You have to hand it to coach Bruce Pearl and his Tennessee team. Who would have thought that they would have had a chance against Kansas with a skeleton crew? Despite dismissing Tyler Smith and putting three others on indefinite suspension, the Volunteers may be the better team for the lack of depth. This creates a need to rush to your waiver wire and pick up some Tennessee players, if you haven't already. In addition to the Vols, I'll take a spin around the SEC and Pac 10 to profile some players who have recently returned or have started to produce.
Wayne Chism, F, Tennessee Volunteers
Among the many surprises of the upset of Kansas (and even though it was in Tennessee, it was an upset) was the fact Chism only played 19 minutes because of foul trouble. Fouls have plagued the 6-foot-9 senior all season, and he has seen his numbers fall from a solid junior campaign. In his first game as the de facto leader of the team, Chism did have a solid game against Charlotte with 18 points, five rebounds, and a career-high six assists. Even in that game, the senior was whistled four times and has had four fouls on him five times, including each of the last three games. If he can manage to stay on the court, there is little reason to believe he won't be able to equal his 13.7-point and 8.0-rebound averages of 2008-09. At this point, his 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds are a major disappointment.
Bobby Maze, G, Tennessee Volunteers
In the first two post-suspension games, Maze has been the biggest beneficiary of playing time and offensive opportunities. With Smith and Melvin Goins elsewhere, Maze does not have to share the facilitator role quite as much, although J.P. Prince is still around. The 6-foot-3 senior was particularly effective against Kansas with 16 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Perhaps he remembered the Jayhawks ended his freshman season (when he was on Oklahoma) in the Big 12 tournament. Maze also had 15 points in the win over the 49ers. Now that he is likely to get 30 minutes per game, I think averages of 15 points and five assists are attainable. Those numbers make him a decent add in Tier 1 leagues and those that specialize in the SEC.
Courtney Fortson, G, Arkansas Razorbacks
After waiting half of the season for their stud guard to come back from suspension, Fortson owners were treated to a pleasant debut against Texas. No one was quite sure when (or if) Fortson would return from his suspension related to ill-timed Tweets, but the 5-foot-10 sophomore came back on Jan. 5. Last year, the Razorbacks defeated the Longhorns at the peak of their season. This year, the Longhorns won, but Fortson gave his fantasy owners reasons to smile. He had 19 points, three rebounds, and seven assists in his debut. Yes, you could point to six turnovers and 5 of 16 shooting as problems, but I'd say he was just a bit rusty. Arkansas opens its SEC schedule on January 14 against Mississippi State and Fortson should have shaken the rust by then.
Sam Muldrow, F, South Carolina Gamecocks
The Gamecock frontcourt was supposed to be a strength this year. Now with Dominique Archie out for the season with knee trouble and Mike Holmes kicked off the team, there are plenty of minutes for an enterprising player. It looks like Muldrow is the guy to fill the void. He came into the season as a one-dimensional player: he blocked shots. That role hasn't changed much, as the 6-foot-9 junior is second in the SEC in blocks at 3.5 per game (behind Jarvis Varnado, of course). Muldrow had his best game of the season on December 30 against Boston College with 11 points, seven rebounds, and eight blocks. He is still adjusting to being relied upon more offensively and is making 48.4% of his shots while averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 boards. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, he should be a decent big for SEC-centric leagues.
Patrick Christopher, G, California Golden Bears
The first half of Christopher's senior season has been a roller coaster ride. He started slowly in November before building steam in December. With the commencement of Pac-10 play, he has slowed down again, but another loopty loop is just around the corner. In his first six games, Christopher scored more than 12 points just twice. Since the majority of his fantasy value comes from scoring, he wasn't worth much. In his next batch of six games, he did not score below 15 points. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard had his best game on December 29 against UC Santa Barbara with 25 points. He even had a pair of double-doubles during his December hot streak. In three games against conference competition, he has averaged nine points, so it looks like familiar competition is ganging up on him. Christopher will adjust so you may want to buy low.
Seth Tarver, G/F, Oregon State Beavers
Like Christopher, the start of Pac-10 play has not been kind to Tarver, the Beavers' leading scorer. The 6-foot-5 senior is averaging just 8.0 points since the start of conference play. That does include a disappointing one-point performance in a surprising blowout loss to Seattle. Through 2009, Tarver had been a double-digit scorer and the Pac-10's best ballhawk. He is averaging 11.9 points and 3.0 steals (tied for fifth in the nation). In a December 6 win over Cal State Bakersfield, Tarver had eight steals to go along with 10 points and six rebounds. Better things were expected from the Beavers after their nice first year under Craig Robinson, but it looks like Oregon State is just a middle rung Pac-10 team (i.e. not very good). Better times are coming for Tarver who looks to end his Oregon State career on an upswing.
Malcolm Armstead, G, Oregon Ducks
Although the Beavers took bragging rights for the time being in the intrastate rivalry with Oregon, the Ducks have been the better overall team this year. Center Michael Dunigan is a big reason why, and I will profile him later in the week in my Think On Center article. Another reason Oregon was able to reel off six straight wins was the steady play of sophomore point guard Armstead. At 5-foot-10, his being paired with Tajuan Porter might be a disadvantage, but Armstead has been a steady spark for the offensive and defensive attacks of Oregon. The junior college transfer is averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.1 steals in his first year on the team. He has six or more assists and at least three steals in four of his last six games and scored 37 points in the team's two games in Washington. Playing next to Porter means Armstead will never lead the team in shots, but he probably should be since he's converting 48.3% of his shots and 42.9% of his threes.