College Basketball: Top 4 Players At Each Position

Dec 12, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Jamal Murray (23) dribbles the ball against Arizona State Sun Devils guard Andre Spight (24) in the second half at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Arizona State 72-58. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Jamal Murray, Kentucky SF

Kentucky’s Jamal Murray finds himself on our list in part because of his enormous upside, much like Brandon Ingram, rather than the results we’ve seen so far this season. As an incoming freshman, expectations for Jamal Murray are through the roof. He’s shown flashes of rapidly adjusting to the college game, but may have a bit of a ways to go. Still, his 15 points and 5 boards per game look pretty good for an 18-year-old kid. Kentucky’s next marquee matchup is with Louisville, and Murray will be matched up with Damion Lee, another top small forward in college basketball. This matchup may show us how far Murray has come in the early season, and how far he still has to go.

Otherwise, the 6’ 4” playmaker will have plenty of opportunities to refine his game as part of an ultra-talented, title-contending Kentucky team as the season wears on, and his ceiling may be higher than any other player in the NCAA. He’ll have to improve upon his 3 turnovers per game, and he could certainly stand to benefit from improving on his 40 percent shooting from the floor. Kentucky shouldn’t come up against too much resistance in SEC play, with Vanderbilt, LSU and Florida most likely being the stiffest test. The Wildcats do visit Kansas in February, however, for a rare out-of-conference tilt between highly ranked teams late in the season.

Next: In A Town Named Louisville