With the start of the college basketball season always comes speculation about the next great NBA players who will be gracing the court during the road to March’s NCAA Tournament.

Hype for this year’s class has been building for quite some time, with a number of impressive prospects causing the upcoming NBA draft to be to be as the best since 2003 when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were all picked in the top 5. This year has three freshmen emerging as potential competition for the number one pick, with a number of other players complementing their incredible potential.

ESPN100 #1 Recruit: Freshman Andrew Wiggins—Kansas Guard, 6’-8”, 200 lbs.

As the top recruit in the nation, Wiggins has impressed so far with his guard skills in a big man’s body. In his primetime debut on ESPN as part of a 4/5 matchup with rival Duke, Wiggins showed off his inside/outside game. He scored 22 points on 9-15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds despite playing only 25 minutes due to foul trouble to help lead the Jayhawks to a win over a very talented Duke squad. Wiggins showed off his quickness with a speedy stepback jumpshot from the post late in a close second half, and also finished strong at the rim with a number of dunks throughout the game. He definitely lived up to his billing as an elite player and it will be fun to watch him progress as the season goes on.

ESPN100 #2 Recruit: Freshman Jabari Parker—Duke Forward, 6’-8”, 235 lbs.

Equally, if not more impressive, during the Kansas/Duke game was the play of Jabari Parker, who played the majority of the game before fouling out while contesting a dunk from Wiggins late in the game. Parker, like Wiggins, is another player who fits the LeBron James/Kevin Durant small forward template that is emerging as a dominant part of basketball today. He has impressive size but also incredible skill, which he showed off by connecting on 4-7 three-pointers while scoring a game-high 27 points and also grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. Get used to hearing Parker’s name, as his versatility is a perfect fit for today’s NBA.

ESPN100 #3 Recruit: Freshman Julius Randle—Kentucky Forward, 6’-9”, 250 lbs.

Perhaps the dominating early-season play comes  from Julius Randle, Kentucky’s behemoth of a power forward. At 250 lbs., Randle already has an NBA body on par similar to LeMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin and Zach Randolph. In a 78-74 loss to No. 2 Michigan State, Randle was extremely efficient, shooting 9-14 from the field and scoring from all over the floor. Five games into the season, Randle is averaging 20.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game and is emerging as a front-runner for the number one pick.

Sophomore Marcus Smart–Oklahoma State Forward, 6’-4”, 220 lbs.

The best returning player is probably the versatile Cowboy forward Marcus Smart. He was considered a lottery pick going into last year’s draft, but elected to stay another year to mature before entering the NBA. In a performance that had people speculating about his possibility as Naismith Player of the Year, Smart led No. 7 Oklahoma State to a 101-80 win over No. 11 Memphis, scoring 26 of his 39 points in the first half, during which he nearly single-handedly outscored the entire Memphis team. Smart has incredible athleticism, quickness, and defensive prowess, and this year has added the perimeter jump-shot that seemed to be the only hole in his game.

Come June, it will be interesting to see where each of these players stand in the competition for the number one pick, but there is no doubt that there will be a premium for these elite first round picks.