Freshman Tracker: Heralded standouts make their debut
With the first week of the college basketball season coming to a close, Rivals.com’s Travis Graf looks at the top freshman performances of Week 1, the first of our biweekly stock report of the nation's top first-year players.
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1. Keyonte George, Baylor
Season averages: 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists
Analysis: The former five-star is second on the Baylor roster in scoring through two games and is one of the main reasons the Bears are averaging a whopping 102 points per game through two games.
George is doing a great job of transitioning to the college game while showing patience on the offensive end. He’s been demonstrating a healthy balance of scoring and distributing as well for the Bears early on.
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2. Brandon Miller, Alabama
Season averages: 17.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Analysis: Miller leads the top-25 Crimson Tide in scoring through two contests and has done a fantastic job of attacking the glass early in his collegiate career. Miller struggled from the outside in his debut, going 0-of-6 from being the arc, but bounced back in a big way in his second outing, going 4-of-5 from three.
His prototypical size and multi-level scoring ability makes him a very intriguing draft prospect, and he’s shown promising processing and passing ability as well.
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3. Gradey Dick, Kansas
Season averages: 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Analysis: Dick is one of three Jayhawks averaging double-figures this season, and is currently second on the team in scoring. He erupted in his college debut, scoring 23 points and going 4-of-6 from behind the arc.
Not only has he scored well from the outside, but he’s shown soft touch from the mid-range and displayed athletic finishes around the rim. The versatility to score at his size has made this a smooth transition for him thus far.
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4. Cason Wallace, Kentucky
Season averages: 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists
Analysis: The Kentucky freshman started off his college career with a bang, coming close to notching a triple-double in his first game of the season. He finished his debut with 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
His production took a step back in the second game with Sahvir Wheeler making his season debut, but he’s had a massive defensive impact in both contests so far this season.
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5. Jarace Walker, Houston
Season averages: 15.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Analysis: Walker has been a steady hand for the Cougars through two games and has arguably been their most productive player. His shot wasn’t falling in the first game of the season, but he still grabbed 12 boards. In his second game, he was much more efficient from the field, scoring 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 2-of-4 from behind the arc.
He’s appeared to be the perfect piece to match with the Cougars' backcourt so far.
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6. Mark Mitchell, Duke
Season averages: 15.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Analysis: After sometimes being an afterthought behind Dariq Whitehead, Dereck Lively and Kyle Flipowski in the 2022 class, Mitchell has had the best start to his college career out of the bunch. He leads the top-10 Blue Devils in scoring through two games.
He’s shown outside shooting ability early on, and if he’s able to play the three more than people expected, it raises Duke’s ceiling when everyone gets completely healthy.
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7. Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Season averages: 12.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Analysis: Filipowski has notched a double-double in both contests for the Blue Devils. He’s been efficient in reads off of the catch when rolling and popping off of picks, knocking down shots and moving the ball to the right player on the pass.
There’s work to be done defensively, but when Lively and Whitehead get healthy, it will help cover up Filipowski some in that department.
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8. Mike Sharavjamts, Dayton
Season averages: 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Analysis: Sharavjamts has played more than 30 minutes a game for the top-25 Flyers through two contests with Malachi Smith and Koby Brea out, and he’s been getting meaningful reps.
He provides real creation skills at 6-foot-8 and plays under control and at a very nice pace. He’s shooting 40-percent from the outside early on and looks comfortable letting it fly from there.
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9. Judah Mintz, Syracuse
Season averages: 16.0 points, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals
Analysis: In his regular season debut, Mintz played the second most minutes on the team with 26. He was also third in the team in scoring with 16 points in that game, finishing 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Mintz was very effective in getting a foot in the paint on drive and showed soft touch from runners and mid-range pull-ups, while also throwing nice passes to cutters as a ball-handler.
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10. Rylan Griffen, Alabama
Season averages: 15.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals
Analysis: With Jahvon Quinerly and Dom Welch out up until this point, it’s given younger guards such as Griffen the chance to have extended minutes early on, and the former four-star has made the most of the opportunity.
He was much more efficient in the second game than in the first, but he’s not been shy about looking to score. He’s knocked down catch-and-shoot looks, but has also been effective as a driver to the basket.