There’s no wavering here on Flagg as the No. 1 prospect even as Dylan Harper Jr. and Egor Demin have looked exceptional this season in making their case as No. 1 pick contenders. He’s anchoring Duke’s elite defense at 17 years old and averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, and looks like the clear-cut best defensive prospect in this class.

No freshman has been more productive this season than Harper Jr. has been for Rutgers. He leads all freshmen in scoring and is fourth nationally among all college players in that category.

BYU first-year coach Kevin Young has a young star to build around in Demin, who hails from Russia. He’s a silky shooter with a reliable shot who has excellent positional size and good passing vision.

There’s a chance Bailey could blossom into a top-two talent in this class if he continues to build out his skill set at Rutgers. His shot-making skills in almost any situation at his size give off shades of Kevin Durant.

Preseason hype for Jakucionis has been matched by in-season production. He’s leading the Illini in scoring and assists and has craftiness and size at the guard spot that makes him dynamic as an offensive weapon.

Edgecombe hasn’t lived up to expectations this season for Baylor as he’s struggled to find his shot and isn’t playing with the same pace and confidence he did while at LuHi. There’s still plenty to like here with his long-term prospects as a twitchy athlete who can get downhill.

Traore has transitioned from a starter to an off-the-bench piece for Saint-Quentin and seen his playing time reduced after some early-season struggles. Improvement hasn’t been there with his outside shot, though his playmaking and passing is what has always been his biggest selling point.

Pate is in the midst of a strong season in the G League, building off his credentials as a potential lottery pick. His shot creation and ability to get to the cup as a do-it-all guard is what I love most, and he’s showed some improvement with his vision and passing as well.

As an 18-year-old freshman, Fland is leading Arkansas in assists and is second in steals while making nearly 40% of his 3-pointers, showcasing his versatility as a two-way threat. Watching him pressure the ball on defense is a sight to behold.

The scouting report on Knueppel — a natural scorer who wins with skill and finesse but doesn’t have elite athletic upside — has mostly proved true this season. His polish has translated to big production as Duke’s second-leading scorer and assist man.

Johnson was someone I was higher on than consensus coming into the season, thus no change here in his projection despite him seemingly being a riser this season. He’s someone who can score it from all three levels as a certified flamethrower dating back to his time in high school and that has translated well in his freshman season at Texas.

UConn hit on yet another five-star freshman in McNeeley, who is coming off a career-best 26-point explosion vs. No. 8 Gonzaga over the weekend where he showed off his versatility as a scorer, passer and rebounder. His all-around skill set and selfless style makes him a perfect Husky and a plug-and-play type prospect at the NBA level.

Coming off an All-MWC season as a true freshman at New Mexico, Toppin leveled up to Texas Tech and has leveled up his game in the process. He’s averaging the third-most points per game among Big 12 players and leading the league in rebounds.

Karaban had the profile of a first-round pick last year before returning to school, and as a junior he is now playing a bigger role while averaging more points, assists, blocks and steals per-40 — and shooting a career-best 42.4% from 3-point range.

A big multi-threat guard from Israel, Saraf is a creative playmaker with excellent passing vision and natural scoring instincts. He went for 16 points, two steals and two assists in an October exhibition vs. the Trail Blazers to help earn some notoriety.

An advanced finishing package is what has stood out to me when watching Philon. He can get to the cup and score with either hand with his body contorted all sorts of ways. He plays fast but not rushed and I love how he dictates the pace.

Jones has been one of the most productive players in college basketball this season as a senior and taken his game to a new level for Marquette as a shooter while soaking up a major role as a passer. His new role has unlocked previously-unrealized potential when he played next to Tyler Kolek.

Maryland is scorching teams this season in no small part because of Queen’s instant impact as a true freshman big man. He’s had four double-doubles in the early going (including a 22-20 game in the opener), and recently had his most complete games of the year against top competition when he had 26 points, 12 boards and two blocks in a close loss to No. 8 Purdue. His passing gives him the slight edge for me over the likes of Asa Newell and Khaman Maluach.

The rebounding instincts and consistently ability to fight on the offensive glass is Newell’s biggest and best strength right now. He’s top-30 in offensive rebounding rate as a true freshman and feasting as a dangerous transition big who can finish at the rim.

The decision for Clifford to come back to school didn’t make sense to me until I watched him this season. He’s on a mission and playing in a different stratosphere for CSU. He’s someone who can play in the NBA a long time as a 3-and-D wing.

A bit of an old-school power forward with an advanced creation package in the post, Murray-Boyles is so far building off what was already a promising start to his college career as a freshman last season. He’s also ventured out a bit taking more 3-pointers than last season, showing off some stretch big skills I wanted to see from him as he develops.

The Mike Woodson era at Indiana feels like it’s quickly approaching an end, but lost amidst a disappointing season has been Mgbako’s progression as a sophomore. His true shooting percentage is up to 62.8% on the year and he’s improved across the board as a rebounder, passer, shot-blocker and shooter.

Gonzalez finally peeked out from behind a limited role with 25 minutes Sunday in his best game of the season for Real Madrid, scoring 14 points and adding five rebounds and two assists. He’s a big guard who should be in the mix in this range with room to grow if he can build off that big performance.

Maluach’s size and shot-blocking instincts are right now his best traits as a prospect. The way he can move and defend in space at his size gives him a chance to be a true terror on defense for a long time. The question long-term is what else he can add beyond that.

Once just a fringe starter at Kentucky, Thiero has been “the guy” for Arkansas this season enjoying a true breakout. He’s always been a bulldog defender but has grown into a bigger role as a scorer and managed to add to his defense as a true playmaker on that end.

The son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, Richardson has burst onto the scene as a true freshman despite not being considered a one-and-done. He’s still not in the Spartans’ starting lineup but so far has been their best payer, leading the team in PER, BPM and Win Shares.

The sophomore leap we hoped for has so far come true with Lowe, who has a chance to be one of the best playmakers in this class. Hopefully his 3-point shooting will course-correct back to his freshman average, as he’s struggled from distance this season.

The three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year is still on pace for his best of five collegiate seasons with Creighton. His defense and shooting skills could be of value to a team in this range.

The counting stats haven’t yet — and may not — pop for Powell as a freshman this season at UNC. But he’s a fun scout who does a few things each game that stick out. A two-way wing real upside you won’t frequently find this late in drafts.

Armed with an improved jumper and better consistency as a finisher, Proctor has played his way back into the first round mix after failing to live up to lofty expectations the last two seasons.