It’s never too early to start looking ahead!
Check below for our list of 25 breakout players for the 2023-24 college basketball season. Please note that someone cannot be considered a “breakout player” if he was a double-figure scorer the previous year.
In no particular order:
Jaden Akins, Michigan State: Akins gave the college basketball community a nibble of what he’s capable of last season as a sophomore. Expect them to get a full bite now that he’s a junior. The 6-4 guard has All-Big Ten ability and could be a difference maker as Michigan State takes aim at yet another deep run in the NCAA Tournament under Tom Izzo. Akins had 16 points and four rebounds last March in a Sweet 16 loss against Kansas State.
Donovan Clingan, UConn: A volcano just waiting to erupt, Clingan put the college basketball world on notice last spring when he averaged 5.8 points, five rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in just 12.2 minutes during the 2023 NCAA Tournament. With Adama Sanogo no longer entrenched in a starting spot for UConn at center, the 7-3 Clingan is primed to take major advantage.
Alex Karaban, UConn: The unsung presence during the Huskies’ dominant run to a national title, Karaban has legitimate All-Big East potential as a sophomore. The 6-8 power forward averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds last season while shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three-point range during the postseason. Karaban will again be a major key to UConn’s hopes of advancing to the Final Four in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
Tyrese Proctor, Duke: In five postseason games last March, the 6-5 Proctor averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 assists with an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 27:5. He should come into this season ready to explode. Proctor boasts bonafide All-American potential in 2023-24.
David Joplin, Marquette: The reigning Big East Sixth Man of the Year will now step into a starting spot for the Golden Eagles at power forward after Olivier-Maxence Prosper departed for the NBA. Expect the transition to be seamless. The 6-7 Joplin averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in just 19.2 minutes last season for Marquette.
Wooga Poplar, Miami: Is this Philadelphia native ready to go from X-Factor to go-to scorer? Without question. Miami was 11-2 last season in games when the 6-5 Poplar scored in double figures and it will need him to be a consistent scoring threat on the perimeter following the losses of both Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller. Poplar averaged 12 points in the Hurricanes’ first four NCAA Tournament games last spring, which led to Miami’s first Final Four appearance in school history.
Adem Bona, UCLA: Injuries slowed Bona’s potential impact last spring during March Madness, but those close to the Bruins’ program believe that he’s due for a major jump. The 6-9 big man averaged 7.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in the five games prior to hurting his shoulder in the Pac-12 Tournament. Bona is the only returning starter from UCLA’s team last season that won a Pac-12 regular season title and advanced to the Sweet 16.
Dylan Andrews, UCLA: It’s not easy to be the person who replaces Tyger Campbell at point guard, but Andrews is ready for the challenge. The 6-2 sophomore is explosive in the open court and plays with tremendous burst. He also logged an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 16:1 last season in games where he logged 15 minutes or more. The Bruins need Andrews to play like an all-conference caliber performer.
Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern: Barnhizer averaged 11.2 points last season in games where he logged 25 minutes or more and was quietly an integral part of the Wildcats’ second NCAA Tournament berth in program history. Expect him to be a part of a four-guard lineup at times this season in Evanston.
Ryan Dunn, Virginia: The 6-8 Dunn oozes all sorts of potential despite only putting up marginal numbers — averages of 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds — last season as a freshman. Don’t be shocked if he doubles or triples those averages as a sophomore — he’s that talented.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: If Kaufman-Renn didn’t play the same position as Zach Edey, he’d regularly be talked about as one of the top interior players in the Big Ten. The 6-9 big man averaged 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in just 11.4 minutes last season and is simply too talented to not have a bigger role for Purdue. Kaufman-Renn averaged 18 points and 8.8 rebounds during the Boilers’ foreign tour this summer when Edey was out of the lineup.
Tarris Reed, Michigan: Hunter Dickinson’s decision to transfer to Kansas means that Reed is in position to be the Wolverines’ starting center. Expect him to take full advantage. The 6-10, 265 pound Reed averaged eight rebounds last season in games where he logged 20 minutes or more.
Roddy Gayle Jr., Ohio State: Gayle averaged 17.5 points during the Buckeyes’ final two games in the Big Ten Tournament and was one of the primary reasons why Ohio State flirted with a run towards an automatic berth to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. He should now be a primary piece for the Buckeyes as a sophomore after averaging 4.6 points as a freshman.
Terrance Arceneaux, Houston: A former four-star prospect, the 6-7 Arceneaux only averaged 13.9 minutes last season as a freshman because he was playing behind Marcus Sasser, Jamal Shead, and Tramon Mark, who transferred to Arkansas. Expect his role to increase significantly as a sophomore.
Emanuel Sharp, Houston: The 6-3 Sharp averaged 8.3 points in three NCAA Tournament games last spring as a freshman and then averaged 14.5 points this summer during a foreign tour to Australia. He’ll be a major part of the Cougars’ perimeter in 2023-24.
Derek Simpson, Rutgers: Simpson is the “heir apparent” on the perimeter in Piscataway after the Scarlet Knights lost Caleb McConnell to graduation and both Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer to the transfer portal. Bouncy, quick, and confident, this New Jersey native should have a major role for Rutgers as a sophomore after averaging 7.1 points a year ago as a freshman. The 6-3 Simpson averaged 15.5 points in four postseason games last spring.
Dylan Disu, Texas: Disu averaged 22.5 points and 10 rebounds during the Longhorns’ first two NCAA Tournament games last March before being sidelined with a foot injury. If he averages 75 percent of those numbers, he’ll be a first-team All-Big 12 caliber performer.
Mark Armstrong, Villanova: A former top-100 recruit, Armstrong had a busy summer as he was a part of the USA team that participated in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Europe. Older, seasoned, and more mature, Armstrong should flourish as a sophomore for the Wildcats, who are significantly deeper than they were a season ago.
Riley Kugel, Florida: Kugel gave America a snippet of what he’s capable of when he averaged 17.3 points and shot 39.6 percent from three-point range during the Gators’ final 10 games of last season. Armed with good size at 6-5, Kugel is primed to become one of the top scorers in the SEC as a sophomore.
Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State: A reserve on last season’s team that lost in the national title game to UConn, LeDee should see his role grow exponentially after the Aztecs lost two starters up front in Keshad Johnson and Nathan Mensah. A year ago, the 6-9 LeDee averaged 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.1 minutes. It says here that he’ll average at least a double-double in 2023-24.
Kylan Boswell, Arizona: Kerr Kriisa’s decision to transfer to West Virginia instantly put Boswell in position to take over as the Wildcats’ starting point guard. The broad shouldered floor general averaged 4.6 points in 15.2 minutes last season as a freshman, but now steps into a pronounced role where he’s set to emerge.
Kobe Johnson, USC: With Jaylen Clark no longer at UCLA, Johnson is in line to become the best perimeter defender in the Pac-12. He can also play offense. Many people are only highlighting Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis when they discuss USC’s perimeter, but the 6-6 Johnson also possesses all-conference caliber ability.
Rylan Griffen, Alabama: Blessed with a premier basketball body, the 6-6 Griffen possesses all of the necessary the physical attributes to be a star. He averaged 11.3 points last season in games where he logged 20 minutes or more.
Tobe Awaka, Tennessee: Awaka only logged a single minute in the Vols’ Sweet 16 loss to Florida Atlantic last March, but may wind up being one of Tennessee’s most indispensable frontcourt pieces during the upcoming season. A 6-8 power forward, Awaka excelled for Team USA during the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary this summer and on the Vols’ foreign tour, where he averaged 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Desmond Claude, Xavier: Sean Miller lost three perimeter starters — Souley Boum, Adam Kunkel, and Colby Jones — from last season’s team that reached the Sweet 16, opening the door for Claude to become a bigger piece of the Musketeers’ puzzle. The 6-5 sophomore had positive moments last season as a freshman, including an 11-point performance in an NCAA Tournament win over Pitt. Xavier needs mileage out of this guy to remain in the mix at the top of the Big East.
Leftovers
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