The 2025-26 season is right around the corner, culminating the end of a long wait since the last meaningful college basketball game. The wait has been longer for some than others, though. As is the case every year, injuries can derail seasons before they even begin and set players back a year in their careers. For such players who were forced to redshirt due to preseason injuries or had their years cut short in the opening week, the approaching opening tip of this season cannot come soon enough.
The “Unlucky 13” dives into some of the key players who were kept from action last season but are ready to play potentially sizable roles for their teams. Some will be donning the same jersey as last time we saw them, such as Nebraska’s Rienk Mast and Marquette’s Sean Jones. In contrast, others like Louisville’s Aly Khalifa and Butler’s Jamie Kaiser transferred before last season but have yet to take the floor in their new colors.
Either way, all are surely hungry to retake the floor and help their teams win. (Statistics via KenPom, SR-CBB, CBB Analytics, EvanMiya, and Hoop-Explorer unless noted otherwise.)
Rienk Mast, Nebraska
A Third Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24 before missing last season with a knee injury, Rienk Mast is an obvious inclusion in this article. The 6-10 big man is entering his fifth full college season after starting his career at Bradley, and is a flat-out producer. Not only did he average 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game for Nebraska two years ago, but he did so on an NCAA Tournament team.
Fred Hoiberg loves using his bigs as playmakers, and Mast fits like a glove; he led the ‘23-24 Huskers in assists, and could resume that role this season. Mast assisted on 1.2 3-pointers per game (94th percentile among forwards), and while he won’t have Keisei Tominaga or Brice Williams to dish to this time around, Nebrasketball isn’t short on shooters, either. Pryce Sandfort and Connor Essegian are plenty accurate.
Mast didn’t hesitate to return to elite form in Nebraska’s first preseason game, either. Take it with as many grains of exhibition salt as you’d like, but Mast put up 31 points (11-for-15 FG, 7-for-8 3P), five rebounds, and three assists against preseason No. 8 BYU. He can score inside and out, distribute, and helped Nebraska finish 14th in 2-point percentage defense in ‘23-24. Mast is at the center of the Cornhuskers’ hopes to reach the Big Dance.
Sean Jones, Marquette
One of the fastest ball-handlers in the country when healthy, Sean Jones missed all of last season recovering from an ACL injury that derailed his sophomore campaign. Rewinding, the 5-10 lead guard had been averaging 5.8 points and 2.0 assists per game while coming off the bench to spell Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek before the injury. With Kolek, Kam Jones, and Stevie Mitchell now having departed, a healthy Jones appears poised to platoon with freshman Nigel James in Marquette’s point guard rotation.
Jones did not grade out well as a sophomore — 9th of 10 Marquette rotation players in BPR, -9.4 adjusted on-off net rating — but he showed flashes, and Marquette is an elite developmental program. With the Golden Eagles only bringing back one double-digit scorer from last season (Chase Ross), Jones not only has the trust of the coaching staff but the opportunities ahead to thrive — and they’ll need him to.
Jones was cleared last December but elected to redshirt the campaign, so he has had plenty of practice under his belt to prepare for a role increase. From a playing style standpoint, Jones can be a tone-setter on both ends for the Golden Eagles; he is a high-energy defender who plays out to 94 feet and puts pressure on the rim offensively with his quickness and physicality. Jones ranked in the 91st percentile among guards for FGA% within 4.5 feet in 2023-24, converting on 60% of those attempts.
Steele Venters, Gonzaga
Steele Venters committed to Gonzaga out of the transfer portal all the way back in 2023 when he was fresh off winning Big Sky Player of the Year at Eastern Washington. He is yet to take the court for the Bulldogs, though, as a torn ACL kept him out of the 2023-24 season, and an Achilles tear ended his 2024-25 campaign. Finally healthy again, Venters can supply wing shot-making.
To refresh memories, Venters averaged 16.0 points per game over his last two seasons at Eastern Washington while splashing 164 of 408 (40.2%) 3-point attempts. Gonzaga is not typically a high-volume shooting team, but it has featured at least one player who has made >60 3s at >40% efficiency in six straight seasons. Venters can be the heir while helping the Bulldogs recover from posting their worst 3-point percentage under Mark Few last year.
Gonzaga has ranked in the 96th percentile or better in rim efficiency for five straight years. If his shot chart at EWU in 2022-23 is any indication, Venters fills the gaps:
Reese Dixon-Waters, San Diego State
San Diego State’s status as an elite defensive program sets an enormously high floor year after year for head coach Brian Dutcher. The lingering questions entering seemingly every year are thus on the offensive end, and this season is no different. Miles Byrd is a returning double-digit scorer, but the Aztecs need more around him. A healthy and consistently producing Reese Dixon-Waters would go a long way; he averaged 9+ points in back-to-back seasons at USC and SDSU before missing last season.
Dixon-Waters is off to a strong start with a 19-point performance in SDSU's exhibition loss to UCLA, but sustaining it will be key. He averaged 14.3 points per game on 45.1% from three over the Aztecs' first 13 games in 2023-24 before dropping to only 7.0 per game on 27.7% from three over the final 24 games.
When he has the confidence to let it fly, good things happen. San Diego State went 9-1 when he attempted at least five 3-pointers as opposed to 17-10 otherwise.
Elmarko Jackson, Kansas
Even with five-star Darryn Peterson projected to star from Day 1, expectations are tempered for Kansas this season. The Jayhawks are still ranked in the preseason, but their No. 19 slot is the lowest since 2009. There are many paths to KU exceeding an uncommonly low bar, and one of them is a breakthrough campaign for Elmarko Jackson.
The former top-25 recruit played 18.6 minutes per game as a freshman in 2023-24 (starting 17 of 34 contests) but rated in just the 29th percentile for eFG% and 5th percentile for turnover rate. Given his freshman struggles and missing all of last season with a knee injury, Jackson is a significant unknown when it comes to projecting this year.
The pedigree doesn’t just disappear, though.
Now over a year removed from the injury, Bill Self’s offseason reports indicate that he remains as athletic as ever. Between Peterson’s star power and the athletic combo of Jackson and Melvin Council, Kansas could be very dangerous on the perimeter. Jackson reminding people why he was a McDonald’s All-American would answer many questions about Kansas’ ceiling this season, especially if his offense emerges.
Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue
Let’s rewind to the opening night of last season when Purdue faced Texas A&M Corpus Christi. In many ways, it was a sign of things to come: the Boilermakers won by double-digits, Braden Smith nearly dropped a triple-double, Daniel Jacobsen put up 13 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks while starting next to Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer hit three 3s. Wait, what was that in the middle?
It is hard to imagine forgetting a 7-4 big man, especially at Purdue, but that might be the case for Jacobsen, who broke his leg one minute into the second game of last season.
His return also might be just what the doctor ordered for Purdue, even amidst a frontcourt that brings back TKR and brings in Oscar Cluff. The Boilermakers ranked just 358th nationally in block rate and 332nd in 2-point percentage allowed last season. Jacobsen, questionable offensive fit next to TKR/Cluff notwithstanding, fixes that with his incredible size and track record; he averaged 1.9 blocks per game in 14.0 minutes at the U19 World Cup this summer.
A play-finisher around the rim, he can also thrive as the recipient of dimes from Smith. Call it an embarrassment of riches that Purdue can likely bring Jacobsen off the bench before unleashing him into a more pronounced role in 2025-26.
Jamie Kaiser, Butler
A former top 100 recruit with a shooter’s reputation, Jamie Kaiser put together low counting numbers (4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and even worse efficiency numbers (26.9% FG, 26.5% 3P) as a freshman at Maryland in 2023-24. Despite the poor shooting, though, Kaiser logged 19.5 minutes per game thanks to his defensive contributions:
When Butler added him in the 2024 transfer cycle, it hoped to rediscover his offense in a bench role behind Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks, and Patrick McCaffery. An ankle injury ruined those plans and kept Kaiser out for the entire season. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, though, as Kaiser has now had a year in the Butler system and is poised to fill an even bigger role following the departure of the aforementioned trio of then-seniors.
The 6-6 wing is set to start as a linchpin two-way connective piece, and while he won't be Butler's best player, how he performs could dictate a lot in Indy. With Butler’s lineup around him likely to feature two low-volume or non-shooters entirely in Jalen Jackson and Drayton Jones, the need for Kaiser to hit 3s is more important than ever. Offseason reports are strong, though, including hitting 3-of-4 in a preseason exhibition against Notre Dame.
Kobe Rodgers and Aly Khalifa, Louisville
Perhaps neither Kobe Rodgers nor Aly Khalifa will start for Louisville this season, but their healthy returns after missing 2024-25 supply some much-needed depth and insurance for the preseason No. 11 squad in the nation. Perhaps most notably, both are experienced, willing passers who should seamlessly fit into Pat Kelsey’s offense.
Rodgers is less proven at the high-major level, with his only Division I season coming under Kelsey at Charleston, but he improved throughout that campaign. He averaged 11.7 points (.524/.560/.806) and 2.8 assists over Charleston’s last 19 games and was playing better than just about any Cougar down the stretch of the campaign. He followed it up with a 14-point outing in an NCAA Tournament loss to Alabama before following Kelsey to Derby City.
Khalifa functioned as BYU’s elite playmaking big in 2023-24, ranking 34th nationally in assist rate despite his position. He is one of just three eligible players listed at 6-11 or taller to record an assist rate over 32% since 2008 — and the only to do so on a high-major team. With 97 career made 3-pointers on 35.3% accuracy, he can also space the floor for Kelsey, who has pushed 11 of his 13 teams to top 75 rankings in 3-point attempt rate.
Jadon Jones, Oklahoma
You can never have enough 3-and-D wings, and that’s precisely the archetype Jadon Jones can bring to Oklahoma when healthy. The lanky 6-5 guard missed last season due to a back injury, but before that had averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game on an NCAA Tournament team at Long Beach State. To quantify his 3-and-D impact, Jones was the first player since 2019 to shoot over 38% from three (>100 attempts) while recording steal and block rates of at least 3% in the same season.
Between Xzavier Brown, Nijel Pack, and Tae Davis, Oklahoma is not short on scorers this season. Jones can bring the defense and much-needed versatility to the wing.
Lassina Traore, Texas
How about another transfer from that 2023-24 Long Beach State team? While Jones held down the wing for the Beach, Traore averaged a double-double (11.9 ppg, 10.3 rpg) inside. He transferred to Xavier after the season, where he sat out with a knee injury, then followed head coach Sean Miller to Texas. With Matas Vokietaitis also in the big man rotation for the Longhorns, you’d be hard-pressed to find many better rebounding duos in the country:
Traore led the Big West in OR% and DR% in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Rebounding has always been a staple for Miller-coached teams, so it’s easy to see why he brought Traore with him to Austin. During Miller’s run of six straight NCAA Tournament appearances at Arizona (all as No. 6 seeds or better), his teams averaged ranking 47th in OR% and 21st in DR%. A return to elite control of the glass could be in the cards.
Dominic Parolin, Boise State
Boise State missed the NCAA Tournament last season despite 26 wins, snapping a streak of three consecutive appearances. To get back to the dance, the Broncos will rely on transfers Drew Fielder (Georgetown) and Dominic Parolin (Lehigh) at the center spot, the latter of whom medically redshirted in Boise last season. Now healthy, Parolin started Boise’s exhibition against Idaho and turned in seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
An offensively-minded big, Parolin averaged 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his final season at Lehigh in 2023-24. Most notably, he showcased extended range, shooting 26-for-79 (32.9%) from three after making three 3s combined over his first three seasons. Parolin also flashed that perimeter jumper in Boise's exhibition with a pair of trifectas.
Parolin ranked 226th nationally in individual defensive rebounding rate at Lehigh in 2023-24, and is joining a team that has finished top-60 in team DR% in 15 consecutive seasons.
Taison Chatman, Ohio State
Freshmen are difficult to project, and sometimes it takes a year or two for even highly-touted prospects to find their place. For Taison Chatman, an injury-riddled freshman season in 2023-24 followed by missing last season with an ACL tear shouldn’t disintegrate his pedigree as a former top-40 recruit out of high school. We haven’t really seen a fully healthy Chatman at the college level yet, so he has often gone overlooked.
One of Ohio State's primary concerns on paper heading into this season is a lack of proven backcourt depth behind Bruce Thornton and John Mobley. Chatman can alleviate those issues with a breakthrough season. With less pressure on him to succeed than as a freshman, a quiet breakout could be in the cards in a reserve role. The Buckeyes hope to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
