With the official begin of observe subsequent month, UMHoops and Contained in the Corridor have partnered to convey you our annual preseason breakdown of the highest gamers within the Huge Ten. This yr, the checklist has been expanded after the addition of 4 applications to the convention.
The sequence is damaged into seven components, with one submit every weekday via Friday, August 30. Our fifth installment gamers 15-11 for the 2024-25 season is on the market beneath:
Beforehand: 40-31, 30-26, 25-21, 20-16
15. Kasparus Jakucionis, Illinois (6-foot-6, guard, freshman)
Why he may outperform this rating: Lithuanian guard Kasparus Jakucionis won’t be a family identify for school basketball followers, however the freshman is already on the NBA radar after excelling abroad in Barcelona’s youth program. Jakucionis is a lead guard with terrific dimension who can facilitate or create his personal scoring alternatives. He’ll must make a major leap to the school recreation at 18, however he’s impressed at sufficient high-profile worldwide youth occasions to make this yr’s checklist.
Illinois loses Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Coleman Hawkins, which leaves loads of playmaking and scoring alternatives for Jakucionis.
Why he may underperform this rating: Worldwide freshmen nearly all the time take no less than one yr to transition to the school recreation. This isn’t a case the place Jakucionis was enjoying high-level skilled basketball both; he primarily performed at youth occasions just like the Adidas NGT. A number of of final yr’s ANGT stars struggled to make an affect on the school degree as freshmen, so there’s some potential draw back to any Jakucionis projection.
14. Nice Osobor, Washington (6-foot-8, ahead, senior)
2023-24 stats (35 video games at Utah State): 17.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.4 bpg, 1.3 spg, 57.7% FG, 21.4% 3PFG in 33.7 minutes
Why he may outperform this rating: Osobor averaged 17.7 factors and 9 rebounds per recreation final yr at Utah State and is sticking with a coach who is aware of him greatest. Osobor adopted Danny Sprinkle from Montana State to Utah State and now Washington. He was a breakout star within the Mountain West final yr and now heads to the Huge Ten degree to play for a workforce that can want his manufacturing down low. Osobor excels attending to the road, shoots 59 p.c from two, and is dominant on each backboards.
Why he may underperform this rating: The Huge Ten remains to be a major step up from the Mountain West, particularly for a 6-foot-8, 250-pound heart. The dimensions and athleticism across the basket within the Huge Ten is a degree above what Osobor has seen at earlier stops and Washington’s roster may lack among the expertise relative to league expectations that Utah State had final yr.
13. Vladislav Goldin, Michigan (7-foot-1, heart, graduate scholar)
2023-24 stats (34 video games at Florida Atlantic): 15.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 67.3% FG in 25 minutes
Why he may outperform this rating: Like Osobor, Goldin follows his head coach to the Huge Ten. He anchored a Florida Atlantic workforce that gained 60 video games and made the Last 4 over the previous two years in Boca Raton. He has a legit 7-foot body and performed his greatest basketball of his profession late final yr at FAU. Goldin averaged 18.1 factors and 6.7 rebounds in 28 minutes per recreation over FAU’s ultimate 14 video games. He’s a terrific finisher and environment friendly post-up scorer who shot 67 p.c on twos and ought to be plug-and-play in the course of Dusty Could’s system.
Why he may underperform this rating: The inevitable step up in competitors from the American to the Huge Ten is a threat. Goldin additionally has to determine his function alongside Danny Wolf. He’ll be adjusting to a brand new two-big system and splitting some minutes on the 5 with one other proficient participant, which may depart no less than some alternative for his manufacturing to slide this season.
12. Dawson Garcia, Minnesota (6-foot-11, ahead, fifth-year senior)
2023-24 stats (31 video games): 17.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 bpg, 48.6% FG, 31.9% 3PFG in 31.9 minutes
Why he may outperform this rating: Garcia has been one of many high massive males within the convention for a number of years after stops at Marquette and North Carolina to start his profession. He confirmed regular enchancment from yr one at Minnesota to yr two, so one other leap isn’t out of the query. Offensively, he can rating within the submit, midrange and may step out to knock within the occasional 3-pointer. He ranked seventh within the Huge Ten final season in free throw charge and transformed at an 80.2 p.c clip from the stripe. He additionally shot 69.1 p.c on the rim. Whereas expectations stay low in Minneapolis, the presence of Garcia within the paint provides Ben Johnson a stable start line on an in any other case unproven roster.
Why he may underperform this rating: It’s not unreasonable to imagine Garcia’s effectivity may slip given this system’s losses within the switch portal (Pharrel Payne, Elijah Hawkins) and to the NBA (Cam Christie). He’ll be surrounded by far much less expertise this season and may have much more strain to carry out on a Minnesota workforce that’s anticipated to complete close to the underside of the league. As regular as Garcia has been over the past two seasons, his upside to raise his recreation appears restricted on a depleted Gopher roster.
11. Malik Reneau, Indiana (6-foot-9, ahead, junior)
2023-24 stats (33 video games): 15.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 55.8% FG, 33.3% 3PFG in 28.7 minutes
Why he may outperform this rating: There’s not a ton of confirmed expertise returning within the Huge Ten this season, particularly not on groups anticipated to contend. Reneau averaged 15.4 factors and 6 rebounds per recreation within the Huge Ten. He’s a confirmed, productive participant who may simply take one other step ahead for a workforce with as a lot expertise as any within the convention. He’s a terrific post-up scorer (87th percentile), however his upside hinges on his passing (20 p.c help charge) and playmaking, which may make IU’s two-big offense click on.
Why he may underperform this rating: Reneau’s draw back hinges on roster and positional match. He’s a tweener defensively who doesn’t rebound or defend the paint in addition to you’d hope for a real heart, and he doesn’t shoot or defend the perimeter in addition to you’d count on for an influence ahead. Indiana’s resolution was to usher in one other true heart to shore up the inside, however meaning two gamers who don’t shoot it nicely from the skin – Reneau was 15-of-45 from deep final season – and the looming presence of larger wings who may simply slide as much as the 4.
Filed to: 2024-25 Huge Ten preview
