In one of Baylor’s biggest games of the season last weekend, the Bears trailed at home against Kansas by as many as 21 points with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. By the time the midway point of the second half came around, the Bears had taken the lead back and eventually held on to an 81-70 win over the Jayhawks.
Baylor star freshman VJ Edgecombe missed a majority of the second half due to an injury, but his fellow classmate Robert Wright lll met the moment. Wright scored 20 of his 24 points after intermission and dished out six assists in the comeback win.
Wright was one of five Baylor players who finished the game in double figures. He knocked down 9 of his 16 shot attempts and made all six of the free throws he attempted while logging a team-high 37 minutes.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to the latest CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Freshman of the Week: Robert Wright lll, Baylor
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the five most impressive freshmen in college basketball. CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
Wright had a performance to remember against Kansas. Wright finished with 24 points, marking his second consecutive game with at least 20 points. Wright dropped 22 points in a midweek loss to BYU. Before last week, his previous career-high was 22 points against UConn.
The former No. 23 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle by 247Sports has been one of the more underrated first-year players in the country. Wright is averaging 13.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30 minutes per game.
Previous Freshman of the Week winners
- Nov. 12: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Nov. 19: Joson Sanon, Arizona State
- Nov. 26: Labaron Philon, Alabama
- Dec. 3: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Dec. 10: Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Dec. 17: Liam McNeeley, UConn
- Dec. 24: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
- Dec. 31: Ian Jackson, North Carolina
- Jan. 7: Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Jan. 14: Cooper Flagg: Duke
- Jan. 21: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Jan. 28: Tre Johnson, Texas
Frosh Watch: Ranking top five freshmen
1. Cooper Flagg | G/F | Duke
Stats: 20.0 PPG | 8.0 RPG | 4.2 APG
Flagg just keeps stacking good performances. He flirted with a triple-double in Duke’s blowout win over North Carolina and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. At this point, it would be stunning if anyone else other than Flagg was the No. 1 pick this summer. Don’t take watching him for granted. Last week: 1
2. Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers
Stats: 18.6 PPG | 4.8 RPG | 4.1 RPG
Harper missed Rutgers’ games last week against Northwestern and Michigan with an ankle injury. It is unclear when the star freshman will return to the lineup. Last week: 2
3. Ace Bailey | G/F | Rutgers
Stats: 20.2 PPG | 7.8 RPG | 1.1 SPG
Without Harper in the lineup, Bailey dropped 37 points in a 79-72 win over Northwestern. His ridiculous shotmaking was on display, as he finished by making 13 of his 20 attempts. Last week: 3
4. Kasparas Jakučionis | G/F | Illinois
Stats: 15.6 PPG | 5.7 RPG | 5.5 APG
Jakučionis finished with 18 points and 13 assists in an overtime loss to Ohio State. He scored eight points and dished out seven assists days later in a win over Ohio State at home. Last week: 4
5. VJ Edgecombe | G/F | Baylor
Stats: 14.9 PPG | 5.3 RPG | 3.2 APG
Edgecombe is starting to put it together. After going through some struggles most first-year players go through, Edgecombe has come on strong during Big 12 play. He dropped a career-high 30 points last month against Kansas State and scored 28 against BYU. He left Baylor’s game against Kansas with an injury but still scored 14 points in 25 minutes. Last week: NR
Read the full article here
