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.
Week ending Mon., Jan. 2: GG Jackson II. (6-9, 215, Forward, Columbia, S.C. [Ridge View HS])
Eight weeks into the college basketball season, true freshmen across the country are still popping up as surprises as this season wears on. The talent pool for youngsters is deep and wide with more than a dozen viable candidates weekly worthy of a mention in our Frosh Watch rankings.
This week is just another example of that with Ohio State freshman Brice Sensabaugh cracking our rankings for the first time all season even in a loaded class. Sensabaugh has quietly produced as one of the best freshmen in the sport and that continued this week with showings of 21 points and 18 points in two outings. He has now reached double figures in scoring in six consecutive outings.
Speaking of under-the-radar producers, South Carolina big man GG Jackson continued to just miss the cut of our top five weekly rankings but he once again had a stellar week to earn Freshman of the Week honors. Jackson in one game put up 24 points and nine boards in a win over Eastern Michigan, his career-high for total points in a game done in only 30 minutes of action on 19 total shot attempts.
Jackson ranks second among all freshmen in points scored per game this season and sixth in rebounds per game as he continues to produce like one of the best rookies in America. That continued this week in leading South Carolina to a 10-point win over former five-star recruit Emoni Bates and his Eastern Michigan team on Friday where he dropped a career-high 24 points and added nine rebounds.
Jackson has validated his credentials as a clear lottery talent and only seems to be getting more comfortable. He just turned 18 years old in December and has the scoring, handle and size to grow into a unique talent in the frontcourt. He ranks fourth among all SEC players in scoring per game and has already on four occasions scored 20 or more points while consistently operating as a force on the glass. He's the clear top frosh of the week and banging hard on the door to warrant inclusion in our weekly rankings moving forward if he keeps this up.