2022-23 Men's College Basketball Freshman of the Year Rankings

While the National Player of the Year rankings are top-heavy with big men who are dominating down low, our early top 25 for Freshman of the Year is practically overrun with guards and wings.

Several stretch 4s/5s are in the mix, such as Duke's Kyle Filipowski and Alabama's Noah Clowney, but only a couple of conventional centers. Though, we do have a 7'2", back-to-the-basket, shot-blocking big at No. 1.

As with NPOY, team success plays a factor in these rankings. Albeit, not as big a factor, as there have been as many USBWA National Freshman of the Year recipients from NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds (Zion Williamson in 2018-19) as there have been from non-tournament teams (Ben Simmons in 2015-16) over the past seven years. And in 2017-18, Trae Young and Oklahoma barely got in as a No. 10 seed.

Still, national exposure in the form of big moments and performances in significant games is important, so it should come as no surprise that 16 of the freshmen in our top 20 play for teams that rank in the AP Top 25.

We've got eight freshmen whose teams aren't ranked, though, and we went well off the radar for our mid-major honorable mentions section.

Statistics current through the start of play Thursday.

Honorable Mentions: Adem Bona, UCLA; Connor Essegian, Wisconsin; Alex Karaban, Connecticut; Jordan Pope, Oregon State; Braden Smith, Purdue; JJ Starling, Notre Dame; Dariq Whitehead, Duke

Short of averaging a triple-double or 30 points per game, no one from Air Force or Wofford is ever going to be seriously discussed for National Freshman of the Year. It's just the way it is.

But we wanted to at least shout out a few under-the-radar freshmen who have gotten out to remarkable starts.

(If it helps pique your interest, think of this as a way-too-early list of up-transfers worth knowing about.)

Nate Calmese, Lamar (16.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG): In his lone opportunity to make an impression on a somewhat national scale, Calmese was held to two points on 10 shots against TCU. But he recovered quite nicely to the tune of 21.3 points over his next seven games.

Corbin Green, Air Force (11.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 SPG): Green's an impressive stat-sheet stuffer who went for 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in his collegiate debut. He also had 15 points, seven rebounds, six blocks, three assists and three steals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Micah Handlogten, Marshall (6.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 1.4 APG, 1.1 SPG): He might be a 7'1" freshman who we see in the NCAA tournament, as Marshall is looking like a strong candidate to win the Sun Belt. Handlogten doesn't score much, but his presence in the paint is undeniable. He already has four games this season with at least 13 rebounds and at least three blocks.

Brandon Noel, Wright State (11.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 46.7% 3PT): Noel is the exceedingly rare third-year freshman, forced to redshirt each of the past two seasons while recovering from a torn ACL. But he already has two double-doubles and scored the two buckets before Trey Calvin's game-winner against Louisville.

Jackson Paveletzke, Wofford (14.5 PPG, 3.5 APG, 50.0% 3PT): Paveletzke scored in double figures in each of his first eight games, including putting up 19 with five assists in a near road win over LSU.

Andrew Rohde, St. Thomas (14.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.5 SPG): Rohde scored 15 in the season opener against Creighton and 16 a few weeks later against Utah. His team lost both games by double figures, but that's some impressive early stuff from the freshman point guard.

Asher Woods, VMI (14.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.6 APG): VMI is one of the youngest teams in the country with five freshmen among its primary seven-man rotation. Woods is the volume scorer of the bunch, averaging 16.3 points over his last seven games.

No. 25: Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
6.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 2.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG

Lipsey isn't a volume scorer by any stretch of the imagination. But you know what? Neither was Monte Morris when he averaged 6.8 points and 3.7 assists per game as a freshman at Iowa State nearly a decade ago, and he turned out quite well. Lipsey had six dimes in the win over North Carolina and did have a solid 12 points, three assists and two steals in the subsequent loss to Connecticut.

No. 24: Dereck Lively II, Duke
4.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.0 BPG

Lively is another freshman who has very much not been a volume scorer, but he is at least starting to make a tangible impact with multiple blocks in six consecutive games. He also had 11 points and five rebounds in the ACC/B1G Challenge victory over Ohio State. Lively was limited early by a calf injury, and we keep waiting for the No. 3 overall recruit to explode.

No. 23: Aidan Mahaney, Saint Mary's
13.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 42% 3PT

I might be egregiously underselling Mahaney, as he scored 20 in each of the wins over San Diego State and Vanderbilt and even put up 14 in the 53-48 loss to Houston. It only took a month for coach Randy Bennett to realize he needed this sharpshooter in his starting lineup.

No. 22: Judah Mintz, Syracuse
15.0 PPG, 4.0 APG, 2.0 SPG

It has been a freshman running the offense for 78-year-old Jim Boeheim, and to an impressive degree. Mintz scored at least 16 points in each of his first five games and recently went off for 16 points, 10 assists and five steals in the rivalry win over Georgetown. I'm getting major "De'Aaron Fox" vibes from this slashing, defensive-minded distributor. But we'll see if 7-4 Syracuse will be relevant enough for more fans to notice him.

No. 21: Kel'el Ware, Oregon
9.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.1 APG, 29.6% 3PT

Ware has been hit or miss through the first five weeks of the season as coach Dana Altman has tried to figure out which combinations of big men give him the best chance of making the NCAA tournament. But this 7'0" freshman averaged 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in the Phil Knight Invitational against Connecticut, Michigan State and Villanova. Hard to argue with that.

No. 20: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana
8.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 31.6% 3PT

Hood-Schifino has missed Indiana's last three games with a back injury, and the Hoosiers lost by double digits to both Rutgers and Arizona without him. That isn't to say they'd definitely win those games if he were healthy, but he has done a fine job of running this offense alongside veteran combo guard Xavier Johnson. They've certainly looked a little lost without his presence in the backcourt. If his shooting stroke comes around, he's at least on the short list of candidates for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

No. 19: Dillon Mitchell, Texas
8.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG

The per-game numbers aren't there yet, but don't try to put a ceiling on what Mitchell could accomplish this season, because he's liable to jump right through it. One of these days, Texas will start actually designing alley-oop plays for Mitchell instead of just letting those highlight-reel moments transpire in fast-break situations. And that's when things will get really fun for this potential lottery pick.

No. 18: Noah Clowney, Alabama
9.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 1.0 APG

Clowney hasn't been Alabama's top freshman, but Brandon Miller better watch his back, because Clowney went for 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the road win over Houston. That performance came one game after he put up 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists against South Dakota State. If he balls out against Drew Timme and Gonzaga on Saturday, it might be time to at least start thinking about where Clowney and Miller could rank among all-time freshman duos by the end of the year.

No. 17 Jarace Walker, Houston
9.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 37.5% 3PT

Walker's game is a bit reminiscent of Jabari Parker's, in that he can do a little of everything while serving as the 6'8" center for an undersized rotation. The offense doesn't run through Walker like it did for Parker at Duke, but he did score 23 points in just the second game of his collegiate career. He could be a guy who blossoms in conference play.

No. 16: Amari Bailey, UCLA
10.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 34% 3PT

Bailey was a ghost in the Continental Tire Main Event with a combined line of six points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in the losses to Illinois and Baylor. But the highly touted freshman has otherwise been solid. He has a huge opportunity to steal some spotlight when the Bruins battle Kentucky on Saturday.

No. 15: Julian Phillips, Tennessee
11.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 APG

Like Bailey, Phillips has been quiet in the big games, averaging 5.0 points and 5.7 rebounds with no blocks or steals against Kansas, Maryland and Colorado. But he's clearly talented and is one of the best in the nation—freshman or not—at getting to the free-throw line, where he converts at an 80 percent clip. Just wait until he finds his footing in a veteran-heavy Volunteers rotation.

No. 14: Fletcher Loyer, Purdue
13.1 PPG, 2.9 APG, 1.6 RPG, 34.4% 3PT

Freshman Boilermaker Braden Smith got out to the hotter start, but Loyer has stepped into the spotlight with 15.8 points and 3.7 assists over his last six games. And those weren't against irrelevant opponents. We're talking 14 points with five dimes against Gonzaga, 18 points against Duke and 21.0 points per game in Big Ten play against Minnesota and Nebraska. Zach Edey gets most of the love, but Purdue wouldn't be No. 1 without Loyer.

No. 13: Cam Whitmore, Villanova
15.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 35.3% 3PT

See below

No. 12: Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
14.8 PPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 RPG, 31.3% 3PT

I can't quite justify putting either of these phenoms in the top 10 when they basically missed all of November. (Smith, who was out with a knee injury, played six minutes in his debut on Nov. 28; Whitmore didn't take the floor until Dec. 3 because of a thumb injury).

That said, they've both been worth the wait.

Whitmore was the KenPom game MVP in his second and third contests against Penn and Boston College, and Villanova already looks way better with him. Meanwhile, Smith has averaged 19.7 points per game if we exclude that six-minute "soft open" to his season, and he's still finding his perimeter stroke.

It's going to be Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson at Nos. 1 and 2 in the 2023 NBA draft, but both of these guys will be in the mix for the No. 3 pick. Got to think they'll each land in the top five if we run this ranking back again in late January.

No. 11: Jett Howard, Michigan
15.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 BPG, 42.4% 3PT

Michigan lost both games, but Howard consecutively scored 15 points on 11 shots against Virginia and 16 points on 12 shots against Kentucky. The coach's kid does most of his damage from the perimeter, but he's shooting 60.6 percent from inside the arc and does enough in the assists and blocks departments to avoid getting labeled as just a scorer. Wednesday's game against North Carolina should be a fun one.

No. 10: Taylor Hendricks, UCF
15.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 48% 3PT

UCF has produced just two NBA draft picks, the most recent of which was Jermaine Taylor as a second-rounder in 2009. Not exactly a hotbed for one-and-done talent, but that hasn't stopped Hendricks from taking the world by storm. He has scored at least 15 points in seven of nine games, including a 16-point, 12-rebound gem in an overtime upset of Oklahoma State. This 6'9" wing with excellent range and good rebounding instincts won't be playing college hoops for long.

No. 9: Gregory "GG" Jackson II, South Carolina
17.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 37% 3PT

It's not quite a "Ben Simmons' one season at LSU" situation, but it's tough to know where to rank Jackson since he's playing for by far the worst team represented in our top 25. But he has been a beacon of light in the darkness for the Gamecocks. Jackson only has one double-double, but he has at least 11 points and five rebounds in each game. He has also been playing more efficiently than he did through the first two weeks of the season.

No. 8: Brice Sensabaugh, Ohio State
14.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 50.0% 3PT

An absolute microwave scorer off the bench, Sensabaugh is averaging over 29 points per 40 minutes. Against Duke, he fouled out in 14 minutes and never had a chance to get into a groove. But he has scored in double figures in every other game and is shooting 16-of-29 (55.2 percent) from downtown over his last seven games.

No. 7: Gradey Dick, Kansas
15.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 46.6% 3PT

Dick wasted no time in cementing himself as a Freshman of the Year candidate by shooting 9-of-13 for 23 points in his debut against Nebraska-Omaha. He also had several clutch moments in the final five minutes of the Champions Classic victory over Duke and was indispensable to the tune of 25 points in the Battle 4 Atlantis opener against NC State. Everyone wanted to crown Baylor's Keyonte George as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in the preseason, but Dick has turned that into a fascinating two-horse race.

No. 6: Anthony Black, Arkansas
12.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 40.7% 3PT

Black has settled into more of a distribution role since the Hogs got Nick Smith Jr. on the floor, but what a run he had in the Maui Invitational, averaging 22.3 points and 4.3 assists against Louisville, Creighton and San Diego State. He attempted 30 two-pointers and 22 free throws in those three games compared to 12 and four, respectively, over his last three contests. I would love to see him tap back into that assertive, slashing nature, at least on occasion.

No. 5: Keyonte George, Baylor
15.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 32.9% 3PT

We knew George wouldn't be shy about letting it fly. He has attempted at least 10 shots in each game, most of them from three-point range (nearly eight attempts per contest). But his impact beyond scoring has been impressive. George has recorded multiple steals in five games, at least five assists in five games and at least five rebounds in six games. No double-doubles yet, nor anything close to a triple-double. But it's only a matter of time before he puts together a 25-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist type of gem against a top-tier Big 12 opponent.

No. 4: Cason Wallace, Kentucky
10.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, 4.2 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 51.6% 3PT

Wallace has been every bit as good as advertised, especially on defense. He has recorded at least one steal and multiple assists in every game, and he almost had a triple-double in his collegiate debut (15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds along with two steals against Howard). It would be nice to see him hunt his own shot more, though, given how well he is stroking it from the perimeter.

No. 3: Brandon Miller, Alabama
18.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 43.7% 3PT

Had Miller fared better in the recent wins over North Carolina and Houston, he'd be running away with No. 1. Instead, he shot a combined 4-of-29 in those two games, and the Crimson Tide won more in spite of him than because of him. When he gets into a rhythm, though, watch out. He dominated Michigan State during a five-game stretch in which he averaged 21.8 points and shot 22-of-36 (61.1 percent) from deep, and he went off for 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a high-scoring victory over Memphis just on Tuesday.

No. 2: Kyle Filipowski, Duke
14.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.3 APG, 33.3% 3PT

Filipowski has been Duke's metronomic star, scoring at least 10 points (but never 20 points) in each game while making a significant impact both on the glass and on defense. He had 17 points and 14 rebounds against Kansas in the Champions Classic, one of his six double-doubles within the first month of the season. The 7'0" freshman has serious range on his jumper too, hitting 14 of 42 from three. He's a lite version of Kristaps Porziņģis.

No. 1: Donovan Clingan, Connecticut
10.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.1 BPG

Forgive me in advance for the length of this final blurb, but I need to justify why a backup center is No. 1 on the list.

I won't bore you with the math of it, but I came up with a formula a few years back that combines a player's minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks and spits out a single number. I use it as a sorting metric for NPOY/FOY ranking pieces in a similar manner to how the NCAA tournament selection committee uses the NET while creating the bracket.

Anything north of 40 is a good score. Get above 50 and you're probably talking about a candidate for NPOY. Oscar Tshiebwe registered a 56.1 last year. Purdue's Zach Edey is currently at a 57.4.

The highest score among players ranked Nos. 25-2 on this list is Filipowski at 48.0.

Clingan is a 66.2.

The 7'2" Husky is only playing 15.2 minutes per game, but he's averaging 27.5 points, 18.2 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per 40 minutes, which is absurd. Even in his third season of dominating college basketball at LSU, Shaquille O'Neal's per-40 averages were 30.1 points, 17.6 rebounds and 6.5 blocks.

Clingan had 15 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes against Iowa State in the PK85 championship. Between his two most recent games against Florida and LIU, he shot 18-of-19 while amassing 37 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks....in just 34 minutes.

As was the case with 7'4" Edey over the previous two seasons, this mountainous man has some understandable conditioning concerns, which is why he has yet to log 20 minutes in a game. But no one is making a bigger impact while on the floor.

Recruit rankings via 247Sports.