College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

In destroying Kentucky in the Champions Classic on opening day, Duke became the talk of the college basketball world. Could they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers? Why stop there, how could Golden State possibly stop the Blue Devils? I had little doubt Duke is the nation's most talented team, and it will dominate the non-conference schedule. It will be interesting to see how ACC teams game plan for the Blue Devils. If the sensational freshmen coalesce into a team that becomes more than the sum of its parts, then the season is over. If they don't learn to defend as a team, then they can be beaten. I circled Jan. 19 on my calendar when Virginia comes to Cameron Indoor.

That's enough Duke talk. Here at college hoops waiver wire central, we will give you some players to consider for your fantasy team each week. We are going to continue the format that we used in the preseason by spotlighting a center and a freshman to start. Then, a scorer, rebounder and playmaker will be examined, followed by a pair of flyers. The majority of the players will be from Tier 1, but we'll dip into the smaller schools from time to time.

Center: Seth Dugan, Western Michigan Broncos

No one had a more impressive season debut than Dugan. No, not even Zion Williamson. The Broncos center put up 32 points, 22 rebounds and six assists as Western Michigan beat Detroit. Where did that come from? Dugan averaged just 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds as a junior and missed nine game with a stress fracture in his foot. He scored in double digits twice and did not top nine boards. His opening performance says something about Detroit and its defense (or lack thereof). The 7-foot-0 center came back to earth in a loss against Mississippi on Saturday. He produced 10 points and seven boards, which likely will be closer to his season averages.

Freshman: Luguentz Dort, guard, Arizona State Sun Devils

Silly me, I thought with three scoring guards leaving and big men Romello White, DaQuan Lake and Zylan Cheatham on the roster, the Sun Devils would have to change their identity to a frontcourt-based team. You can't teach Bobby Hurley new tricks, and ASU will continue to rely on its guards. This season, it looks like the 6-4 Dort will lead the way. The freshman guard opened the season by scoring at least 25 points in both Arizona State wins. He helped the team hold off Cal-State Fullerton in double overtime with a freshman debut school-record 28 points. Dort may slow a bit, but he could be a 20-point scorer to lead the Sun Devils back to the NCAA Tournament.

Scorer: Christian James, guard, Oklahoma Sooners

The question was would the Sooners even exist this season after Trae Young left? Of course, they would. Oklahoma doesn't have national appeal without Young, but it might be in a similar place by season's end. It could be that the 6-4 James moves into the lead scoring role. He opened the season with 29 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Texas-Rio Grande. James' scoring has improved in each of his four seasons in Norman. He had back-to-back 20-point games against Big 12 competition last year. The Oklahoma schedule includes tests against Florida and Notre Dame, so the guard's scoring resurgence will be tested.

Rebounder: Josh LeBlanc, freshman forward, Georgetown Hoyas

If the Hoyas are to be a factor in the Big East in Patrick Ewing's second season, they are going to need to build a team around center Jessie Govan. The team looks like it may have some answers in its freshman class. Point guard James Akinjo has looked good in the early going and the 6-7 LeBlanc may be able to help on the boards. The forward missed most of his high school senior season with a broken foot. He put up a double-double in his debut against Maryland-Eastern Shore with 11 points and 11 rebounds. LeBlanc struggled in his second game against Central Connecticut State, but should continue to get minutes as Georgetown's sixth man.

Playmaker: Xavier Johnson, freshman guard, Pittsburgh Panthers

There were questions up and down the Panthers roster as the team headed into its first season with coach Jeff Capel. If we remember anything about Capel's time at Oklahoma, it was his ability to recruit players such as Blake Griffin, Willie Warren and Tiny Gallon. He looks like he is developing young Panthers as well. Johnson ran the offense from the opening tip and has doled out 16 dimes in Pitt's two wins. Youngstown State and VMI are not the staunchest of opponents, but the school's fans will take what they can get after a winless ACC season last year. The 6-3 guard has added 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals to look like a good pickup.

Two Flyers

Nicolas Claxton, forward, Georgia Bulldogs

I sometimes injure myself trying to pat myself on the back. In my SEC Preview, I pointed to Claxton (who was so familiar to me at the time that I had the gall to call him "Nick") as a player to watch. After one game: I was right! The 6-11 sophomore put up excellent numbers – 15 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks – in the high-scoring win over Savannah State. He did his damage in just 20 minutes, so just imagine if coach Tom Crean did not pull him from the 34-point win. While we shouldn't overrate numbers put up against the Tigers, who play fast and not much defense, it looks like Claxton could be a two-way producer for the Bulldogs.

Lamine Diane, freshman guard, Cal State Northridge Matadors

In my many years of writing about college basketball, I don't know if I've ever written about a Matador. That ends today. The 6-7 Diane put up eye-popping numbers in his debut, a loss to New Mexico. The freshman produced 34 points on 15-of-28 from the field with seven rebounds and four steals. He redshirted last year, so he went through a season of practice and conditioning, but Diane is playing for a new coach in former Alabama and North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried. Unlike Claxton, Diane produced against decent competition and could lead CSUN into the Big West light. We will see what Diane can do against Loyola Marymount on Tuesday.