A special freshman class added a new chapter to an all-time season class on Saturday. Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler waltzed into Mackey Arena – long a house of horrors for the opposition – and delivered a 46-point performance to lead No. 11 Illinois to an 88-82 win over No. 4 Purdue. The Boilermakers got a brilliant performance from All-American Braden Smith in the preseason, but it was a rangy freshman from Kansas who was the best player on the floor this season.
Wagler wasn’t alone. Just an hour earlier, Houston freshman Kingston Flemings strolled into Lubbock and dropped a 42-point, six-assist masterpiece as the No. 6 Cougars lost 90-86 to No. 12 Texas Tech despite Flemings’ breathtaking performance.
However, the freshmen weren’t done yet.
An hour later it was AJ Dybantsa’s turn. Dybantsa soared to a majestic 43 points in No. 13 BYU’s 91-78 runaway victory over rival Utah in the Holy War.
You have to go back to 1997 to find the last time two freshmen scored 40+ in a match, according to CBS Sports research. Can you name them? I can’t. Take a bow, Texas Southern’s Randy Bolden and TCU’s Mike Jones. But three? It’s never been done before in the last thirty years of college basketball. Wagler, Dybantsa and Flemings will stand alone in the college basketball record books.
It was a captivating, compelling display of basketball. One in West Texas. One in the heart of Boilermaker country. One in the mountains of Provo. Three unforgettable performances. One of them was completely predictable. The other two? Not so much.
Everything is fine with the children
Record-breaking performance by freshmen on Saturday.
| Player, team | Ptn | Reb | Asst | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keaton Wagler, Illinois | 46 | 0 | 4 | W 88-82 at Purdue |
| AJ Dybantsa, BYU | 43 | 6 | 3 | W 91-78 vs. Utah |
| Kingston Flemings, Houston | 42 | 2 | 6 | L 90-86 vs. Texas Tech |
College basketball’s newest stars on display
The fact that Dybantsa was supposed to be the next big thing doesn’t make Saturday’s show any less special. The hype was high for Dybantsa, but somehow he has surpassed almost everything.
However, the jet fighter-like rise of the Flemish and Wagler remained a little more under the radar.
Houston’s best player is expected to be Milos Uzan or Emanuel Sharp. Both of these great veterans have gone out of their way to clear the runway for the Flemish. The dynamic, explosive point guard has emerged as the best player for one of the Tier 1 National Championship contenders. Flemings is poised to become perhaps the best player Kelvin Sampson has ever coached in his 35-plus years as head ball coach.
A similar script is brewed in Champaign. Illinois’ best player was a preseason mystery. Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic were the most likely candidates, but Illinois believed it could be a balanced Big Ten contender. Anyone can root for the best offense in the country, but Wagler has cemented himself as the undisputed best player on this team.
Saturday was his Mona Lisa. Wagler hit nine 3-pointers to keep Illinois short-handed against behemoth Purdue. 46 points on 17 shots is video game stuff. It’s the most points a visitor has ever scored in the hallowed halls of Mackey Arena.
Many national championship benchmarks are fallible and fickle. But one goalpost can’t be reset: every NCAA tournament champion since 1976 has produced a first-round NBA Draft pick except Indiana in 1987, with Steve Alford, the first Hoosier drafted that year. Alford was selected No. 26 overall by Dallas, but that was a second-round selection that season.
Houston likely has a rising NBA star among the Flemish, and its jump-cut drives that left Texas Tech defenders in the dust will play a big role in 2026. NBA draft. Illinois also has a future first-round pick in Wagler, and unfortunately for Purdue’s Jack Benter, Daniel Jacobsen and Oscar Cluff, their follies trying to guard him will show up early and often in the Illini guard’s mixtape on draft night.
They also do it with utmost humility and class. Flemings is loved by his teammates, near and far. Everyone associated with Illinois is excited about Wagler’s composure amid an unexpected rise for a recruit who was ranked No. 150 in the Class of 2025 and at one point was considered a potential redshirt candidate.
Darius Acuff Jr. from Arkansas provided 31 points for the Hogs in a win over LSU. Duke’s Cameron Boozer had a National Player of the Year type with 32 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in a win over Wake Forest. UNC’s Caleb Wilson was a lean, mean dunking machine in the Tar Heels’ impressive win over Virginia.
Enjoy this lesson. It has now been proven that they are a special gang of diaper dandies, who will certainly steal the spotlight again in March, just like in November, December and January.
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