“Ace Bailey for sure”: Fans react as NCAA insider Andy Katz releases his All-Freshman teams feat. Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey & more

On Tuesday, Big Ten analyst Andy Katz released his national All-Freshman teams, sparking discussion among college basketball fans. Reactions to the list have been mixed.

The NCAA March Madness Instagram page posted Katz's All-Freshman teams, which included Duke's Cooper Flagg, a widely anticipated selection.

In his first team, he included:

Cooper Flagg of Duke Blue Devils
Derik Queen of Maryland Terrapins
Dylan Harper of Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Jase Richardson of Michigan State Spartans
Tre Johnson of Texas Longhorns

Second team:

Liam McNeeley of UConn Huskies
Asa Newell of Georgia Bulldogs
Ace Bailey of Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Kon Knueppel of Duke Blue Devils
Kasparas Jakučionis of Illinois Fighting Illini

This list got fans talking, and it had mixed reactions, with many making their opinions known in the comments section under the NCAA March Madness Instagram post.

“Ace Bailey fasho,” a fan wrote.

“i mean it’s not that bad," another fan wrote.

“Insane that both these teams would be bottom 5 in the SEC,” a fan wrote.

Fans reacted to NCAA insider Andy Katz's All-Freshman teams (IG/@marchmadnessmbb and therealandykatz)

“Where is Labaron Philon?” a fan asked.

“McNeely is absolutely first team,” a fan said.

“4 of the 10 were at Montverde last year,” a fan noted.

It was one of many lists released by Katz. Flagg also headlined the Big Ten expert's All-America Teams list, while John Tonje led the All-Transfer Team.

Cooper Flagg is the favorite to win 2024-25 National Freshman of the Year

Cooper Flagg is the likely winner of the 2024-25 National Freshman of the Year award, given his standout season and projected status as the No. 1 NBA draft pick. Flagg was named ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year for the 2024-25 season on Monday.

Flagg has been the top performer for Duke this season, leading the team in points (602), rebounds (235), assists (131), steals (47), and blocks (39). He is on course to becoming the first freshman in Division I history to lead his team in all major statistical categories.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Ribin Peter