Solo Ball Flying Under the Radar while Leading UConn

After playing a limited role on a national championship team last season as a freshman, Solo Ball has established himself as one of the best players in the Big East and has arguably been UConn's best player as of late.

The Huskies were able to pick up a huge road win at No. 9 Marquette Saturday after losing three of their last six games by five points or less. Solo Ball stepped up in big-time fashion dropping 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds while shooting a blistering 7-of-9 from three point range. The 6-foot-3 guard made timely shots all game long as he drilled NBA-range threes with a hand in his face time and time again. He showed his ability to run off a number of screens and create enough separation to get his shot off in-rhythm and make tough shots from all over the floor.

With star freshman Liam McNeely out since Jan. 2 with a high ankle sprain, Dan Hurley needed other guys to step up and Solo Ball has answered that call. He has been their best player in Big East play averaging 17.6 points and five rebounds per game on 46.7/46.4/87.9 shooting splits against their conference opponents. Known as an athletic shot-maker coming out of high school, Ball has refined his shot becoming one of the most efficient high-volume shooters in the country in addition to his ability to get to the rim with his explosiveness.

Having only turned 19 years old in December, Ball has a ton of room for growth on top of the impressive production he already has under his belt in his second season. He may need another season at Storrs because he still hasn't shown he can be a lead guard and is undersized as an off-guard at the NBA level, but his shooting ability should put his name on NBA radars soon enough. He already plays with the intelligence of an upperclassman only committing one turnover a game playing over 30 minutes a night.

UConn currently sits at fourth in the Big East with a big matchup against St. John's who leads the Big East on Friday in Storrs. With Liam McNeely potentially making his return, it will be interesting to see how he fits back into the mix and whether Solo Ball can continue his All Big East-worthy season as UConn gets back to full strength. Regardless of how the rest of the season goes, Ball has proven he is a legitimate NBA prospect with tons of room for growth.