Four Big 12 freshmen – BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Houston guard Kingston Flemings, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Arizona guard Brayden Burrries – are in the Field of 68’s midseason Freshman of the Year power rankings.
Dynbantsa, ranked second only to Duke’s Cameron Boozer, is an obvious top-3 figure for such an evaluation, as the Brockton, Massachusetts, native has checked pretty much every box for the Cougars through 18 games already. The Utah Prep product has already put together the fourth-highest field goal percentage in school history and became just the fifth BYU player in history to drop 20-plus points in his collegiate debut.
Flemings, at No. 5 on the list, has already made four Big 12 Starting Five of the Week appearances in his freshman season, and is going toe-to-toe with senior guard Emanuel Sharp nightly with 15.6 points per game. Flemings became the first Houston player to score 20-plus points on 75% shooting or better (vs. Towson) since Tramon Mark in 2021.
Coming in at No. 6, Peterson, even through just 10 games, kicks Kansas into a higher gear every time he touches the floor. He’s coming off a 26-point performance on 11-of-13 shooting in an 80-62 win against Baylor. The Canton, Ohio, native has been named to the Big 12 Starting Five of the Week three different times already, and, should he stay healthy, will live up to his lottery-pick projection. Self cast doubt on Peterson’s availability for the Kansas State game on Saturday.
Burries, slotted at No. 9 on this list, put his name on several watchlists before the season began, and his first-round projection has only grown amid Arizona’s 19-0 run heading into February as the No. 1 program in the country. The only other Wildcat producing at a higher clip than Burries is freshman forward Koa Peat, who could reasonably fill out a first-round slot himself.
