NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 35 in 2023-24 season

2. Jacob Crews (Tennessee-Martin)

Everything for Crews had been in Florida before this season, but he certainly took to Tennessee without a second thought. Native to Hilliard, a small town outside Jacksonville, Crews found a home at North Florida but was just a backup player for two years. He spent his junior year at Daytona State College before catching on at Tennessee-Martin this past offseason. All things considered he was quite the catch for the Skyhawks.

Crews averaged 19.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, making 41% of his 3-pointers and 82% of his free throws. An incredibly production player for Tennessee-Martin, he earned First Team All-OVC honors and ranked among the best in that conference in many categories, including points, rebounds, and 3-pointers. His arrival and productivity was also key to a 21-win season that included a regular season title in the OVC for the Skyhawks.

An early 24-point, 17-rebound effort against non-D1 Brescia was certainly a sign of things to come. Crews was dropping 20 points on a regular basis during nonconference play and stepped up into an even more important role against conference foes. He’d drop 35 points on Little Rock in mid-January and later had a four-game stretch in February where he scored at least 28 points each night, all in wins. Crews is off to Missouri for next season after a monster showing with UT Martin, really coming onto the scene in that final month in particular.