NCAA Basketball: 20 breakout candidates for 2016-17

Mar 19, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Jalen Adams (2) brings the ball up court against Kansas Jayhawks forward Jamari Traylor (31) in the first half during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 11, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Jacob Evans (1) takes a shot in the second half as Connecticut Huskies guard Daniel Hamilton (5) defends during the AAC Tournament at the Amway Center. The Connecticut Huskies won 104-97. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Jacob Evans (Cincinnati)

Cincinnati has always been known for their defensive energy, but head coach Mick Cronin may have his best offensive team EVER this upcoming season.

Senior point guard Troy Caupain, forward Gary Clark, North Carolina State transfer Kyle Washington and freshman Jarron Cumberland will have key roles offensively, however, the player that will make the biggest jump is sophomore Jacob Evans.

The 6’6″ small forward scored 8.4 points, grabbed 4.1 rebounds and dished out 1.6 assists per game last season, while shooting 37 percent from the field overall and 33 percent from long range.

It took a while for Evans to get comfortable creating at the college level, but as soon as the youngster got into rhythm he was nearly unstoppable.

In the final five games of the year, Evans averaged almost 13 points a game. He dropped 13 points in a win over UConn, 18 points (7-of-12 shooting) at East Carolina and 26 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against St. Joe’s.

All great scorers have a “bucket getting” mentality and that’s exactly what the Baton Rouge native brings to the table. He can create his own shot, not only because of his ball handling ability, strength and instincts, but because of his size and high IQ in terms of picking his spots. Most impressively, Evans can score on all three levels.

Even though he’s not a well-rounded player just yet (he needs to improve his playmaking, efficiency and defense), Cronin is going to count on Evans in a specialized role: They want him to get buckets.

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