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It's no secret that John Calipari has been one of the most successful coaches in college basketball at developing guards ready to play at the NBA level. During his 15-year run at Kentucky, Calipari coached the likes of John Wall, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, De'Aaron Fox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, Tyler Herro and more.

Although Calipari saw his streak of players drafted in the first round come to an end last summer after Adou Thiero (second round) was the lone player selected, that streak will be short-lived. Freshman star Darius Acuff Jr. has been playing like one of the best guards in the country, which was highlighted by a career-high 29 points in an 86-75 win over Tennessee last weekend.

"Darius Acuff is a beast," Calipari said. "You say he's a good player, he's a beast. He can score in all kinds of different ways. He's good. Don't tell me there are 15 freshmen better than him and Meleek (Thomas). You can say it and then be mad about it, and that's what I believe. Those two are good."

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: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

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.

Acuff, the former No. 5 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, has been on a tear this season. Acuff is coming off a career-high 29 points against Tennessee, which marked his eighth game this season with at least 20 points. His previous career-high (27 points) came against Houston last month.

Acuff is the No. 13 overall prospect in CBS Sports' latest draft rankings. Acuff will have a strong chance to become the latest guard selected in the lottery under Calipari this summer.

Previous Freshman of the Week winners

Frosh Watch: Ranking top 10 freshmen

1. Cameron Boozer | F | Duke 

Stats: 23.0 PPG | 9.8 RPG | 4.2 APG 

In his first game against ACC competition, Boozer finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds during an 85-79 win over Georgia Tech. That performance marked Boozer's seventh double-double of the season. Against Florida State, Boozer scored 17 points and added a season-high nine assists. Last week: 1

2. AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU

Stats: 23.1 PPG | 7.2 RPG | 3.8 APG 

As of Jan. 5, Dybantsa is tied for first among all Division I players (23.1 points) in scoring. After posting the first triple-double of his career against Eastern Washington, Dybantsa finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in BYU's Big 12 opener against Kansas State. Since losing to UConn, BYU has won 10 consecutive games. Last week: 2

3. Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina

Stats: 19.3 PPG | 10.9 RPG | 2.7 APG 

Wilson and North Carolina were on the wrong side of a stunning 97-83 loss to SMU last weekend. Still, Wilson finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. In UNC's ACC opener against Florida State, Wilson pulled out a season-high 16 rebounds and recorded the 10th double-double of his season. Last week: 3

4. Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas

Stats: 20.6 PPG | 4.2 RPG | 2.4 APG

The good news is Peterson returned to Kansas' lineup last week after a lingering hamstring injury caused him to miss nine games over the last month. The bad news is Peterson didn't play the final 10 minutes during the Jayhawks' upset loss to UCF. That came after Peterson scored 11 points in the first six minutes and scored 23 of his 26 total points in the first half. Peterson can score at will. Getting healthy will make or break Kansas' ceiling. The Jayhawks are simply a different team when he's healthy. Last week: 4

UCF upsets No. 17 Kansas in return of Jayhawks star freshman Darrryn Peterson from hamstring injury
Cameron Salerno
UCF upsets No. 17 Kansas in return of Jayhawks star freshman Darrryn Peterson from hamstring injury

5. Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas

Stats: 19.5 PPG | 3.1 RPG | 6.0 APG 

Acuff is making a strong case as the best pure point guard prospect in this class. He can do a little bit of everything. His scoring has been especially impressive. If the season ended today, Acuff would almost be a lock to be a top 10 pick this summer. Last week: 5

Darius Acuff's SEC Player of the Year campaign is underway after freshman leads Arkansas past Tennessee
David Cobb
Darius Acuff's SEC Player of the Year campaign is underway after freshman leads Arkansas past Tennessee

6. Kingston Flemings | G | Houston

Stats: 15.6 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 5.0 APG

Speaking of top point guard prospects, Flemings also has a strong case. He finished with 19 points, six assists and three rebounds during a 67-60 win over Cincinnati last weekend. On the season, Flemings is shooting 54.3% from the floor and 43.9% from the 3-point line (on 2.9 attempts per game). Solid. Last week: 9

7. Mikel Brown Jr. | G | Louisville

Stats: 16.6 PPG | 3.0 RPG | 5.1 APG 

Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said on Monday that Brown won't play in Tuesday's marquee clash against Duke. Brown hasn't played since Dec. 13 against Memphis and is in line to miss his fifth consecutive game. Last week: 6

8. Hannes Steinbach | F | Washington

Stats: 18.3 PPG | 11.8 RPG | 2.0 APG 

Steinbach is a double-double machine. He posted his fourth consecutive double-double during a 90-80 loss to Indiana last weekend (20 points, 10 rebounds). Steinbach has posted a double-double in nine of his 11 total appearances this season. His 11.8 rebounds per game rank No. 2 among all qualified Division I players. Last week: 10

9. Ebuka Okorie | G | Stanford

Stats: 22.0 PPG | 3.7 RPG | 2.8 APG 

Okorie earned CBS Freshman of the Week honors last week after going for 30 points against Cal State Northridge. Okorie finished with at least 25 points for the seventh time this season by scoring 28 in an upset win over Louisville. He is one of the best bucket getters in the nation, regardless of class. Last week: NR

10. Brayden Burries | G | Arizona

Stats: 14.2 PPG | 3.8 RPG | 2.4 APG

Burries has played up to his five-star billing over the last month. He finished with the first double-double of his career (17 points, 11 rebounds) during a win over Utah last weekend. After scoring in single digits in four of his first five games, he has finished with at least 10 points in nine consecutive outings. Last week: NR