NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 34 in 2023-24 season

8. Matthew Nicholson (Northwestern)

A 7-foot center originally from Michigan, Nicholson made his way to Northwestern four seasons ago and remained with the Wildcats years later. As an underclassman, he wasn’t exactly seeing the court a lot for the Wildcats, though things were a bit different these last two seasons. Not only has Nicholson been a starter the last two years, he also helped the Wildcats to historic seasons and return trips to the Big Dance.

The raw numbers don’t scream it out, but Nicholson had a solid senior year with Northwestern, putting up 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 blocks a game. Nicholson made nearly 66% of his field goal attempts and had great defensive metrics, even against Big Ten foes. His rebounding numbers took a slight step back but he’d still help the Wildcats to a 3rd place finish and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Nicholson wasn’t a player that was going to go off every other night, but he did have a few games of note as a senior. He had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in a nice performance against Northern Illinois a few days before playing in the Wildcats’ big upset over Purdue. Near the end of the year he had 14 points and 16 rebounds in a road win at Indiana. Sadly, a leg injury cost him the end of the season, forcing him to miss all of the postseason; though Nicholson will be back for year five in Evanston.