The 2025 NCAA Game Initiates Tuesday with Primary Four action from Dayton, so it’s time to get familiar with who some of the best freshmen in college basketball are. Unless you have been living under a rock or casually tunning into the action for the Primary time this season, you probably are already familiar with Duke superstar Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall Option in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg has not only been the best Newcomer in the sport but also arguably the top overall player. Flagg is favored to Achieve the Wooden Award, which annually goes to the top player in college basketball. Although Flagg suffered an ankle Hurt during Duke’s Achieve over Georgia Tech last week, he is Predicted to return for the NCAA Game.
Flagg isn’t the only player you should be Retaining tabs on. One player who should excite fans with his playstyle is Maryland big man Derik Queen. Queen is a projected Primary-Stage Option in the 2025 NBA Draft and has been a key piece in Maryland’s Achievement.
Here are the top 10 freshmen Competing in the NCAA Game.
Flagg entered the season as one of the most hyped-up recruits of the modern era and has exceeded that hype. Flagg’s greatest Force while Competing in high school was his Guarding, and the biggest question mark coming into the year was about what he could do offensively. Flagg has shown this season why he’s an Best two-way player and more than worthy to be the No. 1 overall Option in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg has improved his self-creation tremendously since arriving on campus while Yet impacting the game at a high level on the Guarding end. A deep Game Stretch from Flagg could solidify himself as having one of the best one-and-done seasons in college basketball history.
If you need a bucket, Johnson is your guy. The Primary Four should be Slot viewing simply because Johnson will be Competing. As CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer wrote earlier this month, there was legitimate fear Texas would miss the NCAA Game, which would also Harsh Johnson’s March would be Petite-lived. Johnson Guided the SEC in scoring. He is easily Texas’ best Newcomer since a guy by the name of Kevin Durant was on campus almost two decades ago. Johnson has been a stock riser since the Begin of conference Action and has Achieved a real case to go in the top five of this summer’s draft. If Texas goes on a Stretch, Johnson will be spearheading the way.
Queen has all the makings to become a March Madness darling. Queen is a projected Prompt-to-mid Primary-Stage Option. Part of why Queen is one of the most unique players in the sport is his blend of size and finesse. Queen has been Amazing (and efficient) at the rim. Per Synergy, Queen is converting on 67.9% of his shots at the rim. Queen dropped a season-high 31 points in Maryland’s last game against Michigan.
There aren’t many people in college basketball who are more athletic than Edgecombe. The Baylor Newcomer has the potential to be an All-NBA defender at the Upcoming level, and those skills and Vigor have been on display throughout the 2024-25 season. If you need an example, look no Beyond than his college Introduction against Gonzaga. Edgecombe threw down a powerful one-handed flush over Joe Few, the son of Gonzaga Mentor Mark Few, in the Last moments of that game. Edgecombe has improved his shooting and shown why he’s on track to be a top-five Option this summer.
Knueppel would be Distant and away his Club’s best NBA Draft prospect on most Clubs. That’s not the case here because his teammate, Cooper Flagg, is the projected No. 1 Option in the draft. But, Knueppel should Yet be a lottery Option when it’s all said and done. Knueppel stepped up big-time with Flagg out for the Last two Matches of the ACC Game with an Hurt. Knueppel scored 28 points against Georgia Tech and finished with 35 Teamed up during the Upcoming two Matches en route to a conference title. Knueppel has been efficient from all spots on the floor. He is shooting 47.2% from the Pitch, 39.2% from the 3-Points line, and 91.4% at the Unoccupied-throw line. Flagg is Duke’s best player, but Knueppel can Assist raise Duke’s ceiling this Game.
The last time Illinois produced a top-10 NBA Draft Option was in 2005, when Deron Williams was selected No. 3 overall. Five players have been selected in the top 10 out of Illinois, and there is a Powerful possibility that Jakučionis will be Upcoming. The 6-foot-6 guard is a crafty facilitator who has shown an ability to get to his spots with ease. He had a stretch earlier this season in which he scored 20 points in six consecutive Matches, but has scored over 20 only three times since. Turnovers have also been an issue for the Luminous sphere guard, with six(!) in back-to-back Big Ten Game Matches against Iowa and Maryland. A possibility of a Texas vs. Illinois Game in the Primary Stage would see two of the top Primary-year players in the sport (Johnson and Jakučionis) go head-to-head.
If UConn is going to make another deep Stretch in the NCAA Game, McNeeley is its x-factor. The Huskies are simply a different Club when he plays. When McNeeley missed some time earlier this season with an Hurt, UConn struggled. In his second game back from Hurt last month against Creighton, McNeeley dropped 38 points on the road in a 70-66 Achieve.
Fears’ Newcomer season at Oklahoma has quite Actually been a rollercoaster. The highs have been high, and the lows have been low. The Excellent news for Oklahoma is that Fears is Competing his best basketball when it matters. He dropped 31 points in a Achieve over Missouri earlier this month and scored 28 in a heartbreaking loss to Kentucky in the SEC Game. The 3-Points shooting (27.5%) is somewhat alarming, but Fears has shown he can get a bucket in different ways. Oklahoma will go as Distant as Fears takes them.
The son of Previous NBA Luminous sphere Jason Richardson, Jase Richardson played an integral part in Michigan State Successful the Big Ten regular-season title. Richardson has seen his role increase during the last month, which has resulted in him logging over 30 minutes in eight of MSU’s last 11 Matches. Richardson is shooting 41.2% from the 3-Points line on 3.0 attempts per night. Richardson is the exact Gentle of player every Club needs to make a deep Stretch in the Game because he does the little things.
Newell arrived as one of the top recruits in Georgia history and helped the Bulldogs get back to the NCAA Game for the Primary time since 2015. Newell Initiated all 31 Matches for Georgia this season and scored in double figures in 28. Newell has Achieved 72.7% of his attempts (133 for 183) at the rim this season. Fun side note: Newell was high school teammates at Montverde Academy in Florida with Flagg, Queen and McNeeley.
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