NCAA Basketball: Projecting the top 25 mid-major stars for 2019-20

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: The bench celebrates as Sam Merrill #5 of the Utah State Aggies looks on as they play against the Washington Huskies during the second half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 23: Coach McMahon consoles Brown. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

23. Tevin Brown, Murray State

Guard | 6-foot-5 | 175 lbs | Sophomore

Ja Morant is no longer running the show for Murray State and that opens the door for a new star guard to crack the headlines. Rising sophomore Tevin Brown mostly functioned in a secondary role last season to the No. 2 overall NBA Draft pick but he is now ready to put on a show for the Racers. Despite the fact that Murray State plays in the Ohio Valley Conference, the program has emerged as a “Guard U” in recent years and it would be a mistake to overlook the breakout potential oozing from Brown’s freshman film.

Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, Jonathan Stark, and Morant have all thrived in Murray State’s guard-oriented offense and Brown should be the next in line. Over the course of his first collegiate season, the 6-foot-5 guard posted averages of 11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while playing second fiddle to the most exciting player in all of college basketball. With Morant out of the picture, it is Brown’s time to shine as the Murray State’s offensive leader.

Belmont projects as the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley this season but the Racers might not be that far behind if Brown takes the leap that he is capable of. He is already a superb perimeter threat with the ability to absolutely light it up from beyond the arc in a hurry. Brown launched a ridiculous 242 3-pointers last season and cashed in on 37.2% of those attempts. Playing alongside a superb distributor in Morant certainly helped him find open looks (as 94.2 of his 3-pointers were assisted on) but Brown could showcase more of his self-creation as a sophomore.

He is the clear-cut favorite to be Murray State’s primary scoring option this season and it wouldn’t be a major surprise if he flirted with the 20 points per game mark. I am exceptionally high on Brown as a breakout star this season, especially if Noah Kamba and Jaiveon Evans can consistently dish him the rock as the Racers’ primary distributors. Brown will mostly play off the ball this season but should still thrive in Coach McMahon’s system.

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