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Arkansas' Nick Smith still hasn't played in a game, and Duke's Dereck Lively has been mostly irrelevant after missing part of the preseason with a calf injury. Those were two of the top three prospects in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports. So not all of the elite first-year players have been awesome already.

But a lot of them have.

That was on full display on Thursday as high-profile holiday tournaments provided a nice stage for them to perform. Alabama freshman Brandon Miller got 24 points and nine rebounds in an 81-70 win over short-handed Michigan State. Duke freshman Kyle Filipowski got 19 points and 14 rebounds in a 54-51 win over Oregon State. Tennessee freshman Julian Phillips got 25 points and eight rebounds in a 73-66 overtime victory over USC. Combine those efforts with what Kansas freshman Gradey Dick, Houston freshman Jarace Walker, Baylor freshman Keyonte George and Arkansas freshman Anthony Black have already consistently done this season, and it's reasonable to suggest that the top of this freshman class has, generally speaking, had a really nice November.

Miller's great start -- the 6-foot-9 freshman is averaging a team-high 21.0 points and a team-high 9.2 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game --- is the main reason Alabama is 5-0 heading into the semifinals of the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon, where the Crimson Tide will play UConn on Friday night at 9:30 ET. Alabama is up to No. 10 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. UConn is No. 22. The winner of that game will play the winner of Friday's game between North Carolina and Iowa State in Sunday's championship game of the eight-team event.

Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers
10 Alabama
4 Michigan St.
Rk
Teams
 
Chg
Rcrd
1 Texas Marcus Carr finished with 17 points and four assists in Monday's 73-48 win over Northern Arizona. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday against UT Rio Grande Valley. -- 21-13
2 N. Carolina Pete Nance finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 89-81 win over Portland. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against Iowa State. -- 29-7
3 Houston Marcus Sasser finished with 16 points and three steals in Sunday's 66-56 win at Oregon. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Kent State. -- 32-4
4 Kansas Jalen Wilson finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 69-68 overtime win over Wisconsin. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against Tennessee. -- 23-11
5 Gonzaga Drew Timme finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 102-78 win over Portland State. The Zags' next game is Friday against Purdue. -- 27-7
6 Arizona Oumar Ballo finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 81-79 win over Creighton. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Utah. -- 27-9
7 Virginia Reece Beekman finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 70-61 win over Illinois. The Cavaliers' next game is Friday against Maryland Eastern Shore. 1 23-11
8 Creighton Creighton allowed Arizona to shoot 52.9% from the field in Wednesday's 81-79 loss to the Wildcats. The Bluejays' next game is Thursday at Texas. 1 25-9
9 Arkansas Trevon Brazile finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 78-74 overtime with over San Diego State. The Razorbacks' next game is Monday against Troy. 1 16-17
10 Alabama Brandon Miller finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 81-70 win over Michigan State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday against UConn. 10 23-11
11 Michigan St. Michigan State finished with more turnovers than assists in Thursday's loss to Alabama. The Spartans' next game is Friday against Oregon. 4 20-15
12 Kentucky Jacob Toppin finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 96-56 win over North Florida. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Bellarmine. 1 23-10
13 Illinois Illinois finished with 13 turnovers and 11 assists in Sunday's 70-61 loss to Virginia. The Illini's next game is Friday against Lindenwood. 1 28-8
14 Duke Kyle Filipowski finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 54-51 win over Oregon State. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Xavier. 1 26-8
15 Indiana Race Thompson finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 87-68 win over Little Rock. The Hoosiers' next game is Friday against Jackson State. 1 19-14
16 Baylor Keyonte George finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 89-60 win over McNeese. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at Marquette. 1 24-11
17 UCLA Amari Bailey finished with 19 points and five assists in Wednesday's 100-53 win over Pepperdine. The Bruins' next game is Sunday against Bellarmine. 1 16-17
18 Auburn Jaylin Williams finished with 11 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 43-42 win over Northwestern. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Saint Louis. 1 27-8
19 Tennessee Julian Phillips finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 73-66 overtime win over USC. The Vols' next game is Friday against Kansas. 1 26-8
20 San Diego St. San Diego State squandered a 13-point lead in Wednesday's 78-74 overtime loss to Arkansas. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against UC Irvine. 1 26-10
21 Purdue Zach Edey finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds in Thursday's 80-68 win over West Virginia. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Gonzaga. -- 31-4
22 UConn Tristen Newton finished with 23 points and six assists in Thursday's 83-59 win over Oregon. The Huskies' next game is Friday against Alabama. -- 33-3
23 Iowa Kris Murray finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 100-64 win over Omaha. The Hawkeyes' next game is Friday against Clemson. -- 19-15
24 Maryland Donta Scott finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 88-70 win over Miami. The Terrapins' next game is Friday against Coppin State. -- 16-17
25 Ohio St. Justice Sueing finished with 33 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 80-73 win over Texas Tech. The Buckeyes' next game is Wednesday at Duke. -- 22-14
26 Texas Tech Texas Tech missed 13 of the 18 3-pointers it attempted in Wednesday's 80-73 loss to Ohio State. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against Georgetown. -- 23-11