Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the 10 most impressive freshmen in college basketball. 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.
Freshman of the Week: Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State's Mr. Consistent all season, Cade Cunningham came up big this week as the team extended its win streak to three games and improved to a record above .500 in league play for the first time since 2017. Cunningham poured in 21 points and came one assist shy of tying a season-high in dimes dished out with seven in that important milestone win over Iowa State. He then followed it up on Monday night with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and five rebounds in an overtime win over Texas Tech, helping to solidify the Pokes' postseason credentials.
With that, barring an NCAA ruling on the program's postseason ban appeal, Cunningham this week likely ensured that we'll see him on the brightest stage of March Madness. Of course, his steady showings over the last week helped him lock down our weekly honors, but ushering OSU comfortably into the 68-team tourney field is an added bonus for his stellar resume this week. You think OSU coach Mike Boynton is a tad excited about that? Let's check:
Oklahoma State was fired up after a big win over No. 18 Texas Tech‼️ pic.twitter.com/A36bHMaCyS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 23, 2021
Frosh Watch
These are the top 10 freshman performers in college basketball for this season.
1. Evan Mobley, USC
Key stats: 16.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 3.0 BPG, 30.1 PER
USC is 7-1 over the last month with its lone loss coming Saturday at home in a bit of a stunner against Arizona. I'm not prepared to assign blame for Mobley -- he scored 23 points and had four blocks and five steals -- but I am ready to assign credit to him for the Trojans establishing themselves as the Pac-12 frontrunner. He's averaging more than 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks over his last eight games and playing like a potential First Team All-American. Last week: No. 1
2. Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Key stats: 18.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 43.7 3P%
The Big 12 scoring leader twice scored 20 or more points this week as OSU won twice and inched to within 3.5 games of first place in the Big 12. That deficit isn't going to be made up against a dominant Baylor team pushing for a potential undefeated conference record, but it's a testament to how legitimate OSU is looking and how impactful Cunningham has been. He's now scored 20 or more points in nine games this season, six of them leading to wins and none more critical than his showing Monday in an OT win over Texas Tech. He plays some of his best ball when the stakes are at their highest, and OSU is 3-0 in games that have gone to OT now on the year. Last week: No. 2
3. Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Key stats: 15.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 63.9 fg%
In a game between two top-five teams in Michigan and Ohio State and with significant Big Ten regular-season title consequences at stake, Hunter Dickinson was the most impactful player on the floor Sunday as Michigan ousted Ohio State. He scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds while adding a pair of blocks and mauling the Buckeyes' frontcourt down the stretch, wearing them down with physicality and sheer force. Both Ohio State and Michigan were pretty evenly matched, but one team had Dickinson and the other did not, and his presence proved to be the deciding factor. Last week: No. 5
4. Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
Key stats: 14.1 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.3 RPG
WCC-leading Gonzaga smacked San Diego by 37 points on Saturday, only two days after clinching the outright regular season title with Suggs turning in another all-around performance in the victory. His 17 points marked the 14th time this season scoring double figures, and he continued to make his mark elsewhere, too, by grabbing seven boards and getting to the line five times. The Zags remain on a collision course to enter postseason play undefeated with two home regular season matchups remaining where it will likely be favored by significant margins. Last week: No. 3
5. Sharife Cooper, Auburn
Key stats: 20.2 PPG, 8.1 APG, 4.3 RPG
Sharife Cooper's 8.1 assists per game ranks top five among all college hoops players on the season, but it was his scoring on Saturday that really popped. He came two points shy of tying a season-high in points, scoring 26 on 9-of-17 shooting in a loss to LSU. Yet he once again struggled from deep, missing all four of his outside attempts. He's shooting 22.8% from 3-point range on the season, the only real blemish on a stupendous resume that's still got him inside the top five of our rankings. Last week: No. 3
6. Cameron Thomas, LSU
Key stats: 22.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 30.3 3p%
Thomas continues to lead all freshmen in scoring and has been more efficient recently as the Tigers have rattled off three straight wins. The 6-foot-4 guard has reached 20 or more points in six straight games and continues to do serious work at the free-throw line. In LSU's last two games, Thomas has made 21-of-22 free throws to raise his percentage for the season back above 90%. He's a volume scorer in the truest sense and will be fun to watch in the NCAA Tournament. Last week: No. 6
7. Moses Moody, Arkansas
Key stats: 16.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 APG
Arkansas has won seven of its last eight games as Moody continues to flourish in a league full of quality freshmen. Moody's 2-point attempts have been missing the mark recently, but he's continued to knock down 42.9% of his 3-point tries over the last four games, even while slumping a bit offensively in other areas. Moody is also a big contributor on the boards for the Razorbacks and has proven to be a versatile defender for a team that is in position to make the NCAA Tournament. Last week: No. 7
8. Jalen Wilson
Key stats: 12.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 35.9 3P%
Wilson basically disappeared in January as the Jayhawks struggled, but he's rebounded to score in double figures for eight straight games now. Perhaps it's no coincidence that the Jayhawks have found their mojo again and rattled off five straight wins. During those five victories, Wilson is averaging 14.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. The versatile 6-foot-8 forward will need to keep up the offensive contributions if the Jayhawks are going to make a postseason run. Last week: 8
9. Mike Miles, TCU
Key stats: 14.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.1 APG
Miles could be a productive player in the Big 12 for a long time. The former three-star prospect has emerged onto the scene as one of the league's top freshmen with his occasional scoring outbursts and generally fearless play. The Horned Frogs are having a rough go of it in league play as of late with seven losses in their last eight games, but Miles is a building block for the future. Keeping him in the program and developing him further will surely be a priority for coach Jamie Dixon. Last week: 10
10. Posh Alexander, St. John's
Key stats: 11.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.6 RPG
Alexander is an absolute menace of a defender who fits the profile of coach Mike Anderson's program perfectly. The Brooklyn, New York, native only registered a three-star prospect rating -- probably due to his 5-10 stature -- but he's been a star for the Red Storm. He leads all freshmen nationally in steals per game and is fifth nationally in assists per game among freshmen. St. John's may not get the national spotlight very often, but Alexander should be the Big East's freshman of the year. Last week: NR
Previous FOTW winners:
- Dec. 15: Cade Cunningham
- Dec. 22: Jalen Suggs
- Dec. 29: Cam Thomas
- Jan. 5: Hunter Dickinson
- Jan. 12: Evan Mobley
- Jan. 19: Sharife Cooper
- Jan. 26: Marcus Williams
- Feb. 2: Connor Kochera
- Feb. 9: Posh Alexander
- Feb. 16: Jaden Springer