Big Ten Basketball Breakout Players For 2023-24 Season

With the 2023-24 college basketball season quickly approaching, here is one breakout player to watch from all 14 Big Ten teams.

Jack Ankony | Oct 26, 2023

Big Ten Basketball Breakout Players For 2023-24 Season /

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The college basketball season is right around the corner, and Big Ten fans can expect massive seasons from established stars like Purdue's Zach Edey and or Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr.

But every team needs a breakout player – someone who, perhaps unexpected by most, takes a big leap in scoring, moves into the starting lineup or more consistently produces for their team from one season to the next.

The term can take on various definitions, but in general, freshmen weren't considered for this list. We also tried to stay away from transfers, every game starters, and players who averaged 10-plus points. But there are a few outliers, depending on roster construction.

Here is one breakout candidate for each Big Ten team in 2023-24.

Ty Rodgers, Illinois

Rodgers trained all offseason to be Illinois' full-time point guard. At 6-foot-6, Rodgers doesn't look like a prototypical point guard, and he attempted just one 3-point shot last season. But coach Brad Underwood says he isn't concerned.

"Everybody seems to be worried about it except me," Underwood said at Big Ten media day. "I think one of the big mistakes I made last year is I didn't play Ty Rodgers [at point guard] exclusively."

Malik Reneau, Indiana

Indiana lost All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and his long-time sidekick Race Thompson, opening plenty of minutes in the front court. Reneau spent his freshman year learning from these veterans, and now it's his time to step up. Reneau has more of a face-up game than both Jackson-Davis and Thompson, though he might not be the explosive athlete as a lob threat. He showed soft touch at the rim, scoring an efficient 6.1 points on 55.3 percent shooting in 14.1 minutes per game. He'll need to significantly reduce his fouls from last year, but the former top-30 recruit beams with potential.

Payton Sandfort, Iowa

Sandfort doubled his scoring and minutes from his freshman to sophomore seasons, and he could see a similar jump as a junior. Though he scored 10.7 points per game, he was seventh on the team in minutes – expect both numbers to increase. Iowa lost leading scorer Kris Murray, as well as guards Connor McCaffery and Ahron Ulis. A career 34% 3-point shooter, Sanfort had an up-and-down shooting year, highlighted by four 20-point performances in Big Ten wins, mixed with a few no-show nights in losses. At 6-foot-7, Sandfort has the height to shoot over most defenders, and he'll have the green light. He just needs to be more consistent.

Jordan Geronimo, Maryland

It was tough to pick a breakout player for Maryland, as its starting lineup will likely consist of three established veterans and two freshmen. But I'll go with the former Hoosier, Geronimo, who's name was attached to the breakout label throughout his three years at Indiana. At 6-foot-6 with incredible leaping ability, Geronimo was a determining factor in wins over Illinois and Wisconsin last year. But these flashes were few and far between, as he sat behind Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson throughout his career. Geronimo often talked about developing perimeter skills, but those rarely, if ever, showed up on the court. Is this the year he finally puts it all together?

Dug McDaniel, Michigan

Though he started 26 games and played 30.7 minutes per game, McDaniel can still be considered a breakout candidate, as 63.6 percent of Michigan's scoring last year came from Hunter Dickinson, Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin, who've all since left the program. McDaniel is quick and agile, and he shot 35.5% from three as a freshman. His knowledge of the point guard position seemed to steadily grow as the season went on. He's aggressive on defense, though he's often at a size disadvantage at 5-foot-11. Michigan needs a sophomore jump from its point guard.

Jaden Akins, Michigan State

Like McDaniel, Akins is a well-known name around the Big Ten after starting 25 games and shooting 42.2% from three last season as a sophomore. But Akins averaged less than 10 points per game and was often overshadowed by fellow guards Tyson Walker and A.J. Hoggard. Though Michigan State is loaded, Akins has what it takes to take yet another step forward.

Pharrel Payne, Minnesota

The 6-foot-9, 255-pound Payne played especially well toward the end of his freshman season, scoring double-digit points in six of his last 10 games with two double-doubles. Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said he has really high expectations for Payne this season because of the valuable experience he gained as a freshmen against Big Ten stars like Zach Edey, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Hunter Dickinson.

Jamarques Lawrence, Nebraska

Lawrence barely cracked the rotation the first half of his freshman year, but he was playing 30 minutes a game and scoring in double figures by the end. He played off the ball last year, but coach Fred Hoiberg said Lawrence is exclusively running the point now.

"What's made him a special player over the course of his career is his ability to put the ball in the basket," Hoiberg said. "But now the balance of running an offense and running the show and getting players involved is something that he is still learning."

Brooks Barnhizer, Northwestern

Barnhizer made a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year, going from 1.7 points to 7.6 per game and tripling his minutes. Expect those numbers to continue to rise as Barnhizer and others help replace the scoring production from Chase Audige. Northwestern will need him to improve on his 31% 3-point shooting, but the defense and high-IQ play always seems to be there.

Roddy Gayle Jr., Ohio State

Nearly 30 points per game have left the Ohio State wings with Brice Sensabaugh, Justice Sueing and Sean McNeil gone, and Gayle could be the perfect replacement to slot next to returning point guard Bruce Thornton. The 6-foot-4 guard came on strong at the end of his freshman season, scoring 15 points against Michigan State and 20 against Purdue during Ohio State' miraculous run in the Big Ten Tournament. If coach Chris Holtmann is able to bring Ohio State back to the NCAA Tournament, Gayle will be a big reason why.

D'Marco Dunn, Penn State

Dunn spent his first two years of college at North Carolina behind veteran guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, who rarely came off the court. The former four-star recruit is now looking for more opportunity, and Penn State has just that, as the vast majority of last year's roster is gone.

"Just a versatile guard, can score in different ways," new Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. "I think he could be an elite defender. He just needs playing time ... I think D'Marco could be a guy that surprises a lot of people."

Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue

Coach Matt Painter mostly used Kaufman-Renn last year when national player of the year Zach Edey needed a rest, but he has considered pairing them together in the starting lineup this year. Mason Gillis and Caleb Furst will also get minutes at power forward, but Kaufman-Renn has a case for being the most talented in the trio. His per-40-minute numbers were second best on the team last year, behind only Edey, and he's trying to expand his game beyond the 3-point line. We'll see if Edey and Kaufman-Renn can coexist together, but they have the potential to be a scary combo.

Derek Simpson, Rutgers

Simpson often deferred to veteran guards Paul Mulcahy, Caleb McConnell and Cam Spencer, but he'll be the go-to perimeter scoring option with that trio gone. Like most freshmen, Simpson hit a rough patch in the middle of Big Ten play, but he excelled at the end, scoring in double figures in five of the last six games. Simpson's 21.7 percent 3-point shooting is concerning, but the flashes of an electric scoring guard were there.

Connor Essegian, Wisconsin

Essegian may have had too good of a freshman season to be considered a breakout candidate, but including him here speaks to his ceiling. The 6-foot-4 guard went from a bench option to a go-to scorer. He made the Big Ten All-Freshman team after averaging 11.7 points and shooting 35.9 percent from three, but he proved to be more than a 3-point shooter as the season went on. With a year under his belt and time to get stronger, don't be surprised if Essegian leads the Badgers in scoring this year.