Under-the-Radar Freshman Prospects Shine on NCAA's Opening Night

College basketball season has finally arrived.

The NCAA season tipped off on Monday night with a number of games around the country.

While not every team was in action on the first night of the 2025-26 campaign, plenty of NBA prospects took the court.

Potential top-10 picks like AJ Dybantsa, Koa Peat, Mikel Brown Jr., Nate Ament and Chris Cenac Jr. stole the show on Nov. 3, there were a few under-the-radar first-year players who may have put their names in the NBA draft conversation this year, or in the coming years.

Kiyan Anthony, Syracuse

The son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan Anthony notched 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 0 turnovers while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc against Binghampton.

Anthony was rated the No. 32 overall prospect and No. 7 shooting guard in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports and is listed at 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds.

Ali Assran, Cal Poly

Listed at 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds, Assran hails from Cairo, Egypt and joined Cal Poly's team after playing with the NBA Academy Africa. The young forward tallied 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 minutes against USC while shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep.

Davis Fogle, Gonzaga

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 200 pounds, Fogle was rated the No. 31 overall prospect and No. 9 small forward in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports. The Bulldogs' freshman tallied 11 points, 5 rebounds and an assist while shooting 5-of-8 from the field and 1-of-1 from beyond the arc in 10 minutes against Texas Southern.

Chris Jeffrey, Villanova

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Jeffrey was rated the No. 73 overall prospect and No. 13 combo guard in the 2025 recruiting class.

The four-star prospect recorded 11 points, 2 rebounds and an assist against BYU and Dybantsa, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 1-of-1 from beyond the arc in 16 minutes of action. Jeffrey tied for a team-high +10 in the box score despite a five-point loss.

Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona

Playing for Bayern Munich before coming to Arizona, Kharchenkov is listed at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds and was a four-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.

The freshman notched 12 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and 0 turnovers while shooting 3-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Kharchenkov was the only Arizona player to hit a triple in the Wildcats' win against defending national champion Florida.

Kayden Mingo, Penn State

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Mingo finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block against Fairfield while shooting 5-of-11 from the field.

The talented guard was rated the No. 34 overall prospect and No. 4 combo guard in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Hannes Steinbach, Washington

A four-star prospect per 247Sports, Steinbach has gotten well-deserved NBA Draft attention heading into his freshman season.

The 6-foot-11 big man delivered in his regular season debut with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal while shooting 9-of-11 from the field and 1-of-1 from deep against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

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