Ranking college basketball’s best freshmen: UCLA’s Nikola Kusturica earns Freshman of the Week honors

What if I told you the freshman who had the best performance during the opening week of the 2026-27 college basketball season isn't even eligible for the 2027 NBA Draft? Yes, you read that right. In an era of one-and-dones, UCLA's Nikola Kusturica will be the rare player in the sport who plays at least two seasons before entering the draft.

Of course, that's not necessarily by choice. If Kusturica were eligible for this summer's draft, he would have a very strong case to go No. 1. Kusturica, Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Texas' Marcus Spears Jr. won't turn 18 until 2027, meaning they don't meet the draft's age requirement to be eligible for this summer's draft.

It's great news for college basketball fans, but bad news for NBA teams looking to add a foundational piece to their rosters. Last season featured arguably the greatest freshman class in college basketball history, with AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff Jr., Darryn Peterson, and many more making their mark on the sport.

This year's class certainly has talent, but expectations should be tempered after last year's greatness. However, after two impressive performances against Arizona and North Florida, Kusturica showed…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/