The final Frosh Watch rankings of the 2023-24 college basketball season are here. With Selection Sunday less than five days away, most players on this list will play a critical role in deciding their respective teams’ postseason fates. Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard wasn’t even included in the first edition of these rankings back in November. As we head into March, he sits atop the list.
Sheppard’s story is something out of a movie. His parents, Jeff and Stacey are considered basketball royalty at Kentucky thanks to their standout play at the school in the 1990s. Reed is adding his own impressive chapter to the rich Sheppard family legacy, but the big goals remain in front of the freshman star. He’ll be a key piece for a Kentucky team looking to end a Final Four drought that extends back to 2015.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2023-24 college basketball season
Freshman of the Week: Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten 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.
According to 247Sports, Sheppard was the fifth-best recruit in Kentucky’s top-ranked 2023 recruiting class behind Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, DJ Wagner, and Rob Dillingham. Despite only starting five games this season, Sheppard has been in the closing lineup for most of the season. He scored 27 points in an upset win over Tennessee and dished out 11 assists days before against Vanderbilt.
Sheppard appears well on his way to becoming a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. CBS Sports’ latest mock NBA Draft from David Cobb has Sheppard going No. 4 overall as the first college player off the board.
- Nov. 28: D.J. Wagner, Kentucky
- Dec. 5: Myles Rice, Washington State
- Dec. 12: Aden Holloway, Auburn
- Dec. 19: Dedan Thomas Jr., UNLV
- Dec. 26: Jared McCain, Duke
- Jan. 2: Jackson Shelstad, Oregon
- Jan. 9: PJ Haggerty, Tulsa
- Jan. 16: Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
- Jan. 23: Zvonimir Ivišić, Kentucky
- Jan. 30: Yves Missi, Baylor
- Feb. 6: Stephon Castle, UConn
- Feb. 13: Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina
- Feb. 20: Jared McCain, Duke
- Feb. 27: Justin Edwards, Kentucky
- March 5: Isaiah Collier, USC
Frosh Watch: Top 10 freshman rankings
1. Reed Sheppard, Kentucky
Stats: 12.7 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 4.5 APG | 52.6 % 3FG
The Kentucky star is one of the most efficient players in the country. He finished the regular season shooting 54% from the floor, 52.6% on 3-pointers and 84.1% from the free-throw line. Sheppard is also averaging 2.5 steals, which ranks No. 8 among all Division l players. He recently became the 11th Kentucky player to win SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Last week: 1
2. PJ Haggerty, Tulsa
Stats: 20.9 PPG | 5.4 RPG | 3.7 APG
Haggerty recorded seven rebounds, five assists and a career-high 32 points in a 76-70 upset win over No. 24 USF. Tulsa has won four of its last six games behind the stellar play of the TCU transfer. Haggerty has scored at least 20 points in 19 games this season. Last week: 2
3. Jared McCain, Duke
Stats: 13.6 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 40.6% 3FG
McCain scored 19 points and added seven rebounds against North Carolina last weekend. He is shooting 40.6% from distance on 5.6 attempts and is on pace to become the just third Duke freshman in the last 25 years to hit both of those marks. Gary Trent Jr. (40.2% on 6.5 attempts) and Brandon Ingram (41% on 5.4 attempts) both accomplished the feat during their first season. Last week: 3
4. Rob Dillingham, Kentucky
Stats: 15.0 PPG | 3.8 APG | 2.8 RPG
Dillingham played 17 impactful minutes off the bench during a win over Tennessee, scoring 11 points and dishing out three assists. The Kentucky star is averaging 24 minutes this season. That mark will likely go up during the NCAA Tournament later this month. Last week: 7
5. Isaiah Collier, USC
Stats: 16.6 PPG | 4.2 APG | 2.8 RPG
After struggling against Arizona State earlier in the week, Collier responded by scoring 16 points in USC’s 78-65 win over No. 5 Arizona. Collier added five assists and four rebounds for USC’s first top-five win since 2008. USC held Arizona to its lowest-scoring outing of the season. The Trojans must run the table at the Pac-12 Tournament this week to receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament. Last week: 4
6. Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Stats: 16.8 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 1.8 APG
Hubbard has been on a tear for the last three weeks. He has scored at least 23 points in his last five games, including a 28-point outburst in his most recent outing against South Carolina. Mississippi State is on the bubble entering the SEC Tournament and will need a big performance from its star freshman to snag an at-large berth. Last week: 8
7. Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor
Stats: 14.7 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 1.1 SPG
Walter scored 15 points and added four rebounds in Baylor’s final game of the regular season. The Baylor star recently earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and projects as one of the top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Last week: 6
8. Myles Rice, Washington State
Stats: 15.3 PPG | 3.9 APG | 3.2 RPG
Rice scored eight points in a loss to Washington to close out the regular season. If WSU had won that game, it would have clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 title with Arizona. Washington State is still tracking to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2008. Last week: 5
9. Cody Williams, Colorado
Stats: 13.7 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 1.8 APG
Williams has been out the last four games with an ankle injury. It’s unclear when the Colorado star freshman will return to action. The Buffaloes are the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament this week and will need some help getting into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. Last week: 9
10. Stephon Castle, UConn
Stats: 11.2 PPG | 4.3 RPG | 3.0 APG
Castle has frequently flashed the potential that made him a five-star prospect coming out of high school. He scored 14 points and added six rebounds in a win over Providence to conclude the regular season. Castle will need to continue supplementing the veterans’ play on the Hustkies roster if UConn wants to repeat as national champions. Last week: 10
Others considered: Harvard’s Malik Mack, UCLA‘s Sebastian Mack, Iowa‘s Owen Freeman, Pitt’s Carlton Carrington, Kentucky’s D.J. Wagner, Iowa State‘s Milan Momcilovic, Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad, North Carolina‘s Elliot Cadeau and Notre Dame‘s Markus Burton, New Mexico‘s JT Toppin, Baylor’s Yves Missi and Kansas‘ Johnny Furphy.
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