Oklahoma was picked to finish 15th in the SEC preseason media poll. The Sooners were only projected to finish ahead of Vanderbilt in the standings but are 12-0, ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll and have already defined expectations during the first two months of the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Part of the early success can be attributed to standout freshman Jeremiah Fears. Oklahoma’s star guard is emerging as one of the top first-year players in the sport and is playing himself into the conversation as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft this summer.
Fears made the biggest play of Oklahoma’s season against Michigan last week. With the Sooner trailing by three in the final moments, Fears knocked down a 3-pointer despite getting fouled. Fears converted the free throw after he was fouled to seal the 87-86 win over the Wolverines.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to the latest CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Freshman of the Week: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the ten 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.
The former No. 64-ranked player in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports has emerged as a breakout star for Oklahoma. Fears dropped a team-high 30 points in the win over Michigan and hit his ridiculous go-ahead 3-pointer that gave his team the win.
Fears has emerged as a potential lottery pick because of his play. He is a major reason why Oklahoma is off to such a hot start to the season and he will need to continue his strong start for his team to compete in the loaded…
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