College basketball looks different in many ways in 2025, but a lot of the names are familiar. There's an Anthony at Syracuse, a Wilkins at Georgia, a Robinson at Purdue and two Boozers at Duke. We also have lineage like Marbury, Stojakovic, Pippen, Olajuwon and James littered throughout the rest of the hardwood landscape, among others. Likewise, other than Creighton and BYU, the remainder of the top 25 contains the usual suspects like UConn, Houston, Gonzaga and North Carolina. Despite NIL and conference realignment, the old adage still persists; the more things change, the more they stay the same.
College Basketball Early Season Risers for 2025-26
Let's take a look at some players making headlines in the first College Hoops Barometer of the season.
UPGRADE
Koa Peat, F, Arizona – While fellow freshman Bryce James has the famous father and the spotlight, he did not play a minute in the season opener for the Wildcats. Instead, it was another freshman in the form of Peat who dominated the defending champion Florida Gators in Arizona's opener. The 6-8 neophyte notched 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block in the mild upset win. A top-10 recruit in this year's freshmen class, Peat flashed his versatility from inside the three-point arc on both ends of the floor. His Dad may not be LeBron, but Peat should be a household name before the year is completed.
Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina – After a couple of down seasons by their standards, could a resurgence be coming for the Tar Heels? Wilson certainly appears poised to lead the renaissance, as the boisterous freshman led North Carolina to an 87-74 victory over Kansas last week with 24 points, seven rebounds, four dimes and four steals. He followed up that performance with a double-double against Radford. Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar and junior Jarin Stevenson give UNC a massive frontcourt all 6-10 and above, which could be a nightmare for the opposition to contend with on a nightly basis. Wilson should be the key piece, though. The Tar Heels will get a couple more chances to show how far they've come against Michigan Stat and Kentucky in a couple of weeks.
Aday Mara, C, Michigan – Mara started just one game last season at UCLA, playing more of a complementary role for the Bruins. That has changed with a transfer to Michigan, as Mara looks like a budding star for the Wolverines, at least through the first two contests. The 7-3 big man brings size and length to the equation on the defensive end, as he is averaging five rejections per tilt. Unsurprisingly, Mara is difficult to keep out of the paint on the offensive end as well, showing deft touch around the rim. His offensive repertoire is improving, and with more minutes he has also been able to showcase his passing ability. Mara tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and five blocks in Tuesday's OT win over Wake Forest. Mara should be a double-double machine this season, and his skillful passing as well as ferocious defense should provide even more benefit.
Tre Donaldson, G, Miami – After trips to the Elite Eight and the Final Four in recent years, the Hurricanes bottomed out last seasom following the fairly sudden retirement of coaching legend Jim Larranaga. The Hurricanes hired Jai Lucas away from Duke, then Lucas hit the transfer portal hard by bringing in Malik Reneau (Indiana), Tru Washington (New Mexico), Ernest Udeh (TCU) and Donaldson (Michigan). As the 'Canes have been led by guard-heavy attacks on their aforementioned runs through the NCAA Tournament, Donaldson should be the catalyst for this squad. He notched 15 points, five rebounds and 10 assists in Monday's romp over Stetson. Miami's first big test will be Sunday's clash with Florida, followed by a meeting with highly ranked BYU just a week and a half later. With freshman Shelton Henderson adding some toughness as well, this revamped Miami squad has a great chance to return to the big dance.
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CHECK STATUS
Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State – It would be a mistake to sleep on Lipsey, the Cyclones point guard who is coming off a "down" year. Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones are gone, which should result in Lipsey dominating possession of the ball. Lipsey poured in 25 points in Monday's 96-80 win over Mississippi State. He is far from just a one-trick pony, though, as he is averaging 3.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.3 steals per tilt on the season through three outings. In fact, when all is said and done, Lipsey could be a contender for the Wooden Award.
Bryce Hopkins, F, St. John's – Hopkins was one of the best forwards in the nation at Providence before a knee injury caused him to miss virtually all of the 2024 campaign. The former Kentucky Wildcat transferred to the Johnnies, where he has started the first two games of the season for the Red Storm. He tallied eight points, four rebounds and five dimes in the season opener, then had 19 points in the 103-96 loss to Alabama. He will likely play second-fiddle to Zuby Ejiofor down low, though admittedly the two players have different styles of games. Still, it will be far more difficult for Hopkins to tally double-doubles with the frequency that he did at Providence. Nevertheless, if he is healthy, the tandem could form a potent combo for St. John's up front.
KeShawn Murphy, F, Auburn – It will be interesting to see what the younger Pearl will do at Auburn with an almost completely different roster than his Dad had just a season ago. Murphy was one of the transfers brought in, though the 6-10 senior started just three games in three seasons during his prior stop at Mississippi State. Murphy's Auburn debut went swimmingly, though, as he racked up 17 points, eight rebounds and four dimes in a win over Bethune-Cookman. However, an ankle injury sidelined him for the two subsequent contests. The injury is not considered serious and Murphy should suit up in a pivotal clash with No. 1 Houston this weekend. That being said, it remains to be seen if Murphy will be a focal point of the squad alongside Tahaad Pettiford and fellow transfer Keyshawn Hall, or more of a complementary piece. Hall is on his fourth school in four years but is averaging a robust 24.3 points and 11.0 rebounds to begin his season with the Tigers.
Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas – One of the top freshmen in the nation, Peterson missed Tuesday's clash with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a hamstring injury. Apparently the nagging issue began during an offseason scrimmage against Louisville. Peterson played in the season opener despite the injury, scoring 21 points in the 84-51 thrashing of Green Bay. He was also able to suit up and collect 22 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in the subsequent loss to UNC. Perhaps the caliber of opponent allows the Jayhawks to rest their prized phenom, but this certainly will be a situation to monitor if the issue persists.
See how these players stack up among other power conference talent in RotoWire's fantasy college basketball rankings.
DOWNGRADE
Pop Isaacs, G, Texas A&M – The well-travelled Isaacs is now on his third stop after beginning his career at Texas tech before an injury-laden season with Creighton. A hip ailment caused him to miss all but eight games with the Bluejays last year, but a knee issue that cropped up in the offseason appears to still be bothering him. Isaacs has averaged double-digits in points in every collegiate season, but is managing only 7.3 points through the first three contests. Granted, he is only playing 20 minutes per contest as the Aggies ease him back into action, but his efficiency has also been lacking. Isaacs is shooting under 30 percent from both the field as well as three-point land. Likewise, he has had minimal contributions in other categories, which is particularly startling when taking into account his playmaking abilities in prior seasons. The season is young, but Isaacs is adjusting to a new school as well as potential injury woes. A 23-point blowout loss to Oklahoma State on Sunday certainly is far from an ideal start for Isaacs and the new-look Aggies.
J.J. Starling, G, Syracuse – Starling suffered an unspecified lower body injury after just three minutes played in the season opener, which also caused him to miss the Orange's subsequent win over Delaware State. The severity of the injury is currently unknown. In his place, the above-mentioned Kiyan Anthony played extended minutes and shined, averaging 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists over his first two collegiate contests. Given Anthony's name and pedigree, he could cut into Starling's minutes even when the veteran is capable of returning to the court.
Jayden Quaintance, F, Kentucky – A torn ACL ended Quaintance's year at Arizona State, and it remains to be seen when he will debut for Kentucky. He will need to prove his health upon his return to the court, but the former Sun Devil was beastly in the paint in 24 games last season. Quaintance averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per tilt in 2024. The Wildcats had just three blocks as a team in the loss to Louisville, so Quaintance's presence was certainly missed. He is the rare "game-wrecker" on the defensive side of the ball.
Tomislav Ivisic, F, Illinois – Ivisic is expected to miss some time after suffering an unspecified knee injury. While the injury does not appear to be season-ending, Ivisic's outlook does not appear positive in the short term. Ivisic started 31 of 32 games a season ago for the Illini, averaging 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per tilt. He was expected to take on an even greater role this season, and scored 21 points in the season opener for Illinois. In an odd twist, his brother Zvonimir Ivisic will be the biggest beneficiary. Zvonimir nearly had a triple double against Florida Gulf Coast last week with 16 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. He followed up that performance with 11 points, seven boards and three swats in Tuesday's upset win over Texas Tech.
Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.
