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

By Joey Loose | Sep 22, 2022

Dejected Purdue Boilermakers guard Carsen Edwards (3) and Ryan Cline (14) walk off the court following of their NCAA Division I Basketball Championship "Elite 8" basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY., on Saturday, Mar 30, 2019. The Virginia Cavaliers defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 80-75.The Purdue Boilermakers Play The Virginia Cavaliers In The Elite 8 Of The Ncaa Men S Basketball Championship /

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Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Cade Cunningham Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Cade Cunningham – Oklahoma State

This was no ordinary 6’8 guard from Arlington; Cunningham was the top-rated prospect in the class of 2020. Cunningham made his way up to Oklahoma State, starring for just a single season for the Cowboys under coach Mike Boynton. He didn’t need to spend more than that freshman year playing college ball because that one season turned out pretty successful.

Cunningham averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game across that season. He had a career-high 40-point performance in a rivalry win over Oklahoma late in the season and helped lead the Cowboys to their first NCAA Tournament in four seasons. He was clearly the best player for the Cowboys and helped lead them to the second round of the Big Dance, falling to Oregon State to end his collegiate career.

For a season in which he led the Big 12 in points and minutes played, Cunningham cleaned up the awards. He was a First Team All-American and was named both Big 12 Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Cunningham was the top prospect in the nation and certainly played like it in that season leading the Cowboys. Unsurprisingly, he became the 1st pick in the 2021 NBA Draft a few months later and is coming off a solid rookie year with the Detroit Pistons.

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