“I think it’s the best class I’ve seen in terms of depth,” ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said in a telephone interview. “It’s unbelievable. A lot of it can be attributed to these kids playing 100 games a year. They play for their high schools. They play AAU ball. They play international competition. They come to college, and they’re not in awe at all. They are not taken aback by, ‘I’ve got to play in Madison Square Garden.’ It doesn’t put them in awe.

“When you look at what these freshmen have done already, it tells you that. You look at (Duke’s) Kyle Singler, MVP of the Maui Classic. I was at the CBE Classic in Kansas City, and (UCLA’s) Kevin Love was the MVP. You look at the tournament in Anaheim – O.J. Mayo, MVP. Kosta Koufos of Ohio State was brilliant vs. Syracuse (24 points). DeAndre Jordan sparks Texas A&M to the NIT title. The beat goes on and on and on.”

Limiting the freshman All-American team to five selections will mean one player who in many years would be the best freshman in the nation will be left off the list. The aforementioned Love, Mayo and Singler, as well as Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, Indiana’s Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose of Memphis are the most hyped in the class, and all six have lived up to expectations.

Fran Fraschilla works as both a game analyst and NBA Draft analyst for ESPN.

“This year as I look around the country – forget the top six – there are more freshmen contributing right away and playing critical roles on their teams than I’ve ever seen in my whole career,” Fraschilla said. “Unbelievable. There are probably at least 50 freshmen who are the first- or second-best player on their team this year.”

Fraschilla agreed with Vitale’s view that this is the deepest class he can remember.

“I anticipate up to 15 guys staying in the draft and potentially going in the first round,” Fraschilla said. “I think it’s going to be like high school, as the only thing is the NBA has a better read on these guys after evaluating against relatively good competition as opposed to evaluating these guys on their high school and AAU careers.”

Interviewed separately and not asked about the other’s views, the two analysts offered different opinions on the rule that requires players to be a year removed from high school before becoming eligible for the NBA Draft.

“It teases us,” Vitale said. “It really teases us. I’ve always believed if a player is good enough out of high school, like LeBron James was, then don’t deny him the opportunity, just like they don’t deny it in baseball. I’d like to see a rule where once a kid comes to college, he’s got to stay for three years. The four or five who are ready to go be first-round choices, if they want to go they should be allowed to go. But the problem is too many kids who aren’t ready go.”

Said Fraschilla: “I think it’s good for the game. I think it’s good for the kids, too. They get a chance to compete in an environment where they are under some pressure to perform on a national stage, and yet it is somewhat of an apprenticeship for the next step, the NBA. And NBA clubs love it because they get a chance to see a guy perform under pressure without having to make a decision to draft him just based on their high school careers. I think it’s been a good rule for both college basketball and the NBA.”