It’s no secret that this year’s freshman class is the best in the history of college basketball, but, my god, did they show it on Saturday.

The freshman class alone featured 3 40 point performances, 2 more 30 point games, and highlight after highlight on a loaded Saturday afternoon (and Darryn Peterson didn’t even play on Saturday). It’s completely insane what this group is doing on a nightly basis, and the highest compliment I can give the group is that it’s gotten to the point where the insane scoring outputs feel normal.

Keaton Wagler dropped 46 points in a road win at Purdue, setting all kinds of high marks for Big Ten freshman scoring, Big Ten road scoring, scoring against a top 5 team, etc. He was simply unstoppable, which sounds obvious given he scored 46, but 13-17 from the field and 9-11 from 3 is otherworldly levels of unstoppable. Brad Underwood was picking on poor Oscar Cluff for the majority of this game, putting him in screening actions to get him switched onto Wagler. That switch was barbecue chicken for Wagler as he rained in shot after shot from all over the floor against Cluff. He also completely dominated the game down the stretch in pick and pop actions, including as a passer against Purdue’s hedging coverage (which also had Cluff in a blender. Tough day for him but really there was nothing he could do). Wagler’s meteoric rise was already unprecedented, but this all-time performance stamped Keaton Wagler as potentially the biggest freshman riser in the history of the sport. The number 150 recruit in a given freshman class is not supposed to come in and lead a bonafide Final Four contender in scoring, contend for All-America status, and have a historic single game performance as a freshman. It’s simply not how this goes.

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While this was getting started, Kingston Flemings was trying to will Houston to a top 15 road win in Lubbock. He was able to get to the paint and midrange often, and Houston truly needed every single point he produced. Emmanuel Sharp was the only other Cougar to score more than 6 points, and he and Flemings combined for 62 of Houston’s 86 points. That was essentially the difference in the game. JT Toppin dropped 31, but had 4 other double figure scorers sharing the load. Keaton Wagler’s game was the best individual performance of the year, but Flemings had the most “fuck it I’ll do it myself.” It was a real life version of this gif.

Despite a 43 point game in a rivalry win, AJ Dybantsa isn’t sure that’s his best outing in a BYU uniform. That’s how insane his season has been. Per Matt Norlander, Dybantsa thinks his triple double against Eastern Washington is right up there with Saturday. AJ, respectfully…

AJ Dybantsa @AJ_Dybantsa life recently 8:57 PM • Jan 25, 2026 357 Retweets 8059 Likes Read 94 replies

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Cmon son, 43 in a rivalry game is better than a triple double against Eastern Washington.

Cameron Boozer poured in 32 points in a home thumping of Wake Forest. The most surprising thing about his game is that RBIs was not a double double. That almost feels like an off night for him and pedestrian compared to the rest of his class on Saturday.

Darius Acuff’s 31 points were needed as Arkansas was back and forth with LSU for the large majority of Saturday’s matchup. Acuff was 9-12 from 2 and 4-7 from 3, really highlighting his 3 level scoring abilities. He has the combination of scoring ability and swagger that John Calipari’s best guards have, and over the next 2 months he will firmly plant himself in the John Wall/Derrick Rose/De’Aaron Fox tier of John Calipari point guards.

In perhaps the most heavily scrutinized game of the weekend, Nate Ament had his best game in a Tennessee uniform. Only (lol) 29 points for Ament in Tennessee’s win over Alabama, but he showed the full offensive arsenal. It was an elite midrange showing both out of pick and roll actions and mid-post post ups. He was the best former or future pro on that court.

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Brayden Burries, Caleb Wilson, and Mikel Brown Jr. all had awesome games Saturday with 22, 20, and 20 points respectively. There’s nothing I can say about any of their games that makes them sound cool compared to their classmates’ outings. What a day.

This weekend’s things…

1. Beer

If you were a college student looking for free beer this weekend you were in luck, especially if you attend DePaul, South Florida, or Davidson. DePaul legend Max Strus picked up the tab for the first 500 student beers at Wintrust Arena. Bryan Hodgson did the same Sunday at the aptly named Yuengling Center. Matt McKillop did not set an advertised limit for the amount of beer he was purchasing for Davidson students. Based on the student enthusiasm, I’m going to guess his bank account took a beating.

(shoutout Sickos CBB Committee on Bluesky for the screen grab. Follow them)

For those curious, the free beer teams went 2-1 this weekend. It is scientifically proven that providing your student section with free beer will help you win basketball games.

Meanwhile at Providence, the beer was not free, but the students have found new ways to innovate with their beverages. When the arena was dark, the students put their phone flashlights under their plastic, clear beer cups to create a glow stick-like effect. Providence does not appear on US News and World Report’s list of most innovative schools, and frankly that is flat out wrong.

2. Mizzou, not once, but twice

It took 2 buzzer beaters for Mizzou to hand Oklahoma a 88-87 L on Saturday afternoon. Both of these shots were true buzzer beating 3 pointers that fell through the next after the backboard lit up red.

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Oklahoma has to be sick. Mizzou gets a logo 3 from Trent Pierce, who was 0-5 from the field before forcing overtime. Was the defensive execution great there? Not exactly, but they did at least force the shot to come from deep. Then in overtime Mark Mitchell, a career 29% 3 point shooter. Goes coast to coast and hits a contested pull-up 3 to win it. Mitchell has never been a consistent 3 point shooter, and making him shoot for the win over a couple of hands is exactly what you want defensively. Oklahoma lead by a combined 5 points as 2 separate second half buzzers sounded in a game they lost. That’s almost impossible to do.

3. Melvin Council

Melvin Council wrote the book on how to endear yourself to a fanbase in your only year on campus. Not only did he lead Kansas to a rivalry road win with a double double, he was letting them know about it as well.

Aint No Seats Podcast @AintNoSeatsPod Melvin Council Wabashing on the court and then immediately getting a steal that leads to a dunk. Rafters 3:16 AM • Jan 25, 2026 322 Retweets 2925 Likes Read 44 replies

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He hit K-State’s Wabash Cannonball dance on the court MULTIPLE times, including right before a “fuck you” steal and dunk as the clock was running out. There was also some weirdness between him and Jerome Tang in the handshake line. From one angle it kinda sorta looked like Tang went for a sacktap, (the return game is gonna be SPICY) but regardless of what happened it was enough to make Council stop and turnaround. This is the blueprint for making the most of your brief time in a program. If you are a capital D Dawg on the court that talks unrepentant shit in a rivalry game you will be loved forever, no matter how long your career lasts.

4. Illinois

Yes, I’ve already talked a lot about Illinois’ win over Purdue, but that was mostly about Keaton Wagler, and there is so much more to their Saturday than that.
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David Mirkovic entered Saturday’s game questionable with a knee injury. He played, had 12 points and 8 rebounds, and said after the game that “If we lost today, and I wasn’t playing, I would kill myself probably” https://bsky.app/profile/awfulannouncing.bsky.social/post/3md7rlpjezd25​

Look, I don’t want to make light of suicide (this is your reminder to check on your people), but goodness, man, that kid is all in.

Mirkovic wasn’t the only Illinois player with a crazy postgame quote. Jake Davis was asked about Keaton Wagler’s historic game and said “Shit, this motherfucker’s making everything.” https://bsky.app/profile/awfulannouncing.bsky.social/post/3md7nutff5t25​
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This is the most accurate description of Wagler’s game in Mackey. Sometimes, basketball is as simple as a make or miss game and that motherfucker (Jake Davis’ words not mine) was making everything.
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The non-Wagler Illini also made a lot of shots as well. Sure, nothing seems special about almost an entire team going 9-27 from 3, but 4 of those 3s came on 4 straight possessions between the 3:31 and :57 mark in the second half of a tight game. Tomislav Ivisic bookended this run of 3s with one each from Mirkovic and Davis in between. These shots all came on possessions where Purdue was hedging the middle ball screen with Oscar Cluff, and Keaton Wagler trusted his teammates to hit big shots, and they did. When Cluff switched Wagler was hitting 3s and when he hedged the rest of the team hit 3s. Unstoppable.

5. Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino got to career win #900 by beating his son’s Xavier team on the road. I do not have children, but I imagine one day I’ll get to show my son or daughter that ole Dad’s still got it. That feeling has to be incredible. Of course, I (likely) won’t get to do that at 73 years old or on national television in the process of hitting a historic career milestone, but I imagine it’ll feel cool all the same. It’s salt in the wound to take the picture with the smiling grandchildren after the game as well. As all kids do, the Pitino grandchildren look especially excited to see grandpa, even after he beat dad. He probably gave each of them a Werther’s and $20.

Rick Pitino @RealPitino 900 is nice but this is much more special. Special grandchildren. Ava, Jack, & Zoe. Love u so much! 10:7 PM • Jan 24, 2026 136 Retweets 6495 Likes Read 140 replies

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Also, after the game Rick said Dylan Darling “has balls as big as church bells.” It’s been a little bit of a quiet year for Rick on the press conference front, but there he reared back and showed he’s still got the 98 miles per hour fastball.

6. Arizona State’s courtside children

There are future Curtain of Distraction (if you don’t know what that is by now where have you been?) in training in Tempe. These fellas were having a big time watching a mid basketball game between two mid basketball teams with head coaches who will likely not be in their jobs much longer.

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The technique and execution by these boys is impeccable. Courtside is where you’re supposed to show a little more decorum, right? WRONG, this is Arizona State basketball at 11pm ET on a Saturday night you do whatever you please wherever you may be. If the time and score calls for tarps off, then, buddy, pop the top. Their courtside antics clearly worked, as well, as the Sun Devils turned a 6 point lead at time of shirt swinging into a 12 point victory. If I am Bobby Hurley fighting for my job, I’d do everything I can to make sure these fellas are sitting courtside every game with the shirts swinging. You can’t take any chances in situations like this. I do have one question for the father of these boys and that is this: have you told them about the rapper, Petey Pablo? If not was this a conversation that you had in the car on the way home? Let me know.