The 2024-25 college basketball season was filled with breakout freshmen, including projected NBA lottery picks like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and Jeremiah Fears.

Yet, it’s two other standout guards, also high-level NBA prospects, who have been making all the noise lately.

In a sea filled with talented freshmen, Michigan State’s Jase Richardson and Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford are now at the top of everyone’s mind.

Jase Richardson, the son of former NBA star Jason Richardson, recently made headlines by declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.

In response, he sent a supportive message to fellow freshman Tahaad Pettiford, who also declared for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

In just one season at East Lansing, Michigan, Richardson quickly emerged as one of the best college basketball players in the country, earning Third Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.

Over 36 games, Richardson averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, shooting an incredibly efficient 49.3% from the floor, 41.2% from deep and 83.6% from the free-throw line.

In addition to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors three consecutive times, he also helped the Spartans clinch the Big Ten regular-season title.

Pettiford, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Jersey City, New Jersey, played an equally crucial role for the 32-6 Auburn Tigers.

He averaged 11.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game as a key catalyst in the Tigers’ run to the Final Four.

Adding to the intrigue is the relationship between the two freshmen phenoms, having faced off in various youth tournaments and even competing against each other as early as middle school.

These early matchups helped set the stage for the friendly rivalry they shared at the collegiate level, and now look to carry on to the NBA.