We’re barely a week into the 2025-26 college basketball season, and we’ve already seen some tremendous individual performances from the 300-plus teams at the Division-I level. We’ve had primetime 30-plus scoring performances, along with a few game-winners as well. For this piece, we’ll be focusing on some of the bigger “surprise” showings, looking at those who didn’t get as much preseason hype.
That means we won’t be including 6-foot-8 five-star freshman forward Koa Peat’s 30-point game against Florida, or even coveted international 6-foot-8 freshman guard Neoklis Avdalas scoring 33 points for Virginia Tech to get past Providence in overtime. Those are already well-known names compared to the following 10, who you’ll need to keep an eye on going forward.
1. Ivan Kharchenkov, 6-foot-7 freshman forward, Arizona
Key game: 12 points, 10 rebounds against Florida
Yes, Peat’s performance rightfully stole the show on opening night. However, another reason why the Wildcats’ frontcourt outplayed the defending national champions was Kharchenkov, who started and played 34 productive minutes. Arizona had a top incoming freshmen class, but the newcomer who received the least amount of attention was the German forward, who looks to give them even more depth than expected inside.
2. Cam Ward, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, Michigan State
Key game: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals against Arkansas
The season-ending torn patella tendon injury to incoming transfer wing Kaleb Glenn opened up an opportunity for someone like Ward, a four-star prospect out of high school, to get a larger role early on. He took advantage, leading the Spartans in both points and rebounds off the bench in the upset win over top-15 Arkansas. It’s early, but coach Tom Izzo may have found his next underclassman gem.
3. Ebuka Okorie, 6-foot-2 freshman guard, Stanford
Key game: 29 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals against Montana
Like many teams, Stanford lost a ton of production last offseason. Turns out, the player primed to step into a lead role is the freshman Okorie, one of the early national scoring leaders. Yes, the performances to this point have come against mid-major competition (26 points against Portland State), but this elite volume of production should still be recognized from a player who didn’t get much preseason hype.
4. Massamba Diop, 7-foot-1 freshman center, Arizona State
Key game: 18 points, 6 rebounds against Utah Tech
Arizona State was picked to finish at the bottom of the Big 12 after losing so much production from the year prior. But they’re off to a strong start thanks to Diop, an athletic big man who can not only create plays on both ends, but also spread the floor, making both three-point attempts in the win over Utah Tech. He’ll have a massive test soon, facing Gonzaga and its vaunted frontcourt on Friday, but Diop has become an early player to watch out of Tempe.
5. Ilias Kamardine, 6-foot-5 senior guard, Ole Miss
Key game: 26 points, 4 assists against Memphis
After losing their entire backcourt from last season, who would step up as the next lead guard for the Rebels? French import Kamardine has been the key guy early on, scoring 12-plus points in all three games. His game-high 26 against Memphis propelled Ole Miss to its biggest win of the year to this point. If the shooting numbers continue (7 of 13 from three-point range), the Rebels could have an All-SEC player on their hands.
6. Nyk Lewis, 6-foot-1 freshman guard, VCU
Key game: 19 points, 2 rebounds against Utah State
Part of the reason VCU was picked to finish first in the Atlantic 10 was the transfers the program landed, with four earning preseason all-conference honors. However, the star in the Rams’ 80-77 win over Utah State was Lewis, a true freshman who led them in scoring for the key victory. While Lewis was a four-star prospect and expected to contribute, it looks as if he’ll be a go-to player in his own right, even ahead of the more heralded transfers.
7. Jake Wilkins, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, Georgia
Key game: 16 points, 6 rebounds against Maryland Eastern Shore
Replacing former five-star prospect and NBA Draft pick Asa Newell was going to be difficult, but the Bulldogs may have found a gem in Wilkins, son of NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins. The younger version is incredibly athletic in his own right, scoring at least 12 points in all three games off the bench. We’ll see how he does against tougher competition, but so far, Wilkins has been another great first-year player.
8. Baba Miller, 6-foot-11 senior forward, Cincinnati
Key game: 24 points, 11 rebounds against Georgia State
Miller is a former top-40 prospect who was okay at Florida State before having his best year at Florida Atlantic last season. Now he’s emerging as the go-to guy at Cincinnati, scoring more than 20 points for just the second time in his career against Georgia State. The late departure of last year’s leading scorer (Jizzle James) this offseason created a question as to where the offense would come from for the Bearcats; so far, Miller has been the answer.
9. Khani Rooths, 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, Louisville
Key game: 16 points, 10 rebounds against Jackson State
Throughout the offseason, all the conversation about Louisville’s roster had been about five-star freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr., elite transfer shooters Isaac McKneely and Ryan Conwell, or forwards Aly Khalifa and Kasean Pryor, who were returning from injury. The player who received no attention was Rooths, a former top-50 prospect who produced 3.3 points per game in 13 minutes off the bench as a freshman. So far, he’s the team’s leading scorer, shooting 62 percent from the field. As loaded as the Cardinals look on paper, Rooths appears to have claimed a key role on offense.
10. Jalen Warley, 6-foot-6 senior guard, Gonzaga
Key game: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals against Creighton
Through three years at Florida State, Warley averaged fewer than six points while shooting below 42 percent from the field. So once 6-foot-7 senior forward Tyon Grant-Foster was officially cleared by the courts to play this year, it was expected that Warley would be fighting to be in the rotation. Instead, he’s been a standout contributor in his own right, playing around 25 minutes a game off the bench and contributing all over. His all-around game against the Bluejays indicates that he’ll be one of the best “glue guys” in the country this season.
