if not the top candidate -- for National Coach of the Year. The Cornhuskers have wins on their resume over Illinois and Michigan State, but the schedule is going to get much tougher down the stretch.

For starters, Nebraska has to face Michigan on the road and Purdue and Illinois at home. Nebraska is predicted to be the underdog in five of its 15 remaining conference games, per KenPom. If that happens, finishing 15-5 in Big Ten play would be incredible, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to win the outright title. Michigan State won 17 games last season, and Purdue also won 17 during the 2023-24 campaign. My pick to win the Big Ten title is the same one I made a few months ago: Michigan. Sure, the Wolverines have flaws that were on display last week during a loss to Wisconsin and (another) near-upset loss to Penn State, but I believe in Dusty May and the talent on the roster. The showdown between Michigan and Nebraska on Jan. 27 could go a long way in determining a regular-season champion.

Trotter: Sell. Nebraska quietly has the 17th-easiest Big Ten slate remaining. The Huskers survived the double-dip road trip to Ohio State and Indiana with two tough-as-nails victories. Suddenly, Nebraska's Big Ten title race implications will be tied closely to three games: Michigan on the road, Illinois at home and Purdue at home. Pinnacle Bank Arena has become a terrifying place to play, and that building will be on fire when the Illini and Boilermakers come to town. 

I don't think Nebraska wins the league because its lack of tip-top athleticism could rear its ugly head in a matchup against Michigan, but it will be alive in the title race entering the final week of the regular season.