25 players to know for the 2018-19 college hoops season

There are a lot of great freshmen at Duke this year (including Cam Reddish and another guy on this list), but Barrett may be the best. He was the top player of the incoming freshman class and is on many lists as the favorite for 2018-2019 college player of the year. In the FIBA Under-19 World Cup, the Canadian lit up Team USA for 38 points and 13 boards. 

Battle had a fantastic season and was the one consistent scorer for a team that, at times, struggled to score. Battle is the main source of the Orange's offense (19 ppg), as evidenced by him averaging 39 minutes a game — most in all of college basketball. He carried Syracuse to a Sweet 16 appearance, and with more help this year the team could contend for an ACC title and Battle could contend to be the league's scoring champ.

The Trojans woefully underperformed last season, but Boatwright is poised to bring them back. After most of his star teammates bolted for the NBA, he decided to return after an injury-riddled year. The big man is a very good three-point shooter and will be the focal point of USC's offense this year. With more touches coming and a healthy season, Boatwright can restake his claim as one of the nation's top talents.

You'll usually have to go looking for Campbell games, but if you find one you will be pleased to watch Clemons. He averaged 24.9 points and 3.1 assists for the Camels last year. Not just that, but the 5-foot-9 guard averaged 4.6 rebounds as well! He steals the ball and he's money from the line, but he's just a 37 percent shooter from deep. If he can get Campbell into the tournament, he'll get his due.

The entire Ramblers program will be watched much more closely during the upcoming season, and Custer will be the main man. Loyola lost three of its top six scorers, which means more will be expected from Custer, who last year led the Ramblers in scoring, assists and steals and shot 45 percent from behind the arc. 

Daum isn't the high-profile, can't-miss prospect as many on the list, but he is simply a great college player in a smaller conference. Daum averaged 23.9 points and 10.3 rebounds for the Jackrabbits last season, winning his second consecutive Summit League Player of the Year award. The best big man in the Summit League shot 42 percent from three last year. 

Edwards went back to school for his junior season after averaging 18.5 points and shooting 42 percent from three. He's a good rebounder for a 6-foot-1 point guard and shoots a good volume of threes. Edwards could be the Big Ten's leading scorer and be among most player of the year watch lists. He was already named Blue Ribbon Yearbook's player of the year for the upcoming season.

Grady isn't the second coming of Steph Curry, but he's the best thing at Davidson since then. He averaged 18 points as a freshman last season and seemed to gain more confidence as the year wore on. He had a poor shooting night against Kentucky in the NCAA tournament but still scored 16 points. He scored 18 points on North Carolina earlier in the season. 

Virginia's style of play makes it hard to select any one player as "one to watch," but Guy truly belongs on the list. He led the Cavaliers in scoring last year and hit 83 three-pointers to go along with the staple tough defensive play. He's a three-and-D player with length and discipline who would love nothing more than to get the taste of that loss to UMBC out of his mouth.

Gonzaga has scheduled aggressively this season and wants to get back to the Final Four. Hachimura, the 6-foot-8 big man from Japan, averaged 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, and those numbers are expected to rise as he becomes more of a focal part of the offense. He's in Year 3 under Mark Few and the Bulldogs have lofty goals that Hachimura is a major reason for.

Last year, Happ averaged 17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds on an unusually bad Badgers team. He declared for the draft after last season but decided to come back to turn around Wisconsin's fortunes. The senior is a true post player — a big man who stays in the paint — but the offense runs through him as if he is a point forward. If he can get more help this season, the Badgers could dig out of their hole and back to the Big Ten elite.

Howard can score and will be one of the more electric offensive players in the country. Last season at Providence, he dumped 52 points on the Friars. The very next game, he put 37 points on the would-be champion Villanova Wildcats. In a game against Chicago State, he shot 16 times — 15 from three-point range — scoring all of his 33 points from behind the arc. He also scored just four points against DePaul in a close Big East tournament game, which shows he needs to display consistency in his junior season. If he does that, he could be among the nation's scoring leaders.

Langford is an elite talent who comes to a Hoosiers team that really needs an alpha. He's got great ball-handling abilities with a scoring style. He won't be the next Trae Young, but he's got a game that resembles it. Last year's Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana finished his high school career fourth all time in scoring. He'll be an instant fan favorite.

Lawson will play his first season for the Jayhawks after transferring from Memphis. Two years ago, he averaged 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Tigers and now heads to Kansas with better teammates and a realistic shot at a national championship. He's been named the Big 12's preseason Newcomer of the Year as well and was an all-conference selection.

While everyone is in love with Duke's stable of freshmen, the best one may be just down Tobacco Road. The Tar Heels expect big things from Little, who won the MVP award at both the McDonald's All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic. He's an aggressive athletic wing and a perfect player for Carolina's fast-paced offense.

The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year went back to school to help the Wolf Pack get to a Final Four. Martin, who transferred with his twin brother from NC State after their sophomore seasons, averaged 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot over 40 percent from three. 

Matthews is the leading returning scorer for a Wolverines team that finished as the national runner-up a year ago. He usually has his hands in everything, as he's a good rebounder for a wing and a willing passer. The Kentucky transfer has blossomed in Ann Arbor, has confidence in his game and is solid with the ball. He could be the main man now that Mo Wagner has moved on to the NBA.

Maye went from preferred walk-on at North Carolina (where his dad was a star quarterback in the 1980s) to hitting one of the NCAA Tournament's biggest shots as a sophomore, to becoming one of the nation's most improved players as a junior to being one of the front-runners for National Player of the Year as a senior. He's a double-double machine who stretches defenses, and he is a smart rebounder.

The Wildcats lost a ton of talent off their national championship team, which should give Paschall a chance to shine. He played his freshman season at Fordham where he was the Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year. Since transferring to Villanova, he's been more of a role guy but did come up with 24 points in the Final Four against Kansas. The big guy should be the next in a line of 'Nova upperclassmen who make a big jump in their play.

Ponds is one of the front-runners for Big East Player of the Year. The Red Storm better hope so because they really need to have some big success this season. Ponds averaged 21.6 points last season, adding 4.7 assists and five rebounds. If he can be more consistent shooting from three, he'll be nearly unstoppable. 

One of the criticisms about Kentucky in recent years is the lack of a talented upperclassman who can lead the team through tough times. It has one now. Travis won't be as talented or drooled over like the usual flock of freshman Wildcats, but he will be the most ready to win a championship now. Travis, a graduate transfer from Stanford, averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds with the Cardinal last year and should be relied on early in the season, as the young guys get acclimated. 

Wade was the Wildcats best player a year ago but missed out on much of their NCAA Tournament run due to injury. (He played eight minutes in their Sweet 16 win over Kentucky.) The senior averaged 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds for K-State, which brings back its entire starting lineup. That kind of continuity is rare, and Wade should be ready to lead the Wildcats back for another long tourney run.

Waters had a superb, if unnoticed, freshman season, scoring 15.9 points and six assists. This season, the point guard will have a lot more talent around him. He gets streaky with his threes and dishes off some stunning passes. If he can limit his turnovers, he and the Tigers could have a breakout season.

Williams hopes to repeat as the SEC's Player of the Year...and hopes to lead the Volunteers to another SEC regular season title. A lot of big things are expected in Knoxville, and Williams, like always, will be in the middle of it. He's not the most exciting player on the Vols, but he's their glue — the guy who toughs it up in the lane and is willing to do anything to help the team win. If he can improve defensively, he could reach those goals to repeat.

Williamson will be the player that "SportsCenter" and the internet will drool over. He's an exceptional athlete for a 285-pound wing player who has a penchant for displaying dunks that defy physics. To be great basketball player...especially at Duke...he must develop an all-around game that involves defense, ball-handling and shooting. But those dunks, though!