College Basketball Upperclassmen to Watch

College Basketball is dominated by the freshman. They claim all of the headlines before they set sail for the NBA, but it is difficult to win unless a team has upper classman who contribute. Here are five vets primed for breakout campaigns.

Tyus Battle, Syracuse. Jim Boeheim has given Battle the keys to the Cadillac. The Orange goes as he goes. I expect the 6’6” combo guard to average north of 20 points per game this season as he leads ‘Cuse to the big dance.

Ky Bowman, Boston College. Bowman is undersized, but he is one of my favorite players to watch at the college level. BC is typically at a severe talent disadvantage in the ACC, yet they are able to ride Bowman’s coattails to competency. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Bowman emerge as the potential Player of the Year in the conference.

De’Andre Hunter, Virginia. Had Hunter not gotten hurt last season, not only would Virginia have avoided being upset by UMBC, but they may have made the Final Four. Hunter is such a key component to what Tony Bennett does at Virginia. His versatility is his most notable attribute. Both offensively and defensively, Hunter is an amoeba and can transform his game to fit what it is that Tony Bennett needs.

Sagaba Konate, West Virginia. The Mountaineers big man swats everything in sight. I am not sure I have seen a more dominant shot blocker at any level of basketball than Konate. He is a tad undersized for the center position but that doesn’t prevent him from anchoring Bob Huggins defense.

Shamorie Ponds, St. Johns. Ponds is the best player in the country that no one knows about. If St. Johns can return to relevancy this year, it will be no surprise to see Ponds, a prolific scorer, grab some headlines and emerge as a likely first round pick in the coming NBA Draft.