This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
The conventional wisdom is that guards acclimate to college basketball more quickly than forwards and centers. It helps that coaches are more willing to give young guys the ball and let them run with things. Meanwhile, big guys have to adjust to their giant bodies and often have issues with foul trouble. There are, of course, exceptions, which will show up in the top seven. The middle seven of the Top 21 is filled with young guards who have started running their teams early and could come to dominate the college basketball landscape in the next few years.
14. Teyvion Kirk (G) 
The Bobcats were expected to challenge for the MAC title, but it hasn't happened. Center Jason Carter has played limited minutes due to a foot injury. The good news is that the team should be set at point guard with the 6-foot-3 Kirk. The one-time Duke recruit has scored in double digits in 16-straight games and has been able to help out the boards. Kirk is averaging 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He is not a volume 3-point shooter, but has converted 44.4 percent of his long-range shots. Kirk gets a nice boost in points by forcing his way to the free-throw line where he has hit 72.3 percent on 5.9 attempts per game.
13. Tremont Waters (G) 
Had this list come out three weeks ago, Waters might have cracked the top seven. The 5-11 freshman has slowed down in conference play and the Tigers have
The conventional wisdom is that guards acclimate to college basketball more quickly than forwards and centers. It helps that coaches are more willing to give young guys the ball and let them run with things. Meanwhile, big guys have to adjust to their giant bodies and often have issues with foul trouble. There are, of course, exceptions, which will show up in the top seven. The middle seven of the Top 21 is filled with young guards who have started running their teams early and could come to dominate the college basketball landscape in the next few years.
14. Teyvion Kirk (G)
The Bobcats were expected to challenge for the MAC title, but it hasn't happened. Center Jason Carter has played limited minutes due to a foot injury. The good news is that the team should be set at point guard with the 6-foot-3 Kirk. The one-time Duke recruit has scored in double digits in 16-straight games and has been able to help out the boards. Kirk is averaging 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. He is not a volume 3-point shooter, but has converted 44.4 percent of his long-range shots. Kirk gets a nice boost in points by forcing his way to the free-throw line where he has hit 72.3 percent on 5.9 attempts per game.
13. Tremont Waters (G)
Had this list come out three weeks ago, Waters might have cracked the top seven. The 5-11 freshman has slowed down in conference play and the Tigers have dropped six of their last nine games. Those events are not mutually exclusive. Waters has been held to single-digit scoring five times in that span and his shooting has fallen off. He has hit just 28.9 percent of his field goals in those nine games, but still has moments like his 27-point, 11-assist game in the win over Arkansas on Feb. 3. He leads the Tigers with 14.9 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.1 steals.
12. Jaylen Newell (G) 
Coach Mike Hopkins has helped Washington establish itself as a decent Pac-12 team that is right around the NCAA Tournament bubble. The team could not have reached its level of success without Newell. The guard was one of the few recruits who stayed with Washington after coach Lorenzo Romar was fired. He is an excellent scorer with 16.5 points and eight 20-point games. The 6-4 guard does most of his scoring in the mid-range and is converting 47.5 percent of his field goals. Newell chips in 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals.
11. Jose Alvarado (G) 
Until Sunday, Alvarado had been an iron man for the Yellow Jackets. The 6-0 guard had played at least 40 minutes eight times, including all 45 minutes in the Feb. 4 overtime loss to Boston College. He suffered an elbow injury in the Sunday loss to Duke and had to be taken to the hospital for x-rays. He was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow and will miss the rest of the season. The Yellow Jackets surprised by winning three of their first four ACC games, but have fallen off with seven losses in their last eight games. Alvarado had provided 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists and will be back for his sophomore season.
10. Justin Turner (G) 
We head back to the MAC to look at the 6-4 Turner. He has provided a solid backcourt player for the Falcons that the team should be able to build around. Bowling Green should be set for next season in the frontcourt with Demajeo Wiggins and Derek Koch, while Turner provides the perimeter support. He leads the team with 14.8 points and is hitting 41.2 percent of his 3-pointers. He opened the season with a 33-point game in the win over Drexel and has scored at least 20 points six times. Turner has slowed down a bit in MAC play and has been held to single-digit scoring four times in his last eight games.
9. Ja Morant (G) 
If the Ohio Valley standings hold, Morant could lead the Racers back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012. The 6-3 guard has solidified the Murray State backcourt and is a triple-double threat. He was able to achieve the feat on Dec. 28 with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists. He has six other double-doubles and is averaging 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. The Racers have jumped up the OVC standings by winning seven straight, but they lost their meeting against Belmont with whom they are tied. Morant is hitting just 30.9 percent of his 3-pointers, so he has room for improvement.
8. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G) 
At first blush, there did not appear to be a Kentucky player on the top list. As longtime Freshman Haze readers know, this was a point of amazement and indicative of a middling Wildcat season. Even Gilgeous-Alexander may not have made the list if he were not vaulted into the starting lineup by a back injury to Quade Green. The 6-6 Canadian had shown signs of breaking out before the Green injury, including 24 points in the blowout win over Louisville on Dec. 29. He has been among the more consistent players on the young Kentucky roster and is averaging 13.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. Kentucky is clearly losing the recruiting battle to Duke, but that could mean that some of this year's freshman class stay in Lexington for next year.
