With the official start of practice in September, UM Hoops and Inside the Hall have partnered to bring you our annual preseason breakdown of the top players in the Big Ten for the 13th straight season.
The series is broken into seven parts and we continue with our third installment of players 25-21 for the 2025-26 season:
25. Eric Dailey Jr., UCLA (6-foot-8, forward, junior)
Why he could outperform this ranking: If you are looking for a player to bet on for a breakout year, Dailey checks all of the boxes. He’s a former McDonald’s All-American and a coveted second-year transfer. He was also already excellent as a sophomore. Dailey shot 57 percent on twos and 38 percent on threes last year, posting a tidy 118.6 offensive rating on 22 percent usage. Notably, UCLA was 21.4 points per 100 possessions better when he was on the floor, according to CBB Analytics.
Dailey is a two-way player and a jack-of-all-trades who should play a key role once again for a UCLA team that most expect to take a step forward this year.
Why he could underperform this ranking: It’s still hard to predict how roles, minutes and shots will be allocated in UCLA’s offense. The Bruins have Tyler Bilodeau as a primary offensive threat in the frontcourt and incoming New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent is one of the highest-usage players in the country. There’s a world where Dailey has a terrific season but is still the third option in UCLA’s offense and that might make him the perfect role player more than a breakout star.
24. John Mobley Jr., Ohio State (6-foot-1, guard, sophomore)
Why he could outperform this ranking: Mobley averaged 13 points per game as a freshman and was one of the best perimeter shooting threats in the conference. He knocked down 77 triples on 200 attempts (38.5 percent) and should build on that production as a sophomore. He also demonstrated impressive shot versatility, making threes off the catch, dribble, or even on the move while coming off screens.
Why he could underperform this ranking: He’ll need to round out his game a bit more to take a sophomore leap. The two focus areas are likely his playmaking – necessary for an undersized guard – and his 2-point efficiency. Mobley posted a modest 15.3 percent assist rate and shot just 39.6 percent on 2-point shot attempts last season. He attempted only six percent of his shots at the rim, per…