Big Ten Basketball: Top 10 returning players for 2018-19

By Jerran Anderson | Aug 22, 2018

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - FEBRUARY 18: Carsen Edwards #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers dunks the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mackey Arena on February 18, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images /

3. Cassius Winston, Michigan State

The Michigan State Spartans got an early exit in last year’s NCAA Tournament but guard Cassius Winston’s return changes their dynamic for 2018-19. Winston was instrumental as the team’s floor general during the 2017-18 season.

He recorded 12.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game through 35 appearances for the Spartans in 2017-18. His production should go up in 2018-19 with the departures of Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. to the NBA.

The 6-foot guard produced a career-high five double-doubles as a sophomore. All of them were double-figure games in assists and points. After posting just five starts in 2016-17, he showed he’s ready to run an offense in the Big Ten after his performance last season. He put up a career-high 13 assists against Savannah State back on Dec. 30. Look for more of those games as he’ll rely heavily on rising junior Nick Ward in the post.

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