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Through the first two months of the 2025-26 college basketball season, this 2025 high school recruiting class has lived up to the hype. In fact, that might be a massive understatement. This is shaping up to be a generational class. BYU's AJ Dybantsa has been playing at an elite level the last few weeks, Duke's Cameron Boozer has been the best player in the sport and UNC's star rookie Caleb Wilson is making a case to be a top-five pick this summer.

But even though this class is full of blue-chip recruits, there have been plenty of under-the-radar young players who have made a name for themselves. Perhaps the most notable example is Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, who was ranked outside the top 100 players in his recruiting class but has been one of the best scorers in college basketball.

Okorie currently ranks No. 4 among all qualified Division I players in points per game (22.8). Three of the top four scorers in the sport are first-year players. With the calendar set to flip to 2026 in a matter of days, there will be more players like Okorie who leave their mark on the sport and this class.

Let's jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2025-26 college basketball season.


Freshman of the Week: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford

Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten most impressive freshmen in college basketball. For the 11th season in a row, 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 former No. 119-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports has been one of the best scorers in college basketball during the first two months. Okorie is averaging 22.8 points, which ranks No. 4 among all qualified Division I players. Ironically, because of how good this 2025 recruiting class is, Okorie ranks third among his classmates in points per game.

While most teams were idle last week, Okorie had a performance to remember. He scored 30 points in a win over Cal State Northridge, which marked his second game this season with at least 30 points. Okorie has scored at least 10 points in every game he has appeared in thus far.

Previous Freshman of the Week winners


Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshmen

1. Cameron Boozer | F | Duke 

Stats: 23.3 PPG | 10.0 RPG | 4.0 APG 

Boozer and Duke were idle last week. The Blue Devils' next game will be against Georgia Tech in their ACC opener. Duke is coming off its first loss of the season to Texas Tech earlier this month. Boozer will more than likely head into 2026 as the leading scorer in college basketball. Last week: 1


2. AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU

Stats: 22.3 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 3.3 APG 

Dybantsa recorded the first triple-double (33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) of his college career against Eastern Washington last week. Outside of that game, BYU was idle. Dybantsa has been playing like one of the best players in the sport and he's only scratching the surface. Last week: 2


3. Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina

Stats: 19.5 PPG | 10.8 RPG | 2.4 APG 

Wilson and North Carolina did not play last week. North Carolina begins ACC play on Tuesday night against Florida State in Chapel Hill and faces SMU this weekend on the road. Wilson has racked up nine double-doubles so far this season. Last week: 3


4. Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas

Stats: 19.3 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 2.8 APG

Peterson didn't play in each of his team's last two games Towson and Davidson, due to injury. Peterson, a projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, has now missed nine games this season. Kansas opens Big 12 play against UCF this weekend. Last week: 4


5. Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas

Stats: 18.9 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 6.2 APG 

Acuff finished with 17 points and six assists during a win over James Madison on Monday. Arkansas and Acuff open SEC play against Tennessee this weekend. Last week: 5


6. Mikel Brown Jr. | G | Louisville

Stats: 16.6 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 5.1 APG 

Brown didn't play in Louisville's last two games against Tennessee and Montana due to injury. It's unclear when the star guard will return to the lineup. The Cardinals open ACC play against Cal on Tuesday. Last week: 6


7. Koa Peat | F | Arizona

Stats: 14.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 2.7 APG

Peat and Arizona were idle last week. In his last outing, he finished with 11 points and five rebounds against San Diego State. After his team got off to a slow start against the Wildcats, Peat and his team were able to pull away. Arizona will head into 2026 ranked No. 1. Last week: 7


8. Nate Ament | F | Tennessee 

Stats: 16.3 PPG | 7.1 RPG | 2.8 APG 

Ament and Tennessee were idle last week. In his last outing, he logged just 19 minutes against Gardner-Webb. Ament finished with eight points, five rebounds and three assists. Ament and Tennessee face South Carolina State on Tuesday. Last week: 8


9. Kingston Flemings | G | Houston

Stats: 14.8 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 4.9 APG

Flemings finished with 15 points and five assists during a win over Middle Tennessee. Houston begins Big 12 play against Cincinnati this weekend. Last week: 9


10. Hannes Steinbach | F | Washington

Stats: 17.5 PPG | 11.9 RPG | 2.5 APG 

Steinbach finished with another double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) in a win over Utah. The Washington forward now has eight double-doubles on the season. Last week: 10