Duke guard Jared McCain worked his way into elite company last weekend because of what he did in a 76-67 win over Florida State.

McCain broke the program record for the most 3-pointers made in a game by a first-year player (eight) and tied Zion Williamson's single-game scoring record (35) by a freshman. Duke has won four straight games and is right behind North Carolina in the ACC standings heading into the home stretch of the regular season.

McCain is also on track to hit another elite mark. He could become the third first-year player at Duke in the last 25 years to shoot above 40% from beyond the arc over five attempts per game. The only other Blue Devils to accomplish that mark during that time period were Gary Trent Jr. (40.2% on 6.5 attempts) and Brandon Ingram (41% on 5.4 attempts).

"That's something I've prided myself on my whole life," McCain told CBS Sports earlier this month. "My dad taught me how to shoot when I first started playing basketball. Shooting has always been a valuable asset for me, especially in college. It's like a must to be able to shoot. ... coach gives me the confidence to shoot."

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McCain is currently shooting 41.1% on 5.6 attempts. He's gone from star freshman to projected first round NBA Draft pick to a player who may just be the missing piece that helps Duke get back to the Final Four.

Let's jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the the 2023-24 college basketball season

Freshman of the Week: Jared McCain, Duke

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 every-Tuesday feature. Each week we'll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.

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McCain is the first player this season to win Freshman of the Week twice. He recorded another double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) against Wake Forest on Monday and followed it up by scoring 35 points in a win over Florida State. McCain is a major reason why Duke still controls its own destiny to win the ACC regular season title.

The former five-star prospect out of Sacramento, Calif. has seen his stock rise tremendously since the turn of the calendar year. McCain checked in at No. 23 on CBS Sports' latest NBA Draft big board and it's possible he can work his way up to lottery territory when it's all said and done.

Frosh Watch: Top 10 freshman rankings

1. Jared McCain, Duke

Stats: 13.8 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 41.1% 3FG

We have a new No. 1. After nearly breaking the single-game freshman scoring record at Duke, McCain jumps two spots. McCain is an elite shooter and rebounder for his size, hence why he's getting so much hype as a prospect. It's not a hot take to say he's played like Duke's best player since the start of the new year. If Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor can each step up their respective games next to McCain, Duke will be a tough out next month. Last week: 3

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2. PJ Haggerty, Tulsa

Stats: 20.2 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 3.6 APG

It's hard to drop Haggerty from his top spot because of what he did in his most recent outing. Haggerty scored 30 points and added 10 rebounds and six assists in an overtime win over Rice. That performance marked his career-high and gave him his 15th game with at least 20 points.  Last week: 1

3. Myles Rice, Washington State

Stats: 15.9 PPG | 3.7 APG | 3.0 RPG

Rice scored 25 points against Cal and 14 points against Stanford to earn his seventh Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honor. Rice is the first freshman in Pac-12 history to win the award in four consecutive weeks. Washington State entered the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in 16 years on Monday. The Cougars look like a serious Pac-12 contender because of the play of their star freshman. Last week: 2

4. Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Stats: 12.1 PPG | 4.4 RPG | 4.1 APG | 52.6% FG

Sheppard recorded five steals in three of his last four games. He finished with five steals, five rebounds and four points in a 70-59 road win over Auburn last weekend. Kentucky needed a spark and a win over Auburn on the road could do the trick. Per The Athletic, only two SEC players in the last 30 years have had at least 100 assists, 60 steals, 50 made 3-pointers and 20 blocks in a season. Sheppard is one of them and he did it in only 25 games. Last week: 4

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5. Isaiah Collier, USC

Stats: 16.2 PPG | 4.4 APG  | 2.8 RPG

At this point, USC's season is a wash. The Trojans blew a 16-point second-half lead in a double OT loss to Colorado last weekend, but Collier had arguably the best outing in a USC uniform. Collier had 25 points, nine assists, three steals, two blocks and recorded only one turnover. Collier really struggled with turning the ball over early in his career, so posting that stat line with only one turnover is impressive. Collier could've ended his season prematurely when he went down with a hand injury last month. Instead, he elected to come back for the remainder of the season. Last week: 5

6.  Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor

Stats: 14.5 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 1.2 SPG

Walter scored 23 points in a win over West Virginia, which marked his highest-scoring outburst in nearly seven weeks. Walter shot 6-of-17 from the floor but knocked down 7-of-8 free-throw attempts in a 13-point win. Baylor has won five of its last six games to inch closer to the top of the Big 12 standings. The key to a deep postseason run for Baylor will be Walter and another fellow freshman, Yves Missi, stepping up. Last week: 7

7. Rob Dillingham, Kentucky

Stats: 14.7 PPG | 4.0 APG | 3.0 RPG

Dillingham's minutes have dropped recently. He logged just under 19 minutes in his most recent outings against Gonzaga, Ole Miss, and Auburn. Dillingham is averaging just over 23 minutes per game this season and he should be playing more down the stretch. Yes, he did have seven turnovers in his last two games combined, but it's clear the reward he brings off the bench as a spark far outweighs any risk you take by playing him more minutes. Last week: 6

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8. Cody Williams, Colorado

Stats: 14.2 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 1.8 APG

Williams had an efficient outing shooting the ball in a close loss to UCLA. The 6-foot-8 wing scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and followed it up by scoring 14 points in a win over USC. The problem? Williams recorded 16 turnovers in his last three games against Arizona, UCLA and USC. Williams has to cut out the turnovers and remain efficient if Colorado wants to reach the NCAA Tournament. Last week: 9

9. Malik Mack, Harvard

Stats: 18.5 PPG | 4.7 APG | 3.7 RPG

Mack scored 21 points and dished out seven assists in a win over Columbia for his seventh outing with at least 20 points. While Haggerty, a redshirt freshman, has the honor of being the highest-scoring player on this list, Mack remains the leading scorer amongst true freshmen. Last week: 8

10. Owen Freeman, Iowa

Stats: 11.0 PPG | 5.9 RPG | 1.7 BPG

Freeman is the latest newcomer to join this list. The Iowa star is coming off his best performance of the season with 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. His five double-doubles this season are the most by any first-year Iowa player since Jess Settles did it during the 1993-94 season. Freeman earned his ninth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor, which is three behind tying the conference record. Last week: NR

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Others considered: UConn's Stephon Castle, UCLA's Sebastian Mack, Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard, Pitt's Carlton Carrington, Kentucky's D.J. Wagner, Iowa State's Milan Momcilovic, Oregon's Jackson Shelstad, North Carolina's Elliot Cadeau and Notre Dame's Markus Burton, New Mexico's JT Toppin, Baylor's Owen Freeman and Kansas' Johnny Furphy.