NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 13 in 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
5. J’Wan Roberts (Houston)
A menacing force in recent years for a tough Cougars squad, Roberts just finished his second season as a starter in Houston’s frontcourt. He’s actually been with the program since before the pandemic, redshirting his first collegiate campaign before spending the last four on the court. After taking a major step forward the previous season, Roberts was back for more critical play with the Cougars in their first season in the Big 12.
This season saw Roberts average 9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, again as a full-time starter for the Cougars. He’d be Houston’s top rebounder and key shot blocker and an important defensive playmaker in a season where they won the Big 12 regular season title. That great season earned him Third Team All-Big 12 honors with some of the best defensive metrics in the entire country.
Roberts did work on both sides of the ball, including a double-double in a nice early season win over Utah. He had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a rare loss to TCU early in conference play but dropped 20 points again later in rod wins over Cincinnati and Oklahoma. Houston would advance to the Sweet Sixteen, with Roberts putting up twin 13-point, 8-rebound efforts in the final two games of his season.