PAC-12 Basketball: 2020-21 breakout candidates from each team

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: A Pac-12 basketball logo is displayed on the court before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Washington Huskies at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 11: Gianni Hunt #0, Jarod Lucas #2 and Zach Reichle #11 of the Oregon State Beavers (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Oregon State Beavers: Jarod Lucas

You would be hard-pressed to find a player who ended on a higher note than freshman Jarod Lucas did with Oregon State Basketball last season. On Feb. 11 Lucas connected on four out of six three-pointers against Utah in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. None of those threes were more important than the buzzer-beater that gave the Beavers a 71-69 victory over Utah.

Overall, the 2019-20 season was not as exciting for the 7-11 Beavers or for the 6’3 guard. While the outlook for Lucas is better, the Beavers are losing seniors Tres Tinkle (18.5 PPG) and Kyler Kelley (11 PPG). Even with 2019-20 starting point guard Ethan Thompson declaring for the NBA Draft for the second straight year, and if he does not come back despite not being ranked in the top 75 prospects, Coach Tinkle still has Gianni Hunt and the aforementioned Jarod Lucas.

Lucas and Hunt could be battling for the starting point guard position, but most likely the back-up spot when Thompson does come back. Either way, Lucas is going to beat out Hunt for the lion’s share of the available minutes. With virtually identical minutes per game, Lucas outscored Hunt by two points while shooting almost three percent better from the field and twenty-two percent better from the free-throw line.

Most telling are the advanced stats, as Lucas’ Player Efficiency Rating was nine points higher and Lucas had the only turnover percentage under ten, while Hunt was at 22 percent. Lucas at the very least is a back-up point guard and will see a serious uptick in minutes during his breakout season.

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