College basketball rankings: UCLA holds firm in Top 25 And 1 as star freshman Nikola Kusturica shines

UCLA's Nikola Kusturica, just like Duke's Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Texas' Marcus Spears Jr., is a 17-year-old freshman who is so young that he won't be age-eligible for the 2027 NBA Draft. That's why the 6-foot-9 forward signed a multi-year agreement with the Big Ten school this past July, and this is all terrible news for every coach in the conference not named Mick Cronin, especially after what Kusturica did late Friday in a 114-63 win over North Florida.

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The former EuroLeague NextGen champion took 12 shots, made 10 of them and finished with 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, one steal and zero turnovers in 23 minutes on the court. In the first half -- a first half, by the way, that featured the Bruins going on an incredible 35-0 run -- Kusturica had 26 points on 9-of-9 shooting, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

"It's all coaching," Cronin said afterward with a grin. "No, in all seriousness ... it's recruiting, buddy. It's recruiting. ... He's a great player. A great player. Not a good player. He's a great player because he does everything on the court. So, like what I'd tell you is he had no turnovers with the ball in his hands all that time, Nikola. Which is, for a freshman, unheard of. It's just unheard of."

Kusturica is now averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in 31.0 minutes per game while shooting 56.5% from the field. The multi-talented Serbian is a projected top-three pick in the 2028 NBA Draft, along with Boumtje Boumtje and Spears, and is obviously a major reason why the Bruins remain No. 14 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.

Up next for UCLA is Wednesday's game against Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Bruins' next contest against a currently ranked opponent will likely come the day after Thanksgiving, when Cronin's team is expected to meet Texas in the championship game of the Rady Children's Invitational.

UT is No. 6 in the Top 25 And 1.