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Basketball recruiting insider- Jeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.
It was a thrilling first week of men's college basketball, complete with upsets and superstar performances -- especially by freshmen?
No. 13 Arizona quickly challenged preseason expectations with a win over No. 3-ranked and defending champ Florida on opening night. Then, No. 25 North Carolina tipped off the weekend with a statement win over No. 19 Kansas on Friday, followed by a high-tempo showdown between No. 5 St. John's and No. 15 Alabama on Saturday, with the Johnnies losing a rare game at Madison Square Garden.
Should Arizona be considered a Final Four contender? Is North Carolina "back"? What should we take away from Alabama's win? And just how good is this freshman class?
ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf judge six overreactions from the opening week of the 2025-26 season, including whether a slow start to No. 1 Purdue's campaign is cause for concern.
Purdue isn't living up to its preseason No. 1 hype
With Braden Smith (preseason national player of the year favorite), Trey Kaufman-Renn (All-Big Ten last season) and Fletcher Loyer (44.4% from 3 last season), coach Matt Painter started the season with the players to capture his first national title. That's why, in an era of heavy roster turnover, AP voters crowned Purdue the preseason No. 1 -- but the Boilermakers haven't quite lifted off yet.
Evansville wasn't much of a challenge in the season opener, but Oakland, which gave up 121 points in a loss to Michigan last Monday, held a second-half lead over Purdue. That's when the doubts began to grow.
Verdict: Slight overreaction
It hasn't been pretty through the Boilermakers' first two games, but they are still ranked first in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom. And though the absence of Kaufman-Renn (hip) has clearly impacted the flow of this team on both ends of the floor, he is expected back, with Painter calling the big man's injury "short term."
Had the Boilermakers lost to Oakland, we might be having a different conversation. And they certainly have rust to shake off, but they are still America's best offensive team. -- Medcalf
This is the best freshman class in recent memory
NBA evaluators have had the 2025 recruiting class earmarked for years. It has long been expected to produce plenty of valuable NBA draft selections. It has lived up to expectations -- and then some -- so far. Just look at the debuts of the Big Three: BYU's AJ Dybantsa went for 21 points and six rebounds against Villanova. Kansas' Darryn Peterson had an efficient 21 points in 22 minutes against Green Bay. And Duke's Cameron Boozer finished with 15 points and 13 boards against Texas.
It has been more than just the headliners, though; the depth and breadth of talent through the first week of the season portends a historically good group.
In North Carolina's 87-74 win over Kansas, Tar Heels freshman Caleb Wilson has 24 points with 7 rebounds, while Darryn Peterson drops 22 points for the Jayhawks.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
It's a loaded class, both in expected impact this season and potential in the 2026 NBA draft.
Arizona's Koa Peat and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson were arguably the best freshmen in the country through opening week (more on that below). Houston is starting two freshmen, and both -- Chris Cenac Jr. and Kingston Flemings -- had big performances. Arkansas has two elite freshman guards. Darius Acuff Jr. is averaging 19 points and 5.0 assists, and Meleek Thomas is putting up 18.5 points and 4.5 assists through two games. Tennessee's Nate Ament put up 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists through two games.
The list goes on and on. Georgia Tech's Mouhamed Sylla is averaging a double-double (12.0 points and 13.0 rebounds). Baylor's Tounde Yessoufou had 24 in his debut. And Cam Ward had 18 points and 10 boards in Michigan State's win over Arkansas on Saturday.
One surprise: Stanford's Ebuka Okorie has totaled 55 points in two games.
There are the international newcomers, too. Virginia Tech's Neoklis Avdalas had one of the best outings regardless of class, going for 33 points and six assists against Providence. Virginia's Thijs De Ridder is averaging 20.5 points through two games. Hannes Steinbach has been dominant in all facets for Washington. And another surprise: Providence's Stefan Vaaks averaged 18.0 points off the bench in two games.
This will be one of the defining storylines of the season. -- Borzello
Koa Peat, Caleb Wilson are turning the Big 3 freshmen into a Big 5
Entering the season, there was a clear top tier of freshmen: Peterson, Boozer and Dybantsa. The order varied, depending on whether you were talking about high school recruiting ranking, college impact or projected NBA draft selection, but those were the three. Only one week into the season, though, Peat and Wilson are making a push to be considered part of that group.
Peat had one of the best freshman debuts in recent history, putting up 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against defending champion Florida, which has arguably the best frontcourt in the country, on opening night. He followed that with an efficient 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting against Utah Tech.
Wilson generated buzz in preseason and exhibition games, and he carried that over to the regular season with 22 points in the opener against Central Arkansas. He then had his breakout performance against Peterson and Kansas on Friday, finishing with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Peat and Wilson were highly touted recruits coming out of high school, with Wilson ending his career at No. 5 and Peat coming in at No. 10 in the SC Next 100. And I don't see a reason that either's production will fall off dramatically as the season progresses; Arizona and North Carolina need each of its star freshmen to contribute at a high level.
Wilson's motor at both ends of the floor really stood out against Kansas, fearlessly diving on the floor or rotating to help or jump-starting the Tar Heels' defense. Meanwhile, Peat will have a high-usage role for what looks like a top-10 team in the country. The Wildcats' offense can run through him for stretches because he can put the ball on the deck and find teammates.
The one caveat is that the preseason Big Three will likely be the top three in the 2026 NBA draft, and are still the safest bets to be the three best freshmen in the country. But Peat and Wilson have certainly entered the discussion. -- Borzello
North Carolina Tar Heels basketball is back
Since he was hired in 2021, Hubert Davis has manufactured one of college basketball's most dizzying runs. He coached the Tar Heels to the national championship game in his first season, but missed the NCAA tournament the following season after entering the campaign as the preseason No. 1. North Carolina then made a Sweet 16 run after winning 29 games in 2023-24, but barely made the field of 68 last season. And that roller coaster occurred with elite talents such as Armando Bacot and RJ Davis on the roster.
Hubert Davis' tenure, thus far, has not yet reached the standard of a program that won its sixth national title in 2017. Entering this season, he retooled the roster to chase the lofty goals that once made North Carolina one of the premier programs in the sport -- a status it has not consistently enjoyed in the NIL and transfer portal era. But with the help of projected lottery pick Wilson and Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, North Carolina looked better in its 87-74 win over Kansas on Friday than it had in years.
Verdict: Overreaction
For now, at least.
Seth Trimble being out indefinitely after suffering a broken bone in his left forearm during a team workout following Friday's victory adds a considerable wrinkle.
It's clear that Wilson -- who has outplayed ESPN's projected No. 1 pick Peterson (on Friday) and projected No. 2 pick Dybantsa (in an exhibition game) -- belongs in the conversation about the top selections in next summer's NBA draft. Wilson has a mojo and the sheer talent the Tar Heels have lacked in recent years. Davis said he had to be the vocal leader last season because the roster did not have that presence, but Wilson has already accepted that responsibility. This team appears to have more depth and versatility than last year's group, too.
With the added factor of Trimble's injury, it's too early to make a declaration either way. But it's worth noting that this program aims to compete for the national title every season. Friday's win was a solid first step toward that ambition. But we need more time and evidence. -- Medcalf
The Arizona Wildcats are Final Four good
Arizona had arguably the biggest statement win of opening week -- Alabama's victory over St. John's has a strong case, too -- going to Las Vegas on the first day of the season and knocking off reigning national champions Florida. The Wildcats took an early punch, but responded impressively behind the play of Peat. And in closing time, it was veteran point guard Jaden Bradley who stepped up, scoring 10 straight Arizona points down the stretch to finish with 27 and five assists.
The Wildcats entered the season ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP poll, but the early production of the incoming freshmen and Bradley stepping up have significantly raised the ceiling for Tommy Lloyd's team.
Florida Gators vs. Arizona Wildcats: Game Highlights
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Arizona is squarely in the Final Four conversation. Given that Lloyd returned three starters from a team that won 24 games and reached the Sweet 16 before adding a top-five recruiting class that featured a pair of top-12 recruits, we admittedly should have taken the Wildcats' potential more seriously entering the campaign.
Peat looks capable of carrying the offense with his combination of size and skill. Bradley was already a steady distributor and defender, but has added an element of offensive aggression. Freshman guard Brayden Burries is a high-level scorer. Anthony Dell'Orso and Dwayne Aristode provide shooting. Tobe Awaka and Motiejus Krivas form a big man tandem that many teams can't match. And German forward Ivan Kharchenkov, who played professionally for Bayern Munich, brings toughness and a little bit of everything on offense.
This team has inside-outside balance, the right mix of talented youth and battle-tested veterans, and plenty of depth. The Wildcats look primed to win in a variety of ways. -- Borzello
Alabama's Nate Oats is the best offensive strategist in college basketball
College basketball's top offensive minds have always had an edge over their peers. Lute Olson fueled Arizona's run to a national title in 1997 with a potent offensive attack. Billy Donovan's teams averaged a double-digit margin of victory during his team's back-to-back national title runs in 2006 and 2007. And John Calipari's Kentucky squad scored 87 or more points during his team's run to the 2012 national title.
Now, Oats is making his case as the best offensive coach in America. In Saturday's 103-96 win over St. John's, a team coached by Rick Pitino surrendered more than 100 points for the first time in more than two decades. Despite losing All-American guard Mark Sears, the Tide's offense trounced a Red Storm team with Big East title aspirations at Madison Square Garden, snapping St. John's 12-game winning streak at the iconic New York arena.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Oats has proven that he can pull together a top offensive unit at multiple schools. His Alabama teams have finished inside the top 25 of KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency in four of his five completed in Tuscaloosa. And in his past two years at Buffalo, the Bulls finished 34th and 21st.
If there were any doubts that personnel trumped his system, they were erased when Alabama won a shootout with St. John's, despite Aden Holloway fouling out late in the game. There isn't a better offensive mind in college basketball. -- Medcalf