Big Ten Basketball: Top 5 rising seniors in 2018-19

5. C.J. Jackson, Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes took the Big Ten by storm last season, going 15-3 in conference play and finishing 25-9 overall. Keita Bates-Diop took home the Big Ten Player of the Year award and may be ready to pass the torch to point guard C.J. Jackson.

Jackson returns as Ohio State’s leading scorer (12.6 points per game) as well as their playmaker on offense. He averaged 3.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds for the Buckeyes in 2017-18 and, with the arrival of grad-transfer Keyshawn Woods, those numbers should go up. Rising sophomore Kaleb Wesson should also benefit from Jackson’s ability. Wesson averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds as a freshman.

Jackson also has the ability to shoot the ball from behind the arc. He shot 37.9% from 3-point land as a junior on 5.0 3-point attempts per game. They will have a lot to replace but expect Jackson to play a big role in any success they’ll have in 2018-19. Head coach Chris Holtmann has consistently gotten the most out of his players at the college level and the same can be said for Jackson. KBD emerged as a star last season to carry the Buckeyes and somebody will have to do the same this year. Jackson certainly fits the bill as the player who could do it.