Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Top 5 rising juniors for 2018-19

By Brian Rauf

OMAHA, NE - MARCH 25: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after fouling out against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - MARCH 25: Udoka Azubuike #35 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts after fouling out against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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MORGANTOWN, WV – JANUARY 06: Sagaba Konate #50 of the West Virginia Mountaineers pumps up the crowd against the Oklahoma Sooners at the WVU Coliseum on January 6, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV – JANUARY 06: Sagaba Konate #50 of the West Virginia Mountaineers pumps up the crowd against the Oklahoma Sooners at the WVU Coliseum on January 6, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

2. Sagaba Konate, West Virginia

Konate is the best and most feared shot-blocker in all of college basketball, and after testing NBA Draft waters, he’s returning to Morgantown to become the focal point of head coach Bob Huggins’ team.

Defensively, there isn’t anything else Konate has to prove. He averaged 3.2 blocks per game in just 25.4 minutes per game, which translates to an absurd 5.0 blocks per 40 minutes. That’s not an aberration for Konate, either, as he averaged 5.3 blocks per 40 minutes as a freshman.

Where the 6-8, 250-pounder’s game needs to grow is on the offensive end. With Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles both graduating, Konate will be counted on to be more of a focal point. He was effective as a sophomore, averaging 10.8 points on 51 percent shooting, but most of those points came on dunks and putbacks. Konate still needs to work on his post game and become a more consistent shooter, something his free-throw shooting (79 percent) shows he has the potential to be.

Konate is already a college basketball star in his own right and will be the unanimous preseason favorite to win National Defensive Player of the Year, which Carter won last season. However, his viability both as a potential first-round NBA Draft pick and an All-American candidate will be determined by his growth on offense.

Oh, and you didn’t think I’d let you leave without the obligatory Konate highlight reel, did you?

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