Ranking the Best Juniors in College Basketball in 2015-16
Juniors are an odd breed in college basketball. Because they did not turn pro after their first or second collegiate seasons, they sometimes are viewed as inferior performers. At the same time, they have not received the praise seniors get for staying in school and playing out their college eligibility.
However, a number of juniors are playing prominent roles in determining how the 2015-16 season plays out.
It's too early to draw sweeping conclusions about this season's batch of juniors. But based on past accomplishments and production through the five weeks of this season, we ranked the nation's top 20 juniors. We hedged a bit by having a tie for the final spot, giving us a total of 21 players. We still could not find room for several quality juniors, such as Xavier's Jalen Reynolds and Rhode Island's Hassan Martin.
A player's contribution to his team's success was the overriding factor in determining the rankings, with statistics, performances in key games and the team's prosperity being the most important components.
Players' pro potential was also given some, albeit lesser, consideration, with the evaluations of NBADraft.net and DraftExpress used as the chief indicators of players' NBA stock.
20. (tie) Jordan Price, La Salle
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2015-16 statistics of note: 24.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists
La Salle guard Jordan Price has two things working against him. His team has lost its last three games to slip to 4-4, and he had a mediocre game against the only quality team the Explorers faced this season.
Against No. 9 Villanova, Price scored 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting while recording four assists, one rebound and four turnovers. Nine of his points came in the final 18 minutes, after the Wildcats had built a 19-point lead on their way to a 76-47 thrashing of La Salle.
However, if you can dismiss that game for a moment and just look at his numbers, Price looks like a star. He ranks fourth in the nation in scoring, and even with his poor shooting night against Villanova, Price has made 50.8 percent of his field-goal attempts and 47.5 percent of his three-point shots.
“He deserves credit for being in the shape he is and being the better overall player he is," La Salle coach John Giannini said, according to Metro. "But the scoring thing…I think he’s [been doing] that since coming out of the hospital after being born.”
Price may drop off the radar when conference play begins because the Explorers were picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic 10. Their results so far seem to validate that projection.
A member of the Atlantic 10 preseason all-conference team, Price can only do so much. Price had his best game of the season against Hofstra, scoring 37 points while making 7 of 13 three-pointers, collecting seven rebounds and four assists and playing all 40 minutes. La Salle still lost by four.
20. (tie) Marcus Lee, Kentucky
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2015-16 statistics of note: 8.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 blocks
A glance at Marcus Lee's statistics makes you wonder why he was included in this group at all. But three factors need to be considered.
First, Kentucky players, especially its big men, seldom produce impressive numbers under head coach John Calipari. Willie Cauley-Stein, whose 8.9 points and 6.9 rebounds last season are similar to Lee's current stats, was a first-team Associated Press All-American. Karl-Anthony Townes, who averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 boards, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
Second, the pros seem to like the potential of the 6'9" Lee, who pulls off some awe-inspiring athletic feat nearly every game. Although he does not have much of an offensive game, NBADraft.net projects him as a second-round pick in the 2016 draft.
Third, and perhaps most significantly, the one game in which Lee was not a factor was the one game Kentucky lost. Lee played just the first four minutes against UCLA before a head injury sidelined him for the rest of the contest. The Bruins' big men dominated that game, with Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh combining for 32 points on 10-of-13 shooting in UCLA's 10-point victory. Lee, who had five blocks in each of the two games since that loss, presumably would have made a difference.
19. Devin Williams, West Virginia
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2015-16 statistics of note: 17.0 points, 60.4 field-goal percentage, 9.8 rebounds
Devin Williams' numbers while playing for a team ranked No. 20 in the country suggest he should be placed considerably higher on this list. His significant statistical improvement over last season should count for something too.
However, he was downgraded based on his mediocre performance in the Mountaineers' only game against a high-quality opponent. In its game in New York against a Virginia team that is ranked No. 8 this week, Williams had just 10 points and three rebounds with five turnovers before fouling out in a 16-point loss.
While that game cannot be ignored, Williams does deserve credit for collecting 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 12 boards in an eight-point win over Richmond, possibly the second-best opponent on what has been a relatively soft nonconference schedule so far for West Virginia.
“He was just great, scoring for us," Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins told the Associated Press (h/t Charleston Gazette-Mail) of Williams' effort against Richmond. "And when we missed, he was rebounding. He was terrific.”
If the physical, 6'9" Williams can come close to maintaining his numbers through a Big 12 schedule, praise for Williams will increase.
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18. Troy Williams, Indiana
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2015-16 statistics of note: 13.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks
Indiana was hoping for a bigger jump in production than it is getting from athletic, versatile 6'7" Troy Williams, but he is still a major component of the Hoosiers' Big Ten hopes.
His scoring average so far this season is identical to his average last season, and his rebounding has gone down slightly. However, his numbers seem to be increasing as conference play approaches as he has averaged 15.3 points over his past four games.
CBSSports.com named Williams its national player of the week for the latter two games in that span, one of which was a 15-point, 19-rebound, five-block effort against overmatched IPFW. Indiana coach Tom Crean provided the apt metaphor for Williams' do-it-all performance in that game, telling the Indianapolis Star, “The way Troy played, that’s the Swiss Army knife. The guy that can do all those different things, and do them at a pretty high level.”
Williams scored 17 points against Duke, easily the best team Indiana has faced this season. However, that output is mitigated by the fact that he had just three rebounds while nine of his points came in the final five minutes, after the Blue Devils had built a 24-point lead.
The pros are keeping an eye on Williams, and it's unclear what they think of him at the moment. DraftExpress has him slotted as the first pick of the second round in the 2016 NBA draft, while NBADraft.net ranks him as only the No. 82 prospect.
17. Robert Carter, Maryland
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2015-16 statistics of note: 12.5 points, 61.3 field-goal percentage, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks
Forward Robert Carter is the No. 2 scorer and leading rebounder on a Maryland team ranked No. 6 in the country. The Georgia Tech transfer is putting up those impressive numbers while averaging just 24.2 minutes, which rank fourth on the team.
Carter had solid, if unspectacular, performances in the Terps' two games against quality opponents. He collected 11 points, five rebounds and four blocks in the eight-point road loss to North Carolina and contributed eight points and 11 rebounds in Maryland's 10-point victory over Connecticut.
Coach Mark Turgeon knew he was getting a proven inside player after the 6'9" Carter averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds for Georgia Tech two years ago. That is why he worked so hard to get Carter after he got his release from the Yellow Jackets' program.
"He was a guy I felt I had to have, had to get. So I put a lot into it," Turgeon told the Washington Post after Carter signed with Maryland in June 2014.
16. Tim Quarterman, LSU
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2015-16 statistics of note: 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists
Tim Quarterman's accomplishments get lost amid the hoopla over freshman star Ben Simmons, and if LSU does not snap out of its early-season funk, Quarterman may sink deeper into oblivion.
Over the past five games, Quarterman averaged 20 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and just 1.6 turnovers. But because the Tigers lost four of those games, he gets little credit. He had his best game of the season on Dec. 13 against Houston, with 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but it merely led to another loss that dropped LSU's record to 4-4. This was not what was expected from a team that was ranked No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press poll.
The pros continue to keep tabs on him, and DraftExpress projects that Quarterman will be taken early in the second round of the 2016 NBA draft, ahead of Marcus Paige, Buddy Hield and Kyle Wiltjer, among others.
Quarterman's steady improvement is what has NBA folks interested in the 6'6" guard. He made a big jump between his freshman and sophomore years, raising his scoring average from 2.5 to 11.5 points and lifting it further this season. In addition, his three-point shooting percentage improved from 20.8 percent as a freshman to 38.5 percent this season.
15. Bryce Alford, UCLA
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2015-16 statistics of note: 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists
Praise comes grudgingly to Bryce Alford, probably because he is the coach's son.
An October CBSSports.com story on the 15 least appreciated players included Alford, with this assessment: "If Alford didn't have the same last night name as his head coach, he'd be regularly praised for his talent. Instead he's been unfairly used as a lightning rod for criticism. That's comical."
When the Bruins got blown out by Kansas and lost a three-point game to Wake Forest on consecutive days, they seemed dead in the water with a 3-3 record. But they have since won five straight, including a convincing victory over then-No. 1 Kentucky and a road victory over Gonzaga.
Alford leads UCLA in both scoring and assists and is third in rebounding, and he has developed a knack for making a key play at a critical moment.
He is “really understanding the time we need for him to make a big shot,” Bruins coach Steve Alford told the Los Angeles Times after an 89-80 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 15.
Bryce Alford's production has increased recently, one of the reasons UCLA, which was unranked in preseason, is up to No. 22 in the Associated Press poll. Over the past four games, which include the wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga, he averaged 19.8 points while hitting 50 percent of his three-pointers (12 of 24) and dishing out 5.0 assists.
His six turnovers against Louisiana-Lafayette were unsightly, but he countered that with a season-high 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists to make up for the absence of center Thomas Welsh, who was sidelined with an illness.
14. DeAndre Bembry, St. Joseph's
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2015-16 statistics of note: 15.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists
DeAndre Bembry's scoring is down a little from last season, and he has been in a bit of a shooting slump, hitting just five of 33 three-point shots (15.2 percent) this season. But there is a reason DraftExpress projects that Bembry will be taken early in the second round of the 2016 NBA draft.
The 6'6" Bembry is a do-it-all forward, and he has been putting his personal stamp on games lately. In the Dec. 8 victory over Princeton, Bembry had 27 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals. In the next game, five days later, he collected 17 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in an overtime victory over Temple that gave the Hawks a 7-2 record.
While acknowledging that Bembry would be the best player in the Atlantic 10 this season, an anonymous conference coach gave College Basketball Talk this rundown of the St. Joe's star in October:
"When people use the phrase, ‘He does everything,’ it’s usually exaggerated. It’s not exaggerated in his case. He’s outstanding at just about every area of basketball. He can rebound, he can defend, he can pass, he obviously can score, he can make threes, he can finish. … I really think he’s a great NBA prospect.
"
13. Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina
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2015-16 statistics of note: 12.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks
We will get a better idea of Kennedy Meeks' value to North Carolina over the next several days because he is expected to miss at least two weeks because of a bone bruise suffered in the Dec. 12 loss to Texas.
It is unclear when Meeks suffered the injury, but he did not play the final 6:26 of the contest and finished with a season-low four points.
Before that, the 6'10" Meeks had been playing well. He had slimmed down while getting stronger during the offseason. He weighed in at 260 pounds this season, 57 pounds lighter than his freshman weight and down 10 pounds from last season, according to the Charlotte Observer.
The physical changes seem to be paying off. He opened the season with a bang, collecting 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks, all in just 28 minutes of court time, in a lopsided victory over Temple.
He has made 59.5 percent of his shots from the field, up a bit from last season, but his most significant improvement has come at the foul line. Meeks was just a 58.6 percent foul shooter as a freshman, but that is up to 70.8 percent this season.
Coach Roy Williams continues to push Meeks and senior Brice Johnson, because he knows how important his two big men are to the Tar Heels' success.
12. Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin
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2015-16 statistics of note: 15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists
With 2015 national player of the year Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker off to the NBA, forward Nigel Hayes was expected to emerge as a star for a Wisconsin team ranked No. 17 in the preseason Associated Press poll.
Hayes has carried his share of the load, leading the team in scoring, rebounding and assists this season. But Hayes' status has dipped a bit because the Badgers have struggled. The Badgers' season-opening loss to Western Illinois took them off the top-25 radar, and they are just 7-5 at this point with no good wins. Three of the losses have come by two points or fewer.
Nonetheless, Hayes has had some big games, scoring 32 points in a one-point loss to Milwaukee that completed an impressive four-game run for the 6'8" Hayes. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against Oklahoma, 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists against Syracuse and 18 points, 12 rebounds and three assists against Temple. The fact that the Badgers won two of those three games shows how much the Badgers depend on Hayes' production.
The one glaring negative, however, has been Hayes' shooting percentage. After making 51 percent of his shots as a freshman and 47.9 percent as a sophomore, Hayes is making just 35.9 percent of his shots this season. Hayes' 39.6 percent three-point shooting last season made opponents respect his perimeter offense and added a dimension to his game. His 29.5 percent shooting from long range this season does not provide the same outside threat.
Despite his big-time production against Oklahoma, Syracuse and Temple, Hayes was a combined 16-of-48 (33.3 percent) from the floor in those games, and he was 4-of-18 in the Dec. 12 win over Marquette. He has made more than half his shots in only one of his 12 games, and that was in a blowout of Siena when he played just 21 minutes.
DraftExpress still projects Hayes to be a late first-round pick in the 2016 NBA draft, but that may change if his shooting percentage continues to drop.
11. Jack Gibbs, Davidson
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2015-16 statistics of note: 25.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists
Jack Gibbs missed seven games last season with a knee injury, but he was still a key component of Davidson's surprising run to the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. This season, he is more than a mere component; he is the team's undeniable star.
Gibbs, a 6'0" point guard, is second in the nation in scoring at 25.2 points per game, and he has scored 35 points or more three times in his seven games this season. His signature game came against Charlotte on Dec. 1 with former Davidson star Steph Curry in the stands. Granted, Charlotte is not very good this season, but what Gibbs did that night would be impressive if it had been against a high school team. Gibbs made his first 14 shots from the floor and went 6-of-7 on three-pointers while scoring a career-high 41 points. He did it in just 29 minutes, recording his final points with 6:36 remaining.
Don't get the idea that Gibbs is a wild volume shooter. His 54 percent shooting from the field this season is outstanding for a guard.
Gibbs' lone poor performance came against North Carolina, the only ranked team Davidson has faced and the only team that has beaten the Wildcats this season. Gibbs finished with a respectable 19 points, but he was 2-of-11 from the field in the first half, which ended with the Tar Heels holding an insurmountable 23-point lead.
“When Jack plays within the system, the system and he will be a great marriage,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop told the Charlotte Observer after Gibbs scored 37 points against Eastern Washington on Dec. 9. “He’s got extraordinary ability; he’s crafty, has a great feel for the game, with great wrists and long arms.”
By the way, Gibbs led the Atlantic 10 in assists per game last season.
10. Isaiah Taylor, Texas
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2015-16 statistics of note: 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists
The only junior on the preseason All-Big 12 team that featured four seniors, Isaiah Taylor leads Texas in scoring and assists. He showed his worth by collecting 18 points and five assists in just 26 minutes in the upset of North Carolina.
Reduced playing time is going to be typical in Shaka Smart's system. After averaging 30.1 minutes as a freshman and 31.5 minutes as a sophomore under Rick Barnes, Taylor is playing just 27.0 minutes this season. Taylor still leads the team in playing time by a significant amount, but his numbers may suffer a bit as a result.
Despite his reduced court time, Taylor has increased his scoring and assist averages slightly over last season. Point guards have flourished under Smart's guidance, and Taylor figures to benefit as well.
Taylor is a good passer who has the ability to penetrate. His shortcoming has always been his outside shot. He shot less than 29 percent on three-point attempts in each of his first two seasons and is hitting just 29.4 percent from long range this season. However, he made two of his four three-point attempts against the Tar Heels, including a big trey to tie the score at 74-74 with 3:49 left. He scored seven points in the final four minutes of that game, with his first two baskets in that stretch tying the game and the third putting the Longhorns ahead.
Consistency is an issue for Taylor, who had two points against Samford and six points on 1-of-7 shooting against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. He typically is more productive against more talented opposition, including his 18-point, eight-assist, one-turnover game in the six-point victory over Michigan.
Taylor seriously considered turning pro after last season but decided to stay and is projected as a second-round pick in the 2016 NBA draft by DraftExpress.
9. Kahlil Felder, Oakland
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2015-16 statistics of note: 24.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.9 assists
A lot of people have never heard of Kahlil Felder. That's because he plays for a school in the Horizon League that has not played a ranked team this season, let alone beaten one. However, Felder leads the nation in assists and is fifth in scoring, and that provides him with a prominent place on our list even though Oakland will never be considered a basketball juggernaut.
The Golden Grizzlies are 6-3, and the chief reason they were picked to finish second in the 10-team Horizon League in a preseason poll is the presence of the explosive, 5'9" Felder, the preseason conference player of the year.
Felder has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, and he poured in 34 in Oakland's most recent game, a Dec. 12 road victory over Toledo.
“Kahlil Felder’s the best mid-major point guard in the country,” Toledo coach Todd Kowalczyk told the Toledo Blade afterward.
Felder's overall shooting percentage is up to 44.2 percent this season, and he is hitting 40 percent of his three-pointers. His turnover rate is higher than he would like, but it's not too surprising for someone who handles the ball as much as Felder does.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had an interesting assessment of Felder with his tweet in October: "Kahlil Felder should play in the NBA... Hopefully the league is now to the point where they will look at his game rather than his height!!!."
8. Justin Robinson, Monmouth
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2015-16 statistics of note: 20.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 steals
Monmouth has wins over UCLA, Notre Dame and Georgetown this season, and a major reason this New Jersey school from the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference is causing a stir is the presence of 5'8" guard Justin Robinson.
Robinson is hitting 43.1 percent of his three-point shots, so you know he can hit from long range. However, Robinson's strength is his ability to beat defenders off the dribble and get into the lane, where he often draws fouls. And you don't want to get Robinson to the foul line because he has made 93.2 percent of them (55 of 59).
Notre Dame discovered how counterproductive it is to foul Robinson when he made two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to give the Hawks a two-point victory over the then-No. 17 Irish. That completed a 22-point, four-assist, three-rebound, two-steal, one-turnover game for Robinson.
That was enough to convince Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, who offered this appraisal of Robinson to USA Today:
"He’s the real thing. He’s a really skilled guy, really hard to deal with off the dribble and he has the ability to rock you back and make the shot. Then, the perfect storm part of it is the new rules. I mean that as a compliment. He has that real innate ability to get in there and draw contact. All you’ve got to do now is draw a little bit of contact, and it’s automatic.
His whole team builds confidence off him. I’m very, very impressed with him and his team. They’re for real.
"
Robinson had just 16 points in the season-opening upset at UCLA, but Robinson disrupted most everything the Bruins did by recording six steals. Robinson was the driving force behind that comeback from a 13-point, second-half deficit at Pauley Pavilion.
Robinson nearly did it again against Dayton, when he scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half to help the Hawks overcome most of a 16-point, second-half deficit, only to lose by three when Micah Seaborn missed a potential game-tying three-pointer with three seconds remaining.
Robinson's best game may have come on Nov. 29 against USC, a team that had beaten the Hawks two weeks earlier. Robinson did not score in the first 14 minutes of the rematch, and the Trojans held a two-point lead at that point. Robinson then scored 10 points in a two-minute span to put Monmouth ahead to stay. When USC reduced a 14-point, second-half deficit to five with five minutes left, Robinson nailed a three-pointer. When USC got as close as three with 1:22 remaining, Robinson made another three-pointer. He finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and one turnover.
7. Frank Mason III, Kansas
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2015-16 statistics of note: 14.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists
Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis score more points that Frank Mason III, but you would have a hard time convincing folks who watch No. 2-ranked Kansas regularly that Mason is not the team's most important player. You will note that Mason averages more court time than either of his high-scoring teammates, indicating that Bill Self knows he needs Mason on the floor.
Mason does not play like a 5'11" player, grabbing more than four rebounds a game and having the ability to drive past bigger opponents to score at the rim. In addition, he is an accurate shooter, having made 43.5 percent of his three-point shots. In his last three games he has hit 17 of 25 shots overall (68 percent) and 4-of 6-three-point attempts.
FoxSports.com called Mason "the motor of Kansas' machine."
His consistency is what sets Mason apart. He has not scored more than 21 points in any game this season but has scored in double figures in all of them. Perhaps more significant is the fact that Mason has had more than two turnovers only once this season, and that was when he had three turnovers during a 21-point, five-assist, four-steal performance against Harvard. Mason scored eight of his points in the final five minutes of that surprisingly close 75-69 victory over the Crimson.
Kansas' two best wins of the season came on consecutive nights against UCLA and Vanderbilt, and Mason had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and one turnover in those two games combined.
6. Damian Jones, Vanderbilt
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2015-16 statistics of note: 12.9 points, 6.9 points, 1.9 blocks
Damian Jones, a 7'0" center, is one of those players who might be better as a pro than as a college player.
His length and athleticism lead both NBADraft.com and DraftExpress to project that Jones would be a lottery pick in the 2016 NBA draft if he chooses to turn pro. And apparently he will turn pro since he told the Tennessean in October that this will be his final college season.
However, his college numbers tell a slightly less encouraging story. His scoring average has dipped by more than two points per game from last season, and he is not blocking quite as many shots either.
His main problem has been fouls, which twice have limited him to fewer than 17 minutes in games this season.
Nonetheless, he demonstrated the talent that makes him a prime pro prospect in back-to-back games against Wake Forest and Kansas in Maui. On Dec. 24, he had 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a 22-point victory over a pretty good Wake Forest squad. The next day, Jones had 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a seven-point loss to the Jayhawks.
5. Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas
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2015-16 statistics of note: 16.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists
Wayne Selden is finally playing at the level that was expected when he came out of high school. He averaged fewer than 10 points a game in his freshman and sophomore seasons, and 11 of the 12 players ranked ahead of him in the 2013 recruiting class by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index have already turned pro.
However, Selden's move from shooting guard to small forward this season apparently has made a world of difference. Coach Bill Self moved the 6'5" Selden to the wing spot in large part to get guard Devonte’ Graham into the starting lineup alongside Frank Mason III. The small forward position had been occupied by one-and-done players Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins the past two seasons, but it opened up for Selden this season.
Self outlined the motivation for the move in an October story in the Wichita Eagle:
"If you really studied our team, the last two years, we were very, very big on the wing. And that was great in some ways, but we lost a lot of playmaking playing that way. I think (starting Selden at small forward) gives us more playmaking. I think it gives us more speed, and we’ll create more easy baskets for our big guys because we’ll have better passers in the game.
"
It has played out nicely for the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks. Not only has Selden's scoring increased appreciably to a team-leading 16.6 points per game, but he is hitting 57.5 percent of his shots overall and 60 percent of his three-point attempts. The latter ranks fifth in the country among players who have enough attempts to qualify, according to the NCAA.com statistics.
Selden gave an indication of his improvement during the World University Games in South Korea over the summer, then backed it up with a 25-point effort in the victory over then-No. 19 Vanderbilt in Maui on Nov. 25.
4. Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame
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2015-16 statistics of note: 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists
Demetrius Jackson has raised his scoring average more than five points from last season. He has taken more shots to do it, but the significant factor is that his percentage has not gone down. In fact, his overall shooting percentage is up to 55.2 percent while making 42.9 percent of his three-pointers, the latter matching last season's rate.
With Jerian Grant now in the NBA, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey turned to Jackson to be the team's driving force this season.
"Now, as a junior, he should be in position to make it his team," Brey told CBSSports.com in September.
A month later Brey confirmed that Jackson had become the team leader.
“No question,” Brey said, per NDInsider.com. “It’s his voice. He loves it. He welcomes it. I’m thrilled that he’s so confident in that position.”
The annual progression by the 6'1" Jackson has been steady, from averages of 6.0 points and 1.8 assists as a freshman, to 12.4 points and 3.1 assists as a sophomore to 17.8 points and 5.0 assists so far this season.
In Notre Dame's best win, a neutral-court victory over Iowa, Jackson was limited to 30 minutes of playing time because of foul trouble. But the Irish took control when Jackson re-entered the game with less than four minutes left and the Irish holding a one-point lead. The margin quickly grew to eight and Notre Dame coasted home.
Both NBAdraft.net and DraftExpress project the explosive Jackson to be a mid-first-round pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
3. Anthony "Cat" Barber, North Carolina State
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2015-16 statistics of note: 21.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists
It's scary to think where North Carolina State would be without guard Cat Barber. Not only is he scoring more than 21 points a game, but he is the Wolfpack's top assists man and their No. 3 rebounder. The fact that he averages 38.0 minutes per game and has played 40 or more four times this season, tells you how much coach Mike Gottfried needs him on the floor.
Barber is not a great shooter, as his 4-of-19 shooting on three-point shots can attest. But he creates offense with his aggressiveness and quickness off the dribble. He had a season-high 37 points against Winthrop, but his best game came in the Wolfpack's best win, an overtime victory over then-No. 22 LSU, when Barber had 20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and one turnover. Gottfried described the performance as "phenomenal" in an Associated Press story.
Barber produced another clutch performance on Wednesday against a High Point team that provided a bigger challenge than expected. Not only did he have 26 points, five rebounds, six assists and no turnovers while playing all 40 minutes, but he hit three three-pointers, including the game-winner at the buzzer in a 76-73 victory.
"He's like the iron man," Gottfried said in the Associated Press account of that game. "He just never gets tired, he just keeps playing and still makes a big play there at the end of the game."
With Trevor Lacey, last season's leading scorer, now gone, Barber is looking for his shot more often, causing his scoring and status to rise.
2. Monte Morris, Iowa State
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2015-16 statistics of note: 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists
The fact that Monte Morris took, and made, the game-winning shot with nine seconds left in the one-point win over Iowa may be all you need to know about Morris' importance to No. 5-ranked Iowa State.
"That's 'Big Game Tay,'" Cyclones forward Jameel McKay said, noting Morris' nickname, in the Associated Press account of the game. "We all wanted him to take the shot. As long as he was taking it, it was going in. He's that confident of a dude."
Iowa is the best team Iowa State has faced this season, and Morris finished that game with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and 12 rebounds,
However, a closer look at the numbers gives you a better indication of his value. Although Georges Niang, a preseason Associated Press All-American, is the team's presumed star, Morris averages three minutes more playing time per game than Niang. Furthermore, Morris is fifth in the nation in assists per game, and his 53.4 percent shooting is outstanding for a point guard.
Last season, ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg called Morris the nation's best point guard, and Morris has been even more productive this season.
Greenberg shared his thoughts on Morris to the Ames Tribune last January:
"He’s got a great understanding of how to play the game ... What do defenses try to do to the offense? They try to take them out, they try to make them play faster than they want to play, and you can’t do that to Monte Morris. He’s going to play at the pace that coach wants. He’s going to get them organized and in a set and they’re going to flow into what they do, which is really hard. But he does it seamlessly.
"
1. Kris Dunn, Providence
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2015-16 statistics of note: 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 3.4 steals
Although ranking players two through 10 on this list was a challenge, selecting the top player was not. Providence point guard Kris Dunn stands alone as the No. 1 junior in the country. He might even be the best player, period.
A preseason Associated Press first-team All-American, Dunn is the chief reason Providence has risen from an unranked team in preseason to its current perch at No. 14. Nothing measures a point guard's value better than his team's success. The Friars are 10-1, including a victory over Arizona, with the only loss coming against current No. 1 Michigan State
A Dec. 14 NCAA.com article rated him as the No. 3 player in the race for the Naismith Trophy as the best college player in the country. It flatly said the 6'4" Dunn is the nation's best point guard. While that latter statement can be debated, there is no debate about his impressive numbers. They show that he does it all, from scoring to rebounding to playmaking to defense.
He had a triple-double against Hartford and came within one rebound of a second triple-double against New Jersey Institute of Technology. More important are his numbers against quality opponents. Dunn had 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with eight assists and one turnover in the victory over Arizona and had 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists in the loss to Michigan State. The one shortcoming this season has been his three-point shooting, hitting just 23.1 percent from long range. That is likely improve.
It has not been an easy road for Dunn, who missed most of his freshman season with injuries. But now he is a prime pro prospect. Both NBADraft.net and DraftExpress currently project that he will be the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.
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