9) De’Andre Hunter, PF/SF, Virginia
Stats: 14.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.3 apg
LW: 7
Hunter has delivered on his breakout potential this season, adding more offensive skill to his defensive dominance to turn into one of college basketball’s best two-way players.
The reigning ACC Sixth Man of the Year has become a star and currently leads the Cavaliers in scoring despite ranking second in usage rate behind point guard Ty Jerome.
Many people are skeptical of this year’s Virginia team due to their loss to 16-seed UMBC last March and their general tendency of underachieving in the NCAA Tournament, but Hunter is the main reason why this UVA team might be different.
First off, he’s the best defender on a team full of excellent defenders. His size, length, and quickness allow him to guard all five positions and shut down the opposing team’s best player, which he likely would’ve done against Jairus Lyles and UMBC if he had been healthy.
Also, his expanded offensive game gives Virginia something they’ve never really had under head coach Tony Bennett – a versatile, athletic go-to scorer on the wing. They’ve had good offensive players but haven’t had anyone who was a real matchup problem for opposing defenses. Hunter has become that guy.
UVA has not played in a big game yet this season and Hunter needs to continue to prove he can play at a high level offensively. If he can do that and play well in some big ACC games, Hunter will move way up this list.