NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 13 in 2023-24 season

9. Brooks Barnhizer (Northwestern)

During his first two seasons, Barnhizer was quietly doing solid work for the Wildcats. He wasn’t starting or putting up stats that raised eyebrows, but he was doing the little things for Northwestern while improving his own game. This past junior year was the culmination of those efforts, seeing Barnhizer evolve into an effect starting forward for a successful Northwestern squad; a squad that found their way back to the Big Dance again.

Barnhizer’s productive junior season saw him average 14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists a game, assuming a much more significant role than as an underclassman. His efforts got him Third Team All-Big Ten while finishing among the league’s leaders in rebounds and steals. Additionally, Barnhizer was among the nation’s most utilized players, playing more than 36 minutes per game. He was an indispensable weapon for Chris Collins during a breakout campaign.

The breakthrough started with back-to-back double-doubles to open the season, including against Dayton. He had an important 23 points in an upset over Illinois early in league play and would top 20 points on a few other occasions. Barnhizer dropped a double-double in the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament win against Florida Atlantic with 13 points and 10 rebounds and certainly has a lot to build on for next year.