NCAA Basketball: 20 sophomores under pressure to break out in 2020-21

Which rising NCAA Basketball sophomores are under the most pressure to break out next season? Here are 20 players to keep an eye on.

Over a week ago, I did a project concerning the top-25 sophomores that I believed were most likely to break out this upcoming season. It was based on how the projected rosters were looking, and who was in a situation where they could not only put up big numbers but win at a high level.

But there were plenty of talented returning players who didn’t make the cut, for any kind of reasons. Part of it was a concern about how big a role they’ll potentially have on the team, while others may having limitations on what they’ll be asked of. Yet in order for some of these teams to reach their respective max potential in 2021, they’ll need these listed athletes to have improved individual campaigns.

Here are 20 players who “need” to break out, along with reasons why they’re so important.

Bryan Antoine – Villanova Wildcats

Offseason shoulder surgery effectively derailed the former five-star prospect’s freshman season, ultimately playing a total of 87 minutes and scoring 18 points. You can essentially write off what happened a year ago since he wasn’t really needed much for the team that tied for first in the Big East.

The issue for Antoine is that the backcourt is just as loaded for next season as it was last year. All-American candidate Collin Gillespie will be back for his senior campaign, along with Justin Moore. Then there’s Tulane transfer guard Caleb Daniels, who averaged 16.9 ppg two seasons ago. It’ll be hard for Antoine to become a double-digit scorer himself but if he contributes at a high level, Villanova could end up being the team to beat.

Jordan Brown – Arizona Wildcats

The former five-star recruit played just 10 mpg at Nevada two years ago, essentially being passed over by a pair of mid-major transfers in the frontcourt. Brown will be one of the more fascinating players to watch, as he could either validate Eric Musselman’s decision to be largely benched or been proven horribly wrong from that Wolf Pack team with Final Four aspirations.

Arizona’s frontcourt features a pair of defensive role players (Ira Lee and Christian Koloko), along with multiple international freshmen commits. Brown has the most offensive potential of any in the group and unlike his time at Nevada, will get plenty of opportunities to break out. It’ll be up to him to take advantage.