NCAA's Top 20 Freshmen

SI Staff | Jan 29, 2007

NCAA's Top 20 Freshmen /

NCAA's Top 20 Freshmen

Greivis Vasquez

9.4 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.4 rpg Vasquez, a combo guard from Venezuela, has helped the Terps to a 15-4 start as a high-energy sixth man. He had a season-high 17 points -- on five threes -- in Maryland's loss at Virginia on Wednesday.

Quincy Pondexter

12.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 50.3 FG% The son of former Long Beach State star Roscoe Pondexter has already had four 20-point games in his first season with the Huskies. "Q" could emerge as one of the Pac-10's biggest stars as a sophomore, especially if teammate Spencer Hawes opts to turn pro.

Tajuan Porter

12.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.5 rpg The pint-sized guard from Detroit was one of the early season's biggest surprises, scoring 27, 28 and 38 points in his first three games. Porter has established himself as a player who must be defended on the perimeter -- even though he's taken a backseat role since the return of fellow Motor City product Malik Hairston to Oregon's lineup.

Jon Scheyer

11.8 ppg, 2.2 apg, 3.1 rpg Scheyer has been a steady -- and tireless -- contributor alongside the mercurial Greg Paulus in the Blue Devils' backcourt. The lanky freshman averages nearly as many minutes per game (34.0) as team leader Josh McRoberts (34.2) and put up 25 points in a rout of Miami on Sunday.

Hasheem Thabeet

6.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 4.1 bpg The big Tanzanian leads all major-conference players in block percentage at 17.0 through Sunday and is shooting 56.3 percent from the field. He gets the nod here ahead of higher-scoring freshman teammate Jerome Dyson, simply because Thabeet impacts such a monumental number of shots on defense.

Robin Lopez

10.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.3 bpg Lopez's minutes have increased during Pac-10 play, and the big-haired big man has delivered, averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 boards. If the Cardinal is going to make a run to the NCAA tournament, they will need to exploit Lopez's height advantage in an undersized conference.

Wayne Ellington

12.3 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.9 rpg The Tar Heels' smoothest player has taken on a complementary role to Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright this season, but could really explode as a sophomore. He's played will on big stages, scoring 19 against Ohio State, 17 against Kentucky and 11 in Wednesday's win at Clemson.

Spencer Hawes

15.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg The Huskies have slumped to an ugly 1-5 start in the Pac-10 and may be in jeopardy of missing the NCAA tournament, but Hawes has stayed strong in league play. The Seattle big man has shot at least 50 percent from the field and scored in double figures in four of those five conference losses.

Javaris Crittenton

14.2 ppg, 5.9 apg, 3.6 rpg Yet another star in a banner year for freshman floor generals -- along with Texas' D.J. Augustin, Ohio State's Mike Conley Jr. and UNC's Tywon Lawson -- Crittenton is cut from the classic Yellow Jackets scoring-PG mold. He had 23 points and five assists in Saturday's win over Florida State.

Daequan Cook

13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 46.6 3-pt % Cook has taken a backseat to Greg Oden since the big man made his debut in December, but there were times when the NBA-sized guard carried the Buckeyes early in the season. He already has six 20-point games and is OSU's most accurate gunner from long distance.

Luke Harangody

12.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 52.6 FG% Harangody is the most-efficient offensive player on the Fighting Irish -- and one of the best players in the nation in that category -- yet he's averaging just 18.7 minutes per game. Big Luke, who has the appearance of an offensive lineman from the 1960s, has scored in double-figures in all but four of ND's games.

Stephen Curry

19.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 4.5 rpg Del Curry's kid -- who pronounces his name STEFF-ON -- was completely under the recruiting radar coming out of high school in Charlotte, but he has already emerged as one of the top mid-major scorers in the country. He's led the Wildcats, who are currently on a 12-game winning streak, to a 16-3 start.

Darrell Arthur

11.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.1 bpg Arthur stepped up big time for Kansas after the departure of C.J. Giles, scoring 19 points in the Jayhawks' win over Florida in Las Vegas earlier this season. His production has declined in Big 12 play -- he's averaging 7.3 points and 3.0 boards -- but he remains pass-happy forward Julian Wright's favorite target in the post.

Mike Conley Jr.

9.8 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.5 rpg Conley, who took over the Buckeyes' point guard duties from veteran Jamar Butler, already has three double-digit assist games this season and a 3.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His 10-dime, zero-turnover performance against Indiana on Jan. 2 was a masterpiece.

Chase Budinger

15.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 apg The former prep volleyball superstar and McDonald's All-American Game co-MVP dropped 32 points on Northern Arizona in his second college game. He hasn't kept up that pace all season -- struggling lately in losses to Washington State and Oregon -- but is still one of the nation's most dangerous inside-outside threats.

D.J. Augustin

13.7 ppg, 6.6 apg, 1.6 spg Augustin, a Hurricane Katrina refugee whose family relocated in Texas, opted to stay in the Lone Star State for college and has exploded along with fellow frosh Kevin Durant. The speedy point guard had 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in UT's thrilling, triple-overtime loss to Oklahoma State.

Ryan Anderson

17.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 48.6% FGs Anderson came out of relative obscurity -- he was 98th on Rivals.com's 150 for the Class of 2006 -- to become one the nation's best freshman scorers. He's put up double-figure points in all but one of Cal's games, and has kept the Bears from falling off the Pac-10 map after losing Leon Powe.

Brandan Wright

15.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 65.0 FGs% On a team oozing with NBA talent, Wright has solidified himself as the top pro prospect -- and could be the third pick in the 2007 Draft if he chooses to leave after this season. He shows up for big games, like Wednesday's road blowout of Clemson in which he had 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

Greg Oden

14.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.0 bpg A right wrist injury has prevented Oden from taking the nation by storm, but he's still dominating enough to hold on to his spot as the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. After missing the Buckeyes' first seven games, Oden returned wearing a black wrist brace and shooting free-throws left-handed -- making a surprising 59.7 percent.

Kevin Durant

24.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 49.1 FGs% What was supposed to be the Year of Oden has turned into the Year of Durant. The Longhorns' K.G.-in-the-making has scored at least 20 points in his first seven games of 2006-07, and has actually turned it up a notch in the Big 12. He's averaging 34.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in conference play.

Published Jan 29, 2007

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