If there was even a sliver of doubt about who the National Player of the Year would be for the 2025-26 college basketball season, it was erased after Cameron Boozer’s latest performance in Duke’s regular-season finale. Boozer finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in the Blue Devils’ 76-61 win over North Carolina.
With the victory, Duke avenged its lone ACC loss, which came against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill earlier this season. In the process, the Blue Devils completed one of the best regular seasons in program history, finishing 29-2 overall and 17-1 in ACC play. If all goes well this week in the ACC Tournament, Duke should be a near-lock to be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday.
Duke is on track to have the National Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Cooper Flagg won college basketball’s most prestigious individual award last year after emerging as one of the best one-and-done players of the modern era. Boozer is having an even better statistical season than Flagg did when he led the Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance.
College basketball rankings: Florida, Arkansas jump in AP Top 25; undefeated Miami (Ohio) drops in latest poll
Cameron Salerno
It’s poetic that Boozer, who is known as one of the greatest winners in high school basketball, could help Duke win its first national title since 2015. He has been the best player in the country for a majority of the year and is just over three months away from being a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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: Cameron Boozer, Duke
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.
Boozer, the former No. 3-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports, has been not only the best freshman but arguably the best player in college basketball this season. He finished with 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists against UNC last weekend.
Per CBS Sports research, Boozer is the first Duke player with at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game against UNC since Luol Deng accomplished the feat in 2004.
Boozer possesses a unique blend of basketball IQ and the ability to be an elite offensive engine, making him one of the best players on that end of the floor in recent memory. He has also been extremely consistent, posting at least 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in all 31 games this season. That’s the longest streak by any Division I player in the last 20 years.
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
- Feb. 3: Bryson Tiller, Kansas
- Feb. 10: Alijah Arenas, USC
- Feb. 17: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
- Feb. 24: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
- March 3: Hannes Steinbach, Washington
Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshmen
1. Cameron Boozer | F | Duke
Stats: 22.7 PPG | 10.2 RPG | 4.1 APG
Boozer was deservedly named ACC Rookie of the Year after putting together one of the best seasons by a freshman in the history of the storied conference. When UNC sent double teams at him, Boozer didn’t flinch. Instead, he made the right read and hit the open man — sometimes, on the opposite side of the court. If Duke wins the national title, Boozer will have a case for the best one-and-done season of the modern era. Last week: 1
2. AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU
Stats: 24.7 PPG | 6.87RPG | 3.8 APG
Dybantsa finished the regular season as the top scorer in Division I. He averaged a jaw-dropping 24.7 points per game. Dybantsa is one of the best wing-scoring prospects of the last two decades. Ever since star Richie Saunders was ruled out for the season due to a season-ending ACL tear, Dybantsa has stepped up even more. He has scored at least 20 points in 10 consecutive games, including 21 last weekend in a win over Texas Tech. Last week: 2
3. Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas
Stats: 19.9 PPG | 4.2 RPG | 1.8 APG
What version of Peterson will Kansas get in the NCAA Tournament? It could be the difference between a first-round exit and a deep run in the Big Dance. Despite the loss to ASU, Peterson posted his first double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) of the season. He followed that up by scoring 27 points in 29 minutes in a win over Kansas State. When Peterson is on, Kansas is hard to beat. Last week: 3
4. Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas
Stats: 22.2 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 6.4 APG
Last week, I made the case for why Acuff deserves to be in the conversation as the best freshman guard John Calipari has coached. His stats speak for themselves, and the accolades should back them up, too. He was named SEC Player of the Year this week and will likely be a first-team All-American.
Acuff is on pace to become the first SEC player to average at least 22 points and six assists per game since Pete Maravich. Last week: 4
Darius Acuff Jr. has entered the conversation for the best freshmen guard John Calipari has coached
Cameron Salerno
5. Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina
Stats: 19.8 PPG | 9.4 RPG | 2.7 APG
Wilson suffered a season-ending broken thumb last week while attempting to ramp up his return from another injury. A projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Wilson set the record for most points per game (19.8) by a North Carolina freshman.
He scored at least 20 points in 17 games this season, also a program record for a freshman, and finished with 11 double-doubles in 24 games. Last week: 5
What is next for North Carolina after Caleb Wilson’s season-ending injury?
Isaac Trotter
6. Keaton Wagler | G | Illinois
Stats: 17.9 PPG | 4.9 RPG | 4.3 APG
Wagler scored 11 points in a win over Maryland. Wagler should be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after finishing the regular season by averaging 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Last week: 6
7. Kingston Flemings | G | Houston
Stats: 16.5 PPG | 3.9 RPG | 5.4 APG
In Flemings’ final game of the regular season against Oklahoma State, he finished with 13 points, five rebounds and a career-high nine assists. The nine assists Flemings dished out tied a career high. He is as good as anyone in college basketball at getting to his spots in the mid-range. Last week: 7
8. Brayden Burries | G | Arizona
Stats: 16.0 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 2.6 APG
Burries is making his case as Arizona’s best player heading into March. His teammate, Jaden Bradley, was named Big 12 Player of the Year, but Burries has played like the Wildcats top option during several games this season. He scored 31 points in a comeback win over Colorado. A strong tournament run should put him in the conversation to be a top 10 pick this summer. Last week: 8
9. Mikel Brown Jr. | G | Louisville
Stats: 18.2 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 4.7 APG
Brown missed Louisville’s final two games against Syracuse and Miami due to a back injury. Louisville earned the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Cardinals will face the winner of SMU/Syracuse in the second round. It’s unclear if Brown will be back for that game. Last week: 9
10. Ebuka Okorie | G | Stanford
Stats: 23.1 PPG | 3.7 RPG | 3.6 APG
Okorie dropped 33 points in a key win over NC State last weekend. Stanford has won four consecutive games heading into the NCAA Tournament to get back on the bubble. Okorie has scored at least 20 points in all four of those games. Last week: 10
Add Comment