College Basketball Freshman Power Rankings: Week 12 Edition
The rigors of conference play are taking a major toll on the stars in these college basketball freshman power rankings. Most of the top first-year players are experiencing much tougher sledding against experienced, athletic league opposition.
One young standout who has bucked that trend is Indianaโs Noah Vonleh. His Hoosiers are scuffling in Big Ten action, but Vonleh has been just as impressive against the likes of Wisconsin and Illinois as he was against Samford and North Florida.
Read on to find out where he lands in our latest assessment of the nationโs best first-year talents. Although season-long performance does still play a primary role in these rankings, a playerโs recent production is weighted to account for the tougher competition.
20. Jarell Martin, LSU
1 of 20
Previous Ranking: Unranked
An ankle injury slowed his acclimation to the college game, but Jarell Martin has found a groove. He's posted three straight big games in the SEC, including putting up 18 points, six boards and five steals at South Carolina.
Key Stats: 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The mobile combo forward is carving out a niche in the deep Tigers frontcourt.
Biggest Weakness: Weak shot-blocking numbers belie his 6โ9โ, 241-pound frame.
19. Anthony โCatโ Barber, North Carolina State
2 of 20
Previous Ranking: 14
NC Stateโs three-game skid in ACC action had a lot to do with Barberโs offensive struggles, especially a three-point, one-assist nightmare against Virginia.
Key Stats: 11.4 points and 4.2 assists per game
Why Heโs Here:ย He's still learning to put the pieces together, but heโs shown the scoring, passing and defensive potential to be a terrific ACC point guard.
Biggest Weakness:ย He canโt shoot the three-pointer, though at least he has the sense to limit his attempts (8-of-32).
18. Devin Williams, West Virginia
3 of 20
Previous Ranking: 18
Although Devin Williams put on a show against Oklahoma State (12 points and 13 boards), he followed it up with a disappearing act against physical Texas (two points without a single rebound).
Key Stats: 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The punishing power forward has been the Mountaineersโ only meaningful interior presence.
Biggest Weakness:ย His playing style gets him to the free-throw line, but a lack of shooting touch keeps him from converting (.549).
17. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
4 of 20
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been the class of a deep bench for top-ranked Arizona, providing reliable rebounding and defending multiple positions.
Key Stats: 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The Wildcatsโ top defensive stopper is starting to make more visible contributions in the box score.
Biggest Weakness:ย His similarities to his brotherโex-Temple forward Rahlirโinclude an ugly jump shot.
16. Zach LaVine, UCLA
5 of 20
Previous Ranking: 15
Zach LaVine has been on a roller coaster in Pac-12 play, alternating big scoring nights (19 points against Arizona State) and unimpressive ones (nine points in his next game at Colorado).
Key Stats: 12.6 points and 2.2 assists per game; .451 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here:ย The long-range gunner has been a top-notch sixth man for a thin Bruins backcourt.
Biggest Weakness: He has better playmaking potential than any guard on the roster, but hasnโt quite found his groove as a distributor yet.
15. Andrew Harrison, Kentucky
6 of 20
Previous Ranking: 20
Andrew Harrisonโs passing is still a work in progress, but he turned heads on Saturday by lighting up Tennessee for 26 points in a big Wildcats win.
Key Stats: 11.5 points and 3.5 assists per game; .385 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: The less that Kentuckyโs nominal point guard worries about playing a pass-first game, the better his offensive production has become.
Biggest Weakness: Defense has been a season-long issue, and he hasnโt even seen the SECโs best point guards yet.
14. Eric Mika, BYU
7 of 20
Previous Ranking: 9
After missing two games with an injured hip, Eric Mika has yet to return to top form for the streaking Cougars. He had 11 points and four rebounds against San Francisco.
Key Stats: 13.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The smooth low-post scorer helps balance BYUโs guard-focused attack.
Biggest Weakness:ย His lackluster defense has included plenty of fouls (3.2 per game).
13. Marcus Foster, Kansas State
8 of 20
Previous Ranking: 19
Stifled in a blowout loss at Kansas, a banged-up Marcus Foster bounced back strong with an 18-point, five-assist showcase in a win over Oklahoma.
Key Stats: 14.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game; .377 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here:ย The improving long-range shooter has provided badly needed scoring for the Wildcats.
Biggest Weakness: At 6โ2โ, heโs far from an ideal matchup to stop opposing shooting guards.
12. Bobby Portis, Arkansas
9 of 20
Previous Ranking: 12
Rebounding ace Bobby Portis has held up admirably against stiff SEC competition from the likes of Julius Randle and Will Yeguete.
Key Stats: 12.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The mobile power forward has anchored the undersized Razorbacks inside.
Biggest Weakness: Tough conference defenses have wreaked havoc on his shooting accuracy (and, to a lesser extent, his scoring).
11. Jordan Mickey, LSU
10 of 20
Previous Ranking: 10
Although Jordan Mickey has largely kept up his point production against SEC foes, his rebounding is a shadow of what it was during LSUโs nonconference schedule.
Key Stats: 13.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The high-flying forward has done first-rate scoring work to go with his shot-blocking.
Biggest Weakness:ย A lack of bulk (220 pounds) is becoming a serious problem in conference play.
10. Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
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Previous Ranking: 11
Aaron Harrison has been a reliable scorer whoโs providing just enough in other areasโtwo steals against Tennessee, three assists against Mississippi Stateโto stand out on an improving Kentucky squad.
Key Stats: 14.1 points, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The high-powered slasher is starting to get the most out of his 6โ6โ length.
Biggest Weakness: Itโs awfully tough to be a starting 2-guard in a major conference while shooting .300 from beyond the arc.
9. Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington
12 of 20
Previous Ranking: 13
Nigel Williams-Goss' best performance of the conference seasonโ17 points, seven boards and six assistsโcame in a tough loss at Stanford. Nevertheless, he has led his Huskies to a surprising 3-3 start in the Pac-12.
Key Stats: 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The do-it-all point guard has turned undermanned Washington into a dangerous wild card.
Biggest Weakness: He would love to use three-pointers to keep defenders honest, but he only hits at a .293 clip.
8. James Young, Kentucky
13 of 20
Previous Ranking: 8
James Youngโs biggest games of his young careerโincluding 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Mississippi Stateโhave been offset by a pair of no-shows against Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Key Stats: 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The explosive swingman has demonstrated a willingness to crash the boards.
Biggest Weakness:ย He is still taking more three-pointers than his performance from long range (.325) justifies.
7. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
14 of 20
Previous Ranking: 6
Kansas, as a team, has been far more impressive in the Big 12 than erstwhile star Andrew Wiggins. The top-ranked recruit had one brilliant game (17 points and 19 rebounds at Iowa State) but a pair of crummy ones (including three points and two boards against Oklahoma State) on his recent ledger.
Key Stats: 15.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The all-purpose scoring threat is also racking up rebounds against Big 12 foes.
Biggest Weakness: With his athletic ability, heโd be better served to force the issue more often on offense, as he did in earning 12 free-throw tries against Baylor.
6. Aaron Gordon, Arizona
15 of 20
Previous Ranking: 4
Aaron Gordon has been as solid as ever during Pac-12 play. He only loses ground here because a stat line of 12 points and eight rebounds (in a blowout at USC) is typical rather than impressive for him.
Key Stats: 12.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The highlight-reel dunker has been the best of many imposing rebounders on top-ranked Arizona.
Biggest Weakness:ย He is still shooting better from the field (.506) than the free-throw line (an ugly .459).
5. Noah Vonleh, Indiana
16 of 20
Previous Ranking: 7
Noah Vonleh has turned in some of his best offensive performances against Big Ten foes, including the lone strong showing from any Hoosier (17 points, 12 boards) in an embarrassing home loss to Northwestern.
Key Stats: 12.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here:ย The overpowering rebounderโand IUโs toughest defenderโis taking on a bigger role in the offense.
Biggest Weakness:ย The struggling team needs even more scoring from him than heโs ready to provide.
4. Julius Randle, Kentucky
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Previous Ranking: 2
Julius Randle is finally coming down to earth after his phenomenal start, enduring back-to-back games of single-digit scoring (his first two of the year) against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
Key Stats: 16.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here: The top rebounder in any power conference has dominated as a scorer for most of the year.
Biggest Weakness:ย He commits far more turnovers (3.3 per night) than the Wildcatsโ slump-prone offense can afford.
3. Jabari Parker, Duke
18 of 20
Previous Ranking: 1
Duke has sputtered early on in ACC play. Not coincidentally, so has star Jabari Parker, whose scoring has plummeted against the leagueโs tougher defenses.
Key Stats: 19.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game; .409 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: Even his recent downturn has only dropped him from โuntouchableโ to โgreatโ as a scorer, and heโs still a devastating defender.
Biggest Weakness:ย A tremendous athlete at 6โ8โ, 235 pounds, heโs still not built for trading body blows with the ACCโs 250- and 260-pound big men.
2. Tyler Ennis, Syracuse
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Previous Ranking: 3
Not only has Tyler Ennis kept his Orange perfect in the win column, but heโs kept up his impressive numbers against top competition with 16 points and three assists against Pitt.
Key Stats: 11.9 points, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game; .400 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: Lapping the field of first-year point guards, he would be a serious Bob Cousy Award candidate with just a bit more scoring.
Biggest Weakness: He hasnโt yet faced a top-tier hostile crowd, so itโs fair to ask how heโll fare in Chapel Hill or Durham.
1. Joel Embiid, Kansas
20 of 20
Previous Ranking: 5
Joel Embiid is undergoing a fast-forward version of the traditional raw prospectโs metamorphosis. Heโs gone from sixth man in November to near-triple-double performances (13 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks against Oklahoma State) in January.
Key Stats: 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here:ย He combines a true centerโs body (7โ0โ, 250 pounds) with the agility and skill of this freshman classโ most athletic power forwards.
Biggest Weakness: Kansas needs him to be more dependable, not languishing on the bench with foul problems (3.5 hacks per game).
