If we equated the battle for National Freshman of the Year in men's college basketball to a race in Mario Kart, Duke's Cooper Flagg is so far ahead ahead of the pack that it would take a good four or five blue shells and probably a couple of golden mushrooms to make things interesting down the stretch.

That's not due to lack of valiant competition, though, and we'll continue to do these every-other-week rankings of the top freshmen in the country to make sure first-year phenoms not named Flagg are getting their deserved portion of the spotlight, too.

Contrary to consideration for National Player of the Year trophies like the Wooden Award, one needn't play for a title contender to have a real shot at winning this one. Oklahoma was a No. 10 seed when Trae Young was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year in 2018, and LSU missing the tournament altogether didn't keep Ben Simmons from winning in 2016.

Team success is much more of a potential bonus than a prerequisite, helping the likes of Cooper Flagg, Kasparas Jakucionis and Tahaad Pettiford, more so than hurting Rutgers' dynamic duo or guys playing for teams on the bubble.

One thing that doesn't factor into the rankings, though, is NBA draft stock. It might be mentioned where applicable, but by no means should this be viewed as some kind of draft big board of top freshmen. (Though, the vast majority of our top 10 will at least be in the mix for a lottery pick.)

Statistics are current through the start of play Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Honorable Mentions: Asa Newell, Liam McNeeley, Ian Jackson, Labaron Philon, VJ Edgecombe, Flory Bidunga, Blake Harper

10. Tre Johnson, Texas

Season Stats: 18.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 38% 3PT

MVP Performance: 29 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals vs. Ohio State (Nov. 4)

Previous Rank: 10

Efficiency has not been Tre Johnson's forte over Texas' last three games, needing 47 field-goal attempts to accumulate 44 points.

The soon-to-be lottery pick was magnificent in the Jan. 11 game against Tennessee, though, shooting 7-of-9 from inside the arc and 4-of-8 beyond it en route to his 26 points in that near upset.

That's enough for Johnson to narrowly maintain his spot in the top 10.

When he does get hot, it's a sight to behold. And Rodney Terry has given him a permanent green light, knowing full well that he can ignite at a moment's notice.

SEC play has been tough on him, though. After scoring at least 17 points in eight of his first nine collegiate games, he has hit that mark in just one of six games played in January, shooting 23.5 percent from distance in those six contests.

When he's not scoring, he's not doing much else, either, reminiscent of Kentucky's Malik Monk from (dang, was it really this long ago?) back in 2016-17. But he has at least scored in double figures in every game but one this season and probably has a few more points explosions coming his way in the next six weeks.

9. Derik Queen, Maryland

Season Stats: 15.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG

MVP Performance: 26 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks at Purdue (Dec. 8)

Previous Rank: 7

Save for going off for a career-best 27 points in a recent (still closer than it should have been) home win over Minnesota, January has been tough sledding for Derik Queen, too.

After scoring in double figures in 12 of his first 13 games (with five double-doubles), Queen was held to nine at Northwestern, eight against UCLA, four at Washington and three against Nebraska. In all four of those games, he had more turnovers committed than field goals made, a combined total of 15 of the former and just eight of the latter.

It's not a level of competition issue. Earlier in the season against Marquette, Villanova, Ohio State and Purdue, Queen averaged 22.3 points and 10.3 rebounds.

He just hasn't been able to get into any sort of rhythm in games as of late, struggling with the night-in, night-out grind of experienced big men like Great Osobor, Tyler Bilodeau, Matthew Nicholson and Andrew Morgan.

He's still both literally and figuratively a huge part of everything Maryland does, though, and the Terrapins are slipping closer and closer to the wrong side of the bubble as Queen tries to work his way through this slump.

8. Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

Season Stats: 16.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 27% 3PT

MVP Performance: 30 points, four assists, three rebounds vs. Michigan (Dec. 18)

Previous Rank: 5

On the one hand, comparing the collective strength of Oklahoma's nonconference schedule (ehh...) to what it's now forced to deal with in the SEC (oof...), it's hardly surprising that Jeremiah Fears has come back to earth in January after an electric November and December.

On the other hand, he had that incredible game on a neutral court against Michigan, as well as a 26-point extravaganza with five assists and five rebounds on a neutral court against Arizona.

It's not like he ran up his stats against the likes of Prairie View A&M and Lindenwood. He lit up the best competition the nonconference schedule had to offer, but now has an 88.8 O-rating in league play, largely dragged down by the disastrous showing at Georgia (1-of-11 from the field with four turnovers) two Saturdays ago.

For as heavily as the Sooners have leaned upon Fears—who, by the way, reclassified in July and only turned 18 this past October—perhaps he's just hitting the proverbial freshman wall a bit earlier than most do, and he'll start balling out again soon.

He did bounce back for an impressive performance this past weekend with a line of 16-9-8, albeit at home against South Carolina, which is the easiest game on the schedule for any SEC team.

It will be interesting to see what he can do this weekend against reeling, Boogie Fland-less Arkansas in what is a huge game for both teams. If he can do to the Razorbacks what he did to Arizona and Michigan earlier this season, Fears could jump back into the top five in a hurry.

7. Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State

Season Stats: 10.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.2 BPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG

MVP Performance: 15 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks at Cincinnati (Jan. 18)

Previous Rank: Not Included

With Jayden Quaintance, it was never a question of whether there's enough raw athleticism to be great.

Rather, like Dillon Mitchell when he arrived at Texas two years ago or Cody Williams when he landed at Colorado last year, the question with Quaintance was whether he could channel that athleticism and refine it into a real impact in his first (only?) season of college basketball.

On the defensive end of the floor, he absolutely has been impactful. He's third in the nation in blocked shots and generates steals at a pretty good clip, too. Quaintance may well be one of the five best defenders in the country, regardless of age.

But now he's starting to put it together on the offensive end, too, going for a combined total of 50 points over his last three games, to go along with 33 rebounds and 13 blocks.

It does bear mentioning that as Arizona State has upped his usage, his turnover rate has also increased. He had five giveaways Tuesday night against West Virginia, this after six turnovers in the previous loss to Cincinnati.

He's very clearly improving as an offensive weapon, though, learning when to be where and how to thrive within this offense.

And he might still just be getting warmed up.

6. Thomas Sorber, Georgetown

Season Stats: 14.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.3 BPG, 1.3 SPG

MVP Performance: 19 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, two assists, two steals at Seton Hall (Dec. 22)

Previous Rank: 4

We'll encounter this again in a bit with Kasparas Jakucionis, but look no further than how miserably Georgetown played without Thomas Sorber to appreciate how doggone good he has been.

The Hoyas were also without Jayden Epps in last weekend's game against DePaul, but losing at home to a team that had lost 39 consecutive regular-season games within the conference is both a gigantic "yikes" and a testament to Sorber's value added. As was his 15 points, 11 rebounds and four assists as he returned to action for Monday's road win over Villanova.

Though his year-to-date three-point percentage (14.8) is ugly, the 6'10" center does have a pretty great shooting stroke. He's sitting at 76 percent from the charity stripe, and he did start out 4-of-12 from distance before his present drought of 15 consecutive misses.

Given everything else he brings to the table—Sorber and Johni Broome are the only major conference players averaging at least two blocks and two assists per game—it's very likely he'll be a lottery pick if he can start hitting threes again with any degree of regularity.

Whether he's enough to get Georgetown back into the tournament as an at-large team for what would be the first time since 2015 remains to be seen, but he is already the reason the Hoyas are on the radar for a change. If he's able to get them there with some gems against the likes of St. John's, Marquette and Connecticut, Sorber easily could vault to "most valuable freshman not named Cooper Flagg."

5. Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn

Season Stats: 12.0 PPG, 2.7 APG, 1.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 44% 3PT

MVP Performance: 24 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals at Georgia (Jan. 18)

Previous Rank: Honorable Mention

Tahaad Pettiford often gets a little lost in the shuffle of Auburn's greatness this season, coming off the bench as the only non-senior among the team's seven leading scorers.

With Johni Broome on the shelf, though, there has been an opening for someone else to at least temporarily step into the spotlight.

Pettiford has seized that opportunity.

In Saturday's win at Georgia, he came out on fire, scoring 12 of the Tigers' first 22 points—this despite not entering the game until after the first media timeout. He finished the afternoon with a game-high 24 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range. (Plus an unofficial three-pointer, where he drained all three free throws after getting fouled in the act of shooting.)

It was far from the first time Pettiford has stepped up in a close game. He also hit five triples en route to 21 points in the early win at Houston, had 14 in the marquee showdown with Iowa State, 20 in the loss at Duke and 18 in the win over Purdue. He also scored eight of Auburn's final 16 points at South Carolina, as they first tried to adjust to life without Broome.

His per-game numbers are frankly a bit out of place compared to the rest of this list. But on a per-minute basis in games against title contenders, Pettiford might be delivering more and more often than anyone.

It almost feels inevitable that he's going to have at least one "2014 Aaron Harrison" type of cold-blooded moment at some point during Auburn's quest for a national championship.

4. Dylan Harper and 3. Ace Bailey, Rutgers

Dylan Harper's Season Stats: 19.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 34% 3PT

MVP Performance: 37 points, two steals, two assists, two rebounds vs. Alabama (Nov. 27)

Previous Rank: 3

Ace Bailey's Season Stats: 19.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 39% 3PT

MVP Performance: 39 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, zero turnovers at Indiana (Jan. 2)

Previous Rank: 6

For a while, this was an open-and-shut case in favor of Dylan Harper.

Not only did Ace Bailey get a late start to the season (missed the first two games) before whole-heartedly embracing his reputation as a ball hog, but Harper played absurdly well, averaging 22.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.8 APG through his first 13 games, punctuated by a triple-double against Columbia on Dec. 30.

Since then, however, Harper has not been the same, and Bailey has been playing at a preposterously high level, averaging 23.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 2.0 BPG over his last seven games, shooting better than 45 percent from beyond the arc.

Yes, Harper missed one game with flu-like symptoms and was clearly not at full strength for his first two games back. To some extent, he's probably still recovering, reportedly losing nine pounds during his illness.

Sick or not, though, he's averaging one point per field-goal attempt and 1.25 assists per turnovers over his last five games while Bailey has been awesome on both ends of the floor.

Regardless of their order, the long and short of it here is that Rutgers is only a problem in the slightest when both of these future top-five picks are playing well.

When each member of this dynamic duo posts an O-rating of 90 or better, the Scarlet Knights are 7-2, with the two losses coming in close games on a neutral court against Alabama and Texas A&M.

If Harper gets right and they start having some real fun down the stretch, let's just say there are more than enough quality opponents left on the schedule for this 10-9 team to make a push for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

2. Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois

Season Stats: 15.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 41% 3PT

MVP Performance: 24 points, six rebounds, five assists vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 10)

Previous Rank: 2

It's always intriguing when a player's absence goes to show you just how ridiculously valuable to the team he is. Like in 2014-15, when Frank Kaminsky missed one game and it resulted in Wisconsin suffering by far its most embarrassing loss of the season. That was at least a small factor in why he edged out Jahlil Okafor for NPOY.

We saw something similar recently with Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois suffering a home loss to USC while he was out with a forearm injury.

Granted, he also missed the previous game against Penn State, which the Illini won by 39. However, they just dominated the Nittany Lions in the paint as that got ugly in a hurry. No such luck against the mountainous Trojans, and Illinois woefully missed its 6'6" do-it-all point guard.

And, well, of course Illinois missed him. Jakucionis is one of just four major conference players in the country averaging at least 14 points, 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, along with Braden Smith, Kam Jones and Javon Small, all of whom are arguably top 10 candidates for NPOY.

He is the straw that stirs their drink, and he's going to be the reason the Illini either make a deep run or get bounced early in the dance.

Here's a fun thing to keep in mind, though: If there is any doubt whatsoever left in this race a month from now, Jakucionis is going to go head-to-head with Cooper Flagg in New York City on Feb. 22 for a totally random but sure-to-be-entertaining nonconference showdown.

1. Cooper Flagg, Duke

Season Stats: 19.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 35% 3PT

MVP Performance: 42 points, seven assists, six rebounds vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 11)

Previous Rank: 1

Our previous batch of NFOY rankings published on Jan. 9, with Cooper Flagg already the indisputable choice for No. 1.

Two days later was his 42-point special in the win over Notre Dame, followed a week later by a 28-point performance at Boston College, which would have been his career high if he hadn't set that bar so darn high against the Fighting Irish.

At this point, this race is over, and he's kind of running away with the National Player of the Year competition, too.

In each of those games, Flagg only attempted 14 field goals, meaning he averaging 2.0 points/FGA at BC and a ridiculous 3.0 points/FGA against Notre Dame.

The delirious Flagg haters in the crowd will try to say it's because he's getting the same superstar treatment that Zach Edey got over the past two seasons, resulting in 28 free throws (25 makes) between the two games to help boost those ratios.

In reality, it has become virtually impossible to guard Flagg without fouling him, and that has nothing to do with the officiating.

Early in the season, if you could force Flagg to settle for a three-pointer or a long two-point attempt, that was a win for the defense, as he was shooting 22 percent from three-point range through his first 10 games. Over his last eight games, though, he's 15-of-30 (50 percent) from deep, and converting from basically anywhere on the court.

As he becomes a more unstoppable scorer, though, Flagg has somewhat counterintuitively become an even more willing passer, racking up 22 dimes over his last four games. This makes it even harder to slow him down, because if you send the double at him, he'll happily locate the open man.

Just for good measure, he's also up to a combined 50 blocks and steals, leading Duke's elite defense in both of those categories. In fact, he's leading the Blue Devils in all five categories, which is simultaneously kind of unbelievable and a testament to the fact that he has more than lived up to the hype that preceded his arrival in Durham.