One of the most anticipated college basketball games in recent memory took place in Lawrence, Kansas, last weekend between BYU and Kansas. The reason for the hype? It could be the first and last time Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybartsa — the No. 1 and No. 2 projected picks in the 2026 NBA Draft — face off in college.
Saturday’s showdown was the only scheduled meeting between the Jayhawks and the Cougars during the regular season. The only other (likely) time we could get this matchup again is if they play each other in the Big 12 Tournament next month. If Peterson and Dybantsa go 1-2 in the draft this summer, it would mark the first time since 2017 that two players from the same conference went off the board with the first two picks in the same draft.
Peterson stole the show in the first half with a standout performance. He finished with 18 points after the first 20 minutes but logged just three minutes after halftime, drawing more questions about his durability and what is going on behind the scenes in Lawrence. Peterson has played in 11 of Kansas’ 21 games due to hamstring/cramping issues. It has taken on a story of its own over the last two months.
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While Peterson was on the bench, his fellow freshman Bryson Tiller stepped up. He scored a career-high 21 points and logged 38 minutes during the win over the Cougars. Simply put, the Jayhawks don’t win without Tiller’s breakout performance.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Freshman of the Week: Bryson Tiller, Kansas
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten most impressive freshmen in college basketball. For the 11th season in a row, CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week, we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
Tiller, the former No. 42 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, has seen his role grow throughout the course of the season. The 6-foot-10 forward is averaging 9.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for No. 11 Kansas. Tiller logged 38 minutes against BYU, which marked just the fifth time this season — and first since the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas — that he played at least 30 minutes.
“I thought he was aggressive,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I think when you play a big guy the way we’re playing him – which we think is the best way to play for the best of our team, but it may not be the best way to play for him individually sometimes.”
Tiller recorded 16 points in a win over Kansas State last month. With Peterson’s playtime on a nightly basis being uncertain, the Jayhawks could be leaning on Tiller more the rest of the season. With this kind of production, Tiller could be an intriguing stay-or-go decision in a few months.
Previous Freshman of the Week winners
- Nov. 11: Koa Peat, Arizona
- Nov. 18: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
- Nov. 25: Cameron Boozer, Duke
- Dec. 2: Cameron Boozer, Duke
- Dec. 9: Hannes Steinbach, Washington
- Dec. 16: AJ Dybantsa, BYU
- Dec. 23: Shelton Henderson, Miami
- Dec. 30: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford
- Jan. 6: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
- Jan. 13: Braylon Mullins, UConn
- Jan. 20: Cameron Boozer, Duke
- Jan. 27: Keaton Wagler, Illinois
Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshmen
1. Cameron Boozer | F | Duke
Stats: 23.5 PPG | 9.8 RPG | 4.1 APG
Boozer finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in a road win over Virginia Tech last weekend. Before that, Boozer recorded a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) in a blowout win over Louisville. The Duke star has 13 games this season with at least 20 points. He’s the National Player of the Year frontrunner for a reason. Last week: 1
2. Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas
Stats: 21.6 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 1.9 APG
On paper, Peterson is the best draft prospect in this class. The chances of him going No. 1 over Boozer and Dybantsa this summer are increasingly high. What he did in the first half against BYU vindicated that. However, it’s what happened in the second half against BYU that might cause concern among NBA decision makers. Peterson’s talent is undeniable. What is going on outside of that is one of the most interesting situations college basketball has seen in quite some time. When he’s healthy, Peterson is 1.01. Monday’s game against Texas Tech proved just that when Peterson knocked down a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute to seal a dramatic win on the road. Last week: 3
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3. AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU
Stats: 23.3 PPG | 6.4 RPG | 3.5 APG
Dybantsa had his worst shooting performance (6 of 24 from the field) in a loss against No. 1 Arizona. In the highly anticipated matchup against Peterson/Kansas, he started slow but finished with 17 points. In games against Kansas, Arizona and Texas Tech, Dybantsa has combined to shoot 18 of 54 (33.9%) from the floor. Last week: 2
4. Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina
Stats: 19.9 PPG | 10.1 RPG | 2.8 APG
Wilson has a huge matchup coming up against Duke this weekend. You have to go all the way back to 1989 for the last time Duke and North Carolina both had a top-five pick in the same NBA Draft. UNC hasn’t produced a lottery pick since 2019. Wilson is more than likely going to change that this summer. He’s a special talent with a relentless motor on both ends of the floor. Last week: 4
5. Kingston Flemings | G | Houston
Stats: 17.0 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 5.4 APG
After scoring 42 points against Texas Tech last month, Flemings followed it up by dropping 27 points in a win over TCU. Flemings has three games this season with at least 25 points. Last week: 5
6. Keaton Wagler | G | Illinois
Stats: 18.1 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 4.2 APG
Wagler earned Frosh of the Week honors last week after having one of the best individual performances of any player this season. Wagler went for 46 points against Purdue. In his last two games, Wagler scored 22 points against Washington and 28 in a win over Nebraska. No prospect has helped their draft stock more over the last month than the Illinois star guard. Last week: 8
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7. Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas
Stats: 20.3 PPG | 2.9 RPG | 6.2 APG
Acuff struggled in the first half against Kentucky (five points, 2 of 10 from the floor), but came on strong during the final 20 minutes to help give his team the lead back midway through the second half. However, it wasn’t enough, as Kentucky pulled off an upset win on the road over Arkansas. Last week: 6
8. Brayden Burries | G | Arizona
Stats: 15.3 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 2.9 APG
Wagler and Burries are two of the biggest stock risers during the last month. Burries dropped a game-high 29 points in a road win over BYU last week. He also scored 17 points in a rivalry win over Arizona State. His usage has gone up after a slow-ish start to the season. He has been fun to watch. Last week: 9
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9. Ebuka Okorie | G | Stanford
Stats: 21.8 PPG | 3.5 RPG | 3.3 APG
One of the top scorers in college basketball had a bounce-back performance against Florida State after back-to-back games with under 15 points. Okorie finished with 19 points against Miami and 26 against Florida State. He is averaging 21.8 points per game. Last week: 7
10. Hannes Steinbach | F | Washington
Stats: 17.6 PPG | 11.4 RPG | 1.7 APG
Steinbach recorded two double-doubles last week against Illinois and Northwestern. He now has 14 of them on the season, which is tied for third among all Division I players. That number also ranks No. 1 in his class. Last week: 10
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