Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was one of 50 players named to the 2024-25 Naismith Men's Basketball Player of the Year watch list on Wednesday.

Flagg is joined on the list by another notable freshman in Rutgers' Ace Bailey, as well as several upperclassmen who have already made their mark in the world of college basketball.

North Carolina guard RJ Davis, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson and Arizona guard Caleb Love are just a few of the returning players who figure to be strong Player of the Year candidates throughout the upcoming season.

Flagg, 17, is widely regarded as the top incoming freshman in college basketball, as 247Sports ranked him the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.

He is already a highly decorated player, having been named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 2022 and both National High School Player of the Year and Gatorade National Men's Athlete of the Year in 2024.

He parlayed that success into a spot on the USA Select Team this past summer, which allowed him to scrimmage against the team that represented the United States and went on to win a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Per Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the majority of those involved with Team USA training camp voted Flagg the best player on the Select Team, which was primarily comprised of NBA players.

Also, Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports conducted an anonymous poll of 100 Division I college basketball coaches in August, and 36 percent of them predicted that Flagg would be the best player in college basketball during the 2024-25 season.

Flagg topped the vote by a considerable margin, as he was followed by Alabama's Mark Sears (22 percent), Dickinson (16 percent) and Davis (15 percent).

If Flagg doesn't fully live up to the expectations and win the National Player of the Year Award as a freshman, it could open the door for another highly touted freshman in Bailey.

Bailey was ranked the No. 2 overall recruit in 2024 by 247Sports, and he is looking to help take Rutgers to new heights in the Big Ten.

Rutgers has not made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 1979, but the freshman duo of Bailey and fellow National Player of the Year watch list member Dylan Harper has the Scarlet Knights looking like contenders entering the season.

Purdue center Zach Edey was named National Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024, but now that he has made the move to the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, it is guaranteed a new POY will be crowned in 2025.

Davis and Love are the two returning players who were POY semifinalists last season, making them prime candidates to be in the mix once again this season.