As we continue our tour of the Tier 3 conferences, our next destinations include the MAC, Southern, and Southland. While these leagues generally don't place more than one team in the Big Dance, Stephen Curry proved that there are clearly fantasy-worthy options among their ranks. Even though Steph has taken his game to the NBA, the cupboard isn't bare for fantasy owners looking for players from these leagues. Here's a brief look at draft day's hottest fantasy commodities that call these conferences home.
MAC
G Darion Anderson, Northern Illinois Huskies
Anderson briefly tested the draft waters, but hoops fans in DeKalb were happy to see the 6-foot-2 junior guard head back to school. Last season, D.A. posted double figures in 25 of 29 games, including 20 contests with at least 15 points. Anderson put up those numbers in spite of 41.5% shooting from the field and 67.2% from the line. With 189 free throw attempts, he clearly is effective at getting to the stripe, and even a slight increase there would provide a nice bump for his points per game. For someone who posted 16.9 ppg, Anderson rarely made more than one or two three-pointers a game. At 37.1%, he's a decent shooter from deep and may look to shoot more triples this season. Despite his size, he has also proven to be an effective rebounder at 5.4 boards per game, including 10 games with at least seven rebounds. On the season, he dished out just 70 assists compared to 92 turnovers, so he won't help you a ton there. Still, you can expect Anderson to be one of the MAC's top players and a terrific fantasy guard.
F Brandon Bowdry, Eastern Michigan Eagles
Even as a sophomore last season, Bowdry was one of the top forwards in the conference, averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He was an extremely consistent scorer with at least 11 points in 29 of EMU's 32 games. Like Anderson, Bowdry does a solid job of getting to the foul line, but he needs to improve on his 68.8% conversion rate once he gets there. Bowdry really excels on the glass, as evidenced by his 2.3 offensive rebounds per game. Overall, he posted six double-doubles and had at least six boards on 22 occasions. Bowdry had a few decent assist games (five games with at least four dimes), but don't expect a whole lot there.
G David Kool, Western Michigan Broncos
Kool has been a solid contributor since his freshman season and has improved his scoring and rebounding each year. That culminated in his 17.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg last season, but a few things suggest those numbers could improve yet again this year. Kool scored in double figures in 29 of 31 contests, including 13 20-point games. That performance was in spite of career low field goal and three-point shooting percentages. Interestingly, Kool made 41.9% from beyond the arc as a freshman but fell all the way to 29.7% last year, a number which you would expect to improve this season. Given that he took almost 200 threes, even minor improvement would get him close to 20 ppg. Even at 6-foot-3, he does an adequate job on the boards and should post around four per game with around two assists.
Others to watch: G Armon Bassett, Ohio Bobcats, F Jarrod Jones, Ball State Cardinals, G Rodney Pierce, Buffalo Bulls, G Chris Singletary, Kent State Flashes
Southern
F Noah Dahlman, Wofford Terriers
If not for Stephen Curry, Dahlman would have had a good shot at being the SoCon Player of the Year in 2008-09. The 6-foot-6 forward shot 60.1% from the field on his way to scoring 17.8 ppg. He also got to the line an impressive 182 times, making 71.4% of those attempts. He scored in double figures 27 times in 29 contests, pouring in 16 or more points 21 times. On the boards, Dahlman managed to average more offensive rebounds (3.4) than defensive (3.0), a testament to the hustle that is a staple of his game. That obviously leads to his share of put-backs and layups, but he's young enough that he could improve his shooting touch on mid-range jumpers. With just 14 assists all of last season, Dahlman won't help you there, but with his solid scoring and rebounding numbers, you can probably find it in your heart to look past that deficiency.
G Harouna Mutombo, Western Carolina Catamounts
Dikembe's nephew had a terrific season with 14.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.8 spg, which earned him SoCon Freshman of the Year honors. He had a couple huge scoring games in conference play, with 29 against UNC-Greensboro and 28 against Appalachian State. Mutombo had six 20-point games on the season and scored at least 11 points on 24 occasions. He wasn't a terrific shooter from beyond the arc (31.2%), but thanks to his effectiveness off the dribble, he was able to get to the basket and wound up making 46.5% of his field goal attempts. He had a pair of double-doubles and notched at least four boards in 18 of 31 games. Mutombo wasn't a huge source of assists but consistently came through with about two per game. He also proved to be a solid defender with two or more steals in 16 contests. When considering that was as a freshman, it's reasonable to believe that Mutombo can improve across the board this season.
G Cameron Wells, Citadel Bulldogs
If it's multiple category production you crave, Wells is your guy. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals. He took just 79 three-pointers, so most of his damage was done off the dribble and going toward the rim. That helped him shoot 45.8% from the field and also opened up numerous opportunities for his teammates. He was held under 10 points just twice in 33 games and tallied at least 20 points in 10 games. Despite his size, he posted two double-doubles, including a 14-board effort against Grambling. Overall he had at least four rebounds in 21 games, a solid contribution from the guard position. As for assists, he dished out three or more on 19 occasions, a number that I think can increase this year.
Others to watch: F Ben Stywall, UNC-Greensboro Spartans, G Willie Powers, Georgia Southern Eagles, G Andrew Goudelock, Charleston Cougars, F Tim Johnson, Wofford Terriers
Southland
G Marquez Haynes, Texas-Arlington Mavericks
The 6-foot-3 guard capped off his stellar season with a 36-point explosion in a Southland Tournament loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Overall, Haynes scored in double figures in 28 of 30 games as he increased his scoring average from 3.8 to 16.5 ppg. The former Boston College Eagle didn't shoot a high percentage (34.6) from three-point range, but thanks to his solid driving ability, he got to the line 162 times and shot 47.4% from the field. Haynes also proved to be a strong all-around player with 5.1 rpg and 3.4 apg. He had at least five boards 19 times at posted at least three assists in 23 contests. With the graduation of last year's leading scorer, Anthony Vereen, Haynes will be counted on to score more but will also move over to the point, which could lead to a bump in assists.
G Ashton Mitchell, Sam Houston State Bearkats
While backcourt mate Corey Allmond is a better scorer, Mitchell is the point guard who makes it all work and is also the better fantasy option. This is not to say that Mitchell can't score; he put up 36 points against Lamar thanks to 22-for-27 free throw shooting. He also scored at least eight points in 24 of 30 games and averaged 12.5 points for the season. Mitchell was also one of the nation's top assist men with 6.8 assists per game. He had four double-digit assist games and had at least four dimes in 28 contests. Even at 5-foot-11, Mitchell still manages to contribute on the boards, averaging 3.8 on the season. With Allmond back, the Bearkats (no, that's really how they spell it) have arguably the top backcourt in the league, so don't expect a dropoff in Mitchell's numbers this year.
F Kevin Palmer, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
Palmer led the conference in scoring with 18.2 ppg, hitting double figures in 31 of 33 games. He poured in at least 20 points in 13 games, including a season-high 35 against Texas-Arlington. He got to the line an impressive 204 times and converted on 80.9% of the attempts. His 31.0% from beyond the arc could use some improvement, but he makes enough to keep defenses honest. At 6-foot-6, Palmer is also a decent rebounder with 5.2 boards per game, including 1.7 on the offensive end. He had at least five rebounds in 23 of 33 games. Unlike many scorers, Palmer is also an adequate passer with 2.8 assists per contest, including 13 games with at least four dimes. In fact, he led the Islanders in assists, and he becomes even more valuable in leagues that count steals thanks to his 2.6 thefts per game.
C Patrick Sullivan, Southeastern Louisiana Lions
I couldn't get through the entire column without a center, and the 6-foot-9 Sullivan is a solid post option. He made 57.5% of his field goal attempts on his way to 12.1 ppg. He's never going to consistently score close to 20 points per game, but he managed at least eight in 26 of 30 games. For a post player, his 96 free throw attempts are a bit disappointing, but that could improve with another year of experience under his belt. Like most centers, you'll be drafting him for rebounding help. He had nine games with at least 10 boards and notched seven double-doubles. In all, he had at least five rebounds in 21 games and also averaged 2.2 offensive boards. You won't see much more than an assist per game from the big man, but he did add 2.1 blocks per game for leagues that reward rejections.
Others to watch: G Corey Allmond, Sam Houston State Bearkats, G Anatoly Bose, Nicholls State Colonels, G Devin Gibson, UT-San Antonio Roadrunners