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

Zach Harvey – Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats thought they got a late summer steal a year ago when top-50 prospect Harvey picked them after reclassifying. But he struggled to gain traction on the team, scoring fewer than 50 total points. Three-star unheralded recruit Mika Adams-Woods outplayed him easily, starting 19 games and averaged over 20 mpg.

But Cincinnati needs Harvey to showcased that top-50 potential, especially with former AAC Player of the Year Jarron Cumberland and his brother Jaevin Cumberland now gone. The frontcourt for this team next season should be fine but unless Michigan transfer David Dejulius gets a waiver, Harvey will be called upon to replace a bunch of that production.

Matthew Hurt – Duke Blue Devils

Once figured to be a “one and done” future NBA Draft pick, Hurt averaged 9.7 ppg and had his fair share of ups and downs. He’ll be back for year 2, joined by top-tier frontcourt recruits, Jaemyn Brakefield, Mark Williams, and Henry Coleman.

Whether Hurt becomes a true college star or not, he’ll at least have a clear role on the offense as a floor spacer. He led the Blue Devils with 42 made three-pointers and among the projected rotation players, Hurt is the only one capable of hitting three-pointers. But he’ll need to improve both defensively and on the boards or risk being outplayed by the other highly-recruited pieces.