This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
Welcome to 2017! Some say when first-year students reach their second semester, they are no longer freshmen. Technically, it is not true. First-year students remain freshmen until their second year, though they may no longer be fresh men. This week, we'll start with a few Tier 1 players then spend some time with four small-school players, three of whom play for teams called the Bulldogs. I maintain that there should be a mascot tournament in which only one team can win the right to be the Bulldogs and/or Wildcats. There are too many of the same! For example, there is only one Nittany Lion team.
Tony Carr, guard, Penn State Nittany Lions
Carr was put in the driver's seat of the Nittany Lion offense in the opener and has driven the team to nine wins in 15 games. Not bad for Penn State. The 6-foot-3 guard has scored in double digits in all but three consecutive games, a shooting downturn that happened just after Thanksgiving. He has averaged 13.4 points over his last five games. He is leading the team with 3.9 assists, but his shooting (35.9 percent from the field) could use a lot of improvement. All of his misses have not made Carr shy and he has attempted the second most shots on the team (10.4 per game).
Jayson Tatum, forward, Duke Blue Devils
Like many of the prized Duke freshmen, Tatum started the team on the sideline and missed the first eight games of the season with
Welcome to 2017! Some say when first-year students reach their second semester, they are no longer freshmen. Technically, it is not true. First-year students remain freshmen until their second year, though they may no longer be fresh men. This week, we'll start with a few Tier 1 players then spend some time with four small-school players, three of whom play for teams called the Bulldogs. I maintain that there should be a mascot tournament in which only one team can win the right to be the Bulldogs and/or Wildcats. There are too many of the same! For example, there is only one Nittany Lion team.
Tony Carr, guard, Penn State Nittany Lions
Carr was put in the driver's seat of the Nittany Lion offense in the opener and has driven the team to nine wins in 15 games. Not bad for Penn State. The 6-foot-3 guard has scored in double digits in all but three consecutive games, a shooting downturn that happened just after Thanksgiving. He has averaged 13.4 points over his last five games. He is leading the team with 3.9 assists, but his shooting (35.9 percent from the field) could use a lot of improvement. All of his misses have not made Carr shy and he has attempted the second most shots on the team (10.4 per game).
Jayson Tatum, forward, Duke Blue Devils
Like many of the prized Duke freshmen, Tatum started the team on the sideline and missed the first eight games of the season with a foot injury. He made a quick impression with 22 points and eight boards in the win over Florida on Dec. 6 and has provided the Blue Devils with a nice scoring option after Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen (when he finishes his trip-induced suspension). Tatum has scored in double digits in every game and is averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds. The 6-8 forward is a strong one-and-done candidate, but he will have to vie for the now-returned Harry Giles for minutes.
Rawle Alkins, guard, Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats would be in a bad way if it weren't for their freshmen. The team is led in scoring by three first-year players. The 6-5 Alkins is second (behind Lauri Markkanen) on the squad with 12.7 points to go along with 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Over his last nine games, Alkins has averaged 14.2 points and he tied his career high with 19 points in the New Year's Day win over Stanford. The Wildcats have won seven straight games and Alkins has been in the middle of most of those wins. He had his first double-double on Dec. 20 in the blowout win over New Mexico.
Miye Oni, guard, Yale Bulldogs
Oni opened some eyes early in the season with a pair of double-doubles in his first four games. He has not had a dub-dub since, but he continues to be a starter for Yale. Prior to the team's six-point loss to Temple on Dec. 22, the Bulldogs had won four straight games. Oni scored 22 points in the Dec. 13 win over Central Connecticut State to snap a four-game single-digit scoring streak. The 6-6 guard is hitting more 3-pointers (44.9 percent) than 2-pointers (34.1 percent). He leads the Bulldogs with 6.8 boards, a solid total for a guard.
Ikenna Ndugba, guard, Bryant Bulldogs
Like Carr, Ndugba was given the keys to his team's offense from the opening tip. The 5-11 guard is not much of an offensive presence, but he consistently gets the Bulldog offense into its sets. He leads the squad with 4.8 assists to go with 3.9 rebounds. He had a season-high 18 points in the Dec. 22 loss to Dartmouth, but has only scored in double digits three times. He is averaging just 5.7 points and is making 31.2 percent of his field goals. Ndugba is getting plenty of on-the-job training and will continue to do so. Bryant has lost six straight games and their last win was over Oni and his Bulldogs.
Preston Parks, guard, Citadel Bulldogs
I have been waiting patiently for the impatient Citadel offense to start racking up numbers. Coach Duggar Baucom pushes the pace and it looks like he has found a freshman guard that has little regard for opposing defenses. The 6-1 guard has scored at least 20 points in seven of his last nine games (including his last four games). He put up a career-high 31 points in the Dec. 28 loss to UNC-Greensboro. Parks has converted 16 3-pointers in his last four games and should be given a solid green light to shoot.
Will Rayman, forward, Colgate Raiders
We end our streak of Bulldog guards with a forward out of the Patriot League. Rayman is leading the Raiders with 15.1 points. He opened some eyes with 28 points in the Nov. 23 loss to Carr and his Nittany Lions. Raymen subsequently helped Colgate snap a seven-game losing streak with 34 points on Dec. 30 in the win over Lafayette in the Patriot opener. He has averaged 21.0 points and has hit 10 3-pointers over his last four games. The Raiders only have won three games, but they have lost three overtime contests. With Rayman leading the way, the team could be competitive in the Patriot.
