Each passing week and month seems to further change the very fabric of college basketball, especially with recent advancements in NIL and the transfer portal. It’s not a surprise to hear that the sport looked very different both on and off the court even a decade ago, let alone back near the turn of the century.
Regardless of what’s different in this sport, the Big Ten has produced notable players and programs across its entire history. Long past are the days when there were actually ten teams in this league, with the conference ballooning all the way to 18 with the addition of the west coast teams in 2024.
For a long time the Big Ten as a conference was experiencing a title drought, though that changed with Michigan’s breakthrough success just a few months ago. Michigan State has remained nationally relevant for decades while other programs like Ohio State, Purdue, and Wisconsin have had more than a few notable moments and players.
The bottom line is that all 18 of the current members of this league have done something notable at the very least, and we’ll be looking closely at the most notable of those people. We’re continuing our series by constructing a Mount Rushmore for each specific school, taking that team’s four greatest figures since the turn of the century.
With over 25 years of games, tournaments, and unforgettable action, you won’t be surprised to hear that the Big Ten has immense talent to offer. There are some phenomenal players who’ll miss the cut for some of these programs but let’s start diving into just who stood out across these last few decades.
The Fighting Illini rejoiced when the 2005 team marched all the way to the national title game, but there wasn’t much to celebrate in the years that followed. Brad Underwood has recently changed that momentum and just took Illinois to the Final Four, and we’ll have a few players from both of these prosperous eras.
Dee Brown
Nobody can question that Brown remains one of the legends of the Illinois program for what he accomplished in the early 2000’s. The 6-0 point guard from Maywood, Illinois, was transformative during a revolutionary period of Illini basketball, becoming a two-time All-American and nearly a champion.
Brown put up pretty similar figures throughout his career, starting nearly all 137 games he played for the Illini. He led the Big Ten in assists twice, but let’s not delay the inevitable any longer. During his junior year, he led Illinois to the national title game, averaging 13.3 points and 4.5 assists and leading the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage. That season also included Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors.
He’d stick around for one more season and earn another All-American nod, putting a nice clean bow on a remarkable four-year stay in Champaign. Twenty years later, he’s still Top 5 in Illinois history in points, steals, and assists and was everything for the Illini during that unforgettable season and run in 2005.
Ayo Dosunmu
As a player, Dosunmu was fantastic on the basketball court during his three seasons starring for the Illini, but his inclusion is more than raw numbers. He arrived in 2018 as part of Brad Underwood’s first recruiting class and was the earliest catalyst for major change in Champaign during a career where he’d start 90 games in this backcourt.
The Chicago native had two very solid seasons as an underclassman before the pandemic, but everything really took off in his junior year. Dosunmu put up 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game and earned First Team All-American honors. He won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard, but more importantly, he was the Big Ten Tournament MVP and ended an 8-year NCAA Tournament drought for the Illini.
The tide has really turned for Illinois basketball in recent years and that big turn doesn’t happen without Dosunmu. He truly was the first big piece to come to town and become a star with Underwood. Dosunmu would even get drafted and play several seasons for his hometown Chicago Bulls, and build quite the decade of impressive basketball in the state of Illinois.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
An argument can easily be made for Kofi Cockburn, Luther Head, or even Keaton Wagler here, but stick with us on this judgment. Shannon put up some great numbers over three seasons at Texas Tech, but the Chicago native transferred to Illinois in 2022. The program was trending in a better direction thanks to Cockburn and Dosunmu, and Shannon is really the player who helped put them over the top.
A highly productive debut with the Illini saw that team back in the Big Dance, but it’s really Shannon’s final collegiate campaign that stands out. He averaged 23.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game to earn All-American honors while catapulting the Illini to the Elite Eight, their first deep postseason run since that title-game trip nearly 20 years prior.
This might sound unexpected, but no single season in Illinois history can compare to Shannon’s in terms of scoring with those 736 points in his final year. Leading the Illini to the Elite Eight and to the cusp of greatness, almost single-handedly at times, was sensational and gives Shannon the slight edge. You could easily argue for one of those other legends, but it’s hard to take anything away from his work on the court.
Deron Williams
Almost no introduction is needed for Williams, another major catalyst on that historic 2005 Illini team. A 6-3 guard from Texas and a Top 50 recruit, he was brought to Champaign by Bill Self and turned into a star under Bruce Weber, much like Brown and those other notable figures on that team, but there was something special about Williams.
He was a great scorer and distributor, leading the Big Ten in assists twice in his career. After taking a monster step forward as a sophomore, he’d average 12.5 points and 6.8 assists as a junior while leading Illinois all the way to the national title game. He became a Second Team All-American and one of the best players in the Big Ten, finishing that season with the most assists in the nation.
Few have forgotten Williams’ memorable moments, like that shot in the Elite Eight against Arizona in 2005. He’s among the program’s most notable figures all time and is still fourth in total assists. Williams departed after that historic season and became a lottery pick before embarking on a long NBA career, but even that success couldn’t compare to how important he was to the folks in Champaign two decades ago.
The glory days of Indiana basketball are clearly behind them, no matter what each newly hired head coach seems to think. Regardless, the Hoosiers have given us some memorable performances in recent years, and each of these players certainly exemplifies that success and effort.
A. J. Guyton
You could argue that his inclusion shouldn’t count, but the very tail end of Guyton’s career was just after the turn of the century, and his senior year really was the big highlight. A 6-1 guard from Peoria, Illinois, he arrived in Bloomington three decades ago, back in 1996, and quickly transformed into one of the nation’s most explosive backcourt players, playing in the final years of Bob Knight’s tenure with the Hoosiers.
Guyton had great scoring numbers throughout his college career and was even Big Ten Rookie of the Year in 1997. After two more productive seasons, he really stood out as a senior, averaging 19.7 points per game while knocking down 42% of his 3-pointers. Guyton was named Big Ten Player of the Year and a First Team All-American, putting together one of the most productive seasons in recent memory for Indiana.
Only four Hoosiers have scored more than the 2,100 career points he put up in his time in Bloomington. He was an important asset on four straight Tourney teams and the best player during that final stretch of Knight’s incredible career on the sidelines at Indiana. You won’t find many Hoosiers who were more impactful during their careers since the turn of the century.
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Jackson-Davis was an outstanding prospect who stayed in his home state, arriving in Bloomington back in 2019. His early career was clearly impacted by the pandemic but he’d start 126 games over his four seasons and build quite the reputation playing under both Archie Miller and Mike Woodson.
He’d earn conference honors in all four seasons and notably became an All-American while averaging more than 19 points a game as a sophomore. Jackson-Davis helped get the Hoosiers into the Big Dance in each of his final two seasons, specifically putting up 20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and a Big Ten-best 2.9 blocks a game as a senior. That dominance earned him the Karl Malone Award and First Team All-America honors.
While only one NCAA Tournament game was won during his career, Jackson-Davis is now Indiana’s all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots and is third in total points. He was an impressive and extremely productive forward who exemplified success and lived up to his potential before heading onto the next level in 2023.
Jared Jeffries
A major shift came for Indiana basketball after Knight was gone in 2000, but Jeffries made sure that this program wasn’t going to bottom out or disappear. A 6-11 forward from Bloomington, the Top 10 national recruit stayed right at home and put together some incredible work the next two seasons under new coach Mike Davis.
Jeffries was the Big Ten Rookie of the Year with some great numbers in that first year post-Knight, but his second and final season is clearly our focus. Jeffries contributed 15.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, becoming a Second Team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year. Most notably he also led the Hoosiers all the way to the national championship game, with an unforgettable 24-point, 15-rebound effort in an upset against Duke in the Sweet Sixteen.
The last quarter century hasn’t seen the Hoosiers coming close to matching that success, even more proof of his importance to this program. He was a monster on the court who contributed at every level and shouldered the Hoosiers into a new era. Jeffries left after that sophomore success and was the 11th pick of the 2002 NBA Draft.
Victor Oladipo
A notable high school player from just outside Washington DC, Oladipo chose Tom Crean and the Hoosiers and arrived on campus way back in 2010. Indiana basketball was in a really bad place back then after the violations under Kelvin Sampson a few years earlier. However, Oladipo was the catalyst for getting the Hoosiers back in fighting shape.
His freshman year wasn’t amazing for him or the team, but he’d help Indiana to Sweet Sixteen runs as both as a sophomore and junior. That junior year was the real highlight, with Oladipo growing as a leader while averaging 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. He was a First Team All-American and earned National Defensive Player of the Year, becoming an efficient scorer and feisty defender.
Despite staying in town just three seasons, Oladipo nearly has the program’s lead in career steals. He absolutely became a star for these Hoosiers when they needed someone to jettison the program out of the cellar. Oladipo would become the 2nd pick of the 2013 NBA Draft but became far more than that for a Hoosiers team that went 16-46 in the two seasons before his arrival.
There’s been a lot of buzz in Iowa in recent months after new coach Ben McCollum took the Hawkeyes to a surprise Elite Eight run. We can’t ignore all of the talent that predecessor Fran McCaffrey brought to the program either, and there are certainly a few of those figures we’ll be looking at today as well.
Luka Garza
An argument could easily be made that Garza is the greatest player in Iowa basketball history. The Washington native arrived back in 2017 as a fringe Top 100 prospect who’d explode onto the national scene for the Hawkeyes. The 6-11 forward would put up some absolutely monster numbers even while navigating the pandemic late in his career.
Garza’s first two years were very solid, but he really exploded as an upperclassman. He earned First Team All-American honors while putting up 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a junior and was named Big Ten Player of the Year. A return trip to the Big Dance and even more honors came in his final campaign, as he became the AP Player of the Year and the nation’s top scorer.
He claimed a ton of national awards and attention for his time on the court with the Hawkeyes, and we can’t ignore his place in Iowa history. He’s the all-time leading scorer for the Hawkeyes and is also in the Top 5 in rebounds and blocked shots. There wasn’t a memorable Tourney run for the future NBA draft pick; Garza simply was insanely productive and impressive.
Keegan Murray
A 6-9 forward from nearby Cedar Rapids, Murray arrived in Iowa City during the national pandemic in 2020. He wasn’t exactly seen as a program-changing prospect, especially since he arrived just as Garza was setting the college basketball world on fire, but he certainly shocked many during his brief career.
Nothing really jumped off the page in his freshman season, but after Garza’s departure, Murray stepped into a starring role. He averaged 23.5 points and 8.7 rebounds as a sophomore after a meteoric step forward, becoming a First Team All-American and leading the Hawkeyes back to the NCAA Tournament.
Just after Garza put up the two most prolific scoring seasons in Iowa history, Murray somehow found a way to top him, scoring 822 points during that incredible campaign. He might not have the longevity or notoriety of some other Hawkeyes players but his explosion onto the national scene saw him become a sensational part of Iowa history and eventually the 4th pick of the NBA Draft
Bennett Stirtz
The work that Stirtz did throughout a busy and productive college career cannot be ignored. He frankly would find a place on the Mount Rushmore’s of three different programs, starring at Northwest Missouri State and Drake before transferring to Iowa in 2025, following head coach Ben McCollum again.
The 6-4 guard from Missouri starred at those two smaller schools and didn’t shy away from the bright lights of the Big Ten. Stirtz contributed 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game with solid shooting numbers and incredible court presence for a Hawkeyes team that shocked the nation by advancing to the Elite Eight.
Responsible for one of the most productive single-seasons in program history, Stirtz wasn’t just a scorer but led real change under McCollum with last season’s deep Tournament run. He may have just gotten that one year but it was more than enough for the faithful in Iowa City to fall in love, though now he’s recently off to the NBA.
Jarrod Uthoff
Another Iowa native who starred for the Hawkeyes, Uthoff actually began his collegiate journey at Wisconsin, though he redshirted and then sat out a year while transferring to Iowa. His playing days started in 2013 as a bench piece with decent potential, though we’d soon see him develop into a real star in Iowa City.
Uthoff took a step forward putting up more than 12 points per game as a sophomore but it’s his junior season where it all came together. Not only did he help get Iowa to a third straight trip to the Big Dance, he also averaged 18.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, becoming a Second Team All-American. He was All-Defense in the Big Ten, leading the conference both in scoring and blocks.
The overall body of work may have lasted just three seasons, but Uthoff put up some great numbers and helped the program do plenty of winning. He’s among Iowa’s career block leaders and was clearly a demonstrative figure on both sides of the ball during his time on the court.
Much attention will be on those fantastic Maryland teams right around the turn of the century, culminating in a national championship for the program in 2002. Gary Williams led this program to the highest heights and brought real talent to town, but successor Mark Turgeon did some solid work, and we’ll see at least one of his players mentioned as well.
Steve Blake
Every legendary team needs a competent point guard leading the charge and Blake was certainly that in the early parts of this century. He originally came to College Park back in 1999 and would start all but two of the 138 games he played for the Terrapins across a very productive collegiate career.
Blake was never someone you’d expect to score 20 points on a daily basis, but he did lead the ACC in assists three years in a row. As a junior, he put up 8.0 points and 7.9 assists per game helping take Maryland all the way to the national championship in 2002. He led the nation in assists that year and received his first of two All-ACC honors as a true leader and playmaker for this program.
It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that Blake’s 972 career assists give him a significant lead in Maryland’s all-time ranks and are 4th in ACC history. A decade before the Terrapins were in the Big Ten, Blake starred as their most notable point guard and his role on that championship team cannot be overlooked.
Juan Dixon
An even more impactful figure during that title run, Dixon came to the program from Baltimore back in 1998 and rewrote quite a few record books before his departure four years later. After decent work off the bench in year one, Dixon became a menace on both sides of the ball for the Terrapins and eventually became a champion.
Dixon scored at least 18 points a game and led the ACC in steals in each of his final three seasons. He most notably averaged 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.6 steals per game while winning ACC Player of the Year as a senior. A few weeks later he took the Terrapins to the national championship and was the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player for 2002.
It’s no stretch to say that Dixon might be the most important and most successful player in the history of Maryland basketball. He’s the program’s all-time leading scorer, ranks second in career steals, and spearheaded an incredible run to the championship, the only title in Maryland history.
Jalen Smith
The Terrapins haven’t come close to matching that title run but there have still been a lot of notable players coming through College Park in recent decades. Among our many choices, Smith stands out for his sensational work in the Maryland frontcourt during a brief two-year stay with the Terrapins right before the pandemic.
The former Top 20 recruit from Baltimore arrived in 2018 and was a great contributor as a freshman, but took that big step forward as a sophomore. Year two saw Smith with 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, leading the Big Ten in effective field goal percentage as well. He was named a Third Team All-American, found a place on the Big Ten All-Defense team, and took Maryland to 24 wins before the pandemic canceled the postseason.
As an underclassman, he already developed into one of the nation’s most efficient frontcourt weapons on both sides of the ball, with solid scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking figures. Had he stayed beyond his sophomore season, Smith could have become an icon for the Terrapins, but instead became a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Greivis Vasquez
Most of the remnants of that title team were already gone when Vasquez arrived at Maryland back in 2006. The Terrapins had missed the last two NCAA Tournaments but certainly hadn’t taken a major step back in the ACC. Four fantastic years out of Vasquez in the Maryland backcourt helped them get back into their groove.
A brilliant leader at the point, Vasquez twice led the ACC in assists and developed into a top-level scorer as well. He earned All-ACC honors three straight years, averaging at least 17 points per game from his sophomore season onwards. His senior year saw him contribute 19.6 points and 6.3 assists a night on a 24-win team that tied for the ACC title with eventual national champion Duke in 2010.
Vasquez earned Second Team All-American honors for that standout senior season and put together quite the productive career in College Park. He trails only Dixon in career points and Blake in career assists in Maryland history and was a major part of great winning during Maryland’s later years in the ACC.
There wasn’t a ton of buzz for Michigan basketball around the turn of the century, though the 2007 hiring of John Beilein was certainly a big step in reviving this program. We’re going to look at a few major stars under Beilein’s leadership, though we won’t even try to ignore the more recent success, with Michigan just a few months removed from a national championship.
Trey Burke
His college career lasted just two seasons, but Burke certainly left it all on the court for the Wolverines. A 6-0 guard actually from Columbus, he joined Michigan back in 2011 and would transform both himself and this basketball program, growing into the best backcourt player in the nation.
Year one was already pretty productive, averaging nearly 15 points a game as the Big Ten Rookie of the Year, but we’re talking about Burke because of 2013. His sophomore season saw him put up 18.6 points and 6.7 assists per game while grabbing a ton of national awards. Not just the Big Ten Player of the Year, Burke was AP Player of the Year before leading the Wolverines all the way to the national championship game.
When you take home the Naismith Award and other honors, and lead your team to the Final Four, you’ve clearly done something right in your college career. Burke did all these things as a sophomore and was an incredible leader under John Beilein and eventually became the 9th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.
Yaxel Lendeborg
He may have only spent a single season suiting up for the Wolverines but clearly Lendeborg made that time count. A JUCO star early in his career, he put up video game numbers across two seasons at UAB, winning a pair of AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors while becoming one of the nation’s best rebounders.
After transferring to Michigan this past offseason, Lendeborg became a focal point in Michigan’s talented frontcourt, averaging 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while developing his outside shooting game as well. Not only did he become a First Team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year, Lendeborg played a major role as the Wolverines marched all the way to the national championship this past April.
That one year in Ann Arbor was all it took for a major rewrite of program history, with Michigan cutting down the nets for just the second time in program history. He put up phenomenal numbers throughout his career and did more than enough to justify a place among the Michigan greats. We’ll see what his future holds with the Golden State Warriors.
Nik Stauskas
Stauskas is another talented player who starred during Beilein’s tenure with the Wolverines. A former Top 100 prospect, he opted for Michigan and arrived back in 2012 and accomplished quite a fair bit in his two collegiate seasons.
As a freshman, he was a major asset as the Wolverines marched to the national title game, averaging double-digits and making 44% of his 3-pointers. The shooting numbers were similar as a sophomore, though Stauskas took a major step forward as a complete player, putting up 17.5 points and 3.3 assists in becoming the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Michigan went 59-17 during his two seasons with the program, advancing to the Elite Eight in that fantastic sophomore season. He did a lot of winning and had two of the best pure shooting seasons in recent Wolverines history. Stauskas’ name won’t be forgotten for his major role during that success.
Moritz Wagner
You could make arguments that a few other Wolverines were more productive in their careers but it’s hard to argue with the impact or legacy that Wagner had in his career. A 6-10 forward from Germany, he arrived in Michigan back in 2015 and didn’t see much of the court in his first season, but his role was quite significant very soon.
Wagner was suddenly averaging greater than 12 points a game as a full-time starter in his sophomore season though junior year is where he really built his legacy. Wagner maintained a major role in the Wolverines’ frontcourt with 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He was then named Big Ten Tournament MVP and led the Wolverines to the national title game, including a 24-point, 15-rebound effort against Loyola Chicago in the Final Four.
It’s hard not to appreciate what Wagner meant during that deep postseason run and throughout his time in Ann Arbor. He didn’t have the best stats but was a very impactful presence and one of the more efficient shooters in the Big Ten during those three seasons. He left town after that run and became a first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but clearly his impact hasn’t been forgotten.
It’s been more than thirty years since Tom Izzo took the reins as head coach at Michigan State and a lot of winning has followed. The Spartans haven’t missed an NCAA Tournament in nearly three decades, have made a bevy of Final Four appearances, and even cut down the nets as champions in 2000. You’ll actually see four players from four different eras who each left their mark on this program.
Draymond Green
Long before he was revered in Golden State and NBA circles, Green was a revered icon in East Lansing under Izzo. A fringe Top 100 prospect from nearby Saginaw, he arrived on campus in 2008 and was already part of a trip to the national title game as a bench piece as a freshman. Green was then Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and helped a Final Four run the following season.
His work as an upperclassman is where the results really came, developing into the Big Ten Player of the Year by his senior season. That final year saw him put up 16.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He led the Big Ten in rebounding while also becoming a great offensive threat. It’s a season that also ended in the Sweet Sixteen as Michigan State claimed 29 wins.
He may not have been the star of the show on those earlier teams, but Green was part of a ton of winning while in East Lansing. He was a fantastically productive player who remains Michigan State’s all-time leader in rebounds, and he’s not far off the pace in career steals. His last fourteen years in the NBA have surely shown that promise.
Morris Peterson
More than thirty years have passed since Peterson first arrived at Michigan State and he actually showed up the first year Izzo was head coach. The 6-7 forward redshirted his first year and became a very useful player off the bench for much of his career, though his senior year changed his trajectory significantly.
Peterson wasn’t blowing people away with his stats but did earn All-Big Ten honors and help get the Spartans to the Final Four in his junior year. The next season saw him average 16.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as Big Ten Player of the Year. He was far from the only talented player on that squad, but he helped shoulder the load as Michigan State won the 2000 NCAA Tournament, with Peterson averaging 20 points in their final four wins.
Michigan State’s championship happened just months after the turn of the century but Peterson certainly deserves inclusion here. He went from an overlooked frontcourt piece to a scoring leader on a championship team and the total productivity of that senior season won’t be forgotten at all.
Denzel Valentine
One of the certain legends of Michigan State basketball, Valentine stayed right at home from nearby Lansing when he arrived back in 2012. By the time his career was over, he had become nationally honored and would bring the Spartans to the brink of greatness.
The numbers don’t jump out in his first few seasons, but he led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting during a Final Four campaign as a junior. Everything came together in his senior season as he became a major stat stuffer, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.8 assists a game. Postseason success didn’t follow, but Valentine was AP Player of the Year and made 44% of his 3-pointers.
The overall body of work of Valentine’s time in East Lansing was extraordinary. He accomplished almost everything a college basketball player dreams about and put together one of the most productive offensive seasons we’ve seen in recent memory. Even though he’s far more remembered for his college days, it wasn’t a surprise to see him taken 14th in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Cassius Winston
Valentine left town in 2016 and the right guy was waiting to lead this program in his stead. Winston was a Top 30 recruit out of Detroit who turned into quite the impactful point guard across his career at Michigan State. After mostly working off the bench as a freshman, he developed into a very productive point guard in the Big Ten.
He twice led the Big Ten in assists and made 43% of his 3-pointers in his career. He earned All-American honors by putting up 18.8 points and 7.5 assists as a junior in a season that ended in the Final Four for the Spartans. His senior year featured similar stats and another All-American nod, though the pandemic sadly prevented any other fireworks at the end of his career.
There’s a lot to love about Winston’s role with this program. He’s the all-time leader in assists and was just shy of 2000 career points as a fantastic scorer. He played his role emphatically as both a facilitator and a leader for the Spartans. He’s responsible for the most recent Final Four for this program, and the Spartans are still praying for another point guard like him to come to town.
There have been plenty of notable figures playing at Minnesota in recent memory. It’s not exactly a program you expect to see making national runs or being very relevant, but coaches like Richard Pitino had decent stretches, and we’ll see some of the most talented players that have come through that building in recent years.
Dawson Garcia
When Garcia’s college career started, you wouldn’t have believed that he’d become an important figure in Minnesota basketball. The Top 40 recruit was from Minnesota but spent his freshman year at Marquette before ending up at North Carolina. He was a double-digit scorer with the Golden Eagles before returning to Minnesota in 2022 to lead the Golden Gophers.
Garcia developed into a top-level scorer, starting 89 games over the next three years at Minnesota. He was certainly the brightest part of the Ben Johnson era, earning a pair of All-Big Ten awards. In his fifth and final collegiate season, Garcia averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, becoming one of the more productive frontcourt players in the league.
Even with just three seasons under his belt Garcia earned a spot in the Top 10 scoring leaders for Minnesota with his 1,557 points. There wasn’t exactly a national spotlight on the Golden Gophers during his time but he was an iconic player who really shined with those opportunities.
Nate Mason
A 6-1 guard originally out of Decatur, Georgia, Mason was an early find of Richard Pitino and developed into one of the most productive players of his tenure with the program. Mason was a very solid piece while at Minnesota, even contributing on an NCAA Tournament appearance in his junior year.
He put up solid figures off the bench as a freshman before settling into a bigger role. He was among the assist leaders in the Big Ten each of his last three seasons and was particularly impactful during that 24-win campaign as a junior. His final year saw him average 16.7 points and 4.2 assists per game despite the program’s struggles.
He was far from an All-American or household name, but Mason is a former First Team All-Big Ten point guard who played his role well and contributed to one of the most successful teams in recent memory for this program. He’s also second in career assists in Golden Gophers history and that’s not the only place you’ll find his name in those record books.
Jordan Murphy
Another fantastic athlete who starred under Pitino, Murphy is a 6-6 forward out of San Antonio who started a ton of games during his career up at Minnesota. He grabbed his starting role early as a freshman and would average double-figures in each of his four seasons, developing into one of the best rebounders in the Big Ten.
Murphy helped the Golden Gophers to the Big Dance as a sophomore before really taking a step forward as a junior, putting up 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. The numbers were similar in his senior year, another season leading the Big Ten in rebounding. That final year also saw a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, the program’s most recent trip and win in the event.
Frankly, nobody is really close to Murphy’s career rebounds total of 1,307 and he’s second in program history in scoring as well. He was a very productive frontcourt weapon who was not only stuffing the stat sheet but helped lead the Golden Gophers twice to the Big Dance. He’s the kind of figure the team wishes they could bring to town each offseason.
Daniel Oturu
Oturu didn’t spend four full seasons with the Golden Gophers but he absolutely made his impact felt in just two seasons. The Minnesota native was a Top 50 prospect who chose to stay in his home state and star under Pitino in the late 2010’s. A 6-10 center, he would blossom into one of the most dynamic frontcourt weapons in the nation very quickly.
As a freshman, he played a major role in a 22-win season that included that trip to the NCAA Tournament we mentioned above. His second and final year was cut short by the pandemic but was still off the charts, with Oturu averaging 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, leading the Big Ten in those last two statistics. He gained national notoriety and was among the national leaders in those two stats as well.
Oturu quickly went off to the pros and wasn’t with Minnesota after the pandemic, but he clearly had quite the impact while he was there. As a true freshman, he was already an impending force on an NCAA Tournament team. His sophomore season was immensely productive, even if the Golden Gophers likely wouldn’t reach the Big Dance again.
Until three months ago, Nebraska was the only power conference program in the nation that had never won a single game in the NCAA Tournament. It’s not a big jump to say that the basketball history for this program isn’t exactly filled with All-Americans and national heroes, but there are still some important figures who have come through this school.
Aleks Maric
Nebraska’s time in the Big 12 may seem like a distant memory to some but Maric was a very notable figure during that run. A 6-11 center, he played for the Cornhuskers from 2004 to 2008 and developed into a very productive weapon for Nebraska led by both Barry Collier and Doc Sadler.
Under Collier, Maric showed great potential as an underclassman and has some nice numbers, but things really clicked in his later years. He led the Big 12 in field goal percentage as a junior, averaging 18.5 points and 8.7 rebounds. His final year saw Nebraska win 20 games while Maric averaged a double-double and earned more All-Big 12 honors.
There aren’t a ton of notable moments in Nebraska basketball history but it’s hard to ignore the impact that Maric brought to Lincoln. He remains Top 5 in program history in both points and rebounds and was certainly part of a ton of wins during his time with the Cornhuskers nearly two decades ago.
James Palmer
A 6-6 guard from Washington DC, Palmer spent the first two seasons of his career down in Miami where he was a decent bench piece for the Hurricanes. He’d sit out as a transfer before getting on the court with Nebraska in 2017 where he’d become a key piece of the puzzle in Tim Miles’ final years in Lincoln.
Palmer put up fantastic numbers as an upperclassman, taking a major jump to 17.2 points per game in his junior season after sitting out the prior year. The Cornhuskers couldn’t match the success of that 22-win team, but Palmer did average 19.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in his final campaign with addition Big Ten honors.
You can scan through Cornhuskers history and it’s hard to find someone with a more notable two-year burst than what Palmer did at the tail end of his career. We certainly could’ve pointed out someone who spent four years at Nebraska or made the NCAA Tournament, but he was a major threat and a significant offensive player in the Big Ten and it’s hard to argue with that.
Terran Petteway
On second thought, Petteway is another player with a sensational burst with the Cornhuskers at the end of his career. The Galveston native started playing ball at Texas Tech back in 2011 but didn’t carve out a major role and opted to transfer to Nebraska. He was lured by Miles when he was hired at Lincoln and had quite the debut a year later.
In his redshirt sophomore season, Petteway exploded onto the scene with a Big Ten-leading 18.1 points per game while leading Nebraska into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years. He couldn’t quite replicate that team success, but his numbers were pretty similar as a junior in what would become his final collegiate season, this time finishing just 4th in the Big Ten in scoring.
After sitting out a season as a transfer, Petteway was First Team All-Big Ten and helped end a pretty significant NCAA Tournament drought. It’s hard to top that in regards to specific impact with the program. Had he gotten more than two years, you might have seen him pretty high up on some of these program records instead.
Keisei Tominaga
Many will likely be shocked not to see any current or recent players from this past season’s Sweet Sixteen run but instead we’re considering just what Tominaga meant to the program. A 6-2 guard from Japan who went the JUCO route, he had three solid seasons with the Cornhuskers and helped Fred Hoiberg engineer the beginning of that breakthrough.
Year one was decent backup work but year two saw Tominaga become an iconic player all over the court. He was a full-time starter in his senior season, putting up 15.1 points per game while getting the Cornhuskers back in the Big Dance for the first time in ten years. That 2024 campaign saw him earn All-Big Ten honors as well as a ton of national attention with some of his performances, with 30-point games against both Illinois and Michigan on the road.
Many people in L in 2021. He simply became important and explosive, helping the Neake that major step from Big Ten afterthought to an actual contender on a real level.
While not exactly a nationally relevant program on a regular basis, Northwestern has had a major development under head coach Chris Collins in recent years, with Collins taking the Wildcats to their first three trips to the NCAA Tournament in program history. We’ll be seeing some notable players coached both by Collins and his direct predecessor, Bill Carmody, since the turn of the century.
Boo Buie
Considering his time in Evanston and what he accomplished, it’s not a big stretch to call Buie one of the most productive basketball players to ever come to Northwestern. A 6-2 guard from Albany, he got five full seasons with the Wildcats thanks to the pandemic that shortened his freshman season and would certainly etch his place in program lore.
Buie was a phenomenal leader, scorer, and shooter throughout his time with the Wildcats. He scored in double figures in all five of his seasons but really stood out in his final two. Those seasons saw Buie lead Northwestern to their second and third trips to the NCAA Tournament in program history respectively. He led the Big Ten in both minutes and 3-point shooting (43%) in his final year, contributing 19.0 points and 5.0 assists a night.
Certainly helped by that bonus season, Buie now reigns as the leading scorer in Northwestern history and isn’t too far behind the assists lead either. He was a marvelous contributor and iconic player and exactly the kind of weapon Chris Collins wanted and needed during the most successful era of basketball in program history.
Drew Crawford
A 6-5 guard from nearby Naperville, Crawford is another notable figure who got five years in Evanston, but this time it wasn’t because of the pandemic. A shoulder injury cut what would have been his senior season short, with Crawford also averaging double-digit points in each of his five seasons with the Wildcats.
A fantastic scorer who spent much of his career under Bill Carmody, Crawford was the Big Ten Rookie of the Year back in 2010 during a 20-win campaign and settled into a major role in this backcourt. He averaged 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a junior and was doing good work the following year before that injury. Crawford showed no signs of rust, leading the Big Ten in minutes in Collins’ first year as head coach while averaging nearly 16 points a game again.
Only two other players have surpassed Crawford’s mark of 1,920 career points and we’re including both of them in this list as well. He himself was a very productive player on a few forgotten teams in the early 2010’s that flirted with breaking that long NCAA Tournament drought. He was clearly impactful from beginning to end of his time in Evanston.
Bryant McIntosh
Almost everyone in Evanston knows who McIntosh is and it’s not because he’s been back on Collins’ staff for the last few seasons. The 6-3 point guard from Greensburg, Indiana joined the Wildcats back in 2014 and became a major playmaker for the Wildcats, helping lead Northwestern to its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The numbers were great throughout his career, even averaging 6.7 assists per game already as a sophomore. That breakthrough to the Big Dance happened in his junior year, a season where he put up 14.8 points and 5.2 assists per game and earned plenty of notoriety. McIntosh couldn’t top that 24-win campaign but did have solid numbers and put a nice bow on his career in 2018.
His 700 career assists lead all Northwestern players but his mark on history is more than a few assists. McIntosh was certainly a leader and the heartbeat of that team that finally made the NCAA Tournament, breaking nearly eighty decades worth of futility and bringing great joy and honor to Evanston.
John Shurna
A 6-9 forward from nearby Glen Ellyn, Shurna made his way to Northwestern back in 2008 and was another notable player from Carmody’s time with the program. Shurna wasn’t part of those NCAA Tournament breakthroughs but had quite the impact on the court in those four seasons.
The Wildcats had been under .500 for six straight years but would finish above the water mark in each of Shurna’s four seasons. He developed into one of the Big East’s best scorers, already putting up 18.2 points per game as a sophomore during a 20-win season. He made at least 43% of his 3-pointers as an upperclassman, leading the Big Ten in long-range shooting in a senior year where he put up a Big Ten-best 20.0 points per game.
The counting stats were fantastic, with his 2,038 career points second in program history and the all-time lead at that time. Shurna impacted the game on multiple levels and is among the best shot blockers Northwestern has seen. The Wildcats haven’t exactly had many prosperous eras, but this program won at least 17 games for four straight years with Shurna, something that had or has never happened in program history.
Thad Matta had thirteen mostly brilliant seasons as head coach at Ohio State, taking over a program in slight disarray and turning them into a national contender. The Buckeyes of more recent days just aren’t in the same shape so it’s not shocking to hear that we’re running through four household names that all starred for Matta.
Aaron Craft
He may not have won a national title or any of the big awards, but Craft certainly made his mark at Ohio State in the early 2010s. One of the most productive and notable point guards in Buckeyes history, he played a major role in several deep postseason runs, including a bench role as a freshman.
In his first year as a starter, Craft helped take the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 2012, during the second of three seasons in which he led the Big Ten in steals. His best scoring numbers came as a junior, when he put up 10.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, but he was a defensive menace and an elite leader. He was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and even won that national honor as a senior.
When you throw in the Elite Eight his junior year, Craft was part of sustained success and a lot of winning while in Columbus. He’s Ohio State’s all-time leader in steals and assists, and it’s not exactly a small margin in either category. He was a menacing figure who did every little thing during a great era for the Buckeyes.
Greg Oden
His NBA career famously never worked out, but Oden was an absolute terror during his brief collegiate stay. He was the top-rated prospect in the nation when Thad Matta lured him to Columbus from Indianapolis back in 2006, and the 7-footer lived up to the hype.
Oden helped lead Ohio State to the national championship game in his one and only collegiate season, averaging 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game. He was named Big Ten Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Big Ten in field goal percentage, rebounds, and blocks, and earned numerous national honors as well.
The Second Team All-American put together one of the finest seasons we’ve seen out of any frontcourt player since the turn of the century. Oden was enormously productive on the most successful Buckeyes squad in recent memory before becoming the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Regardless of how that professional journey progressed, he was a monster on the college court.
Jared Sullinger
Another high-profile recruit brought into the program, Sullinger was the #2 prospect in the class of 2010. The 6-9 forward and Columbus native put together two impressive seasons in the Buckeyes’ frontcourt and was a major reason Ohio State won 65 games over those two seasons.
He averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds and was named a First Team All-American as a true freshman, helping the Buckeyes to a fantastic season that ended prematurely in the Sweet Sixteen. The numbers were very similar in year two, with more national honors, though this time Sullinger helped take Ohio State to the Final Four.
There was a lot to celebrate about Sullinger’s work in Columbus, becoming an elite rebounder, scorer, and playmaker in just those two years. He put up monster numbers on two teams that were among the nation’s absolute best. Sullinger lived up to the enormous hype as a prospect and continued his NBA career.
Evan Turner
He may be the only player in this collection who wasn’t part of a Final Four run, but Turner did more than enough to be remembered in Columbus for years to come. Whether it was his athletic abilities or the memorable moments and buzzer beaters, Turner earned his place in Ohio State lore.
The 6-7 guard from Chicago played well as a freshman before exploding onto the scene as the Big Ten’s leading scorer as a sophomore. In his third and final campaign, Turner won many national awards, including the Naismith Trophy, by averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists for a Buckeyes team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
Three years were plenty of time for Turner to assimilate himself into the Ohio State faithful and earn plenty of national accolades. He worked hard and was on another level during that junior season, one of the most productive years in Ohio State basketball history. Turner would become the second pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, but his play hasn’t been forgotten by any means.
Alphabetically, the first in the Pac-12. Each of the four players mentioned today starred during their time in that old conference, and you won’t find notable success for the Ducks during a few different eras.
Aaron Brooks
A 6-0 point guard from Seattle, Brooks spent his entire collegiate career with the Ducks and quickly transformed into a promising prospect. He played his ball under Ernie Kent back in the mid-2000’s and contributed during some of his best years leading the program.
Brooks worked his way into that larger role as his career progressed, averaging 14.7 points as a sophomore and becoming a very solid shooter. The real breakthrough came in his senior season, when he put up 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on an Oregon team that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. He was the Pac-10’s leading scorer and earned conference honors as well.
You’ll find Brooks’ name among some solid company on those program leaderboards for steals and assists, but it’s about more than just raw figures. He was a very productive athlete during a stretch of time when Oregon wasn’t exactly making waves on the national stage. He would later become a late first-round pick of the 2007 NBA Draft and spent over a decade playing pro ball.
Dillon Brooks
Even more of a household name, this Brooks is a 6-5 forward who certainly stepped into a major role during his three-year stay in Eugene. Brooks was a pretty notable scorer from the jump, putting up 11.5 points as a freshman before really leaving his mark by the end of his junior year.
Brooks averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists after a great leap forward as a sophomore, helping the Ducks to the Elite Eight. Year three was even better for both Brooks and the Ducks, as he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and helped Oregon reach its first Final Four in nearly 80 years.
With just those three years under his belt, you won’t find Brooks really high on the career leaderboards, but you certainly remember him and what he meant to these Ducks. You may remember him more from the NBA over the last decade since he was drafted in 2017, but the point is that he was a productive asset on a historic Final Four run and more than deserves inclusion.
Payton Pritchard
Pritchard spent four years with the Ducks, and he certainly used every moment to improve himself, his program, and his game for the next level. A 6-2 point guard from West Linn, Oregon, he returned in 2016 and was a significant part of that Final Four run even as a freshman.
His numbers jumped the next few seasons with solid scoring and some All-Pac-12 honors, but Pritchard knew how to end his career on the right foot. His senior year was cut short by the pandemic, but not before he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year for averaging 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, leading the league in both scoring and assists on a 24-7 squad.
The program’s all-time leader in assists, Pritchard is just two steals behind Oregon’s leader in that category and totaled just under 2,000 points in his career. Even with that abrupt ending to his career, he showed quite a lot during those seasons running the show for the Ducks and continues those efforts in the NBA.
Luke Ridnour
An earlier icon than the other stars mentioned, Ridnour was a Top 75 prospect in the Class of 2000 before heading to Oregon more than two decades ago. This 6-2 guard was the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year in 2001 and got his career off to a brilliant start, becoming an impressive scorer and facilitator over the next three seasons.
Ridnour took a leap forward as a sophomore, helping the Ducks to the Elite Eight while averaging 15.5 points a game. His final collegiate campaign didn’t feature another deep Tourney run, but it did feature some pretty phenomenal stats, with 19.7 points and 6.6 assists per game. Ridnour was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, leading the league in both assists and free-throw percentage.
There was a lot of good that came from Ridnour’s three years with the Ducks. He made 39% of his 3-pointers and is pretty high on the career assists and steals leaderboards despite skipping his senior season. He was a major playmaker on a few potent Ducks squads, including the 2002 Elite Eight. A long NBA career would follow after he was taken 14th in the 2003 NBA Draft.
You’re not finding Penn State in the national rankings or among the top programs on any lists. The Nittany Lions haven’t always been perennial bottom feeders and they have had a few standout seasons in recent memory. We’ll be diving into a few of those standout efforts with these notable players, each of whom left their mark on this program.
Talor Battle
There hasn’t exactly been a flurry of standouts coming through Penn State over the years, but Battle certainly ensured he’d be remembered. A 6-0 guard from Albany, he began his college journey back in 2007 and would start most of the 134 games he played for the Nittany Lions while developing into one of the most notable players in the program’s history.
Battle was already a double-digit scorer as a freshman, but was putting up some fantastic scoring figures by the end of his career. A reliable weapon who earned three All-Big Ten honors, Battle really peaked in his senior season. That year saw him lead Penn State to the NCAA Tournament while averaging 20.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
His 2,213 career points make him Penn State’s all-time scoring leader, but he was more than just a walking bucket. Battle keyed a rare postseason journey for the Nittany Lions with that bid in 2011 and was unquestionably the most important player during Ed DeChellis’s time helming the program. He even continues making waves as a current Nittany Lions assistant.
Joe Crispin
A quarter century has passed since Crispin was on campus suiting up for the Nittany Lions, but his time with this program cannot be overlooked. A 6-0 guard from Pitman, New Jersey, he arrived in University Park way back in 1997 and would leave four years later as one of the program’s finest scorers.
Penn State won at least 19 games in three of its four seasons. Crispin was on another level as an upperclassman, putting up 18.5 points per game in his junior year. He exceeded that in his final year in 2001, not only a Big Ten-best 19.5 points but also leading the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Tournament, one of just three trips for the program since the turn of the century.
Crispin finished his career at 1,986 points and remains 4th all-time in Nittany Lions history even all these years later. He was more than just a great scorer, facilitating that rare trip to the Big Dance and just being an incredible presence during his career. Many fans outside of University Park have likely forgotten his name but he was very productive without a doubt.
Jalen Pickett
Almost certainly the most notable Nittany Lion of the bunch, Pickett only played a pair of seasons at Penn State, but it was a hell of an effort. The 6-4 guard began his journey at Siena, leading the MAAC in assists for three straight seasons before arriving at Penn State back in 2021 under new head coach Micah Shrewsberry.
Year one was just the start for him and his new head coach, but Pickett put together an otherworldly final collegiate campaign. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists and was named a Second Team All-American. The Big Ten’s leader in assists also took the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Tournament, breaking a 12-year Tourney drought.
That one final effort was one of the single most productive and memorable seasons that any player has had for the Nittany Lions. Pickett was a top-level scorer, distributor, and playmaker, and got lowly Penn State into the NCAA Tournament after great work in the Big Ten. He’s also the only All-American that the Nittany Lions have had in the last seventy years.
Lamar Stevens
He wasn’t part of one of those rare NCAA Tournament appearances, but Stevens did a lot of good and won a fair number of games over his four seasons with the Nittany Lions. A 6-8 forward from North Wales, Pennsylvania, Stevens would blossom into one of the best scorers in program history and started all 135 games he played in their frontcourt.
In his sophomore season, he notably led Penn State to the NIT championship in 2018 and was named NIT MVP. The following year, he put up 19.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. The Nittany Lions won 21 games in his senior season that was cut short by the pandemic, with similarly impressive scoring figures and additional First Team All-Big Ten honors.
Stevens actually finished his career just six points behind Battle for the program’s all-time lead and likely would have broken that if the pandemic hadn’t happened. Regardless, he was a masterful athlete, and his impact was clearly felt throughout the court over those four seasons at Penn State before moving on to professional basketball.
Among the Big Ten teams included today, Matt Painter sure has made it hard to narrow this list down to just four icons from the program. He’s been an incredible leader for the Boilermakers since becoming head coach back in 2005, and we certainly didn’t have space to include all of his stars, leaving notable names like Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson just shy of our Mount Rushmore.
Zach Edey
With what Edey accomplished at Purdue, it sort of begins and ends all discussions of greatness and dominant play in the sport in recent memory. This 7-4 center began his time with the Boilermakers as a backup with tons of potential and would go on to become the best player in the nation by the end of his career.
Edey’s last two collegiate seasons featured video game numbers and insane production. He led the Big Ten in field goal percentage, scoring, and rebounding but it was more than just that. Edey was named the AP Player of the Year two consecutive seasons, averaging 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds as a senior, with similarly elite numbers the year before. That senior year also saw him lead the Boilermakers to the national championship game.
Purdue’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Edey needs no defense for his inclusion and likely appears on a Mount Rushmore among all players since the turn of the century. He became a gigantic figure for the Boilermakers on the court during perhaps the most prosperous season in program history and remains one of the best centers in Big Ten history.
Carsen Edwards
A 6-1 guard out of Atascocita, Texas, Edwards was another major star during his time with the Boilermakers. He arrived in 2016, and it didn’t take long for him to carve out a major role in West Lafayette, developing from a solid scoring guard into one of the nation’s most reliable scorers and shooters.
Edwards averaged double figures and helped take Purdue to the Sweet Sixteen in each of his first two seasons, but his junior year really stands alone. Edwards put up 24.3 points per game and earned All-American status while leading the Boilermakers to the Elite Eight. The Big Ten’s best scorer even had multiple 42-point efforts in that Tourney run, including that heartbreaking loss to Virginia.
During this sensational three-year career, Edwards won a Jerry West Award, he led the Big Ten in 3-pointers as a junior, and he was a major part of three notable postseason runs for the Boilermakers. He was a fantastic athlete and figurehead for this program, both on and off the court, even all these years later.
Braden Smith
It’s hard to put into words just what Smith meant to Purdue over these last four years. A brilliant point guard, wise beyond his years, he started every single one of the 149 games he played for the Boilermakers, including that trip to the national title game in 2024 and plenty of other Big Ten and national success.
Smith twice led the Big Ten in assists and built a reputation as a fantastic facilitator who could also make shots. He was a major leader during that run beyond the Final Four and was then named a First Team All-American in each of his final two seasons. Smith averaged 15.8 points and 8.7 assists and was the Big Ten Player of the Year his junior year, then nearly matched that production and led Purdue back to the Elite Eight this past March.
Nobody comes even close in Purdue history to what Smith meant to the Boilermakers while running the point. His 1,103 career assists are legitimately leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else at Purdue, mostly because it’s also the D1 record. He worked masterfully with the talent on this roster and will be sorely missed in West Lafayette in the years ahead.
Caleb Swanigan
Painter has won some significant recruiting battles during his long career in West Lafayette, and landing Swanigan a decade ago is certainly one of those victories. A Top 20 recruit from the class of 2015, he was a 6-9 forward from Fort Wayne who found massive success across a two-year burst with the Boilermakers.
Swanigan was already the top rebounder in the Big Ten during his freshman year, but that was just the beginning. As a sophomore, in what would become his final college season, Swanigan further burst onto the national scene, averaging 18.5 points and a Big Ten-best 12.5 rebounds a game. He was a First Team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year, and he helped take the Boilermakers to the Sweet Sixteen while leading the nation in total rebounds.
A massive figure on and off the court in West Lafayette, Swanigan became that next dominant frontcourt weapon for Painter and the Boilermakers, and it’s hard to argue with those impressive results. Unfortunately, he passed away four years ago, but his legacy is far from forgotten as a contributor and fantastic athlete in his time at Purdue.
Not exactly a basketball program known for its success, Rutgers never even made the NCAA Tournament during their two decades playing in the Big East. A lot has changed with this program since Steve Pikiell was brought on as head coach, and we’ll see a few of his most prominent players, including a couple who helped end a very long NCAA Tournament drought.
Geo Baker
Before Baker’s arrival in 2017, there really wasn’t a lot going on with Rutgers basketball. Over the next fi.
Baker was a reliable backcourt weapon who started most of Rutgers’ games from the beginning. He helped the team to a 20-win campaign as a junior and broke a 30-year NCAA Tournament drought in 2021. In his final season, Baker put up 12.6 points and 3.9 assists, getting the Scarlet Knights dancing again while earning All-Big Ten honors.
The raw stats might not have jumped off the page at another Big Ten school, but Baker was a key weapon in this recent turnaround for the Scarlet Knights. He’s among the program’s all-time leaders in assists and steals thanks to a bunch of extra games and cemented his importance for Rutgers in what is certainly the most impressive era this program has had in recent memory.
Quincy Douby
Not every notable name on this list starred under Pikiell as there’s a very notable player from two decades ago in Douby. He’s a 6-3 guard who transformed from backcourt depth into one of the best offensive pieces in the entire nation, originally arriving in 2003 and spending three years with the Scarlet Knights.
He actually averaged 12.5 points per game largely off the bench as a freshman during a 20-win season under Gary Waters. While the Scarlet Knights took a step back the following year, his junior season was something to remember. Douby averaged 25.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, making 40% of his 3-pointers while finishing fourth in the nation in points scored in an incredible effort.
While Douby couldn’t get Rutgers into the Big Dance he sure left it all on the court during the tail end of his college career. That was the single-most productive offensive season in program history and his 1,690 career points in just three years is still the most of any Rutgers player since the turn of the century. He’d become the 19th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft and played professionally for many years.
Dylan Harper
There isn’t really the space here to talk about both Ace Bailey Jr. and Harper, especially since their star-studded team couldn’t even finish above .500, and we’re giving Harper the highlight. A 6-6 guard and Top 3 prospect in the class of 2024, he was one of two superstar prospects hoping to lead Rutgers back into national contention.
That did not happen across a tough season for the Scarlet Knights, but Harper was still very impressive as a true freshman. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, earning All-Big Ten honors and appearing on several national watch lists for his play.
While the Scarlet Knights finished 11th in the Big Ten with two future lottery picks, Harper himself was outstanding on the court and he really set himself up for the next level. It’s a shame that he couldn’t quite elevate Rutgers back into a contender but we’ve already seen what he’s done with the San Antonio Spurs after becoming the 2nd pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Ron Harper Jr.
The raw numbers and pro impact might not compare, but Harper was a bit more successful in Piscataway than his younger brother. A 6-6 guard who arrived in 2018, Harper shouldered the load and helped lead Rutgers out of the dark ages, becoming a major asset under Pikiell on those teams that broke the NCAA Tournament drought.
He showed great potential as an underclassman before the pandemic and then really came into his own afterwards. Harper earned a pair of All-Big Ten honors as an upperclassman while leading Rutgers to the Big Dance in each of those seasons. His senior year featured 15.8 points and 5.9 rebounds as he became an even more reliable playmaker for the Scarlet Knights.
Regardless of what his brother did a few years later, Harper meant a great deal to the people at Rutgers and was a big face on those teams that finally broke through into the Big Dance. He was a solid scorer and rebounder and wasn’t bad in other aspects either, doing a bit of everything as a leader for the Scarlet Knights’ most notable success in the last thirty years.
The college basketball program with the most impressive history hasn’t exactly been cutting down the nets and making national headlines on a regular basis in recent years. UCLA has boasted some incredible athletes over the years, and we don’t even have space to talk about Russell Westbrook and a few of those stars here.
Lonzo Ball
Love him or hate him, there was a ton to celebrate about Ball’s brief stint playing college basketball. Considered an elite 5-star prospect a decade ago, the 6-6 guard from Chino Hills may have gained national attention because of his father and family, but he sure proved his talent on the court with the Bruins.
Ball had an outstanding freshman campaign that proved his worth as an elite recruit, dropping 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and a nation-leading 7.6 assists per game. He became a First Team All-American and helped lead UCLA to a 31-win season that ended in the Elite Eight. Ball was one of the most productive players in recent Pac-12 memory and won plenty of league honors as well.
There have been many one-and-done players who have put up brilliant stats, but Ball did so while also helming a fantastic Bruins squad that went on a deep postseason run. No UCLA player in program history can top his 274 assists in that single season, while soon after becoming the 2nd pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, he started what’s been quite the pro career.
Darren Collison
There were a handful of great players during Ben Howland’s years running UCLA, and Collison might just stand among the most notable. He was a star guard for the Bruins who started as a fringe Top 100 prospect and became an efficient scorer and defender, playing in the Final Four for three straight years.
Those runs came in his first three seasons, including off the bench as a freshman, and during a major improvement in year two. Collison made 52% of his 3-pointers with limited chances as a junior, and actually led the Pac-10 in steals the year prior. As a senior, he averaged 14.4 points and 4.7 assists, led the conference in free-throw shooting, and grabbed his third All-Pac-10 honor.
UCLA won 123 games during Collison’s four-year stay in Los Angeles. He was by no means the only impactful player for the Bruins, but he was the one notable piece on all three of those Final Four runs and ranks second in program history with his 231 career assists. There was a lot to love about Collison and this era, even if the Bruins came up short of the national championship all three times.
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
A similar figurehead in this most recent era of success, Jaquez is a 6-6 guard who was also a fringe Top 100 prospect. He joined the Bruins and Mick Cronin in 2019 for Cronin’s first season in Westwood and would help engineer quite the promising era for the Bruins over the next four years.
Jaquez was already earning significant run as a freshman before the pandemic, but was even more important afterward. He helped bring the Bruins to the Final Four as a sophomore, earning the first of his All-Pac-12 honors with great shooting figures. His final two seasons featured Sweet Sixteen runs, and he averaged 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in an impressive senior year that saw him named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
By the end of that run, Jaquez had become an All-American, helped lead a surprise Final Four run, and etched his place in UCLA history. There aren’t many players who have topped his 1,802 career points and the overall impact he had under Cronin in these recent seasons. He’s continuing to build his own legacy since the Miami Heat drafted him in 2023.
Kevin Love
Another extremely notable and memorable one-and-done prospect, Love was considered the #2 recruit in the nation when he landed in Los Angeles back in 2007. Howland had just led the Bruins to the Final Four for a second straight season, and the addition of Love certainly put that program in great shape to repeat the feat.
The 6-10 center from Oregon shone as expected for the Bruins, averaging 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds over a dominant freshman campaign. Love was named a First Team All-American and was both Pac-12 Player and Rookie of the Year for his efforts. More importantly, he brought the Bruins greater postseason success, anchoring a 35-win season with another Final Four trip.
While the Bruins fell two games short of the national title, Love still accomplished virtually everything he set out to do at the college level. He proved he was one of the best frontcourt players in the country and became a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, kicking off what would become quite the pro career. Taking the Bruins to a program-record 35 wins won’t be forgotten either.
Life in the Big Ten hasn’t come easy for the Trojans over the last two seasons and we’re looking back to some stars during their years in the Pac-12. USC might not immediately come to mind as a basketball school or a hotbed of talent, but you’ve certainly heard of these talented players and the productivity they brought during various eras in recent Trojans history.
Sam Clancy
Just because it’s been nearly 25 years since Clancy played for the Trojans doesn’t mean his contributions aren’t notable or remembered in Los Angeles. A 6-7 forward from Ohio, he was a Top 50 prospect in the class of 1998 before heading west, carving out a significant role with the Trojans by his sophomore season and becoming a key weapon for Henry Bibby.
A big jump into his sophomore year saw Clancy averaging 15.5 points per game in an injury-shortened season before really coming through as an upperclassman. He helped USC reach the Elite Eight in 2001 before really shining as a senior, averaging 19.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and earning both Pac-10 Player of the Year and All-American honors.
The raw numbers were brilliant, and he had an important role on two Tournament teams, including that deep postseason run. He’s third all-time in scoring in Trojans history, and nobody has more points than him over the last thirty years. Clancy was notable in USC’s frontcourt and continued his career into the NBA.
Taj Gibson
These days, Gibson is certainly better known for his work in the NBA, but we can’t forget what he meant to USC over three years. Another Top 50 prospect who headed west, Gibson is a 6-9 forward who went from Brooklyn to LA way back in 2006, where he’d start 104 games across a career full of highlights on both ends of the court.
He was already sensational as a true freshman, hitting double figures and helping the Trojans reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2007. In each of his final two seasons, Gibson led the Pac-10 in blocks and became a top-level defender, with strong work on offense around the rim. His third and final year saw 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, earning Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Gibson finished fifth in the nation in blocks in that final campaign and did more than enough to become the program’s all-time leader. More than just an effective rim protector, he was efficient on offense, great on the boards, and put together quite the NBA career after being a late-round pick in 2009.
O. J. Mayo
A magnificent one-and-done prospect, Mayo was the top-rated recruit in the nation when he opted for Tim Floyd and the Trojans back in 2007. The 6-4 guard from Huntington, West Virginia, obviously came to town with high expectations and certainly lived up to that on the court over his lone collegiate season.
Mayo averaged 20.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, with solid steal numbers as well. He led the Pac-10 in minutes played and finished with a nearly 41% mark from outside the arc. The Trojans were back in the NCAA Tournament again, and he was one of the top scorers in the nation across a very fruitful freshman year.
That campaign was the second-most points by a USC player in a single season, evidence of Mayo’s talent and hard work. He would become the 3rd pick of the 2008 NBA Draft and have a lengthy pro career, continuing his fine work as a sharpshooter and efficient playmaker.
Evan Mobley
A more recent one-and-done with even greater achievements, Mobley was the #3 prospect in the country when he joined Andy Enfield and the Trojans in 2020. The 7-footer’s lone college season was certainly affected by the pandemic, but that didn’t stop him from putting on a show night in and night out.
The work was sensational, as Mobley put up 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, leading the Pac-12 in rebounding, shot-blocking, and field-goal percentage. Mobley cleaned up the awards, becoming an All-American and the Pac-12’s Player, Defensive Player, and Rookie of the Year all before taking USC on a surprise run to the Elite Eight.
There really wasn’t much Mobley could have done better than what he showed as a true freshman, living up to that billing as an elite prospect. You’ll be hard-pressed to find more than a couple of athletes with a better lone season in college ball, with Mobley later becoming a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
It’s been quite a few years since Washington was a legitimate contender, and this move to the Big Ten likely only complicated the Huskies' future. Their greatest success clearly came when Lorenzo Romar was head coach of Washington, as he brought in a ton of talent during his 15 years at the helm.
Jon Brockman
Romar had some fantastic players during his long tenure leading the Huskies, and Brockman is certainly a name that floats to the top of those lists. A 6-7 forward from Snohomish, Washington, he made his way to Seattle in 2005 as a highly sought prospect, ranked Top 20 in the nation, and for a very good reason.
Brockman was a dynamic big for the Huskies, becoming an efficient scorer and elite rebounder. Brockman led the Pac-10 in field goal percentage as a sophomore and was tops in rebounding three straight years, earning several All-Pac-10 honors. He helped Washington to the Sweet Sixteen as a freshman and later averaged 17.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in a fantastic junior year, with similar figures in his final season as well.
Washington’s all-time leader in rebounds, Brockman played his role especially well during his time with the Huskies. He was an efficient weapon on offense, with 1,805 career points, while clearly contributing at a major level on the boards. He became a second-round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and remains one of the more notable frontcourt threats in Washington history.
Nate Robinson
Robinson arrived at Washington in 2002, the same year Romar became head coach of the Huskies. The Seattle native developed into an elite backcourt threat and helped Washington change from an afterthought to a real competitor. In fact, he was already putting up 13.0 points per game as a freshman, and that was just the beginning.
By his sophomore season, Robinson was earning All-Pac-10 honors and got the Huskies back into the NCAA Tournament. Junior year was his final season, and he sure made it count, averaging 16.4 points and 4.3 assists while making 38% of his 3-pointers. His electric play helped Washington grab a top seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament before bowing out in the Sweet Sixteen.
The NBA was waiting, and Robinson didn’t stick around for his senior year, but he still finds himself among pretty impressive company in terms of his scoring, assists, and steals figures. He was an early catalyst for Romar’s turnaround for this program and soon became a late first-round pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Brandon Roy
At the same time, Robinson was becoming a leader for the Huskies; Roy was also on the squad and was also on the rise to prominence. A fringe Top 50 prospect from 2002, he grew into a major role at Washington, growing from a backup as a freshman to a nationally relevant guard in his senior season.
Roy averaged double figures in his final three seasons and was a key piece off the bench during Washington’s run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2005. He really developed into a household name as a senior, averaging 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while leading the Pac-10 in field-goal percentage. Roy became a First Team All-American, Pac-10 Player of the Year, and got the Huskies right back to another Sweet Sixteen.
His work as an upperclassman, especially in that breakout senior season, really showed his value and importance for a Huskies program that really found its footing. He was a stat stuffer and fantastic athlete who continued playing ball for several years after becoming the 6th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft two decades ago.
Isaiah Thomas
A feisty athlete and unforgettable point guard, Thomas stood just 5-8 but loomed large on the court for the Huskies. What became a three-year college career for him began in 2008 and saw him start all but one of the 105 games he played at Washington, with 76 wins and three straight trips to the Big Dance.
Thomas was the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year thanks to more than 15 points per game as a freshman and only grew from there. His postseason heroics earned him Pac-10 Tournament MVP honors as a sophomore and junior, helping the Huskies reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2010. Thomas averaged 16.8 points and 6.1 assists per game in that final season, finishing 7th in the nation in total assists.
In the fifteen years since his departure, Washington has made just one trip to the NCAA Tournament. He was an otherworldly talent and leader during the most recent era of sustained success for the Huskies, with brilliant scoring and assist figures. We’re lauding him for those heroics at Washington and not even thinking about the lengthy NBA career that followed.
The Badgers weren’t exactly known for their basketball prowess before the turn of the century, but Bo Ryan sure injected some sustained life into this program when he took over in 2001. Wisconsin has had a long list of great talent come to town over the years, a list so great that we couldn’t squeeze Sam Dekker or Ethan Happ in, let alone a few other notable stars in Greg Gard’s recent campaigns.
Johnny Davis
You could also make an argument for including recent stars like John Tonje or John Blackwell, but Davis really became a force during his brief career with the Badgers and more than deserves mention here. A 6-5 guard from nearby La Crosse, he was brilliant off the bench as a freshman before taking a monumental and nationally relevant step forward in his second and final season in Madison.
Davis exploded onto the scene in that sophomore year, averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds as a major playmaker for the Badgers. He became the Big Ten Player of the Year and a First Team All-American and was clearly a major reason Wisconsin went dancing for a second straight year, finishing the season at 25-8.
Davis won the Jerry West Award in 2022 for that scintillating sophomore season and was a major reason for Wisconsin’s relevance right after the pandemic. He was almost too brilliant for the Badgers, becoming a lottery pick in the following NBA Draft and leaving town after just two seasons on the court, though leaving behind quite the shoes to fill.
Devin Harris
Many newer fans likely forget that Wisconsin was far from relevant in basketball for much of the 20th century, but Harris was a major reason for Bo Ryan’s early success in Madison. This 6-3 guard arrived at Wisconsin in 2001 and took to the court in a major way, starting all 96 games and developing into one of the best backcourt players in the nation.
Harris averaged just over 12 points a game in each of his first two seasons, even leading the Big Ten in steals as a sophomore, though it was his junior year that saw everything come together. He couldn’t quite get Wisconsin back to the Sweet Sixteen, as he had done as a sophomore, but Harris averaged 19.5 points and 4.4 assists and became an All-American with fantastic scoring and facilitating work on a 25-win team.
It’s been more than two decades since Harris loomed large for the Badgers but let’s not try to undermine his legacy. He developed into an All-American and phenomenal guard, and his 624 points in his junior year were, at the time, a program record. He likely would've set a bunch of other Wisconsin records, but he instead became the 5th pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, forgoing his senior season.
Frank Kaminsky
The central figure and face of the most prominent success in Wisconsin basketball history, Kaminsky is a 7-footer from Lisle, Illinois, who landed in Madison back in 2011. A minor bench piece as an underclassman, Kaminsky spent the final two seasons of his college career transforming into a national star while leading the Badgers to their highest heights.
He had a major step forward as a junior, helping the Badgers all the way to the Final Four while averaging nearly 14 points per game. What transpired in his final year is unmatched in Badgers history. Kaminsky averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds and was the AP Player of the Year, but the All-American was far from done. He took the Badgers all the way to the national championship game, including a legendary upset over unbeaten Kentucky in the Final Four.
You’ll struggle to find many comparable two-year runs to the explosion onto the scene that Kaminsky experienced. He became the nation’s top player and helmed a really talented Badgers squad that made the program’s only two trips to the Final Four in the last quarter-century. Phenomenal doesn’t quite describe what Kaminsky meant to Wisconsin.
Alando Tucker
Known largely as a high-level scorer, Tucker is a 6-6 guard originally from Lockport, Illinois, who arrived early in Ryan’s tenure. His career began in 2002, though an injury sidelined him for all of what would’ve been his second year playing college ball. Throughout his 134 games with the Badgers, he blossomed into a national offensive threat on a few very talented Badgers teams.
He averaged in double figures in each of his collegiate campaigns, helping Wisconsin reach the Sweet Sixteen as a freshman and the Elite Eight two years later as a redshirt sophomore. In his final year, Tucker was named Big Ten Player of the Year thanks to 19.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, leading the Badgers to a 30-win season.
Rising from a reliable shooter to an All-American, Tucker also became Wisconsin's all-time leading scorer. You could argue that a few other players may have had more notoriety in their careers, but no one was more consistent or reliable across a long career in Madison than him, even if his tenure as an assistant coach ended poorly a few years ago.
