Big East Basketball: Ranking of top 25 players entering 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
14. Cam Spencer – Connecticut
Originally a backcourt weapon at Loyola-Maryland, Spencer spent last season playing a major role in Rutgers’ offense before transferring for a second time. He joins the defending national champions and will settle into an important role for the Huskies. He averaged nearly 19 points a game in his final year with the Greyhounds and was still solid at the Big Ten level last season, putting up 13.2 points per game.
Spencer made 43% of his 3-pointers last season and rates as exactly the type of outside shooter that Dan Hurley wants to plug into his offense. Not only is he a talented athlete who can clearly score in bunches, but he’s got solid court vision, with decent assist and steals numbers to this point in his career. He’ll be a major weapon for Connecticut’s quest to repeat their success from last year and his sharpshooting will make him a fan favorite pretty fast.
13. Oso Ighodaro – Marquette
A previous Top 100 recruit who saw limited action early in his career, Ighodaro burst onto the scene alongside his Golden Eagles last season. He hadn’t started a game in his first two seasons but became a starter in Marquette’s frontcourt last year, helping them to that bounce back campaign. Ighodaro averaged 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, squashing his previous career highs and demonstrating his talent in Shaka Smart’s program.
Ighodaro is a physical specimen who will score, be active on the boards, and allow the Golden Eagles to run their offense through him at times. He’s not the kind of scorer who’s going to give you 20 points a night, but he makes the players around him better and brings it on the defensive end. His return and expected growth is a major reason for the excitement in Milwaukee this offseason.