21. Dillon Mitchell, Cincinnati Bearcats
It feels as if it was only a matter of time before the former five-star recruit broke out. After spending two seasons at Texas, it never felt that Mitchell put all the pieces together. Now at Cincinnati, we are starting to see how good he can be. Mitchell has quietly molded into a three-level scorer, shooting 67% from the field while averaging over seven rebounds per game, ranking as a top 10 player in the country per Evan Miya’s player ratings.
While Cincinnati is a team littered with returning talent, it’s Mitchell -- who has paired very well with Aziz Bandago -- that has raised this group’s ceiling. Now they must string together quality wins in Big 12 play to boost its resume.
20. Kylan Boswell, Illinois Fighting Illini
Kasparas Jakucionis. Tomislav Ivisic. Will Riley. It’s hard to argue the young, NBA-level talent in Champaign has been the focal point to Illinois’ strong start. However, Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell has been terrific, especially on the defensive end. Boswell, who knotted a triple-double in Illinois’ walloping over Chicago State, may not have the shooting splits that scream elite -- a 4-5 night behind the arc in Eugene was a huge step in the right direction -- but what he does have is the intangibles defensively.
Last season, the defense was not a strong suit for the Illini. This season, the Illini are 13th in KenPom in adjusted defensive efficiency. And a key reason for that is Boswell’s suffocating on-ball defense. Just look at Boswell guarding All-American Mark Sears, courtesy of Ant Wright.
Kylan Boswell guarding Mark Sears.. defense doesn’t get much better than this pic.twitter.com/pOIiX2iHCB
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) November 21, 2024
Illinois has the talent to run away with the Big Ten title. That was apparent after its stellar display at Oregon on Thursday night and Boswell’s impact is a primary cause.
19. Tyrese Hunter, Memphis Tigers
Similar to Dillon Mitchell, it never felt that Tyrese Hunter put the pieces of the puzzle together during his two-year stint at Texas. While Hunter was far from abysmal, he didn't take that jump many people had yearned for. Now at Memphis, the impact transfer is making the most in his final year in college.
Most notably, Hunter has increased his three-point shooting percentage from 34.3% to 46.7% on 6.5 attempts per game. Hunter has found his perimeter spark -- and looks confident doing so -- and is a key reason behind the Tigers' impressive start, who own three Q1 wins and five Q2 wins.