NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 10 in 2023-24 season

4. Xavier Johnson (Southern Illinois)

During the first four seasons of his collegiate career Johnson was a solid player. He started a number of games across three years at George Mason and was important in his first year at Southern Illinois. After a few departures from the school in the offseason, his role with the Salukis would change, resulting in quite the jump forward in his fifth collegiate season.

Johnson averaged 22.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, more than tripling his scoring average from any of his previous seasons. He was the MVC’s leading scorer, top free throw shooter, assists leader, and also made 37% of his 3-pointers. Johnson was not just First Team All-MVC but awarded the league’s Most Improved Player for his significant leap forward. He was by far the standout on a 19-win season for the Salukis.

His leap was evident from the beginning, as he scored 38 points in a tough loss to a great James Madison crew early in the year. He later had a stretch of three straight 30-point efforts, including in great wins over Saint Louis and Oklahoma State. Johnson was no slouch in league play, dropping 35 points at Drake and later flirting with a triple-double against Evansville. Sadly it all ended in the first round of the MVC Tournament despite a 27-point performance in an overtime loss, though he certainly stood out all year for this program.