Pac-12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

8. Bennedict Mathurin

Mathurin is a 6’7 wing from Montreal who was actually a Top 100 recruit from the Class of 2020. He was recruited to Arizona by Sean Miller and had a solid freshman season, but Mathurin really developed into a star under new head coach Tommy Lloyd in his sophomore year. We’ll look at both seasons here, though Arizona truly got an impressive star on the court.

In that freshman season, Mathurin was still very solid, averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds, albeit in a disappointing season for the Wildcats. Year two was anything but disappointing, as the program had a new breath of life. Mathurin averaged 17.7 points and 5.6 rebounds and was an important figure as the Wildcats won the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. He dropped 27 points against an elite UCLA squad in the Pac-12 Tournament final and had 30 points in a wild game against TCU in the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona was perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2022 college basketball season and Mathurin’s standout season was a major reason. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Tournament MVP, and was a Second Team All-American, playing a significant role in the Wildcats’ 31-win season and return to relevancy. After showing that talent, he was selected 6th in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.