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The Michigan Wolverines are 6-0, first in the Big Ten, and they're climbing up the rankings, currently at No. 3 in the nation. One of the big reasons for their success is sophomore guard Trey Burke, who was recently recognized in Chris Mannix's top 20 NBA Draft big board over at SI.com.
Burke just barely made the list, coming in at No. 18:
As Michigan rises in the rankings, so does Burke, an adept ball handler who reads defenses well and excels in ball-screen situations, an NBA bread-and-butter play. Burke continues to be a little sloppy at times, but he is boosting his draft stock significantly in his second season. Burke's field-goal percentage (48.1) and three-point percentage (37) are up from last season.
Burke is averaging 16.7 points per game this year, good for second on the team behind Tim Hardaway Jr (17.8) and just above Nick Stauskas (13.0). He doesn't grab many rebounds (2.8), but he's far and away the leader in assists, grabbing a whopping 7.5 per game, while the next highest player in that area is Hardaway, who has just 1.7.
Glenn Robinson III has 1.3 assists per game and, after him, nobody else is even averaging one or more, making Burke's play all that more crucial to the balance and success of the team.
Burke comes in ahead of Michael Carter-Williams of Syracuse and Adonis Thomas on Memphis, while the players just above him on the list include Steven Adams of PIttsburgh, Jeff Withey of Kansas, and BJ Young of Arkansas.