NCAA Basketball: Ranking top 100 returning players entering 2024-25 season
70. Kevin ‘Boopie” Miller’, SMU Mustangs
2023-24 season stats: 15.6, 2.8 RPG 3.5 APG
Kevin ‘Boopie’ Miller arrives at SMU after an impressive one-year stint at Wake Forest, averaging over 15 points and leading the Demon Deacons in assists (3.5). The six-foot guard is no stranger to putting up big-time numbers on the scoreboard and is a monster pickup for first-year HC Andy Enfield, who now has an impressive 1-2 backcourt in Kevin Miller and Chuck Harris.
69. Markus Burton, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2023-24 season stats: 17.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.3 APG
Markus Burton had a stellar freshman campaign, earning the highly distinguished ACC ROY award, putting his name alongside the likes of Zion Williamson, Scottie Barnes and Paolo Banchero, to name a few. Withdrawing his name from the 2024 NBA Draft, Burton is one of the top returnees in the ACC this season and will be the focal point for Notre Dame basketball entering year two of the Micah Shrewsberry era.
68. Ace Baldwin Jr., Penn State Nittany Lions
2023-24 season stats: 14.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.7 SPG
Returning to State College is the Big Ten conference’s best defensive player Ace Baldwin Jr. The well-decorated guard caught fire in the second half of the year and averaged an impressive 2.7 steals per game -- the most by a Big Ten player in 31 years, according to Penn State athletics. It’s safe to say the Nittany Lions will go as far as Ace Baldwin takes them.
67. Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga Bulldogs
2023-24 season stats: 12.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.9 APG
Veteran leadership is the motto of the 2024-25 Gonzaga Bulldogs. Returning to Spokane for his senior year, there is no question that Ryan Nebhard fits that bill. After averaging an impressive feat of nearly seven APG, the six-foot PG posted an impressive 3.00 assist-to-turnover rating in almost 36 minutes per game. Thankfully, he won’t have to play 36 minutes per game next year because the Zags are loaded with depth, helping take some of the burden off Nembhard’s shoulders in the backcourt.
66. JP Pegues, Auburn Tigers
2023-24 season stats: 18.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.8 APG
Infamously known for the wild buzzer-beater that sent 4-seed Virginia home in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, bona fide bucket-getter JP Pegues has all the makings for a spectacular 2024-25 season at Auburn. Adding a high-volume scorer at the point is exactly what Bruce Pearl wanted. And it’s exactly what he gets in Pegues.