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

By Joey Loose | Aug 25, 2022

Apr 3, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots the game winning shot against UCLA Bruins guard David Singleton (34) during overtime in the national semifinals of the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

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Bucknell Bisons center Mike Muscala Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Mike Muscala – Bucknell

Muscala didn’t play at a fancy or prominent school, but this 6’11 forward from Roseville still made a monumental impact on college basketball as he could. The talented big played at Bucknell, starring in the Patriot League across four seasons until his graduation in 2013. By the time he left campus, he had led the Bison to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and developed into one of the best forwards at any mid-major school.

As a sophomore, Muscala played an important role in leading Bucknell to the Big Dance, but he really stood out with impressive years as an upperclassman. After averaging 17.0 points per game as a junior, helping lead the program to an NIT win at Arizona, he really exploded onto the scene as a senior. Muscala averaged 18.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, had a 29-point, 19-rebound effort over Columbia, and got his program back to the Big Dance in 2013.

In both his sophomore and senior seasons, Muscala was the Patriot League Player of the Year and Tournament MVP. He led the conference in blocks all four seasons while leading the entire nation in defensive rebounds during that final year. He was an impressive talent, leading the Patriot League in a bunch of other statistics, and sitting in a prominent position on the Bucknell all-time leaderboards. He was a late draft pick and now nine years later is still playing in the NBA, most recently for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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