Court Vision: College basketball’s Year of the Freshmen living up to the hype early

Which coach in tonight’s Corridor of Fame Collection has a greater probability of being again subsequent season: Villanova’s Kyle Neptune or Virginia’s Ron Sanchez?

Give me Sanchez — particularly after Nova dropped its second recreation in per week to a sub-100 opponent. No disrespect to Saint Joseph’s, however earlier than Neptune took over, the Wildcats had gained the Holy Conflict 10 occasions in a row, and Neptune has misplaced two of three to the Hawks. No have to preemptively throw extra filth on the grave, nevertheless it’s getting late early for Jay Wright’s hand-picked successor.

However sufficient about that. On to a development that ought to excite followers — of each school and professional hoops — in all places:

1. The Yr of the Freshmen

“Faculty basketball is as outdated as ever …”

“Further season of eligibility …”

“Three starters not less than 22 years outdated …”

Blah, blah, blah. We’re bored with writing about it, and certainly you might be bored with studying about it. However what’s the scrumptious irony that has emerged on this ultimate season of COVID-19 eligibility? We’re witnessing among the best (and most enjoyable) freshman courses in years.

That begins on the high with Cooper Flagg. (No, Duke wasn’t fallacious to present him the ball within the ultimate 30 seconds with the rating tied, even when it didn’t finish properly.) However of the top-20 recruits on this 12 months’s freshman class, 12 are averaging not less than 10 factors per recreation, with half of these — Flagg (Duke), Dylan Harper (Rutgers), Tre Johnson (Texas), Egor Demin (BYU), Asa Newell (Georgia), and Will Riley (Illinois) — main their groups in scoring. These aren’t simply early beatdowns in opposition to random directional faculties, both. I anticipate Johnson, Riley and Harper to be borderline 20-points-per-game gamers all season, with Johnson (at 25.3 factors per recreation, fifth-most amongst high-major gamers) presently main that trio.

There are six freshmen — Flagg, Thomas Sorber (Georgetown), Liam McNeeley (UConn), Donnie Freeman (Syracuse), Jacob Cofie (Virginia) and Lathan Sommerville (Rutgers) — who rank within the high 50 of all high-major gamers in defensive rebounding, and that doesn’t embrace Newell, whose 5 offensive boards per recreation are fifth-best amongst high-major gamers. And if we’re speaking assists, Demin and Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois) are each top-five amongst high-major gamers in assists per recreation, with 7.7 every.

So NBA scouts and basic managers are understandably drooling on the a great deal of first-year expertise throughout the nation. It’s early, however after a number of “down” seasons of freshman expertise, we could possibly be taking a look at an all-time season for the freshmen.

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Duke requested Cooper Flagg to go win the sport. Regardless of consequence, he’ll be requested many times

2. Fab freshmen, Half 2

Illinois followers within the feedback, I hear you. I’m right here to rectify any perceived slights towards your gamers, by mentioning a number of extra of my favourite first-years to date:

Riley: Riley’s debut — a 31-point supernova of scoring that Jap Illinois didn’t deserve — was among the best this season, and the truth that he did in order a reclassified freshman makes his scoring chops solely that rather more spectacular. Per Synergy, he’s within the 96th percentile of spot-up taking pictures, regardless of having solely 8 factors in opposition to Oakland this week. If the 6-foot-8 wing strikes again a bit of from the midrange — the place he has made solely one in every of six makes an attempt — we could possibly be speaking about among the best shooters within the Massive Ten.

Jakucionis: Fairly than attempt to describe how elite of a passer the 6-6 Lithuanian is, let me simply present you:

Kasparas Jakučionis with 11 factors, 7 assists, 5 boards in his debut. His line wasn’t as spectacular as Riley’s (31-7-3), however the rim strain and court docket imaginative and prescient have been excellent. Straightforward to see why he could be a 2025 lotto choose. Prepare for plenty of no-look passes. Full highlights: pic.twitter.com/KHLQk2sL8P

— Ricky O’Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) November 5, 2024

That isn’t regular. There’s good motive Jakucionis is being hailed as a possible lottery choose. Together with his measurement and imaginative and prescient, even when the scoring isn’t constant, there’s a lot he does as a table-setter. He didn’t have a made shot in opposition to Oakland however nonetheless chipped in six rebounds and three assists. He may lead the nation in no-look passes. Enjoyable!

Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn: After not scoring in his debut, the five-star recruit and one of many top-ranked signees in Auburn historical past shredded Houston’s vaunted protection in his second school recreation, with a 21-3-3 stat line (together with 5 made 3-pointers) that undersells his influence. The 6-1 guard matches Bruce Pearl’s M.O. as a bit of little bit of a wild card, however clearly, the nice outweighs the destructive, particularly for the reason that Tigers’ roster is so stacked. Particularly after #PlaneGate, Pettiford’s position ought to proceed to develop.

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Auburn outlasts Houston at some point after altercation grounds workforce airplane

Dylan Harper, Rutgers: With fellow top-three recruit Ace Bailey but to make his season debut, the highlight in New Jersey has been solely on Harper, and he has delivered. At 6-6 and 215 kilos, Harper has pro-ready measurement (and did a 12 months in the past, to be sincere), and he’s not shy about utilizing it. Regardless of questions on his athleticism, Harper is taking pictures 80 % on the rim, per CBB Analytics, and that’s properly above the Division I common of 63 %. Coach Steve Pikiell stated he expects Bailey to play Friday versus Monmouth.

Thomas Sorber, Georgetown: You’re forgiven if Georgetown hasn’t been in your radar, however Sorber needs to be. The highest-50 recruit was named the Massive East Rookie of the Week after scoring 20 factors and grabbing 13 rebounds in his debut versus Lehigh and following that up with 25 and 9 in opposition to Fairfield. The 6-10, 255-pounder has some stretch potential long run — he’s 1-of-4 from deep this season — however is a direct difference-maker within the submit. He leads the Hoyas in scoring and rebounding, and if he’s equally deadly Saturday versus Notre Dame, the deserved consideration ought to observe.

Robert Hinton, Harvard: Final 12 months it was Malik Mack — coincidentally, now at Georgetown with Sober — who burst onto the scene for the Crimson, however this 12 months, it’s Hinton, a borderline top-100 recruit. I get folks not wanting to observe a 1-3 Ivy League workforce, however Hinton, a 6-5 California native, ought to stash his recreation tape away for when switch portal season comes. He’s being requested to do rather a lot (most likely greater than is honest), however he’s battling: His 5.5 fouls drawn per recreation are within the 97th percentile nationally, per CBB Analytics.

3. Lingering Champions Traditional takeaways

Michigan State: MSU’s protection made life tough for each Kansas participant not named Hunter Dickinson. That’ll be pivotal given this workforce’s taking pictures woes. I had flashbacks Tuesday to final season’s Champions Traditional when the Spartans couldn’t hit something versus Duke. Xavier Booker just isn’t the 3-point marksman he thinks he’s, and Tom Izzo must get him slicing for simpler baskets, as my (a lot smarter) colleague CJ Moore defined in his latest movie room. I really feel higher in regards to the Spartans regardless of the loss, and positively wouldn’t hate to see them play UConn within the Maui Invitational semifinals.

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What the movie says about all 4 groups on the Champions Traditional

Kansas: I do know MSU didn’t double or entice him, but when that’s what Dickinson seems like with a not-full-strength ankle, he and Ryan Kalkbrenner can be competing for the title of “Greatest Massive” all season. (Generally it looks like Dickinson is making an attempt too exhausting to be a villain, however, no matter. I dig the petty celebrations.) I stated through the UNC-Kansas recreation that Zeke Mayo gave off Remy Martin vibes, however he’s extra important than Martin was to Kansas’ 2022 title workforce. It’s him — not Rylan Griffen, who I believed typically performed properly Tuesday, or AJ Storr, who must get out of his head — who seems just like the Jayhawks’ greatest perimeter participant.

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The No. 1 workforce is a one-man present proper now. Is he a safety blanket or a crutch?

Kentucky: This sizzling take has been percolating on social media, however I’m 100% in: Kentucky doesn’t win versus Duke on Tuesday if it has final 12 months’s coach. Think about how refreshing it will need to have been for Cats followers to see somebody make precise in-game changes that contributed to a come-from-behind win. Otega Oweh is a grown man, and UK’s age total — it’s the fifth most skilled workforce in America, per KenPom — is one thing I didn’t give sufficient credence to within the preseason. I’m not offered on the Cats’ level guard play, however the position definition early is promising.

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Mark Pope pushes all the appropriate buttons in Kentucky’s rally previous Duke

Duke: It will probably concurrently be true that Jon Scheyer was proper to present Flagg the ball with 26.5 seconds left and the rating tied and that Scheyer did his star freshman no favors with that ultimate play name. No eye sweet? No ball-screens? Not even a single cross? I get that Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster hadn’t impressed a ton of confidence within the second half, however a coach can’t ask a 17-year-old to interrupt down wall after wall after wall. Duke’s going to be high quality — particularly because it shouldn’t shoot that poorly, 17.4 % from 3, usually (if ever once more) — however Flagg can’t be the one participant who makes a shot within the ultimate 10 minutes.

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4. The sport of the weekend is …

No. 2 Alabama at No. 13 Purdue (7 p.m. ET, Friday, Peacock). Half of final season’s Ultimate 4, on one in every of its campuses, in mid-November? Sure, please.

Each groups have been … fascinating. Alabama’s offense hasn’t been as dominant because it appeared on paper this offseason. (Shocker.) There are two massive causes:

Alabama is taking pictures simply 30.1 % from 3 — which is 234th nationally, per KenPom — with mainly solely All-America guard Mark Sears (who has gone 6-of-14 from deep) being a constant deep menace. That ought to change, ultimately. Alabama’s analytical, 3s-and-layups offense invitations a large shot variance, however Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (44.7 % from 3 final season, 31.8 % this season) can be higher. It’ll assist when USF switch Chris Youngblood returns from an ankle damage. He made not less than 40 % of his 3s the previous three seasons.

However the second motive is that Alabama, which has been within the high 11 nationally in tempo each season beneath Nate Oats, hasn’t been nice in transition. The truth is, per Synergy, Alabama’s transition offense is definitely its least environment friendly type of offense, because the Tide are averaging solely 0.875 factors per possession in such situations, which ranks within the sixteenth percentile nationally.

As for Purdue, its first 12 months after Zach Edey has gone about as anticipated, with Braden Smith making his full star flip and Trey Kaufman-Renn largely filling Edey’s footwear as the first submit scorer. In averaging 15 factors, 9.3 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per recreation, Smith ranks seventh in KenPom’s (way-too-early) Participant of the Yr rankings. In the meantime, TKR is taking pictures 83.3 % on the rim, per CBB Analytics, and his passing makes Kaufman-Renn and 7-2 sophomore Will Berg one of many nation’s most fascinating frontcourts. Sadly, 7-4 freshman Daniel Jacobsen — critically, the place does Matt Painter preserve discovering these massive males? — is probably going out for the 12 months with a damaged tibia.

Stylistically, the groups couldn’t be additional aside. That, plus two of the sport’s greatest coaches, makes this a must-watch. I form of aspect with Purdue on this one. You may all mock me in a number of hours.

(Prime picture of Will Riley: Michael Reaves / Getty Pictures)