NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Minnesota of last decade

9. Matthew Hurt – Duke

There’s no doubt that Hurt was a talented player, a 5-star prospect from Rochester. This 6’9 forward committed to Duke and played a pair of seasons under Coach K with the Blue Devils. Unfortunately for Hurt, he never actually appeared in the NCAA Tournament, but he still had a fantastic run of personal success, especially in his sophomore year.

Hurt’s freshman season was solid, including a 25-point effort in a win over Boston College, but there were games where he barely played and the pandemic shortened the year. As a sophomore, he blossomed into a star for the Blue Devils, averaging 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, albeit for a Duke team that struggled to a 10th place finish in the ACC. Still, Hurt had some phenomenal outings, including a 37-point effort in a hard-fought game against Louisville.

That second year saw him named ACC Most Improved Player and secured his place on the All-ACC First Team. He led the league in points per game and offensive rating and really came into his own on that side of the basketball. Even if the program’s on-court performance was underwhelming, Hurt was still a very solid piece, though he chose to leave after that breakout season. He was not drafted and spent most of last season playing in the G-League.