Freshman Tracker: SEC, Big 12 newcomers impressing
In this month’s installment of the Freshman Tracker, we take a look at which direction some of the nation’s top first-year players are trending at the start of the new year.
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Rivals Roundtable: College surprises, players who were steals, more
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 40
Transfer Portal: Latest news
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1. Brandon Miller, Alabama
Season averages: 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Analysis: Miller continues to hold onto the top spot since the last update. He’s scored single digits once, in an upset win over Houston where he was held to eight points. He followed that game up with a 36-point, six-rebound performance against Gonzaga a week later, where he shot 6-of-11 from the outside. His combination of size and shooting has been unmatched in Power Five college basketball this season, as the 6-foot-9 forward is shooting 44-percent from the outside.
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2. Keyonte George, Baylor
Season averages: 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists
Analysis: George has really started to put his game together over the last month or so, continuing his strong freshman campaign. His shooting percentages have been up and down, but he’s starting to find ways to impact the game without scoring and is finding his groove in Baylor’s system. His best performance of the season came Wednesday night in a close loss to TCU, where George scored 27 points and went 4-of-7 from behind the arc. He also added six rebounds and a couple of assists in that contest.
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3. Gradey Dick, Kansas
Season averages: 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Analysis: Dick’s combination of size and overall scoring ability has him climbing up draft boards in a hurry. He possesses the ability to put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways and is one of the main reasons that the Jayhawks are one of the top national title contenders. The former five-star is shooting 47-percent from the outside and has been attacking the glass at a higher rate the past couple of weeks.
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4. Taylor Hendricks, UCF
Season averages: 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks
Analysis: Hendricks is the lowest-rated recruit on this list, but he’s completely out-performed his ranking as a freshman. He has good positional size at 6-foot-9 and is long and agile. He’s one of the more versatile big man defenders in the country and he’s popping up on draft boards left and right. Offensively, Hendricks is shooting 40-percent from the outside on good volume. Don’t be surprised to see his name in the lottery discussion soon.
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5. Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Season averages: 13.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Analysis: While Duke’s season isn’t going the way that the Blue Devils intended so far, Filipowski has been the brightest spot for them early on. He’s continued to show the overall skill set and touch that he did as a high school prospect and is leading the Blue Devils in scoring. His outside shooting percentage has dropped some in recent weeks as he’s gone through a dry spell, but it would be easy to see him picking that back up.
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6. Cason Wallace, Kentucky
Season averages: 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists
Analysis: Wallace has a do-it-all mentality on the court, filling up the box score both offensively and defensively, but he’s become Kentucky’s go-to shooter and scorer in crunch time over the last few games. Over the last four contests, Wallace is averaging just under 19 points per game, and on the season, he’s the Wildcats’ best outside shooter at 46-percent on a good chunk of volume.
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7. Judah Mintz, Syracuse
Season averages: 15.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Analysis: Syracuse has won seven out of its last eight games and a lot of that rides on Mintz. The former four-star guard has scored in double figures in all but one of those games and he’s second on the team in scoring at just under 16 points per game. He’s doing most of his scoring by getting downhill into the paint or by getting to the foul line, as he’s shooting just 17-percent from the outside.
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8. Brice Sensabaugh, Ohio State
Season averages: 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Analysis: Sensabaugh has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season, and he leads the top-25 Buckeyes in scoring at over 16 points per contest. Shooting 45-percent from the outside, Sensabaugh is one of the better three-point shooters in the Big Ten. He’s also become a more reliable rebounding threat for the Buckeyes recently.
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9. Anthony Black, Arkansas
Season averages: 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Analysis: Black isn’t called upon to do too much for the Razorbacks, and he plays his role extremely well. He’s a facilitator that moves the ball well around the perimeter, and he can also attack the glass. He’s struggled from the outside the last few weeks, but has found other ways to make a consistent impact and, because of his overall contribution on a nightly basis, is second on the team in minutes per game.
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10. Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana
Season averages: 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists
Analysis: The theme for the former five-star guard on this Indiana roster is second place. Hood-Schifino is second on the team in scoring and second in minutes played for the balanced Hoosiers attack. He is also second on the team in three-point percentage at 43-percent per game, while dishing out the second-highest amount of assists at 4.7 per game.