After missing out on more than a month of action due to an ankle injury, UConn star freshman Liam McNeeley returned to the lineup against St. John’s earlier this month. In McNeeley’s second match, he scored the best performance of his college career by scoring 38 points in a 70-66 victory on Road against Creighton.
“He’s going to be a top 10 (NBA draft) pick,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said after Clayton’s game. “No new students have a more impressive performance in this type of environment for teams like this.”
McNeely was expected to see multiple members of the team leaving the program last season and play a key role in the two-time reigning champions. McNeeley has averaged 15.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 17 games this season.
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McNeely shoots 37.5% over ARC on 5.2 attempts per game, posting four double-doubles. Uconn lost a Heartbreaker at Seton Hall last weekend, but bringing McNeely back into the lineup is a game-changer that hopes for the Husky this spring.
This Week’s Freshman: Liam McNeely, UConn
Welcome to Froshwatch, the weekly ranking of five of the most memorable freshmen in college basketball. CBS Sports has once again partnered with the American Association of Basketball Writers and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to showcase this annual feature. Start each week by announcing the National Freshman of the Week winners. The FOTW cycle runs on Tuesday.
The former No. 10 overall player in the 2024 Recruit Class by 247Sports played a key role in the two-time reality champions this season. After being missing for a while due to an ankle injury, McNeeley recently returned to the lineup and fed the Huskies with sparks.
Since returning from his injury, McNeely has scored in double figures in all three games. McNeely scored a career-high 38 points against Clayton, finishing with 11, losing to Seton Hall last weekend.
Previous Freshman of the Week winner
November 12th: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
November 19: Joson Sanon, ArizonaNovember 26th: Lavalon Philon, AlabamaDecember 3rd: Dylan Harper, RutgersDecember 10th: Cooper Flag, DukeDecember 17th: Liam McNeely, UConnDecember 24th: Jeremiah Fear, OklahomaDecember 31st: Ian Jackson, North CarolinaJanuary 7th: Cooper Flag, DukeJanuary 14th: Cooper Flag: DukeJanuary 21st: Tahd Pettiford, AuburnJanuary 28th: Tre Johnson, TexasFebruary 4th: Robert Wright, BaylorFebruary 11: Derrick Queen, Maryland
Frosh Watch: Ranking the top 5 freshmen
1. Cooper Flag | g/f | Duke
Statistics: 20.0 ppg | 8.0 rpg | 4.2 APG
Flag scored 17 points and set new points The best career rebound (14) Duke’s victory over Virginia on Monday. He performed overall with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds against Stanford last weekend. Flagg is currently the forefront of winning ACC Player of the Year and potentially winning National Player of the Year. Last week: 1
2. Dylan Harper | g | Rutgers
Statistics: 18.5 ppg | 4.7 RPG | 4.0 APG
Harper scored 11 points against Iowa last week and 13 points against Oregon. The Scarlet Knights have lost four of their last five games, losing to Michigan State earlier this month. Last week: 2
3. Ace Bailey | g/f | Rutgers
Statistics: 18.6 ppg | 7.4 RPG | 1.5 bpg
Bailey scored his third game this season with under 10 points in a 75-57 loss to Oregon. Bailey finished with eight points after scoring 13 days ago with Iowa. Last week: 3
4. Kasparasjakučionis| g/f | Illinois
Statistics: 16.0 ppg | 5.5 rpg | 5.0 APG
Jakučionis scored 24 points to win UCLA 83-78 at home last week. Yakutionis followed suit by losing to Michigan State and scoring 17 points. Last week: 4
5. Tre Johnson | g/f | Texas
Statistics: 19.8 ppg | 3.2 RPG | 2.6 APG
Johnson is one of the best pure shot makers in college basketball, and his performance against Kentucky last weekend helped his team add a significant victory to his resume. Johnson finished with 32 points and nine rebounds for the fast Kentucky team at home, 82-78 for Texas. When Johnson is there, there aren’t many people in the sport who can stop him from getting a bucket. Last week: nr
