Many of the top freshmen in the 2024 men's college basketball recruiting class have gotten out to a great start to what may well be their only season in the NCAA.

Matter of fact, it's hard to find any 5-star recruits who haven't played well through one month of action. Usually, there are at least a couple who are out with an injury, slowly recovering from an injury or otherwise barely seeing the court because they've been ineffective. But every 5-star in this year's class has played in at least five games and is averaging at least 5.5 points per game—most are at least doubling that scoring average.

As such, the grading curve is a bit steeper than usual, with guys who would've been easy A's a year ago now settling for B's, and the "C or Below" tier still consisting entirely of players who reasonably could end up having fantastic seasons.

While not everyone gets an "A" for their first two weeks of college hoops, by no means are we writing off any of the players who received lower grades.

247 Sports gave 5-star grades to 20 players in the 2024 class. We're also including Boogie Fland, who just barely missed a 5-star grade on 247 (ranked 22nd) but did receive a 5-star grade from ESPN.

[None of the players in question took the G League route to the pros. All hail the NIL era.]

And now we've got grades for how those 21 highly touted freshmen have fared through one month of the season.

To some extent, the grade depends on the player's recruiting ranking. If No. 1 Cooper Flagg and No. 20 Will Riley were putting up the same stats, Riley would have the better grade. But we're mostly grading on whether the young player looks the part of a 2025 NBA lottery pick, regardless of where he was initially rated.

Players are listed in alphabetical order within each of the seven grade tiers.

Grade Tier: A+

Egor Demin, BYU (247 Sports Rank: 16)
13.3 PPG, 5.8 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 38.5% 3PT

Playing at Providence in the first true road game of his college career, Demin couldn't get anything to fall (0-for-10 from the field) and managed just two assists in that blowout loss.

Prior to that, though, he was the early heart and soul of this BYU team, with at least three made buckets and four or more dimes in each of his first seven games.

The Russian point guard has skyrocketed up the mock draft boards, to the point where he's pretty much a unanimous top-five pick now.

Dylan Harper, Rutgers (247 Sports Rank: 3)
23.8 PPG, 4.6 APG, 4.5 RPG, 28.6% 3PT

At nearly 24 points per game, Harper isn't just one of the highest scoring freshmen.

He's presently fourth in the nation overall in points per game.

And he was sensational in the Players Era Festival, going for 36 points, six rebounds and six assists with just one turnover in the overtime win over Notre Dame, followed the next night by a 37-point effort (on 19 official field-goal attempts) against Alabama.

Aside from fellow freshman Ace Bailey, the amount of scoring prowess surrounding Harper on this Rutgers roster is lacking, making it hard to fault him for the occasional possessions where he doesn't even entertain the idea of passing the ball. Still, he averaging nearly five assists per game, doing a mighty fine James Harden impression.

Derik Queen, Maryland (247 Sports Rank: 12)
16.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.3 SPG

Maryland has faced three opponents worth mentioning thus far.

Here is what Queen did in those games:

• 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks vs. Marquette
• 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one block vs. Villanova, including scoring the Terrapins' final four points in the 76-75 victory
• 17 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, one assist vs. Ohio State

Not too shabby.

Maryland's big man is 0-for-10 from three-point range, but he has been unstoppable when sticking to what he does best. And because of Queen's dominance in the paint, this just might be the best Maryland team in more than two decades.

Grade Tier: A

Cooper Flagg, Duke (247 Sports Rank: 1)
16.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.5 BPG

After all of the preseason hype that Flagg received, it might feel like he hasn't been all he was cracked up to be, because he isn't quite the 'can't look away' instant sensation that Zion Williamson was six years ago.

Make no mistake about it, though: Flagg has been very, very good and absolutely could be the driving force of a Duke championship before heading off to the NBA as the No. 1 pick.

He made some back-breaking turnovers at the end of the Kentucky and Kansas games, and his three-point shooting (7-for-30) is already at the point where it feels like a win for the defense if it can get Flagg to settle for a perimeter shot. But he has been one of the best players in the nation on both ends of the floor, as was to be expected.

Tre Johnson, Texas (247 Sports Rank: 6)
20.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 44.6% 3PT

Simply put, Johnson is a bucket.

The star of the Longhorns has scored at least 16 points in each of his eight games played. He's averaging better than three made three-pointers per game, shooting 50 percent inside the arc and converting on better than 85 percent of free throws.

What else does he provide to the box score? Well, not much. He just tallied his first offensive rebound of the season late in Wednesday's win over NC State and has nearly as many turnovers (18) as he does assists, steals and blocks combined (22).

But 20 points per game and not much else was enough for Malik Monk to be named a consensus All-American back in 2017, and Johnson could do the same.

Asa Newell, Georgia (247 Sports Rank: 19)
15.9 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 1.2 APG, 3-for-19 3PT

Newell went for 20 and 11 in Georgia's blowout victory over Notre Dame in the ACC/SEC Challenge. He also had 18 points and five rebounds in the marquee victory over St. John's that quickly put the Bulldogs on the radar as a threat to not only reach but do some damage in the NCAA tournament.

Newell has been particularly stout on the offensive glass, actually tallying more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds through nine games.

Our only justification for not upgrading him from an A to an A+ is the three-point shooting. It's one thing to be 6'11" and not a great three-point shooter, but it's another thing to continue taking more than two perimeter jumpers per game while converting at a 15.8 percent clip. He'll either need to start hitting those with more regularity or focus more fully on his post game.

Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State (247 Sports Rank: 9)
7.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.6 BPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG

Quaintance has been one of the least assertive-on-offense members of this year's 5-star freshman class, only averaging 9.3 field goals attempts per 40 minutes played. (Both halves of Rutgers' dynamic duo are north of 18 FGA/40.) Between his 1-for-9 mark from three-point range and 11-for-26 (42 percent) free-throw shooting, maybe that's for the best.

He's still making a massive positive impact for the Sun Devils, though. Quaintance has blocked multiple shots in each of his nine games played and has tallied at least one steal in all but one contest. He's a force on the glass, he has good court vision as evidenced by four games with at least three assists and he's pretty darn good at converting dunks and layups.

Grade Tier: A-

Ace Bailey, Rutgers (247 Sports Rank: 2)
18.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 37.9% 3PT

Despite missing the first two games of the season with a hip injury, the top challenger to Cooper Flagg for No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft has been quite impressive at times.

Plenty of room for improvement, though, given the expectations and the sky-high ceiling for Bailey.

Not only has he been a bit of a black hole with the ball—averaging one assist for every 23 field-goal attempts—but he has been too happy to settle for difficult shots. (Which he does make regularly, so you can't much blame him.) He's also still finding his way on the defensive end of the floor, where Rutgers as a whole has been nowhere near the level we've come to expect from Steve Pikiell's teams.

All that said, would be a little ridiculous to go any lower than an A- for a stud averaging 19 points per game after starting the season on the shelf.

Boogie Fland, Arkansas (247 Sports Rank: 22)
16.1 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 43.6% 3PT

In Arkansas' loss to Illinois on Thanksgiving, Fland had a brutal performance, shooting 2-for-12 from the field with just one assist, two turnovers and four fouls committed.

That dud was definitely the exception to the rule, though, as he has otherwise scored at least a dozen points in every other game with a cumulative assist-turnover ratio of 39 to 13.

Zvonimir "Big Z" Ivisic has quickly blossomed into the Hogs' best three-point weapon with a 19-for-33 mark that is just absurd for a 7'2" center, but Fland isn't far behind him as their go-to perimeter option.

Liam McNeeley, Connecticut (247 Sports Rank: 10)
13.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 34.0% 3PT

McNeeley has scored in double figures in eight of nine games, and it hardly seems coincidental that the deviation from the norm—zero points against Dayton—was the game that completely unraveled for the Huskies.

It's already clear that he is going to be indispensable to UConn's quest for a three peat, as evidenced by his big night against Baylor. McNeeley went for 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in that narrow victory on Wednesday.

Grade Tier: B+

Flory Bidunga, Kansas (247 Sports Rank: 14)
13.1 MPG, 7.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG

Bidunga's per-game numbers haven't been anything special, but that'll happen when you're only playing 13 minutes per game as the primary reserve for a Wooden Award candidate.

On a per-40 minute basis, though, Bidunga is averaging 22.1 points and 16.0 rebounds, which is quite impressive.

We're not talking garbage-time minutes against nobodies, either. Between the games against Duke, North Carolina and Michigan State, he racked up 20 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in 39 minutes played.

Donnie Freeman, Syracuse (247 Sports Rank: 15)
11.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.3 APG

Freeman already has three double-doubles and boasts one of the highest defensive rebounding percentages in the nation.

However, those double-doubles came against Le Moyne, Youngstown State and Cornell—three not-good teams that are notably terrible on the glass. And in the losses to Texas, Texas Tech and Tennessee, Freeman averaged 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Respectable numbers, good enough for a B+. Syracuse needs more from him against legitimate competition, though.

Kon Knueppel, Duke (247 Sports Rank: 18)
12.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 35.6% 3PT

Similar to Freeman for Syracuse, in the four games that were never going to be a challenge for Duke, Knueppel shot it quite well, going 12-for-22 from distance.

Against Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas and Auburn, though, he went 4-for-23 and struggled to make any real impact, aside from a couple of dagger triples late against the Wildcats.

Auburn, in particular, bottled him up, limiting Knueppel to just one three-point attempt. Although, the Tigers were so focused on defending him along the perimeter that they just kind of ignored Isaiah Evans, which worked out well for the Blue Devils.

Grade Tier: B

Ian Jackson, North Carolina (247 Sports Rank: 8)
11.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 50.0% 3PT

Jackson started slow, including missing an early game against American. Over the past two contests, however, he has really begun to make his presence felt, going for 14 points and four rebounds in the overtime loss to Michigan State before a 23-point, five-rebound effort in the loss to Alabama.

We had been wondering who aside from the big three of RJ Davis, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau would step up and become a go-to scorer for the Tar Heels. With 17 field-goal attempts against the Crimson Tide, Jackson may have provided the answer.

(Now the question is: Can the Tar Heels play even a modicum of defense, allowing more than 81 points per game?)

Will Riley, Illinois (247 Sports Rank: 20)
15.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.0% 3PT

Riley's early play has been somewhat overshadowed by that of his Lithuanian freshman teammate Kasparas Jakucionis, who is averaging 14 points, six rebounds and six assists per game.

This Canadian first-year star has shot 18-for-36 from distance, though, including a 31-point performance in his collegiate debut.

However, Riley wasn't much of a factor in the recent win over Arkansas (five points, no rebounds in 29 minutes) and didn't start making any sort of impact in the loss to Alabama until the Illini were already down by 15. Need him to show up against a quality opponent before we go any higher than a B here.

Grade Tier: B-

VJ Edgecombe, Baylor (247 Sports Rank: 5)
11.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 26.7% 3PT

Between the rim-rattling dunks and the soul-crushing blocks, Edgecombe already has one of the longest highlight reels of any freshman in the country. And he does admirably fill up the box score, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.

For the fifth-highest-rated recruit, though, the overall impact has been modest—as are his shooting percentages.

Edgecombe was shut down by both Gonzaga and St. John's, wasn't particularly efficient in the win over Arkansas and did the vast majority of his 20-point damage against Tennessee after the Bears were already down by 25 points.

Drake Powell, North Carolina (247 Sports Rank: 11)
22.6 MPG, 6.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 43.8% 3PT

Even less of an own-shot-hunter than the aforementioned Jayden Quaintance, Powell is averaging nearly five minutes played per field-goal attempt, scoring more than seven points in only one of eight contests thus far.

Which is...fine. Nothing wrong with a glue guy who's active on defense and who has great shooting percentages when he does tee them up. The 4-4 Tar Heels probably need this potential lottery pick to get more assertive, though, as they already have a pass-first point guard in Elliot Cadeau and have yet to establish a real weapon in the paint as they adjust to life after Armando Bacot.

Grade Tier: C or Below

Jalil Bethea, Miami (247 Sports Rank: 7)
12.5 MPG, 5.5 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 6-21 3PT

Bethea was one of 20 players named to the preseason Jerry West Award Watch List for shooting guard of the year, but it sure isn't looking like he'll be in the updated top 10 that drops at some point in late January.

He got out to a decent start against the dregs of Miami's schedule, scoring 29 points and shooting 5-for-12 from distance in those first three games. During the ongoing five-game losing streak, though, Bethea has been a complete non-factor, barely seeing the floor while fellow freshman shooting guard Austin Swartz has taken on a much bigger role with 28 points over the past three games. (Bethea played eight minutes and did not score in Tuesday's loss to Arkansas.)

Isaiah Evans, Duke (247 Sports Rank: 13)
12.4 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 50.0% 3PT

This is much more of an "incomplete" grade than a "disappointing" one.

Evans has played by far the fewest minutes of any 5-star freshman and has scored fewer points than everyone except for Bethea.

When he steps on the floor, though, Evans is more than ready to let it fly, making half of the 26 three-point attempts he has taken in 62 minutes played.

His 18-point performance in the first half against Auburn was magical, but he didn't score in the second half and didn't play a second in the prior marquee games against Kansas, Kentucky and Arizona.

Khaman Maluach, Duke (247 Sports Rank: 4)
7.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG

On the one hand, Maluach is making 80.6 percent of his two-point attempts, as well as 80 percent of his free-throw attempts. Hard to argue with that efficiency.

On the other hand, the No. 4 overall recruit in this class had a combined six points and four rebounds in 38 minutes played in the recent games against Kansas and Auburn, has blocked two total shots in his last five games and just has not (yet) been the game-changer in the paint we thought he would be.

Derrion Reid, Alabama (247 Sports Rank: 17)
17.4 MPG, 7.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 34.8% 3PT

To some extent, Reid deserves a pass for his unremarkable start. Alabama runs 10 deep and he was immediately thrown into the fire with a gauntlet of a nonconference slate. Swap his situation with that of, say, Liam McNeeley at Connecticut, and it's probably a much different story.

All the same, he has maxed out at 11 points and seven rebounds and was replaced in the starting lineup just two games into the season.

Maybe Reid takes on a bigger role now, though, with Latrell Wrightsell Jr. out for the year with the Achilles injury suffered last weekend.