Memphis, St. Mary's and Gonzaga have freshman gems
— -- We've look at the best freshmen in the BCS conferences. Here's a quick look at the impact freshmen from the rest of the country.
East
• Damian Saunders , Duquesne (Atlantic 10), 6-7, 205
Averages: 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in five games
Breakout game: 19 points, six assists and four rebounds in first college debut against Howard
Outlook: Saunders was originally signed by Marquette, but a drug-possession charge in June and poor grades ended that affiliation. Dukes head coach Ron Everhart snapped him up, and Saunders has shown the running and jumping ability that Tom Crean originally liked so much and has lived up to the hype that placed the forward on many recruiting top-10 lists out of high school.
• Justin Rutty , Quinnipiac (NEC), 6-7, 240
Averages: 6.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in five games
Breakout game: nine points and seven rebounds in a loss to Binghamton
Outlook: Rutty made quite an odd impression in his first game: no points and 12 rebounds in a season-opening home win over Hartford at the Q-Pod. He looks like the big man that new coach Tom Moore's Bobcats need to get over the hump and achieve their first-ever NEC championship. Rutty can be the inside presence they've been sorely lacking during a decade of D-I life.
• Trevor Welcher , Delaware State (MEAC), 5-10, 160
Averages: 7.3 ppg, 5.2 apg and 1.94 assist/turnover ratio in six games
Breakout game: nine points and four assists in a loss to Columbia in the NIT Season Tip-Off
Outlook: A methodical, system-oriented team that's won three straight MEAC championships on the strength of solid point guard play has given the ball-handling duties to a freshman. He's only the third point guard in Greg Jackson's seven years as head coach. The key three's don't stop there: He's also a third cousin of Kobe Bryant.
• Honorable mention: Anthony Breeze, Coastal Carolina (Big South) 6-5, 185, (11.8 ppg; 25 points on 9-for-9 shooting against Cincinnati); Andrew Goudelock, College of Charleston (SoCon), 6-1, 170 (12.2 ppg, 27 points against UNCW in first college game); Remy Cofield, Pennsylvania (Ivy), 6-4, 205 (20 points against Virginia); Jamarco Warren, Charleston Southern (Big South), 5-10, 162 (15.7 ppg, 3.4 apg)
Midwest
• Chris Knight , Bowling Green (MAC), 6-7, 210
Averages: 14.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg in six games
Breakout game: 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting and eight rebounds in a win at Cincinnati
Outlook: Knight took a redshirt last season, but the Falcons' new star swingman has fit in with new coach Louis Orr's program just fine. He announced his presence in his first college game in his home city of Cincinnati, and back home he thrilled the Anderson Arena crowd with key jumpers and some electrifying dunks, helping BGSU to a surprising 4-2 record so far.
• P'Allen Stinnett , Creighton (Missouri Valley), 6-2, 170
Averages: 13.7 ppg and 3.3 apg in three games
Breakout game: 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting in first debut against DePaul
Outlook: Sadly, the Bluejays never did get to make the P-Funk "mother ship connection," as superstar guard Nate Funk ran out of eligibility last season. But the Bluejays still have the "P," their top recruit who features explosive speed and a soft shooting touch. Stinnett was the first Jay in two decades to lead the team in scoring in his first contest. If he keeps up the production, the forecasted down season for Creighton just might not happen after all.
• Chris Wright , Dayton (Atlantic 10), 6-2, 175
Averages: 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games
Breakout game: 31 points on 9-for-15 shooting and five assists in debut against ETSU
Outlook: UD is trying to recapture the form that brought the school three NCAA bids in five years to start the century. But they've already done something nearly as important -- dipping into the talent-rich pool of local players. Wright's old friends at Trotwood-Madison H.S. have had the continued opportunity to see him play, and the springy, high-altitude Flyer has been putting up the kind of numbers that will help him compete with Duquesne's Saunders for A-10 rookie of the year honors.
• Honorable mention: Jake Anderson, Northern Illinois (MAC), 6-2, 200 (23 points and five rebounds at Indiana State); Romain Martin, Eastern Illinois, 6-3, 180 (14.4 ppg in five games); Vance Cooksey, Youngstown State (Horizon), 5-11, 165 (10.6 and 5.0 apg in five games); Pieter van Tongeren, Evansville (Missouri Valley), 6-11, 233 (8.0 ppg and 7.8 rpg in four games)
South
• Brockeith Pane , Houston (C-USA), 6-2, 195
Averages: 17.0 ppg, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 spg in seven games
Breakout game: 21 points and seven rebounds in a loss vs. VCU
Outlook: Pane was chased by Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, but he chose to be a Cougar. Houston is off to a 6-1 start, and a big reason is the solid newcomer who's helped take a big chunk of the scoring load from senior Rob McKiver. On Monday, Pane was named the C-USA's player of the week -- only the eighth freshman ever to win that honor -- for averaging 23 points and 6.5 boards against SWAC schools Texas Southern and Grambling.
• Willie Powers , Georgia Southern (SoCon), 6-1, 190
Averages: 14.8 ppg and 54.2 percent FG in five games
Breakout game: 26 points on 10-for-16 shooting and seven rebounds in a win over Mercer
Outlook: Davidson, App State and UNC Greensboro have received a lot of the early SoCon ink, but don't forget about the Eagles, who have won four in a row and were the winners of the nation's first conference game (over Furman last Saturday). Gainesville native Powers has already earned a lot of minutes -- his 33.0 mpg leads all SoCon players -- and he's received raves from opposing coaches about his work ethic and well-timed shots.
• Gerald Robinson Jr. Tennessee State (OVC), 6-0, 170
Averages: 15.4 ppg and 48.5 percent 3-point shooting in five games
Breakout game: 24 points on 9-for-19 shooting in a loss to Georgia Tech
Outlook: Is the Ohio Valley ready for another high-scoring player named Gerald Robinson? This isn't the Tennessee-Martin senior forward and double-double specialist, this is the limber and fast freshman guard who recently chose local TSU over George Mason. Once he finds some shooting consistency, he'll be a big help to the Tigers in their quest to climb the OVC ladder.
• Josh White , North Texas (Sun Belt), 5-10, 167
Averages: 16.3 ppg and 7-for-14 3-point shooting in four games
Breakout game: 25 points and six rebounds in a win over Oklahoma State
Outlook: White received a lot of mid-major interest out of Baton Rouge's Christian Life Academy. But now that he's arrived on the Mean Green's scene, he's caught some high-major attentions too. The pint-sized freshman's giant performance against OSU, which ended with him being carried off the floor on his teammates' shoulders, earned him Sun Belt player of the week honors.
• Honorable mention: Marquis Weddle, Tennessee-Martin (OVC) (15.8 ppg in six games; 24 points against Mississippi State); Glen Andrews, Tulsa (C-USA), 6-3, 185 (team-leading 10.0 ppg in 17.8 mpg); Kevin Perkins, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Southland), 6-1, 160 (13.7 ppg and 1.7 spg in four games)
West
• Patrick Mills , Saint Mary's (WCC), 6-0, 175
Averages: 15.8 ppg, 5.0 apg and 96.2 percent free-throw shooting in five games
Breakout game: 37 points on 10-for-20 shooting and five rebounds in win over Oregon
Outlook: A product of the same efficient Australian Institute of Sport that produced Andrew Bogut, the Canberra Cannon is off to an explosive start with his advanced court sense and smart shot. Back home, a player who his national team coach describes as a "jitterbug" is already a big-time role model. Not only was he the youngest-ever member of the "Boomers" national squad, he's Australia's first Aboriginal basketball star.
• Luke Sikma , Portland (WCC), 6-8, 220
Averages: 9.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 1.4 bpg in seven games
Breakout game: 11 points and 13 rebounds in debut at Fresno State
Outlook: Sikma is a very familiar name in the Northwest -- center Paul used to drive Trail Blazers fans nuts when he played for Seattle in the early 1980s. But the Rose City has Son of Sikma now, a rangy forward who can run the floor a little too. He opened his college career with four straight double-digit rebound performances, and he has three double-doubles to his credit so far.
• Malcolm Thomas , Pepperdine (WCC), 6-8, 205
Averages: 13.7 ppg, 10.6 rpg and 53.4 percent shooting in seven games
Breakout game: 22 points and eight rebounds in debut at Oregon
Outlook: The Waves have a long way to go until they achieve WCC respectability, but that distance may be bridged by a promising freshman class, led by a San Diego-area big with superior finishing skills. Thomas has notched three double-doubles so far, including a blistering 20-and-16 performance in an overtime game versus Long Beach State.
• Evan Washington , Air Force (Mountain West), 6-4, 190
Averages: 7.9 ppg, 55.3 percent shooting, 7-for-13 3-point shooting in seven games
Breakout game: 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting against Washington State
Outlook: New head coach Jeff Reynolds knew that the Falcons had to replace all three of their senior double-figure scorers from last season's 26-win team. But it turns out AFA had a promising prospect in-house at its Air Force Academy prep school, who was lighting up the scoreboard and hitting key shots all over the place. For a school that has prided itself on making the most of every possession, Washington has been a ridiculously efficient scorer, averaging a team-high 1.35 points per shot taken.
• Honorable mention: Vinnie McGhee Jr., Sacramento State (Big Sky), 6-0, 165 (10.1 ppg and 6.1 apg in seven games); Tyrone Shelley, Pepperdine (WCC), 6-6, 210 (16.6 ppg; 34 points against Cal State Northridge); Mark Payne, UC Davis (Big West), 6-7, 190 (8.3 ppg and 64.5 percent shooting in six games); Billy White, San Diego State (Mountain West), 6-8, 212 (8.7 ppg and 70.3 percent shooting in seven games)
Kyle Whelliston is the national mid-major reporter for Basketball Times and a regular contributor to ESPN.com.