During one of the wildest weeks on the college basketball calendar, Rutgers freshman guard Dylan Harper introduced himself to the nation with numerous standout performances. The projected top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft scored at least 35 points in back-to-back games against Notre Dame and Alabama to become the first freshman in the last 20 years to accomplish the feat.
Harper arrived at Rutgers alongside five-star teammate Ace Bailey with high expectations. The Scarlet Knights have reached the NCAA Tournament only twice this century, but with Harper and Bailey leading the ship, the program could make noise in a wide-open Big Ten.
Duke and Rutgers joined eight different recruiting classes that featured two top-five signees with their respective signings last cycle. Of those eight, five failed to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky’s historic 2011 recruiting class, which featured Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, was the only one to win a national championship.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Freshman of the Week: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten 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.
The No. 3 overall recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle by 247Sports has shown why he’s going to be one of the first players taken off the board this summer. Harper scored 36 points against Notre Dame in the Player Era Festival in Las Vegas and followed it up by scoring 37 points the next night against Alabama.
Harper is the younger brother of former Rutgers star Ron Harper Jr. – considered one of the best players in program history. The elder Harper helped Rutgers reach the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022. The younger Harper could help the program reach the tournament for the third time this century.
Previous Freshman of the Week winners
- Nov. 12: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Nov. 19: Joson Sanon, Arizona State
- Nov. 26: Labaron Philon, Alabama
Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshman
1. Cooper Flagg | G/F | Duke
Stats: 15.9 PPG | 8.3 RPG | 4.1 APG
Flagg scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as No. 1 Kansas defeated No. 11 Duke 75-72 in a thrilling nonconference game in Las Vegas. Flagg finished with five rebounds and three assists but turned the ball over four times in a slim loss to the Jayhawks. Flagg dished out a career-high seven assists in a win over Seattle U. Last week: 1
2. Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers
Stats: 23.8 PPG | 4.6 APG | 4.5 RPG
Harper put up some historic numbers in wins over Notre Dame and Alabama to hold on to his No. 2 ranking. Harper is averaging 23.8 points, 4.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds on the season. If he keeps up this level of play, there’s a strong possibility he’ll be the second player to come off the board in the 2025 NBA Draft behind Flagg. Last week: 2
3. Egor Demin | G/F | BYU
Stats: 14.3 PPG | 6.3 APG | 4.9 RPG
Demin posted a career-high 11 rebounds in a 72-61 win over NC State last week. Demin has posted at least four assists in every game this season. He is looking like the early frontrunner to win Big 12 Freshman of the Year. If you want to know why he’s regarded as a potential top-10 pick, check out this pass below. Last week: 3
4. Tre Johnson | G/F | Texas
Stats: 21.1 PPG | 2.9 RPG | 2.0 APG
Johnson remains one of the best pure bucket-getters in his class. Johnson recorded his third game this season with at least 20 points, finishing with 21 in a 90-68 win over Delaware State. Johnson has posted at least 16 points in every game this season. The next test will come against NC State in the SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge. Last week: 4
5. Ace Bailey | G/F | Rutgers
Stats: 18.8 PPG | 5.8 RPG | 1.0 SPG
Bailey logged back-to-back outings with at least 20 points against Alabama and Texas A&M. In the 81-77 loss to the Aggies, Bailey posted his second career double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds) and shot 10 of 20 from the floor. Bailey has scored at least 10 points in all six of his appearances. Last week: 6
6. VJ Edgecombe | G | Baylor
Stats: 11.0 PPG | 5.4 RPG | 3.0 APG
Edgecombe logged a season-low 11 minutes in a blowout win over New Orleans last week due to a hamstring injury. Edgecombe’s status for Baylor’s next game against UConn on the road remains up in the air. It would be a huge loss for Baylor if the star freshman misses any time. Last week: 5
7. Kasparas Jakučionis | G/F | Illinois
Stats: 13.56 PPG | 6.0 RPG | 6.0 APG
For the first time this season, Jakučionis enters the rankings. He had a breakout performance in the win over Arkansas, recording 23 points, six rebounds and four assists. Those 23 points marked a career-high for the former No. 36 ranked recruit in the 2024 recruiting cycle by 247Sports. It was the second time he’s scored at least 20 points in a game this season. Last week: NR
8. Boogie Fland | G | Arkansas
Stats: 15.9 PPG | 4.9 APG | 3.04 RPG
Fland struggled in the loss against Illinois, posting a season-low eight points. Fland was in foul trouble down the stretch, and his team couldn’t overcome an early hole dug on Thanksgiving Day in Kansas City. Arkansas plays on the road against Miami next. Last week: 7
9. Derik Queen | C | Maryland
Stats: 16.5 PPG | 8.0 RPG | 2.8 APG
Queen has been one of the best freshman centers in his class. Queen recorded 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks against Alcorn State. It marked the fourth time in his young college career that Queen scored at least 20 points. He had a 20-20 game (22 points, 20 rebounds) in his college debut last month. Last week: 10
10. Kon Knueppel | G/F | Duke
Stats: 13.4 PPG | 4.1 RPG | 3.3 APG
Knueppel couldn’t find his shot from the 3-point line in the loss to Kansas. Knueppel missed all eight attempts from beyond the arc, including a shot at the buzzer that would’ve sent the game to overtime. Knueppel had a nice bounce-back shooting performance days later against Seattle U, finishing 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Last week: 9
