One of the biggest storylines in college basketball last week came when USC announced star freshman guard Isaiah Collier would miss the next 4-6 weeks due to a hand injury. Collier has been among one of the top players in the country and ranked as the No. 1 freshman in these rankings for most of the year.

Collier's injury is the latest blow to an already disappointing season for the Trojans. In Collier's absence, another key member of USC's 2023 recruiting class —Bronny James — drew his first start against Colorado and was held scoreless for the second consecutive game.

USC sits at 8-9 (2-4 Pac-12) ahead of its biggest game of the season Wednesday against No. 12 Arizona. If the Trojans want to turn their season around, it will start with James taking on a larger role within the offense. Collier is expected to be one of the top picks in this summer's NBA Draft and his absence from college basketball as a whole is a major loss.

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

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Freshman of the Week: Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State

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.

Mississippi State star freshman Josh Hubbard is emerging as one of the top guards in the SEC with his play as of late. Most notably, Hubbard scored 25 points and connected on five shots from beyond the arc in a 77-72 win over then-No. 5 Tennessee. 

Coming out of Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Madison, Mississippi, Hubbard elected to stay in-state and commit to the Bulldogs. Hubbard was ranked as the No. 145 overall recruit by 247Sports and was the top-ranked player from the state of Mississippi. With star big man Tolu Smith back in the fold for Mississippi State, they can offer a dynamic one-two punch as we head into the heart of conference play.

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Frosh Watch: Top 10 freshman rankings

1. Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

Stats: 12.0 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 4.1 APG | 56.3% FG

Sheppard had one of his worst overall performances in win over Missouri last week. The highly-touted Kentucky freshman scored his fewest points since mid-November (three) and shot 1-of-4 from the floor. Sheppard responded by stuffing the stat sheet (13 points, six rebounds, three steals, three assists and a block) in a loss to Texas A&M days later. Sheppard knocked down some clutch free throws in the final moments that sent the game to overtime, but the No. 8 Wildcats still suffered their first loss since Dec. 2. Last week: 1

2. Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor

Stats: 15.3 PPG | 4.4 RPG | 1.2 SPG

Walter has an argument to be No. 1, but for now, he remains No. 2. Walter had a pair of impressive performances against BYU and Cincinnati. In No. 9 Baylor's win over the Cougars, Walter flashed his improved self-creation by knocking down shots off the dribble. He followed it up by scoring 14 points and added seven rebounds in a close 62-59 win over Cincinnati days later.

Ranking the top overall freshman right now isn't the easiest task. There are three players (Walter, Sheppard and PJ Haggerty) that in my opinion, have a legit case to be No. 1. Sheppard has been at the top of the list the last few weeks and he holds his spot ... for now. Last week: 3

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3. PJ Haggerty, Tulsa

Stats: 18.9 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 3.4 APG | 46.1% FG

After a pair of 25+ point performances, Haggerty moves up one spot to No. 3. Haggerty scored 28 points in a loss to Charlotte and then added 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals last weekend in an overtime loss to Tulane. Haggerty was in consideration with Hubbard for Frosh of the Week, but the nod ultimately went to the Mississippi State star because of his performance in an upset win over the Vols. Tulsa now sits at 9-7 overall and 0-4 in AAC conference play. Haggerty's next challenge? Getting the Golden Hurricanes their first conference win on Wednesday against UTSA. Last week: 4

4. Isaiah Collier, USC

Stats: 15.4 PPG | 4.1 APG  | 2.6 RPG | 50.6% FG

One of the players in consideration to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft won't be in action for the foreseeable future. It's not out of the question that Collier elects to start preparing for the draft if USC continues to spiral. While that certainly is unlikely based on the return-to-play timeline, USC will miss Collier in the lineup. One of his biggest weaknesses at the start of the season was his turnovers and that's a mark he improved on the last month. Other players will have to step up to keep USC's NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Last week: 2

5. Rob Dillingham, Kentucky

Stats: 14.4 PPG | 4.1 APG | 3.3 RPG | 47.2% FG

Dillingham had a chance to be a hero against Texas A&M but came up just short — literally. Dillingham missed what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer that could have given the Wildcats the win. Despite the loss and the missed shot, it's safe to say he's keeping things in perspective. 

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"Honestly, that shot should have gone in," Dillingham told reporters after the game. "But I feel like it didn't go in because it's going to go in March. That's how I look at it."

Dillingham scored 23 points against Missouri and followed it up with a 15-point outing against the Aggies. Dillingham just keeps shining in his role off the bench. Last week: 5

6. Myles Rice, Washington State

Stats: 14.6 PPG | 3.4 APG | 2.4 RPG

The Pac-12 this season has been ... interesting. That's the best way to put it. One of the highlights of the final season of the conference has been Washington State led by Rice. The Cougars recorded one of the biggest wins in the Kyle Smith era at home against Arizona to improve to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Rice had his fingerprints all over the win over the Wildcats by recording 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals. Last week: 9

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7. D.J Wagner, Kentucky

Stats: 12.8 PPG | 3.5 APG | 2.0 RPG

For the fourth consecutive game, Wagner recorded at least 14 points. Wagner scored 16 points in a win over Missouri and followed it up with 18 against Texas A&M. Wagner was expected to be one of the top contributing freshmen in the country coming into the season and it appears he's settling into his role nicely heading into the meat of the SEC schedule. The former No. 6 overall prospect from the 2023 recruiting cycle by 247Sports changes the ceiling of these Wildcats if he's at his best. Last week: NR

8. Jared McCain, Duke

Stats: 11.7 PPG | 4.1 RPG | 42.0% 3FG

McCain had his quietest outing in nearly a month by scoring six points against Georgia Tech. The last time McCain scored in single figures you may ask? Well, it was against Georgia Tech in the first ACC game of the season for both teams on Dec. 2. In the most recent outing, McCain missed all three of his attempts from distance. The overall body of work shown in ACC play drops him just a single spot. Last week: 7

9. Carlton Carrington, Pitt

Stats: 14.3 PPG | 5.32RPG | 4.8 APG

In his lone game last week against Duke, Carrington struggled. He shot 4-of-16 from the floor, including going 2-of-9 from beyond the arc in a 20-point loss to the Blue Devils. Similar to McCain, his overall body of work this season makes it hard to drop him out of these rankings entirely, but nonetheless, Carrington's stock took a hit. Last week: 6

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10. Malik Mack, Harvard

Stats: 19.0 PPG | 4.4 APG | 4.0 RPG

Mack missed three games due to mononucleosis and Monday offered his best performance in over a month. Mack scored 17 points and added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in a close 74-72 loss to Brown. Mack still ranks No. 1 among all freshmen in scoring, but Haggerty is right on his tail. Getting Mack back to his midseason form will be key if Harvard is to play the role of spoiler in the Ivy League. Last week: 8

Others considered: UConn's Stephon Castle, UCLA's Sebastian Mack, Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard, Colorado's Cody Williams and Iowa State's Milan Momcilovic.