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Sometimes in college basketball, zero is a very big number. Not statistically, but in terms of the players who choose to wear the number on their uniform.
Many of the best players in college basketball made the choice to wear No. 0 in 2023-24. The most obvious was NC State guard DJ Horne, who led the Wolfpack to the Final Four. But DJ's far from the only important number zero. Here are ten to know.
Top 10 players who wore jersey No. 0 in college basketball 2024
10. Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont
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Gillespie switched from No. 2 in 2023 to No. 0 for last season with Belmont. He's transferring to the University of Maryland next year.
With the Bruins, Gillespie scored a team-high 17.2 points per game. He also led the team with 4.2 assists per game. The 6-foot-1 guard hails from the same east Tennessee town as former US President Andrew Johnson.
9. Fardaws Aimaq, California
The 6-foot-11 forward was on his fourth college in the 2023-24 season. He made an impact with the Bears. Adding up Aimaq's stats from Mercer, Utah Valley, Texas Tech and Cal, he has 1,641 points and 1,356 rebounds. At Cal, he averaged 14.5 ppg and 11.0 rebounds per game. The two-time Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year had a nice year in 2023-24.
8. Jonas Aidoo, Tennessee
The 6-foot-11 Aidoo became a full-time starter for UT in 2023-24. He finished with 11.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg for the Vols. Aidoo was an SEC All-Defensive team selection.
He has transferred to Arkansas and will play his senior season under new Razorback coach John Calipari.
7. Zyon Pullin, Florida
Pullin was a grad transfer from UC Riverside to Florida. The 6-foot-4 scorer had a big impact as a Gator, racking up 15.5 ppg and 4.9 apg. Pullin connected on 45% of his 3-point shots and finished second in the SEC in assists per game. Pullin will be hoping to earn an NBA roster spot next year.
6. Tommy Bruner, Denver
On his third school in his fifth season, Bruner wasn't a household name, but he should have been. The 6-foot-1 guard scored 24.0 ppg and also dished out 4.2 apg. Only Purdue's Zach Edey had a higher scoring average in all of college basketball than Bruner. Bruner had ten 30-point games and a pair of 40-point games last year, including 49 against South Dakota.
5. Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga
He's not yet on the level of his brother, Andrew, who stars for the Indiana Pacers, but Ryan had a nice season after transferring from Creighton. Nembhard scored 12.6 ppg and also dished out 6.9 apg last year. That's the seventh most assists per game in college basketball. He's on track for a nice senior season in 2024-25.
4. Rob Dillingham, Kentucky
One of the nation's top college basketball freshmen, Dillingham is on track to be an NBA Draft lottery pick. The 6-foot-2 guard was second on Kentucky's team in scoring (15.2 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg). Dillingham was 6th man of the Year in the Southeastern Conference and made the league's All-Freshman team. Dillingham connected on 44.4% of his 3-point tries.
3. Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Shannon was impressive on the court for the Illini. In his second year at Illinois, Shannon averaged 23.0 ppg and grabbed 4.0 rpg. Shannon racked up 2,185 career points between Texas Tech and Illinois. The 6-foot-6 guard was having a great NCAA Tournament, racking up 26, 30 and 29 points in Illinois's first three games. UConn held him to eight points, but Shannon's run was impressive.
2. Boo Buie, Northwestern
Almost miraculously in this era, Buie played five seasons for Northwestern. He had 2,187 points and 618 assists. The 6-foot-2 guard is arguably the school's top player ever. As a senior, Buie scored 19.0 ppg and added 5.0 apg. Buie finished as the school's all-time leading scorer and second-leading assist man.
1. DJ Horne, NC State
Along with mammoth big man DJ Burns, the two DJs took NC State on an unlikely run into and nearly through the NCAA Tournament. Horne, on his third school, averaged 16.9 ppg and 3.5 rpg for the Wolfpack. Horne put up 19, 20 and 20 points in the final three games of the year, which encompassed Sweet 16 wins over Marquette and Duke and a national semifinal loss to Purdue.
Who do you think was the top No. 0 of the college basketball season? Weigh in with your thoughts in our comments section!
