2026 Freshmen Begin Team Training, While Three Freshmen Scored 40+ on the Same Day Last Season

The group of freshmen who were repeatedly projected as future stars last season put their talent on full display on January 24. Houston's Flemings scored 42 points on the road against Texas Tech, while Illinois' Wagner scored 46 points against Purdue and led his team to an upset 88-82 victory. Future NBA No. 1 pick favorite Dibansa also scored 43 points in BYU's win over rival Utah.

Three freshmen scored at least 40 points on the same day.

Three freshmen, three 40-point-plus performances, all happened within a six-hour window on the same day. Duke's Boozer and Arkansas' Aidoo also each scored 30-plus points and led their teams to road victories, but the main stars of that day were Wagner, Flemings, and Dibansa. It was the first time in at least 30 years that three freshmen scored at least 40 points on the same day.

This is the history that the 2026 freshman class will try to chase. People around the game have noted that compared with the 2025 class, which featured talented players such as Boozer, Dibansa, and Peterson, the overall 2026 recruiting class has been viewed less favorably. Wilson's breakout at North Carolina and Wagner's rise from being absent from multiple rankings to becoming the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft made the previous class appear even more difficult to surpass.

It will be harder for freshmen to earn playing time.

The college basketball payment market is bringing many projected first-round picks back to campus, making team rotations more crowded. If a large number of older players prevail in lawsuits regarding a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, it will become even more difficult for freshmen to secure playing time. This freshman class is generally younger, and many players reclassified into the 2026 class in order to enter college earlier and begin collecting endorsement money sooner.

These concerns have together shaped a narrative that the 2027 NBA Draft will be considered a weaker class. Whether this group of freshmen can change that storyline remains unknown.