Big East Basketball: Top 5 rising sophomores for 2018-19

1. Naji Marshall, Xavier

Xavier won the Big East regular season title last season but a lot of that roster is now gone. In fact, the three leading scorers from that team (Bluiett, Macura, Kanter) all graduated this offseason and the Musketeers’ program is experiencing a ton of turnover. In addition to just losing a remarkable senior class, the program had to replace head coach Chris Mack this offseason with Travis Steele and bring in some of the top grad transfers in the country. To put it simply, Xavier is going to look much different in 2018-19.

Still, fans will be expecting a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Near the forefront of these postseason hopes is the presumed sophomore jump of Naji Marshall. Arguably the best all-around freshman in the conference last season, Marshall is an excellent player on both ends of the floor. While playing in 21.8 minutes per game this past year, Marshall averaged 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. He also shot 53.0% from the field along the way (34.9% from three on 1.2 3PA per game).

The focal point of Xavier’s offense in 2018-19 is still unclear but it is possible that Marshall becomes that guy. He is still developing as a 3-point shooter but attacks the basket very well and has solid size at 6-foot-7. A top-75 recruit out of high school, Marshall’s first year was not a huge surprise and his future (along with fellow sophomore Paul Scruggs) looks incredibly bright.

Next: Preseason Big East rankings

As you can see, there are a bunch of players poised for breakout sophomore campaigns in the Big East. How many of them will reach their potential and sway the tides in the conference?