Player to watch: Nate Mason

We all know the big names in college basketball. Malik Monk, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, etc. etc.

But if we've learned anything over the years, it's that sometimes the guys with the least amount of hype behind them are the ones that surprise us the most.

Isaiah Thomas anyone? I mean, Thomas was the final pick of the 2nd round in his draft!

Now, I'm not saying that Nate Mason is to be compared to Isaiah Thomas, but I'm just saying that he deserves some attention.

The Gophers, as a team have been having an exciting season. They are currently sitting at 19-7 overall, and the team is led by none other than Mason, himself.

Who the heck is Nate Mason, right?

Well, he's a former 3-star recruit from Florida. After turning down offers from Kansas State and Virginia, he made his way to Minnesota.

Every season has been an improvement for the 6'2" Junior point-guard.

His freshman year, he put up nearly 10 ppg and 3 apg.

Jump to this season, and he is sitting at 15.1 ppg and 5.2 apg.

His play is electrifying and underrated. Just the other night, the Gophers took down Indiana in the final seconds, and Mason put up 30 points & 4 assists.

My guess is that Mason will stick around for his senior year of college, and put up averages of about 18 points & 6 assists per game.

It'll be a toss-up on if he is someone to be drafted or not at that point, but by the time march madness comes around, he'll certainly get on the watch list for some NBA teams once he does decide to declare.

Don't expect him to become a top draft pick, but do start paying attention!

Hopefully one day, we can all be collecting his cards.