From Mark Pope to Igor Milicic Jr

• Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff WriterDec 14, 2024, 02:35 AM ET

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  • Covers college basketball
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2011
  • Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

The transfer website has developed continuous motion in men’s college basketball recently. That truth has actually removed the game of the connection it once enjoyed, so it’s not unusual to turn on the television today and see that the player who when used a uniform for your favorite team is now completing for another group. But all transfers– consisting of coaches who have actually discovered brand-new teams– are not created equivalent, and this season is proof.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated There are

teams throughout the nation that are basically different– and better– than they were a year back since a brand-new player or coach has changed their particular identities– and 2 of them take place to be taking on Saturday.On a giant day for college hoops– 18 ranked teams play, consisting of a difficult road match for No. 1 Tennessee and a showdown between No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 18 UConn. Let’s look at 8 game-changers who have currently put an undeniable stamp on their brand-new programs just a month into the season. All times ET.Igor Milicic Jr. (Tennessee Volunteers)at Illinois, 5:30 p.m. (Fox)In the 2nd half of his team’s 75-62 triumph over Miami on Tuesday, the
Tennessee star, who moved from Charlotte, tossed a lob to colleague Cade Phillips. Phillips then finished with a dunk that enthralled the Jimmy V Classic crowd at Madison Square Garden. It was a flashy help for Milicic, a 6-foot-10 forward. However it likewise showcased the issues Milicic has produced for opposing teams.Miami’s Brandon Johnson had a choice to make on that play: defend Milicic(12.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.3 APG)or try to stop Phillips. He chose Milicic, who had actually currently scored numerous times around the rim and hit shots from outdoors. The Hurricanes were aware of the risk he presented with the ball in his hands at that moment. However their only response was to require Milicic to showcase his passing ability– as he did with his assist to Phillips.Milicic plays like a guard in Rick Barnes ‘offense, even though he’s technically a forward or a center when he has to be. Though the Vols utilize him in a great deal of pick-and-roll action, he’s also comfy as a player who can develop his own shot. Barnes might have the most balanced group of his period at Tennessee– the Vols are ranked 10th in adjusted offensive effectiveness and 2nd in adjusted offending effectiveness on KenPom– and Milicic’s arrival is an essential consider that surge.Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois Fighting Illini )vs. No. 1 Tennessee, 5:30 p.m.(Fox)It did not take wish for Jakucionis– a 6-foot-6 point guard– to leave his mark last week in his team’s 70-66 overtime loss at Northwestern. Early in the game, he sped between a set of defenders before

he Euro-stepped into the lane for a layup. It was a beautiful transition and the type of play that has turned

the Lithuanian phenom into a projected first-round pick in ESPN’s most current 2025 NBA mock draft. In his group’s 86-80 success on Tuesday, he finished with 24 points, linked on 50%of his 3-point attempts and likewise had five assists.He’s an exceptional 3-point shooter and likewise among the quickest guards in the country at his size, which boosts his capability to develop shots in the lane. That skill has actually turned Illinois into one of America’s fastest teams, as Brad Underwood’s squad is playing at a top-30 pace for the very first time in his tenure. Jakucionis’s arrival has actually made Illinois a high-paced program that’s led by one of the most vibrant point player in the country.Mark Pope( Kentucky Wildcats )vs. Louisville, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) During his team’s 18-point return in a 90-89 overtime win against Gonzaga in Seattle last Saturday, Pope put his stamp on the program and officially removed any lingering speak about his preparedness for one of the greatest jobs in the sport. Pope might not have an NBA first-round tease his lineup– a strong contrast from

John Calipari’s reign– but he has a group of selfless players and a collection of lengthy professional athletes who want to share the ball.Under Calipari, the Wildcats relied on a couple of guards to run the offense– Pope, a center on Kentucky’s 1995-96 championship game team, teaches all of his players secure skills and also runs his offense through those players. Pope has 3 players, including Andrew Carr, who are 6-foot-9 or taller and have help rates– a measurement of a player’s helps in conjunction with the variety of times his team scores when he’s on the court– of 14 %or higher this season(per KenPom ). Why is that significant? Calipari did not have one player 6-9 or taller who reached that mark– in his 15 seasons with the program. Pope has already altered Kentucky’s identity.Dusty Might (Michigan Wolverines)When Might informed Danny Wolf(7-foot)and Vladislav Goldin( 7-1)that he wished to play both of them in Michigan’s starting lineup this season, they had similar concerns.”Initially, it was a little hard to think simply in that it appeared as if there were far more enigma than things that made good sense, “Wolf just recently told ESPN. Regardless of the unpredictability, the duo has subsequently become the driver for a Michigan team that won seven successive games before Tuesday’s thrilling 89-87 loss to Arkansas at the Jimmy V Classic in New

York City.It’s unusual to see 2 7-footers together

in college basketball, which has actually mainly embraced the NBA’s small-ball approach. It’s even more distinctive to see a head coach, simply months after he ‘d accepted the task, build a scheme around those huge bodies. However it’s working.Michigan went into the match against Arkansas ranked No. 14 in the nation. Although the Wolverines surrendered a 15-point, first-half lead versus Calipari’s squad, the duo showed it can help the Wolverines compete for a Huge 10 title in the first season in Ann Arbor under May, who led Florida Atlantic to the Last Four in 2023.

Wolf (12.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG)and Goldin( 12.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 BPG)have created match issues for challengers with their pick-and-roll game and likewise anchor a top-20 defensive system. Couple of groups are developed to deal with a set of 7-footers controlling the rate of a game the method they do

. Though the set had genuine questions about May’s strategies before the season, both players have actually understood their capacity, and Michigan has actually enjoyed its most successful stretch in years with Might at the helm.Cooper Flagg (Duke Blue Devils)As Auburn raced up the court in shift throughout Duke’s 84-78 win over the Tigers in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Flagg(15.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.6 SPG)right away found Johni Broome, a Wooden Award competitor, and shadowed him until Khaman Maluach could get to him. Then, Flagg waited in the middle of the court like a complimentary security poised to attack. As Denver Jones chose the boundary, Flagg saw him too up until Flagg sprinted to the top of the arc to contest Chad Baker-Mazara’s 3-point attempt. Baker-Mazara missed.Though the buzz about Flagg has actually highlighted the 6-foot-9 NBA prospect’s offensive

gifts, his protective versatility has arguably had a greater effect for heaven Devils, who entered the week ranked initially in adjusted protective effectiveness on KenPom. That number is certified for a team that has currently dealt with Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Louisville and Auburn. Flagg can cover any opposing player on the court. Per EvanMiya.com’s specific defensive metrics, Flagg currently has a higher mark than Zion Williamson taped during his remarkable 2018-19 season– that’s how great Flagg is right now for Duke on defense.Joshua Jefferson(Iowa State Cyclones)vs. Omaha,

1 p.m., Sunday(CBSSN)With 4:42 to play in Iowa State’s 81-70 victory over Marquette recently, Jefferson– a 6-foot-9 forward who moved from Saint Mary’s– led a fast break, put a spin carry on a defender in the paint and scored with his left hand, all while drawing a nasty. It was a gorgeous play in transition, where he’s ranked as “excellent “per Synergy Sports information. Overall, Iowa State is averaging 132 points per 100 ownerships when the group is in shift versus 114 points per 100 possessions on those very same plays a season ago.Jefferson has not only helped this program on fast breaks but his adaptability has likewise upped the tempo– Iowa State is top-90 on KenPom for the first time
under T.J. Otzelberger– of this season’s team compared to last season’s team.Derik Queen (Maryland Terrapins)In the first half of his team’s 83-59 success over Ohio State last week, Queen– a 6-foot-10 big male– captured a pass in the paint versus the Buckeyes ‘zone. If you freeze the frame, you can see three players converge on Queen. As an outcome, three Maryland players were unexpectedly open. Queen might have decided to pass but instead, he dribbled right, kipped down the lane and ended up with a left hook. With Queen, the Terps have an offensive balance they did not have a season ago.In last season’s rough run that ended with a 16-17 record and no postseason berth, Maryland made just 48.8% of their shots inside the 3-point line. With Queen on the team this season, the Terps have made 58.7 %of those same shots.Brandon Angel(Oregon Ducks )vs. Stephen F. Austin, 6 p.m.,

Sunday (Big Ten Network)

Under Dana Altman, Oregon has kept a fleet of athletic forwards and centers on his lineups in Eugene. However Angel– a 6-foot-9 transfer from Stanford– has given the Ducks ‘offense an essential element because of his shooting ability. He’s a strong player who grows in the post. However the Ducks likewise run a great deal of pick-and-pop action with Angel, who has made 41% of his 3-point efforts this season.Few groups have a border hazard with Angel’s size. It creates more area for his teammates to operate. The addition has actually helped Altman achieve a top-20 mark in

adjusted offending efficiency. The Ducks have not ended a season ranked that high since 2018-19. Angel’s shooting prowess is a huge reason that they might this season.