This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
When college basketball fans think about the best freshmen, the first conferences that come to mind are the SEC (Kentucky), ACC (Duke), and Big 12 (Kansas). The Big 10 generally is a conference of player development and upper classmen, although Ohio State is a good counterexample to that trend. This week's Haze will feature a trio of first-year Big 10 players who are making waves. One even comes from Wisconsin where freshmen generally are quiet and fetch the upperclassmen water. We'll also hit on some Tier 2 and 3 centers who are putting up quality numbers.
Malik Beasley, guard, Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles are the first team - even before Kentucky - that have had two players profiled in the Haze. In the initial freshman article, I looked at Dwayne Bacon, who has not slowed down. However, he is not the team's leading scorer. Beasley, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, is providing 18.6 points and has scored in double digits in every game of his young career. He has five 20-point games with a high of 25 points in the Nov. 20 loss to Hofstra. The Seminoles may have the best freshman class in the ACC -- even better than Duke.
Jordan Murphy, forward, Minnesota Golden Gophers
In the early going, the Gophers have suffered some tough losses. In the last week, they were swept by the state of South Dakota. Ugh. With the season the season nearly a third finished, it may be time to look to the future.
When college basketball fans think about the best freshmen, the first conferences that come to mind are the SEC (Kentucky), ACC (Duke), and Big 12 (Kansas). The Big 10 generally is a conference of player development and upper classmen, although Ohio State is a good counterexample to that trend. This week's Haze will feature a trio of first-year Big 10 players who are making waves. One even comes from Wisconsin where freshmen generally are quiet and fetch the upperclassmen water. We'll also hit on some Tier 2 and 3 centers who are putting up quality numbers.
Malik Beasley, guard, Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles are the first team - even before Kentucky - that have had two players profiled in the Haze. In the initial freshman article, I looked at Dwayne Bacon, who has not slowed down. However, he is not the team's leading scorer. Beasley, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, is providing 18.6 points and has scored in double digits in every game of his young career. He has five 20-point games with a high of 25 points in the Nov. 20 loss to Hofstra. The Seminoles may have the best freshman class in the ACC -- even better than Duke.
Jordan Murphy, forward, Minnesota Golden Gophers
In the early going, the Gophers have suffered some tough losses. In the last week, they were swept by the state of South Dakota. Ugh. With the season the season nearly a third finished, it may be time to look to the future. Murphy is the future and had some big games in the last two weeks. The 6-6 forward had his best game in the double-overtime loss to South Dakota with 19 points and 17 rebounds. He was coming off a 24-point, 10-rebound game in the win over Clemson on Nov. 30. Like most young bigs, Murphy has a tendency to foul, but it looks like he has a bright future.
Ethan Happ, forward, Wisconsin Badgers
If there is two things that we've learned about the Bo Ryan-led Badgers, they are that they have excellent players bubble up and those players are rarely freshman. Sam Dekker was the exception rather than the rule, but he may have opened things up for more first-year players. Happ, a 6-9 Wisconsin native, has solidified the Badgers' frontcourt. In his last three games, he has a pair of 15-rebound games and went double-double in both games. Happ is leading the team with 8.7 boards and adds 10.7 points and 1.1 blocks.
Corey Sanders, guard, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The last player of our Big Ten trio comes from the bottom of the conference. Rutgers had lost four games in a row (albeit to all Tier 1 teams) and it looks like the Scarlet Knights are in for a tough season. Add in the fact that leading scorer DeShawn Freeman is out with a knee injury and you have another team looking to the future. Sanders, a 6-2 combo guard, has scored at least 14 points in five of his last six games and has had the ball in his hands more with Freeman out. He has had six assists in each of his last two games. In the Tuesday win over Central Connecticut State, Sanders went for 18 points, four three-pointers (in four attempts) five rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Tasty!
Joseph Chartouny, guard, Fordham Rams
The recent past of Fordham basketball has included a number of intriguing players and not many wins. This may be the year that they turn things around: they are winning! It helps to have a steady point guard to keep the team focused and the 6-3 Chartouny looks like he is just that. The Canadian national has had five assists in all but one game (in which he had four). His scoring (9.4 points) comes and goes (he has four double-digit and four single-digit scoring games), but his rebounding (6.0 rebounds), passing (5.3 assists) and defense (2.0 steals) are continuous.
Tacko Fall, center, UCF Knights
Fall was my preseason name of the year. Add in the fact that the freshman is 7-6 and you have a very intriguing player. The question was, can he play? While the jury is not completely in yet, the giant Knight has showed some signs. He had a 23-point, 11-rebound explosion on Dec. 2 in a win over Stetson. Fall's overall averages -- 9.6 points on 69 percent from the field, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks -- are good enough for a decent center for fantasy leagues. Add in his freshman status and you have a good play with plenty of long-range potential.
James Thompson IV, center, Eastern Michigan Eagles
The MAC has been a source of a few center that eventually went to the NBA. Chris Kaman made his way from Central Michigan. Zeke Marshall had a nice career in the middle for Akron and has had a cup of coffee with the Pacers. Thompson may be the next in that line. Over his last five games, the 6-10 Louisiana native has put up some impressive numbers. Granted, the competition included three teams outside of Division 1, but Thompson has averaged 21.2 points and 13.6 rebounds as the Eagles have won four of five. In the first four games of the season, Thompson had issues with fouls early in the season against better competition. He looks like he could be a titan from the Midwest.
