Tyson Degenhart - Boise State Broncos
The senior forward has been one of the best players in the country since he was a freshman. He won the Mountain West Freshman of the Year. He entered the 2024-2025 season as the MWC preseason Player of the Year and was on the watchlist for all the major college basketball awards. Yet, he is rarely talked about in a national landscape. He is currently averaging 18 points per game with 6 rebounds. Even if he is known within the Mountain West, many outside of that conference forget who he is. That is, until he plays your favorite team.
Dedan Thomas Jr. - UNLV Rebels
Thomas is the son of a UNLV legend and a 5-star recruit who had a fantastic freshman season and is well on his way to having a great season again. The problem is that UNLV is not a big name program and they have not been great for a while. The point guard was named the co-Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West. Currently, he is averaging 17 points per game with four assists. The guard is shooting over 40% from deep and did enough to almost beat Dayton a few weeks ago. Thomas is an elite scorer and one of the best point guards in the country. He needs to be a household name in College Basketball.
Michael Rataj - Oregon State Beavers
Rataj is a player who always has an extremely high ceiling. It was just a matter of time until he had a breakout season. That season is now, and he is playing at an extremely high level for a very surprising Oregon State team. The big man has dominated in the post both on offense and defense. He averages over 2 steals per game, which helps Oregon State get out in transition. Rataj is averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game. He is the guy for the Beavers but doesn’t get talked about as much as the other players on the team. That needs to change, especially after you watch him play.