NCAA Basketball: 2022-23 Christmas wishlist for each top 25 team

24. Marquette Golden Eagles – Recognition for Tyler Kolek

In NCAA Basketball, it’s widely understood that Yuri Collins of Saint Louis leads the country in assists at 10.3 per game. Markquis Nowell of Kansas State is second with 8.1 apg, while Jalen Pickett is 4th at 7.6. But at least those guys get some kind of acknowledgment. Who doesn’t is the guy that ranks 5th in Tyler Kolek, the junior guard for Marquette. He’s at 7.5 apg on the season, including three games of 11 assists. Known as a sharpshooter after transferring over from George Mason, the playmaker has become a key piece for Shaka Smart’s team.

While leading scorer Kameron Jones is the national breakout star and the frontcourt duo of Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Oso Ighodaro is very good, Kolek is the guy that makes the Golden Eagles effective. And he should be getting much more attention and respect than he currently is. Maybe he’ll have to score more, such as his 29-point outing against Providence.

23. Auburn Tigers – A shooting coach for the guards

The Tigers are barely ranked after last week’s loss to USC but just simply hasn’t been impressive. The offense has been the issue, with Wendell Green and KD Johnson regressing compared to a year ago. And their biggest problem is from the three-point line, shooting 29 and 28% respectively on over eight attempts a game.

As a team, Auburn is shooting under 29% from deep, ranking in the bottom 30 of the country. That’s simply not going to cut it once SEC play arrives. Morehead State transfer Johni Broome has been solid but he’s not capable of carrying this team. It’s up to the veteran guards to do that and for that to happen, they need to become much better shooters.