With fantasy football over and conference play heating up, sports fans are starting to pay more attention to college hoops. After all, Selection Sunday will be here before we know it, and while I would extol the virtues of those who participate in fantasy college basketball leagues for the full season, 347 Division One teams can be a lot to keep track of. Instead, many college hoops fans opt to wait until the Big Dance begins and select players from a far more manageable 65 teams. That's where this column comes in. Each week we here at CFHI break down the six Tier One conferences (yes, we still include the Pac 10 in that list ... for now), so we have you covered there. Starting this week, I'll be checking in periodically to share some of the hidden gems of college basketball who just might help you win your league when tournament times rolls around.
Because we don't want to be tagged with the dreaded East Coast Bias label, I'm starting out west by looking at the Mountain West (MWC), West Coast (WCC), Western Athletic (WAC), Big Sky, and Big West.
Mountain West
Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU Cougars
Since pouring in 49 points against Arizona, things have gone downhill for Fredette. Going into that game he had eight 20-point efforts in 13 games, but against the Wildcats he caught fire and made 16 of 23 from the field, including nine three-pointers. He even added nine assists and seven boards for good measure. After that outburst, Fredette was averaging 21.6 points, 5.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals while hitting 44.4% of his threes and 92.6% from the line. He missed the next game with strep throat and struggled in his return against UNLV with seven points on 2 of 10 shooting. The senior guard was subsequently diagnosed with a mild case of mononucleosis and missed the UTEP game. It's unclear when he'll be able to return for the 16-1 Cougars. Fellow senior Jonathan Tavernari has picked up the slack with 51 points and 22 boards in the last three games, and freshman Tyler Haws posted 20 points and 11 rebounds against UTEP. The opportunity for other players to emerge is likely a good thing for BYU in the long run.
Darington Hobson, G/F, New Mexico Lobos
The Lobos won their first 12 games to become one of the nation's biggest surprises. They've dropped three of five since, but Hobson's play has been steady. He's averaging 16.4 points and has scored at least nine points in all 17 games, including 15 contests with at least 11 points and five 20-point efforts. The 6-foot-7 junior college transfer has also been steady on the glass with five double-digit games and 8.1 rebounds per game overall. The do-it-all Hobson even leads the team with 4.4 assists per contest. He doesn't shoot a ton of three-pointers (just 54 attempts so far) but has connected on 40.7% of his attempts. The 0-2 Mountain West start is partially the result of a tough opening schedule with San Diego State and UNLV, but it will be important for the Lobos to bounce back soon if they want to secure an at-large bid. That burden falls largely on Hobson and senior forward Roman Martinez, who is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds while hitting a staggering 47.3% from beyond the arc.
Tre'Von Willis, G, UNLV Runnin' Rebels
The Rebels started Mountain West play with two tough road games against BYU and New Mexico, and they earned a split, thanks in no small part to the play of Willis. He scored a total of 44 points with eight rebounds and eight assists in those two contests. The senior guard now has a dozen games with at least 12 points. Overall, Willis is averaging 15.5 points, which is relatively impressive given his less than stellar 27.6% three-point shooting. His 32.4% mark last season shows he's not an elite shooter, but his success rate this season should at least creep back toward that level. His statistics would indicate Willis would be better off attacking the basket more to draw fouls given his 91.0% shooting from the free throw line. At 6-foot-4, he has the size to be a decent contributor on the glass and is averaging 3.8 boards so far. His 3.3 assists per game are identical to the mark he posted last season, and he tallied nine dimes in a win over Louisville. On the flip side, Willis can be turnover prone as evidenced by his seven giveaways against BYU and five versus SMU. Like so many other Rebels, Willis came to Vegas via transfer (in his case from Memphis), and if they can get into the tournament, Lon Kruger has enjoyed some past success with UNLV in the Big Dance.
West Coast
Matt Bouldin, G, Gonzaga Bullfogs
Bouldin seems like one of those guys who's been in school forever, but it's been fun to see him evolve as a player as his roles and responsibilities have changed for the Zags. He currently leads the team in scoring (15.4), assists (4.4), and steals (1.9), with his 4.8 rebounds good for third. His averages might be even better if not for the game with Augustana where he took a shot to the head and had just four points, one rebound, and one assist in 11 minutes. Bouldin has five 20-point games to his credit and has proven he'll do whatever the team needs to win. He pulled down 11 boards against Cincinnati and nine versus Illinois, and he's dished out 24 assists in his last three games. After shooting 42.3% from beyond the arc last year, Bouldin's three-point shooting has fallen to 36.4%, which is virtually identical to his success rate over his first two seasons. Still, he proved against Illinois that he can knock down clutch triples if needed, and he hit seven treys against Washington State. Bouldin is also one of only two Zags to hit over 70% of his free throws (he's at 86.2%) and is one of their better ballhandlers. Impressive freshman Elias Harris (14.1 points, 7.5 rebounds), along with Steven Gray and Robert Sacre, give Gonzaga some terrific offensive options, but Bouldin's play will ultimately determine their post-season fate.
Omar Samhan, C, St. Mary's Gaels
Diehard college basketball fans and St. Mary's opponents already knew about Samhan, but he played in the shadow of Patty Mills and Diamon Simpson. With both of them gone, Samhan's talents have been on full display this year. The 6-foot-11 senior is averaging 20.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks while shooting a career-best 56.8% from the field. How much bigger a part of the offense is he? Samhan attempted 136 free throws in 35 games last season, but through 16 games this year, he has already been to the line 102 times. He's also taking about four more shots per game, which has translated to at least 12 points in all 16 contests and eight 20-point efforts. Samhan has been equally dominant on the glass by grabbing at least eight boards 13 times, including nine double-doubles. He even has 21 blocks in his last four games, with nine of them coming against Howard. The Gaels were a question mark coming into this year without Mills and Simpson, but thanks in large part to the play of Samhan, they look to be in the discussion for an at-large bid.
Western Athletic
Kyle Gibson, G, Louisiana Tech Tigers
Before you even ask, I realize that La Tech isn't exactly out west, but everyone else in the WAC is. If the Reds could be part of the NL West back in the day, geographic logic has clearly never been a staple of sports. The Bulldogs are off to a 16-2 start, with the losses coming against the best teams on their schedule (New Mexico and Arizona). Gibson has been putting up huge numbers from the start, scoring in double figures in all 18 games and tallying at least 16 points in 17 of them. He scored 108 points over one four-game stretch earlier in the season as well. Gibson shoots a decent 37.4% from beyond the arc, but he's done plenty of damage off the bounce as well. He's averaging 8.2 free throw attempts, which is terrific news for someone shooting 89.1% from the stripe. The 6-foot-5 senior is also a capable rebounder with 4.1 per game, and he even dishes out 3.1 assists. With Magnum Rolle (13.3 points, 8.5 rebounds) and Olu Ashaolu (12.0 points, 9.2 rebounds) on the interior, defenses can't completely sell out to stop Gibson, which should allow him to keep up his torrid scoring.
Big Sky
Damian Lillard, G, Weber State Wildcats
The Wildcats went 15-1 in league play last year but lost in the conference championship game. They returned four starters from that squad, though, and appear poised to make another run at the Big Dance. Lillard, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, has provided plenty of reason to believe so far, averaging 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high 3.8 assists. UNLV limited him to eight points, but Lillard has scored in double-digits in the other 16 games, including nine contests with at least 20 points. He led the team with 28 points in a win over Utah and hung 23 on BYU, so Lillard has proven he can play well against tougher competition than he'll see in the Big Sky. With a 41.3% shooting percentage, Lillard is more of a volume shooter and averages 13.5 shots. For a guy shooting 33.9% from deep, it's worth noting 48.7% of his shots come from behind the arc. Lillard makes up for it by getting to the line often (109 attempts) and converting 85.3% of his freebies. Weber State has to win the conference to get in, but Lillard is the type of scorer who could make some noise in March, although maybe not as much as Harold "The Show" Arceneaux once did for the Wildcats.
Big West
Pacific and Long Beach State seem the most likely entrants from the Big West, but they have failed to separate themselves from the pack early on. In fact, UC Santa Barbara currently sits atop the league at 3-1. Pacific relies on a more balanced attack with no one scoring over 10.1 points per game. They are led in scoring and rebounding by 6-foot-9 forward Sam Willard at 10.1 points and 7.8 boards. Long Beach State scheduled aggressively but has yet to pull of a big win (unless you count UCLA...which I don't), but coach Dan Monson, formerly of Gonzaga and Minnesota, has tasted tournament success before. The 49ers boast sophomore T.J. Robinson, who averages a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds. UCSB is led by Loyola Marymount transfer Orlando Johnson, who leads the team in points (17.0) and rebounds (5.8).
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*All statistics through the games of January 11.