College Basketball Freshman Power Rankings: Week 10 Edition
With conference play beginning in earnest around the country, college basketball's top freshmen are in for another culture shock. As much of an adjustment as they've already had to make for the speed of the college game, they'll have another big hurdle to clear as theyโre thrown into the heightened intensity of league games against rivals who face each other every year.
Few young players have experienced the resulting swings of momentum as fully as Noah Vonleh through his first two games. The Indiana monolith played brilliantly in a painful loss to Illinois, then got swallowed up by All-America candidate Adreian Payne as his team got blown out at home by Michigan State.
Read on to see where Vonlehโs ups and downs land him in this weekโs ranking of the 20 most impressive first-year stars in college hoops.
20. Andrew Harrison, Kentucky
1 of 20
Previous Ranking: Unranked
In Andrew Harrison's last three games, he's turned in his two best performances of the season against then-No. 18 North Carolina and then-No. 6 Louisville (a combined 35 points, 10 boards and nine assists).
Key Stats: 11.2 points and 3.4 assists per game
Why Heโs Here: Though he's easily lost in the forest of first-year Kentucky stars, heโs still one of the best all-purpose offensive weapons in anyoneโs freshman class.
Biggest Weakness: Struggling badly with defending under this year's heightened foul emphasis (3.5 hacks per game).
19. Marcus Foster, Kansas State
2 of 20
Previous Ranking: 17
Marcus Fosterโs fine effort against Oklahoma State was vital in a K-State upset, but he also turned in one of his worst games of the season against unimpressive Tulane (six points, zero rebounds).
Key Stats: 14 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, .345 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: Sensational pure scorer is also helping smallish Wildcats on the glass.
Biggest Weakness: High-volume shooter (nearly 12 attempts a game) for someone whoโs hitting well south of 40 percent from the floor.
18. Devin Williams, West Virginia
3 of 20
Previous Ranking: 16
Devin Williams, like the rest of the West Virginia starters, left early in a rout of William & Mary, but he bounced back to turn in a pair of solid efforts in the Mountaineersโ 2-0 Big 12 start.
Key Stats: 9.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here: Low-post grinder is as much mountain as Mountaineer at 6โ9โ, 255 pounds.
Biggest Weakness: Awful shooter no matter how you slice it (zero three-point tries, .426 from the floor, .542 from the foul line).
17. Mamadou Ndiaye, UC-Irvine
4 of 20
Previous Ranking: 19
Facing one of his toughest opponents of the season, Mamadou Ndiaye erupted against Arizona Stateโs Jordan Bachynski, matching his fellow 7-footer blow for blow with 12 points, 12 boards and four blocks on the road.
Key Stats: 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here: Physical marvel (7โ6โ, 290 lbs) has some pretty impressive defensive instincts, too.
Biggest Weakness: Extremely raw on offense, where he rarely shoots anything beyond layup range.
16. Jabari Bird, Cal
5 of 20
Previous Ranking: 11
In the tough competition of this freshman class, to stand still is to lose ground, as Jabari Bird does after missing the Golden Bearsโ last two games with a bum ankle.
Key Stats: 11.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, .400 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: Elite all-around scorer has held his own in veteran lineup.
Biggest Weakness: Has struggled to maintain his production when his team falls behind.
15. Zach LaVine, UCLA
6 of 20
Previous Ranking: 13
UCLA super-sub Zach LaVine (with his 16 points, four assists and two steals) was one of many Bruins with reason to celebrate their demolition of USC. He also needed it more than most after three straight disappointing performances.
Key Stats: 12.4 points, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game, .453 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: On the short list of the nationโs best bench players of any age.
Biggest Weakness: Plays much smaller than his 6โ5โ height.
14. Anthony 'Cat' Barber, North Carolina State
7 of 20
Previous Ranking: 14
His Wolfpack have hit a rough patch against some tough competition, but Cat Barber has continued to do a solid job running the offense.
Key Stats: 12 points and 4.7 assists per game
Why Heโs Here: Explosive combo guard is gaining confidence by the minute.
Biggest Weakness: Prone to severe shooting slumps, including the one in which heโs currently mired.
13. Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington
8 of 20
Previous Ranking: 18
Nigel Williams-Goss made his Pac-12 debut by overshadowing one of the leagueโs biggest stars, outplaying Jahii Carson on the latterโs home floor in an upset win over Arizona State.
Key Stats: 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game
Why Heโs Here: Ultra-versatile point guard doing everything he can to make Washingtonโs four-guard lineup work.
Biggest Weakness: Although heโs scoring better than expected, his outside shot (.300 from deep) is as unimpressive as advertised.
12. Bobby Portis, Arkansas
9 of 20
Previous Ranking: 15
Playing outclassed opponents such as Texas-San Antonio and High Point does wonders for a freshmanโs confidence, as Bobby Portis showed with a pair of terrific performances in the run-up to SEC play.
Key Stats: 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here: After a sluggish start, heโs finding his expected niche as the Razorbacksโ most reliable scorer.
Biggest Weakness: With so little competition from his own team, he should be getting even more rebounds (at 6'10", 242 lbs).
11. Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
10 of 20
Previous Ranking: 9
Aaron Harrison was one of the only Wildcats who disappointed in a well-deserved win over Louisville, as he was held to just 10 points and a single assist.
Key Stats: 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game
Why Heโs Here: Potent scoring weapon provides plenty of other contributions from his shooting guard spot.
Biggest Weakness: Three-point shot can only be called a liability at .291 accuracy.
10. Jordan Mickey, LSU
11 of 20
Previous Ranking: 12
LSU suffered a massive upset in losing at home to Rhode Island, but Jordan Mickey nearly saved the Tigers with 21 points, four blocks and three steals.
Key Stats: 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here: High-flying shot-blocker is heating up on offense.
Biggest Weakness: At 6โ8โ, 220 pounds, heโs none too big for SEC lanes.
9. Eric Mika, BYU
12 of 20
Previous Ranking: 8
Neither Eric Mika nor his BYU team is off to a great start in WCC play, with the Cougars squandering Mikaโs brilliant game at Loyola Marymount and the youngster fouling out after scoring just 10 points in another loss at Pepperdine.
Key Stats: 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here: Surprisingly polished post scorer can do some damage on the glass, too.
Biggest Weakness: Improving as a shot-blocker, but still has a long way to go.
8. James Young, Kentucky
13 of 20
Previous Ranking: 10
James Young was the surprise hero of Kentuckyโs win over Louisville, lighting up the Cards for 18 points, 10 boards and four assists.
Key Stats: 13.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, .337 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: Kentuckyโs top long-range threat is finally starting to show his athleticism on the glass.
Biggest Weakness: Defensive instincts havenโt yet caught up to the college game.
7. Noah Vonleh, Indiana
14 of 20
Previous Ranking: 7
Noah Vonleh learned a lot about his place in the pecking order of Big Ten big men last week, dominating Illinois in defeat (16 points, nine rebounds, four blocks) before being held to a mere five points by Adreian Payne in a blowout loss to Michigan State.
Key Stats: 11.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game
Why Heโs Here: One-man gang on the glass has picked up the pace defensively.
Biggest Weakness: Not an aggressive scorerโheโs fourth on his own team in field-goal attempts.
6. Andrew Wiggins, Kansas
15 of 20
Previous Ranking: 5
Itโs been business as usual for Andrew Wiggins, who continues to score brilliantly but not to keep Kansas from losing to top-level competition (witness his team-high 14 points in the home defeat against San Diego State).
Key Stats: 15.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game
Why Heโs Here: Sensational athlete has some defensive chops to go with his big-time point production.
Biggest Weakness: On a team with a leadership void, heโs the obvious candidate but hasn't stepped in to fill it.
5. Joel Embiid, Kansas
16 of 20
Previous Ranking: 6
Not only has Joel Embiid notched back-to-back double-doubles (in a win over Toledo and a loss to San Diego State), but heโs tallied eight blocks and five assists between the two games.
Key Stats: 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game
Why Heโs Here: Agile defensive standout is starting to find a groove offensively.
Biggest Weakness: Even his already impressive shot-blocking doesn't approach the potential of his athleticism and 7โ0โ frame.
4. Aaron Gordon, Arizona
17 of 20
Previous Ranking: 4
After faltering in his Pac-12 debutโfive points against lowly Washington StateโAaron Gordon rebounded in more ways than one, racking up 18 points and 11 boards in holding off a surprising Washington squad.
Key Stats: 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game
Why Heโs Here: Athletic rebounder is also top interior scorer for nationโs top team.
Biggest Weakness: Mind-bogglingly awful from free-throw line (.449 on 69 attempts so far).
3. Tyler Ennis, Syracuse
18 of 20
Previous Ranking: 3
Itโs hard to argue with Tyler Ennisโ performance running the point for the undefeated Orange, especially when he also has the scoring potential to light up high-powered Villanova for 20 points.
Key Stats: 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game
Why Heโs Here: Best point guard in the class by leaps and bounds has a terrific all-around game.
Biggest Weakness: Despite a fine shooting stroke, heโs hitting just 41.7 percent of his field-goal tries.
2. Julius Randle, Kentucky
19 of 20
Previous Ranking: 2
Julius Randle only played half a game against Louisville due to leg cramps, but he still scored 17 points to help propel the Wildcats' biggest win of the season.
Key Stats: 18.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game
Why Heโs Here: SEC's top rebounder has been one of the most dominant low-post scorers in the country.
Biggest Weakness: Among the nationโs worst players for holding onto the ball (3.2 turnovers per game).
1. Jabari Parker, Duke
20 of 20
Previous Ranking: 1
Jabari Parker would've had to work hard to play any worse in his ACC debutโseven points and four boards in a loss to Notre Dameโbut heโs still turning in the best season of any freshman (and one of the best of any player in the conference).
Key Stats: 20.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, .429 three-point shooting
Why Heโs Here: Lethal and efficient scorer has done nearly as much for Duke with his smothering defense.
Biggest Weakness: Hasn't yet found an answer for situations where heโs outmatched physically (as he was by NDโs 6โ11โ, 255-lb Garrick Sherman).
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