NBA Draft: Freshmen Shine Across College Basketball

The 2025-26 college basketball season officially tipped off Monday night, with dozens of cross-conference games happening around the country. 

The 2026 NBA Draft class has been lauded as the best in some time, but few were expecting the myriad of scorching performances from true freshmen.

Below, we’ll highlight the top freshmen debuts in last night’s action:

Koa Peat, Arizona

On a night where several true freshman saw stellar outings, Peat stood alone. The 6-foot-9 forward went for 30 points on efficient shooting, adding seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block to boot.

Most notably, Peat did so against the No., 3-ranked Gators, taking them down in a close, six-point contest.

He got to his spots and rose for smooth jumpers, slashed down the lane and absorbed contact, and generally looked the part of a superstar in taking down a legitimate opponent.

The Arkansas Guards

Both Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas were stellar on Monday, combining for 46 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in their blowout win over Mercer.

Acuff has been somewhat passed over as the top guard in the glass, despite his offensive skillset. He proved himself one to keep tabs on last night, going for 22 points and four assists.

Thomas was highly touted too, and stuffed the stat-sheet in a variety of ways. He scored 21 points off the bench, managing to add seven impressive assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Razorbacks.

The No. 1 Contenders

Elite production is nothing new to the likes of Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, and yet they still had notable nights.

Peterson scored an easy 21 points on 64% shooting, continuing to show off his 3-point versatility. Dybantsa went for 21 points on a less good 50% shooting from the field, though he did so in a much-better opponent in Villanova.

The Next Tier

The trio of Peterson, Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer is well known, but players like Nate Ament, Caleb Wilson and Tounde Yessoufou are all knocking on the door of the top tier.

They all saw successful debuts. North Carolina’s forward in Wilson went for 22 points on a whopping 80% shooting, managing to look like the most physically dominant player on the floor.

Yessoufou did something similar as Baylor’s built wing, scoring 24 points after starting 0-for-6, but hitting 10-straight field goals.

The lengthy Ament saw a solid debut for the ambitious Volunteers, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds.