We've officially reached the part of the season where announcers will start saying "They've played enough that they're not freshmen anymore." With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to look at the prospects of some first-year players from the Big Ten and Big 12. Before anyone says anything, I did not include highly touted freshmen everyone should already know about (Xavier Henry and Avery Bradley) or guys I have profiled in recent weeks (Drew Crawford and Tommy Mason-Griffin). Some of the players below may be able to help your fantasy squad as conference play ramps up, while others may be worth stashing away for next year in keeper leagues. I promise to make it through the whole article without citing lyrics from "The Freshmen" by the Verve Pipe (which is awful), a reference which I fear may date me.
Big Ten
Alex Marcotullio, G, Northwestern Wildcats
Sometimes when you pick a player to write about, they immediately go out and have a big game, making you look smart in the process. And sometimes they score two points against Texas-Pan American. Still, I am undeterred by Marcotullio's subpar performance against a poor opponent. If he's good enough to make John Gasaway's Top 25 Freshmen at Basketball Prospectus, he's good enough for me. While Marcotullio's skills weren't showcased against the 1-16 Broncos, the previous two games illustrate his value and potential. He scored a total of 29 points and knocked down 8 of 16 from beyond the arc. He's shooting an even 40 percent from deep this season and has canned at least two triples in nine of Northwestern's 14 games. Not coincidentally, that's also the same number of contests where he's scored at least eight points. Marcotullio won't do much for you besides score and hit threes, although he does average 1.5 steals. Certainly a guy averaging 7.4 points isn't a hot commodity in leagues with a yearly draft, but for those in keeper leagues, he has the potential to turn into a decent scorer on a team with a talented young nucleus.
Eric May, G, Iowa Hawkeyes
You have to look pretty hard to find bright spots in Iowa City this year. Believe me, I write our Big Ten news updates. May scored 13 points in the opener but had somes typical freshman ups and downs thereafter, mixing in a double-double amidst four games with four points or less. His consistency has picked up over the last five contests where he's scored at least nine points in each game and grabbed eight boards in four straight. Over that stretch, May is averaging 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, and he's seen increased minutes with Anthony Tucker suspended. The bad news for Iowa fans is that the team is just abysmal, but on a team with virtually no depth, young players like May can really prove themselves and gain valuable experience in the process. If the last few games are any indication, May has given Iowa fans and fantasy owners at least a little hope.
Brandon Paul/D.J. Richardson, Guards, Illinois Fighting Illini
Both of Bruce Weber's talented freshman guards have shown flashes of brilliance this year but have displayed some flashes of youth as well. Paul opened his college career with two 20-point games but has posted four double-digit scoring games in the last 13 contests. He knocked down 8 of 14 three-pointers in those first two games but has made just 14 of 49 (28.6 percent) since. Those struggles have led to Paul playing over 20 minutes just once in the last six games. Richardson has been more steady with 10 double-digit performances in 15 games, including seven of his last nine. He's also contributing nearly three rebounds and three assists per game. Richardson has made a staggering 46.7 percent of his three-pointers after hitting 5 of 7 in his last game. He continues to log significant minutes and seems unlikely to lose time even though he started Illinois' last game on the bench. Both make up what will be a dynamic Illini backcourt, but for this year, Richardson appears to be the guy to own while Paul still has value over the long haul.
Christian Watford, F, Indiana Hoosiers
While the loss of fellow freshman Maurice Creek was devastating for the young Hoosiers, it likely means good things for Watford's fantasy value. Watford started strong with double-doubles in each of his first two games but struggled during IU's next two games in Puerto Rico (14 total points on 5 of 18 shooting). Since then, his scoring has been pretty reliable with at least 10 points in nine of 10 contests. Watford's rebounding, however, has really dropped off. Since those double-doubles, he's topped five boards just twice in 14 games and has a total of five rebounds in two Big Ten games. Part of that is the learning curve of a 6-foot-9 player who looks far more comfortable facing up as opposed to banging inside. In fact, Tom Crean has talked about eventually playing him at small forward, but IU doesn't have the interior depth to do that this season. Still, Watford will get his share of shots and has shown a nice stroke at the free throw line (80.6 percent) as well as from beyond the arc. Look for continued improvement from Watford as the season goes on.
Big 12
Alec Burks, G, Colorado Buffaloes
Freshmen aren't supposed to be this consistent, right? Burks has scored at least 11 points in all 14 games and is averaging 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. He's also shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the line, while getting there 90 times already. Burks notched his first double-double in Colorado's last game (17 points, 10 rebounds) and has at least three dimes in five of six. Big 12 play will obviously provide a new set of challenges for the freshman, but the good news for Burks is that despite his hot start, he's still not the go-to scorer on the team. Defenses still have to account for Cory Higgins, which will allow Burks to fly a little under the radar. That should certainly not be the case in fantasy leagues, where savvy owners are already enjoying the strong production from Colorado's first-year star.
Brian Diaz, C, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Few teams in the nation had as many newcomes as the Huskers, although I guess Diaz isn't technically new since he redshirted last season. Regardless, he started strong with at least nine points in four of his first six games, including a season-high 22 against TCU. Since then, he's tallied at least nine points four more times in nine contests. Outside of two big rebounding games (12 vs. Chicago State, 11 vs. USC Upstate), the 6-foot-11 big man has been disappointing on the glass as well. That's not exactly good news with the likes of Cole Aldrich and Dexter Pittman on the Big 12 docket. Overall, his 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks are a decent showing as a freshman and provide opportunity for growth as he progresses. Just don't expect that improvement to come this year.
Michael Dixon Jr., G, Missouri Tigers
Mike Anderson's system allows nearly everyone on the roster to get 15 or 20 minutes per game, which gives freshmen like Dixon the opportunity to get some run early and earn more playing time. He had 36 points over the first five games, but in the last 10 contests, Dixon is averaging 9.9 points with seven double-digit score efforts. Over that same span, he's also averaging 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals (including 16 thefts in the last six games) while making 18 of 22 from the free throw line. Dixon is connecting on 38.5% from beyond the arc, which is good news on a team with limited inside options that jacks up plenty of three-pointers. While his numbers the remainder of this season are likely to increase (although not significantly), he's positioning himself nicely for a key role once senior guards J.T. Tiller and Zaire Taylor graduate this spring.
Keith Gallon, F, Oklahoma Sooners
Gallon's "Tiny" nickname has generated some conversation, and his recent New Year's Eve backboard shattering (albeit on a missed dunk) earned him a spot on SportsCenter. However, his on-court performance has been solid as well. Gallon has scored at least eight points in 12 of 14 games, including eight in double figures. He also has six games with at least 10 boards and is averaging 8.9 rebounds in just 23.4 minutes. Even more impressive is the fact that 48 of his124 rebounds have come on the offensive end, which directly correlates to plenty of easy buckets. The biggest issue for Gallon to this point has been foul trouble. He's been whistled for four or more fouls in six of 14 games, including four of the last five. Supposing he can cut down on the fouls, Gallon has a great chance to log more minutes, and given his productivity thus far, that can only mean good things for fantasy owners.
Jordan Hamilton, F Texas Longhorns
You could spend an entire column just breaking down all of the stars and potential stars on the Texas roster, including talented freshmen like Hamilton, the aforementioned Bradley, and J'Covan Brown. Like so many first-year players, Hamilton has teased fantasy owners with impressive performances (14 points vs. Michigan State, 17 points and 7 assists vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) but let them down in others (0 points vs. Gardner-Webb, 2 points vs. USC). For better or worse, you can expect that from him from here on out. The Longhorns are so deep that it's easy for Rick Barnes to just go another direction if guys get off to a cold start, and even if everyone is playing well, it's hard to find enough minutes to go around. Overall, Hamilton has eight double-digit scoring games and has a handful of solid rebound and assist games as well. While I suppose it's possible he jumps to the NBA, odds are Hamilton will be back in Austin next year, which is good news for Texas fans and fantasy owners alike.
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*All statistics through the games of January 7.