Which freshmen have impressed so far during the SEC basketball season?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Several freshmen basketball players have been top contributors in the SEC this season.
- Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. and Tennessee forward Nate Ament have been standouts.
- Kentucky freshman center Malachi Moreno has also had an impressive season so far.
The halfway point of the college basketball season has arrived.
All around the country, are hitting the midway point as conference play kicks into high gear. In the SEC, all 16 league schools have played at least three conference games, with the promise of 15 more to finish out the regular season.
This means there’s plenty evidence on which to assess the performance of some of the SEC’s top freshmen. From the players who arrived as highly-touted recruits to those who have been surprise contributors, here’s a look at which freshmen have made their mark so far this SEC men’s basketball season.
How have the SEC’s top basketball recruits fared as freshmen this season?
When looking back at the final class of 2025 college basketball recruiting rankings from the 247Sports Composite, six of the top 30 prospects from last year’s high school senior class are now freshmen in the SEC.
Headlining this group is Nate Ament, the 6-foot-10 Tennessee forward who was a former Kentucky basketball recruit.
Ament — the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2025 class — has been hyped as a likely one-and-done college player with the chance to be an NBA draft lottery pick this summer. So far with the Vols, Ament has largely lived up to the billing. He’s averaging 14.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Ament has started all 16 of Tennessee’s games and averages nearly 27 minutes.
Ament is shooting just 28.8% from 3-point range on more than four attempts per game. He’s also been turnover prone, having committed at least three giveaways in seven games. UK will get an up-close look at Ament on Saturday afternoon, when the Cats and Volunteers face off in Knoxville in the first of two regular-season meetings.
John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks have gotten off to a fast start this season: 12-4 overall and 2-1 in league play with quality wins over Louisville, Texas Tech and Tennessee. In typical Calipari fashion, a pair of first-year guards is leading the way. Darius Acuff Jr. (the No. 11 recruit) and Meleek Thomas (No. 12) are the Razorbacks’ top scorers.
Acuff is pouring in 19.9 points per game, while Thomas is contributing 15.4 points. Acuff is an every game starter, while Thomas is coming off the bench. Acuff’s 5.9 assists and Thomas’ 1.5 steals also pace the Arkansas team.
But perhaps the most impressive statistic for each player is their long-distance shooting prowess. Acuff, who is also a potential lottery pick in this year’s NBA draft, is shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc on more than five attempts per game. Thomas is at 37.7% from distance on a per-game average of 6.6 tries from deep.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope’s recruiting woes with regard to the 2026 high school class have taken up plenty of headlines, but it’s worth remembering Pope’s first true high school recruiting group featured a pair of top-25 prospects in guard Jasper Johnson (No. 21) and center Malachi Moreno (No. 25).
Johnson’s freshman season hasn’t gone to script. He’s averaging less than 15 minutes per game and has largely struggled against quality opponents. The 6-foot-5 former Kentucky high school star has played just 27 combined minutes over UK’s last five high-major games. This includes staying on the bench for all of UK’s home loss to Missouri.
More playing time will be coming Johnson’s way, though, with starting point guard Jaland Lowe out for the remainder of the season due to a right shoulder injury.
Conversely, Moreno has been the breakout player of the season for Pope’s program. Moreno’s most recent performance — a stat-stuffing showcase against Mississippi State in which he went for 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals — was a dominant display of his all-around ability. Like Johnson, Moreno’s role with the Wildcats could be expanding based on a teammate’s injury, with sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance dealing with swelling in his surgically repaired knee.
The final top-30 freshman to enter the SEC this season was Florida guard CJ Ingram (No. 29). He’s been a bench contributor for the reigning national champions, appearing in 10 games for a little more than seven minutes per contest. Ingram hasn’t appeared in a conference game yet.
Which freshmen have been surprise stars in the SEC so far?
Recruiting rankings only mean so much. Year after year, surprise contributors emerge from the freshman ranks, and there have been a few of those in the SEC this season.
Fifteen freshmen rank among the top three scorers, rebounders or assist leaders for SEC teams. That equates to 10.4% of the top contributor spots in the conference.
Acuff leads Arkansas in scoring and assists. Thomas is second on the Razorbacks in both of those categories. Ament is second on the Volunteers in scoring, leads Tennessee in rebounds and is third on the team in assists. Moreno’s 6.3 rebounds per game lead UK. In what’s perhaps a surprise, Johnson’s 2.5 assists per game are the third-most among Wildcats.
Still, a few other freshmen are making their presences felt in the league.
One of the top first-year performers has been Alabama forward Amari Allen, a four-star recruit from Wisconsin. Allen is averaging 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Each of those ranks in the top three among Alabama players.
Allen — who is a projected first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft — is also averaging more than a block and a steal each per game for the Crimson Tide. Earlier this month, Allen went for 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists in Alabama’s home win over UK. He made a trio of 3-pointers in that game and is shooting 37.5% from distance this season.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Auburn forward Sebastian Williams-Adams (7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals) has remained effective while moving in and out of the Tigers’ starting lineup. Three-star prospect Hayden Assemian, a forward for South Carolina, is averaging 3.4 rebounds per game in a bench role.
Come Wednesday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Kentucky will be matched up against another of the SEC’s young playmakers. LSU guard Jalen Reece is second on his team with 2.4 assists per game. While Reece has struggled to score — he’s shooting 22.7% from the floor in SEC action — he has totaled 15 assists (against just seven turnovers) in LSU’s three league games this season, all defeats.
All three of Reece’s starts this season have come in SEC play following a lower-leg injury sustained by junior guard Dedan Thomas Jr., whose 7.1 assists per game lead the conference.
“Dedan makes them a way different team,” Pope said Monday afternoon ahead of Kentucky’s trip to LSU. “... For good or for bad, they just feel a little bit different when Dedan’s out there.”
