The present future of the NBA - O.M.G - Blogs

I have been following the NBA for about a year since 1996, and quite recently interest in college basketball in the USA (NCAA) has begun to appear, but there is quite little information on this topic on the Russian Internet, although in the United States itself, this event is no less popular than the NBA, and sometimes even more beloved, gathers the same crowds of fans and is broadcast on national television.

So I decided to try to slightly expand the picture of the NBA world, showing where our parquet heroes come from. At first I translated for my own interest, but I decided to share the results.

I present to your attention my first article on basketball, in principle, and the first translated article (translation is a little "free" from the resource "www. ncaa.com " of the article "We picked the best current college basketball player for every jersey number " ).

I will be glad to constructive feedback. So let's get started.

"We've selected the best college basketball players for each jersey number.

Since the college basketball season has officially kicked off and we don't have much to discuss or analyze yet, we've taken it upon ourselves to uncover hundreds of rosters and find the best player for each jersey number.

Perhaps some of them will appear among the professionals next season and it will be interesting to follow their path from their youth to the NBA All-Star Game.0005

Short clarification: the numbers on the beacons cannot exceed five because the match officials need to signal the player's number with one hand. This means that there are only 36 numbers available for a college basketball player (0 to 5, 10 to 15, 20 to 25, etc.) You had to dig very deep to find players who would wear #43, #51 or No. 53 this season.

This is not a prediction of who will have the best career. We're just looking at who's currently the best college basketball player using statistics from the past season and years.

Here is the best basketball player for each jersey number.

#0 - Markus Howard, Marquette

It depends on preference. At Boston College, Key Bowman and James Palmer Jr. from Nebraska - both have a very strong case for being the best zero in the country. Bowman averaged 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore, while Palmer averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 first-team assists in the All-Big Ten Conference.

But we'll go with "All-Big East Second Teamer" Howard, who averaged 20.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game with 46.4%/40.4%/93, 8% percent in the throwing part. Palmer had one 30-point game last season and Bowman had a 30-point maximum last season while Howard passed that mark six times in 2017-18, including in Providence.

He led the nation with 54.7 percent of 3-point shooting as a freshman (4.8 attempts per game, so he wasn't shy about shooting from behind the arc), and even when his usage rate and shot attempts went up as as a sophomore, Howard still had an offensive rating of 114.5. Howard is shortlisted for the best shooters in the country and he can take over the game in a way that few other players do.

Other notable players:

• Ky Bowman, Boston College
• James Palmer Jr., Nebraska
• Romeo Langford, Indiana
• Naz Reid, LSU
• James Palmer, Nebraska
• Phil Cofer, Florida State
• Quade Green, Kentucky
• Kyle Allman, Cal State Fullerton
• Josh Cunningham, Dayton
• Nick Weatherspoon, Mississippi State
• Pookie Powell, La Salle

#1 - Dedric Lawson, Kansas

Apologize to the last and dare say the biggest ever mixtape phenomenon from Duke Zion Williamson BUT Kansas forward Dedrick Lawson averaged 19. 2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2 .1 blocks and 1.3 steals in his final season as a senior. Lawson spent two years in Memphis before moving to Kansas with his brother KJ.

The brothers are in the Jayhawks this season and they are the main reason why Kansas will start at the top of the AP Top 25 or so in the poll.

Other notable players:

• Zion Williamson, Duke
• Charles Matthews, Michigan
• Justin James, Wyoming
• Anthony Cowan, Maryland
• B.J. Taylor, UCF
• Josh Langford, Michigan State
• Jared Harper, Auburn
• Bol Bol, Oregon
• Remy Martin, Arizona State
• Desmond Bane, TCU

#2 - Cam Reddish, Duke

Duke is no stranger to gathering a whole class of impressive freshmen. Just take a look: Jalil Okafor - Thayus Jones - Justice Winslow - Grayson Allen is the class that won the national title in 2015 or look further at the 2016 Blue Devils class represented by: Jason Tatum, Harry Gilles, Frank Jackson, Marquis Bolden and Javin Delawirie .

Well, this year's band might be the most impressive with Reddish, RJ. Barrett, Zion Williamson, Tre Jones and Joe Baker.

Reddish, 6-8 feet tall, 218 pounds, was named an "All-American McDonald's" and Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball after his senior year in high school. He averaged 23.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game en route to the Nike EYBL Circuit last year and should have an immediate impact on Duke.

The biggest issue for Duke and the Blue Devils will be splitting the court and individual stats between Reddish, Barrett and Williamson, who are all 6-7 or 6-8.

Other notable players:

• Grant Williams, Tennessee
• Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
• Shamorie Ponds, St. John's
• Marquise Reed, Clemson
• Bryce Brown, Auburn
• Luwane Pipkins, UMass

#3 - Carsen Edwards, Purdue

Purdue's Carsen Edwards could be the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year leader, and don't be surprised if he proves himself to be the player of the year with a buzz this fall.

As a sophomore, 6-1 guard, his stats were 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 50.6%/40.6%/82.4% field goal accuracy, three- point range and free throw line, respectively.

Other notable players:

• Tres Tinkle, Oregon State
• Tremont Waters, LSU
• Jordan Murphy, Minnesota
• Chris Clemons, Campbell
• Payton Pritchard, Oregon
• Keldon Johnson, Kentucky
• Tre Jones, Duke
• Jalen Hudson, Florida
• Jeremiah Martin, Memphis
• James Bolden, West Virginia
• Quentin Goodin, Xavier
• Fletcher Magee, Wofford
• Robert Franks, Washington State

#4 - Jalen Adams, UConn

Last year, Jalen Allen was selected by defenseman to the ALL-AAC second-team after averages of 18.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game for the Huskies. Adams took on the heavy load of offense, taking 30 percent of the team's shots on the floor and registering a 30. 5 percent assist rate, which shows how valuable he was to UConn as a scorer and builder for his teammates.

Other notable players:

• Eric Paschall, Villanova
• Vasa Pusica, Northeastern
• Matisse Thybulle, Washington
• Otis Livingston, George Mason
• Jaylen Hands, UCLA
• Chase Jeter, Arizona
• Skylar Mays, LSU
• Shelton Mitchell, Clemson

#5 - R.J. Barrett, Duke

There are a lot of very good players who wear #5, but Barrett is our pick and here's why. In August, in three Duke games in Canada 6-7, the 202-pound forward recorded the following lines of statistics:

- 30 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block;

- 35 points and 9 rebounds;

- 23 points and 10 assists.

Arguably the most talented freshman in the country, he led Canada to victory over the US in the 2017 FIBA ​​U19 World Championship a year ago with 37 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. The US roster included three 2018 NBA draft picks – No. 19 Kevin Hurter, no. 20 Josh Okoji and No. 45 Hamidou Dialo - in addition to a plethora of familiar names for college basketball fans (Purdue's Carsen Edwards, Oregon's Payton Pritchard, and Kentucky's PJ Washington) and up-and-coming freshmen (Duke's Cameron Reddish, Indiana's Romeo Langford of Indiana , Immanuel Quickley of Kentucky and Louis King of Oregon).

Villanova's Phil Booth wins two national championships, Virginia's Kyle Guy retires from the season's All-ACC First Team and Kasius Winston (MI) is in the top five on both assist rate and 3-point percentage last season, but if Barrett continues at the same pace as in Duke's exhibition games, he will project the best season for this bunch of players.

Other notable players:

• Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State
• Nassir Little, North Carolina
• Kyle Guy, Virginia
• Phil Booth, Villanova
• Immenual Quickley, Kentucky
• Cassius Winston, Michigan State
• CJ Massinburg, Buffalo
• Quentin Grimes, Kansas
• Admiral Schofield, Tennessee
• Justin Robinson, Virginia Tech
• Marques Townes, Loyola Chicago

#10 - Caleb Martin, Nevada

Mountain West Reigning Player of the Year Caleb Martin with 18. 9 averagespoints, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 45.4 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from the three-point field and 74.9 percent from the free throw line for Nevada. He is a 6-7 all-rounder who was the main offensive option for the Wolf Pack team last season with 29 wins in the last season.

The return of Martin, his twin brother Cody, and his teammate Jordan Caroline gives Nevada a foundation that could warrant preseason rankings in the AP Top 25 poll.

Best of the rest:

• Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
• Darius Garland, Vanderbilt
• Jaylen Fisher, TCU
• Temple Gibbs, Notre Dame
• Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech

#11 - Cody Martin, Nevada

No, that's not a typo. Yes, we think the twins and teammates Caleb and Cody Martin are the best players in the country to wear jerseys 10 and 11, respectively. You have already read our vision of Caleb, but although they are identical twins, their game has some differences.

Cody Martin slipped to point guard - a position he only played "once or twice" and not after high school - after teammate Lindsey Drew tore his achilles last season and he took charge of the Wolf Pack in Sweet 16. Cody actually had a higher offensive rating (116.5) than his brother Caleb, who averaged more points per game in the 2018 season.

Cody averages 14 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1 7 interceptions and 1.5 blocks per game, as well as a 24 percent assist rate (meaning he helped on about one out of every four Nevada offenses he was on the court).

Much of Martin's current Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year value comes from across the floor with a 4.5 percent block rate and 2.7 percent steal rate nationally.

In a nutshell, Martin is a 6-7 forward who made 55 percent of two-point attempts, who can also play point guard and who averages a block and a half per game as a defensive plug... Not bad.

Other notable players:

• Jontay Porter, Missouri
• Ty Jerome, Virginia
• Lamar Stevens, Penn State
• Oshae Brissett, Syracuse
• Simisola Shittu, Vanderbilt
• Alpha Diallo, Providence
• Quinndary Weatherspoon
• Courtney Stockard, St. Bonaventure
• Eli Cain, DePaul

#12 - De'Andre Hunter, Virginia

At first glance, DeAndre Hunter's stats for the 2017-18 season may not impress you - 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

But keep in mind that Virginia played at the slowest pace nationally (meaning the Cavaliers had fewer offensive possessions per game on average than any other team), Hunter was the team's sixth man, and it was his first season.

An athletic, 6-7 guard who shot 52.5 percent inside the arc and 38.2 percent behind it, Hunter's 115.1 offensive rating was second among the players in the Virginia rotation. He averaged just under 20 minutes per game, making his "40-minute numbers" an impressive 18.4 points and 7.1 rebounds.

After graduating from Devon Hall, Isaiah Wilkins and Nigel Johnson, Hunter should start playing the role of a sophomore, which could make his next season a breakthrough.

Other notable players:

• Kerwin Roach II, Texas
• Evan Boudreaux, Purdue
• Dazon Ingram, Alabama
• Carl-Pierre, UMass
• Jason Dunne, Hartford

#13 - Juwan Morgan, Indiana

Last season, Juvan Morgan was responsible for 5. 0 win shares, which measures the number of wins in which a player was important, Indiana's record for the season is 16-15. This means that Morgan is responsible for about a third of the team's wins.

Take, for example, the Hoosiers win over Notre Dame in December, when the Irish had a 13-point lead in the second half, Morgan scored the last eight points in regulation time (of Indiana's last 12 at the end of the half), allowing put the game in overtime. He scored eight more points in the OT, and finished with 34 points and 11 rebounds with former All-American Bonzi Colson on the opposing team.

Morgan averaged 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 63% inside the arc. While his long-range shooting (30.2%) and free-line shooting (63.1%) have room for improvement, Morgan has an impact on both ends of the court and he does just about everything effectively.

Other notable players:

• Kris Wilkes, UCLA
• K. J. Lawson, Kansas
• Myles Powell, Seton Hall
• Cameron Johnson, North Carolina
• Josh Perkins, Gonzaga
• Clayton Custer, Loyola Chicago
• Joey Baker, Duke
• V.J. King, Louisville
• Desean Murray, Western Kentucky
• Charles Williams, Howard

#14 - Ryan Taylor, Northwestern

Northwestern's coach Chris Collins has completed the transfer of one of the best shooters available in Evansville's off-season, guard Ryan Taylor. The new Wildcat led the nation with a 40.7 percent shooting percentage for the Purple Aces and averaged 21.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game last season.

Big Size Taylor is 6-6 and he shot 42.4 percent from three last season. Luckily for him, it's unlikely he'll be asked to do nearly as much on the Northwestern's offense this season with veteran teammates Vic Law, Dererk Pardon and Aaron Falzon, meaning Taylor could look even more effective in 2018. -2019 years.

Other notable players:

• Ahmaad Rorie, Montana
• Khalil Ahmad, Cal State Fullerton
• Tyler Herro, Kentucky
• Elijah Thomas, Clemson
• Isaac Copeland, Nebraska
• Terance Mann, Florida State
• Lindsey Drew, Nevada
• Ryan Cline, Purdue

#15 - Devontae Cacok, UNC Wilmington

Wilmington forward Devonte Cacoc averaged 17.7 points and a nationally best 13.5 rebounds per game last year in which he was selected for the All-CAA First Team. At 6-7, he ranked second in offensive rebounding percentage (17.7%) and third in defensive rebounding percentage (32%).

The previous season he led the country with an absurd 80 percent FG.

Kakok knows who he is and it's not a 3-point shooter. He didn't try to shoot from behind the arc all season, but it made him more effective. His 114.1 offensive rating was the best on his team.

The UNC Wilmington senior averaged 6.5 fouls per 40 minutes last season, giving him a free throw rating of 52.3, meaning he tried to get more than one free throw in every two attempts field goal on average.

Other notable players:

• Jessie Govan, Georgetown
• Noah Dickerson, Washington
• Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga
• Lamont West, West Virginia
• Isaiah Roby, Nebraska
• Cane Broome, Cincinnati
• Garrison Brooks, North Carolina
• Jon Teske, Michigan
• Alex O'Connell, Duke

#20 - Dewan Huell, Miami (FL)

6-11 height Well is Miami's leading scorer and rebounding leader with averages of 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore . His 113.4 offensive rating was ranked 80th nationally among eligible players, according to , his offensive and defensive rebounding ratings ranked in the top 10 in the ACC, and he had a 57. 6 percent field goal percentage. . Well tied the team with a 3.5 win share rating.

Other notable players:

• Ernie Duncan, Vermont
• De'Ron Davis, Indiana
• Marques Bolden, Duke
• Nojel Eastern, Purdue

#21 - Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga

We had three strong choices - Hachimura, Dylan Osetkovsky from Texas, Jordan Brown from Nevada. Brown is a 6-11 rookie who averaged 23.5 points and 13.1 rebounds per game last season and earned McDonald's All-American honors. Osetkovsky walks away from a season in which he made the transition from Tulane to become Texas' top scorer.

We divided the difference between high-level untapped potential and the proven level of Hachimura, who saw his playing time nearly 5x from rookie to his sophomore year, he had a breakout year averaging 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds for playing off the bench at Gonzaga. Playing just 20.7 minutes per game as a sixth man, Hachimura's 40-minute numbers were a team-leading 22. 4 points and 9.1 rebounds.

He had the second best rating at Gonzaga last season (120.2, compared to Osetkovsky's rating of 97.8) when shooting 60.6% inside the arc and 79.5% from the free throw line. We think Hachimura could have another breakout season, especially if he can improve on his 19.2 percent limited-attempt three-point shooting last season.

Other notable players:

• Dylan Osetkowski, Texas
• Jordan Brown, Nevada
• Sterling Manley, North Carolina
• Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, Villanova

#22 - Reid Travis, Kentucky

Kentucky coach John Calipari received a good transfer in the form of alumnus Reid Travis, who moved to the University of Kentucky averaging 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds in the All-Pac-12 First Team campaign as a junior in Stanford.

Wisconsin's Ethan Happa makes a good example to represent with his 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and more than one steal and block average per game as a junior, but Travis' offensive rating of 114. 3 (by compared to 105.1 Happ), a better free throw rating and free throw percentage, and the ability to tap into his potential as a 3-point shooter gives him an advantage.

Best of the Rest:

• Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
• Myles Cale, Seton Hall
• Silvio De Sousa, Kansas

#23 - Yoeli Childs, BYU

Call it the Michael Jordan-LeBron James effect. It's no secret why #23 is hugely popular, especially among talented players, making it one of the hardest picks to pick based on the sheer number of players who wear the number.

As for a pair of talented freshmen in Kentucky State - AJ Montgomery of Kentucky and Charles Bussey of Western Kentucky - as well as a host of other key contributors to strong conference basketball programs, many of whom should have breakout seasons such as Zach Norvell Jr. of Gonzaga, Jarrett Culver from Texas Tech and Bruno Fernando from Maryland, we're going with the most productive number 23 and that's Yoli Childs from BYU.

As a Cougars sophomore, 6-8, 225-pound forward, he was a member of the All-WCC First Team after averaging 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per game for 24 wins for the BYU team. Childs can defend the basket with his 6.2 percent block rating, which is one of the top five DI (NCAA Division One) players, and despite being a low post scorer, he seems to have recorded a 14.6% assist. rate, and 13.8% loss rate.

Other notable players:

• EJ Montgomery, Kentucky
• Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
• Bennie Boatwright, USC
• Frank Howard, Syracuse
• Zach Norvell Jr., Gonzaga
• Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
• Esa Ahmad, West Virginia
• Bruno Fernando, Maryland
• Romello White, Arizona State
• Prince Ali, UCLA
• Jeremiah Tilmon, Missouri
• MJ Walker, Florida State
• Cameron McGusty, Miami (FL)
• Xavier Tillman, Michigan State

#24 - Mike Daum, South Dakota State

Let's show some love to the current two-time Summit League Player of the Year, who averaged 23. 9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as a junior. 6-9 and 235-pound forward - 22 shots and 11 free throws before hitting the 50/40/90 club last season when he shot 46.2 percent from the field, 42.5 percent from 30 and 85.1 percent off the free throw line.

Despite one of the highest usage rates in the country - he took 36.3 percent of his team's shots when he was on the court, third nationally - Daum remained effective with 59.5 percent shooting and three-point accuracy , which allowed him to get into the top 100 at the "Division I NCAA" level.

Also considered:

• Kenny Williams, North Carolina
• Lagerald Vick, Kansas
• Jordan Caroline, Nevada
• Kerry Blackshear Jr., Virginia Tech
• Joe Cremo, Villanova
• Tacko Fall, UCF
• Garrison Mathews, Lipscomb
• Ed Polite, Radford

No. 25 - Tyus Battle, Syracuse

Jim Boyheim's prototypical quarterback, 6-6 quarterback Tyce Battle was selected to the All-ACC Second Team and semi-finalist for the 2018 Jerry West Award awards the best defensive sniper in the country after averages of 19. 2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore.

He played more minutes per game on average than any other player in the country (39 minutes per game) - 40.1 minutes per game in ACC. Think about it for a couple of minutes.

Best of the rest:

• Tyler Cook, Iowa
• PJ Washington, Kentucky
• McKinley Wright IV, Colorado
• Jalen Smith, Maryland
• Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago
• Mamadi Diakite, Virginia
• Kenny Goins, Michigan State

#30 - Chris Silva, South Carolina

A key figure in South Carolina's 2017 Final Four, 6-9 forward Chris Silva is one of the toughest players to be in college basketball. He averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game as a junior.

Silva made 9.2 fouls per 40 minutes last season and finished second nationally, and he actually took more free throws (283) than field goals (272). Think about it for another minute. He's a beast on the shield with a 13.5% offensive rebounding rate, which means he picks up almost one in seven South Carolina misses, and he had an offensive rating of 107.5 as one of the Gamecocks' main offensive options.

Other notable players:

• Luke Knapke, Toledo
• TJ Haws, BYU
• Marcus Bingham Jr., Michigan State
• Ryan Funk, Marist
• Ryan McMahon, Louisville
• Jay Huff, Virginia
• K.J. Smith, North Carolina

#31 - Kellan Grady, Davidson

We're just going to list two player's stat strings.

Player A: 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists in 30.9minutes at 46.3% / 40.8% / 85.5% of sales.

Player B: 18.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists in 35.2 minutes on 50.1%/37.2%/80.4% sales.

Guess which players are responsible for the above? Player A is Steph Curry - has anyone heard of him? - during his freshman year at Davidson, and Player B is Kellan Grady's freshman year.

Curry is arguably the best scorer in the history of basketball, and Grady has come up with numbers where he is between 80 and 90 percent comparable to Curry at the same age. Grady may not be a multiple NBA champion and NBA MVP, but at 6-5 feet he is one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the country at the college level.

Other notable players:

• Seth Towns, Harvard
• Max Strus, DePaul
• Nick Rakocevic, USC
• Jimmy Whitt, SMU

#32 - Luke Maye, North Carolina

We'll start with this by saying that if Maya is the No. 1 pick of the No. 32, then Kansas State's Dean Wade is the No. 1a pick. The two players have incredibly similar statistical profiles, but we give the advantage to Maya, who has taken a big step forward as a junior, with an average of 16.9points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, one steal and one block per game to earn a First Team All-ACC selection.

As one of the two main scoring options in North Carolina, along with Joel Berry II, Maya had a 114. 4 offensive rating fueled by a 43.1 percent shooting percentage. He picked up 10.3 percent misses from North Carolina opponents and 22.8 percent from his opponents, placing him among the best rebounders in the ACC.

Maya played a decisive role in North Carolina's 2017 national championship win with 10 points and nine rebounds against South Texas, 16 points and 12 rebounds against Butler and a game-winning 17 points against Kentucky. Last season, he scored a double-double in the NCAA Tournament.

Other notable players:

• Dean Wade, Kansas State
• Ryan Welage, Xavier
• Matt Haarms, Purdue

#33 - Jon Elmore, Marshall

Perhaps the best player you've probably not seen, Marshall guard Jon Elmore became the first Thundering Herd player to win First Team honors All-Conference USA. As a junior, 6-3 Elmore averaged 22.7 points, 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 52 percent from the field and 36 percent on three, on his way to to become a finalist for "Player of the Year" "Lute Olson".

Marshall excelled in the postseason last season, earning USA Tournament MVP honors by scoring 27 points on 13 shots in an upset over Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament. Elmore fills the stat list like any other player in the country with six double-doubles and two triple-doubles last season. He scored double figures in all 71 games he played in the last two seasons, including two 38-point games as a junior.

Other Notable Names:

• Killian Tillie, Gonzaga
• Nick Perkins, Buffalo
• David McCormack, Kansas
• Grant Golden, Richmond
• Jack Salt, Virginia
• Nysier Brooks, Cincinnati

No. 34 - Drew McDonald, Northern Kentucky

Northern Kentucky Center/Forward Drew McDonald named to Team All-Horizon League and Lou Henson (mid-major) All-American as a Junior First Team after leading the conference with 18 double-doubles while averaging 17 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2. 3 assists per game. He was selected as a pre-season player for the Horizon League last season and there's a good chance he'll be there this fall.

McDonald is already the leader in defensive rebounding (555) in three seasons, and his defensive rebounding rating ranked 22nd nationally last season with 26.9 percent. He had 34.4% three-point shooting, which is high enough for a center to really hold up a defense, plus he shot 54% from the field and 80% from the free throw line.

Other Notable Names:

• Tevin Mack, Alabama
• Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
• Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State
• Alex Hobbs, Boise State
• David Knudsen, Marist
• Bourama Sidibe, Syracuse
• Jackson Rowe, Cal State Fullerton

#35 - Udoka Azubuike, Kansas

As a sophomore, Azubuke leads the Division I in field goal percentage with 77 percent and earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors. In his first full season playing college basketball, the 7-foot, 270-pound center started the Jayhawks with 31 wins as they swept through the Big 12 in the regular season and title tournaments before advancing to the Finals. Four.

His averages are 13 points, seven rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Azubuke's efficiency inside the paint earned him a team-leading 121 offensive rating. He ranked in the national Top 80 in offensive rebounding (12.4%) and blocking percentage (7.5%).

Other notable players:

• Aric Holman, Mississippi State
• Brady Manek, Oklahoma
• Fabian White, Houston

#40 - Zac Cuthbertson, Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina's Zach Cuthbertson finished second on the team with 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season. The 6-7 forward shot 51.6 percent inside the arc and stretched the defense with almost one three-pointer per game.

Cuthbertson draws an opponent six fouls in 40 minutes, resulting in a free throw rating of 58. 3 percent, which ranks 61st nationally, and he shot 79.8 percent from the line.

#41 - Tyler Seibring, Elon

Tyler Sebring was named Elon MVP after a junior season in which the 6-9 forward was named to the All-CAA second team with averages of 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the game. He had a 119.5 offensive rating thanks to his 42.9 percent three-point shooting and 55.5 percent shooting inside the arc.

Sebring rarely loses the ball - his 9.5% loss rate ranks among the top 50 nationally - and he only commits 1.8 fouls in 40 minutes, which means Elon's top player almost never has to worry about foul problem.

Other notable players:

• Aaron Menzies, Saint Mary's
• Marcus DeBerry, Fort Wayne
• Jacob Epperson, Creighton
• Brock Bertram, Buffalo
• Luke Worthington, BYU
• Steffon Mitchell, Boston College
• Jack White, Duke

#42 - Levi Bradley, Northern Illinois

Levi Bradley's "Northern Illinois" swing is a big 6-7 and provided a strong second option on offense with 14. 6 points per game. He excels at getting to the free throw line, where he hit 83.6 percent of 134 attempts last season.

Bradley averaged 5.5 rebounds per game and recorded double-doubles of 25 points - 14 rebounds, 18 points - 17 rebounds and 18 points - 10 rebounds as a junior.

Other notable players:

• Tommy Rutherford, UC Irvine
• Ty Outlaw, Virginia Tech
• Jeremy Hemsley, San Diego State
• Brandon Huffman, North Carolina

#43 - Michael Finke, Grand Canyon

Michael Finke, graduate from Illinois, average 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists for the Illini last season. As a 6-10 forward, he shot 36.2% of 3-pointers and he shot 62.9% inside the arc as a junior.

#44 - Nick Ward, Michigan State

Said - 6-8 height and 245 lbs. people. But that doesn't make him any less effective in the college game.

He was the top offensive rebounder in the country as a sophomore, capturing 18. 2 percent of Michigan's missed shots and averaging 8.1 fouls in 40 minutes, which was fourth most nationally. In short, it's hard to contain.

While he can be prone to foul trouble (and limited minutes as a result), averaging five fouls per 40 minutes, Ward averaged 12.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game on 64.7% of the cast last season. Last season, he had to share the front court with two lottery picks Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges, but he will have a chance to deliver an even greater percentage of the Spartans' offensive load as a junior.

If Ward's averages per game are closer to possible career 40-minute averages of 27.1 points and 14.0 rebounds, just look!

Other notable players:

• Isaiah Jackson, Providence
• Zach Braxton, Weber State
• Mitch Lightfoot, Kansas

#45 - Rashaan Holloway, UMass

Holloway was limited to 15 games during his junior season due to injury, but the 6-10 forward/center was a regular in the Minutemen's top five when he was healthy and averaged 9. 9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, along with a 62.4 percent shooting efficiency from the field.

As a sophomore, when Holloway played a full season, he was in the Top 7 in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage in A-10 conference games, blocking nearly seven percent of opponents' shots and inciting 6.5 fouls in 40 minutes of the season.

#50 - Sagaba Konate, West Virginia

Sagaba Konate averaged 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season while shooting 51% from the field and 79Free throw % (a respectable stat, especially for a big man), but none of those stats come close to describing the impact he has on the court.

Konate had a blocking percentage of 15.6% last season, which means he blocked almost one out of every six shots that opponents made while he was on the court. He averages 3.2 blocks per game, and that doesn't include countless other situations where he's "dissuaded" opponents with his presence in the "paint".

Other notable names:

• Austin Wiley, Auburn
• Eric Williams Jr., Duquesne
• Elston Jones, UC Irvine

#51 - Max Mahoney, Boston University

Boston University forward Max Mahoney (not the Police Academy Mahoney) was selected to the All-Patriot League Third Team and Collective MVP last season after earning the averaged 12.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He shot 60 percent from the field and scored at least 20 points six times.

Other Notable Names:

• Nicholas Baer, ​​Iowa
• Nate Fowler, Butler
• Austin Davis, Michigan

No. 52 - Milik Yarbrough, Illinois State

In his first season with Illinois since moving from St. Louis, forward Milik Yarbrough averaged numbers that would have allowed you to land a triple in shooting range. -dub on the right evening. Yarbrow's 6-6 growth figures, who averaged 16. 6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, paved the way for being selected to the Missouri Valley Conference First Team, MVC Rookie of the Year and a member of the All- Tournament MVC.

His 42.1 percent assist rate put him in fourth place at the national level, and he earned a regular spot on the free throw line thanks to his impressive 51 percent free throw rate, which meant he averaged about one free throw attempt shot for every two field goal attempts.

#53 - Isaiah Crawley, Georgia Southern

South Georgia junior forward Isaiah Crawley will jump into the Division I ranks this season after spending two years at Columbia State College where he averaged 14.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, earning All-TCCAA first-team honors.

#54 - SaBastian Townes, Bryant

Bryant junior forward Sebastian Towns was limited to 22 games as a sophomore due to injury, but he started 16 times and averaged 11.