When people talk about how the 2026 NBA Draft class is going to be even more special, this is the kind of thing they’re talking about.
Three different freshmen scored 40 or more points on Saturday: No. 13 BYU’s AJ Dybantsa scored 43 points against Utah, No. 6 Houston’s Kingston Flemings scored 42 points against No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 11 Illinois’ Keaton Wagler scored 46 points against No. 4 Purdue. All three performances set new freshman scoring records for their programs.
This may well be an unprecedented day. According to ESPN, it was the first time in at least 20 years that three freshmen each scored 40 points or more on the same day.
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As for DiBanza, Utah head coach Alex Jansen had high praise after the game, calling him a “generational talent” and saying it was the first time all season he’d seen one of his players exit a game.
Oh, No. 5 Duke’s Cameron Boozer scored 32 points, and No. 20 Arkansas’ Darius Acuff scored 31 points. So those were the five freshmen who scored at least 30 points on Saturday.
The above five players are all predicted by many media to be lottery picks in the 2026 NBA draft. Among them, DiBanza and Boozer stand out as potential candidates for the No. 1 pick. Their archrival, Kansas’ Darin Peterson, was out Saturday with an ankle injury.
AJ Dybantsa’s season has been as advertised, with one of the most loaded freshman classes in basketball history. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
(Associated Press)
There are plenty of rising stars in college basketball this season, including No. 22 North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, who scored 20 points in a win over No. 14 Virginia.
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It’s becoming increasingly clear that even if the lottery prevents any team from guaranteeing themselves a top-four pick, being at the odds-on-better position can still deliver team-changing results. For example, the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the NBA with a 10-34 record, currently have a 14% chance of selecting the first pick, 13.4% of the second pick, 12.7% of the third pick, 12% of the fourth pick, 47.9% of the fifth pick, and it cannot go lower than that number.
That gives them a better than 50% chance of selecting one of DiBanza, Boozer, Peterson or Wilson, with plenty of backup options at the fifth spot.