Freshman Haze: Carrington Steps Up for the Pirates

So, how was your college basketball weekend? Productive, no doubt. The head office of the Freshman Haze took in a number of interesting games, including what looks like another Jayhawk Big 12 regular season championship. In what might be the most completive conference in the nation, Kansas once again has the lead and controls its own destiny. The Feb. 2 game against Iowa State in Lawrence looks like it will be the key.

There are no Jayhawks in this week's edition of the Haze. We hit the Big Ten and Big East before digging a bit deeper. I am most excited about Desean Murray, the 6-foot-5 forward from Presbyterian. Check out his gaudy numbers in relatively few games. As always, feel free to post comments at the bottom of the column or tweet at me @PerryMissner. Thanks a bunch.

Isaac Haas, center, Purdue Boilermakers

Most teams struggle to field one center. The Boilermakers do not have that issue. Starter A.J. Hammons is the team's leading scorer and rebounder. When the 7-0 junior needs a blow, coach Matt Painter can call on Isaac Haas, a 7-2 behemoth from Alabama. His fantasy value is limited by his 16.6 minutes a game, but he still provides 9.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and a block per game. Against Iowa last Saturday, he put up 10 points, four rebounds and four blocks against Iowa. If Hammons should go pro after the season, Haas would be a natural replacement.

Nate Mason, guard, Minnesota Golden Gophers

Like Haas, Mason is stuck behind upperclassmen such as Andre Hollins and DeAndre Mathieu. The 6-1 freshman does not let his reserve status dictate his performance. He is providing 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.2 minutes. Mason is a sticky-fingered defender and has nabbed 2.2 steals, which is leads the Big Ten (tied with Ohio State's Shannon Scott). He has played at least 28 minutes in his last four games and should get a nice bump in value next year when Hollins and Mathieu have run out of eligibility.

Khadeen Carrington, guard, Seton Hall Pirates

The future for the Pirates looks pretty bright. Isaiah Whitehead looked good before sustaining a stress fracture, but he may be back by the end of the month. Angel Delgado leads the Big East in rebounding. Carrington, a 6-3 Brooklyn native, has had his moments as well. He put 20 points on Butler in an overtime loss on Jan. 13. Carrington has taken more of a scoring load with Whitehead out, and the experience gained in the extra minutes should be valuable in the close of the season.

Kory Holden, guard, Delaware Blue Hens

The Blue Hens only had one starter returning from last year's NCAA Tournament team, so there were plenty of openings for freshmen. Holden has held down the point guard slot. The 6-2 has shown the ability to set up the offense and call his own number when the situation requires it. He has scored 24 or more points four times, including a season-high 27 points in a Dec. 30 win over St. Bonaventure. On the season, he averages 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Christian Mekowulu, forward, Tennessee State Tigers

For the second straight season, the Tigers are taking it on the chin. Last year, the team only won five games and it has just three tallies in the win column this season (two against non-Division 1 competition). Some form of hope might be in the form of 6-9, 230, Mekowulu, who is from Nigeria. He leads the team with 6.4 rebounds and adds 7.9 points. He has four games with double digit rebounds, including a pair of double-doubles in OVC play.

Pascal Siakam, forward, New Mexico State Aggies

You might not realize that the WAC still exists, but it does. New Mexico State represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament last year and hopes to repeat the feat with players like Siakam progressing. The 6-9 Cameroonian averages 12.7 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds with 2.0 blocks. He has only been held to single digits four times (including the first two games of the season). With four double-doubles, Siakam should be a staple in Las Cruces for the next few years.

Desean Murray, forward, Presbyterian Blue Hose

In the opening game of the season, Murray had 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals in a loss to Duke. The Blue Hose scored just 44 points in the route. Murray missed nearly the entire non-conference slate after sustaining an undisclosed injury in the next game. The 6-5 forward returned on Jan. 3 and has been producing ever since. He had 18 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a Jan. 14 win over Longwood. Murray averages 17.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals.