NCAA Basketball: Top 25 breakout junior players for 2020-21 season
2. Will Richardson – Oregon Ducks
2019-20 stats: 11.0 ppg and 2.3 apg
Pac-12 Player of the Year and All-American Payton Pritchard has graduated, leaving a huge hole at the point guard position to replace him. The most likely candidate is Richardson, a 6’5 combo guard that has shown a great ability to score at a high clip. He had 11 games of at least 15+ points and was elevated to start alongside Pritchard in the ladder half of the season.
Richardson was more consistent once becoming a starter but it was clear that he greatly benefitted from playing alongside the former Duck leader. But I have a feeling that the guard will elevate his own game with the ball in his hands a lot more and if LJ Figueroa doesn’t get a waiver, Richardson will have no choice but to be a stat stuffer for Oregon to succeed at a high level.
1. Kyler Edwards – Texas Tech Red Raiders
2019-20 stats: 11.4 ppg 4.0 rpg and 3.1 apg
There are a lot of moving parts for the Red Raiders roster. They have frontcourt transfers to bolster their inside game but did lost top scoring guards Davide Moretti and Jahmi’us Ramsey. However, Texas Tech landed big-time transfer guard Mac McClung, who still needs a waiver to be eligible to play next season.
Yet even if that happens, and even with the inclusion of five-star guard Nimari Burnett, my bet for leading passer for next season is Edwards, who had a very good sophomore campaign. He’s a do-it-all kind of player in terms of scoring, rebounding and passing and is a quality defender to boot. His shooting numbers took a dip but with a much more rounded and balanced roster next season, there should be plenty of space for the 6’4 guard to operate and succeed.
Next. Storylines to root for in 2020-21. dark
Whether McClung gets the waiver or not, Texas Tech will be a preseason top-15 team next season with Final Four aspirations. And even with so many different faces that’ll have to integrate into the rotation, the one constant that is Edwards will make things easier for everyone, allowing both he and the team to excel expectations and be a top-tier team in 2021.