One of the more interesting developments in these two conferences over the past week was the sudden departure of Iowa State guard Lucca Staiger, who decided to return home to Germany to play professionally. Before I jumped all over him, I checked to see if there was a family situation at play where he was needed back home. Nope. Staiger had offers to play overseas after last season when he averaged 8.2 points, but he decided to return in the hopes of playing in the NBA. Obviously the NBA is full of one-dimensional players who can't average double-digits even on a talent-deprived team, so this seemed like a good decision. So now, in the middle of the season, Staiger is abandoning the teammates, coaching staff, and university that gave him the opportunity to play college basketball. This won't be the last time someone makes a selfish decision on or off the court this year, but I couldn't let it go unmentioned. My German is a little rusty, but I think Staiger might loosely translate to punk. Or maybe tool.
Since I'm not pulling a Staiger and quitting on this column, here are my thoughts on some key players from the Big Ten and Big 12.
Big Ten
Verdell Jones III, G, Indiana Hoosiers
After a strong finish to his freshman year, much was expected of Jones as a sophomore. As the Hoosiers worked in a new group of players, he performed adequately early on but subsequently fell into a bit of a slump. Jones broke out with 20 points against Pitt but then scored just 13 points over the next two games. He followed that up with 14 points against Loyola (MD) and hasn't looked back since. In the last nine games, VJ3 has posted at least 13 points eight times and 15.9 points per game. The injury to talented freshman Maurice Creek has allowed more shots for Jones, but he's also becoming more comfortable in his first season off the ball after playing the point most of his career. When he does get the rock though, he's been extremely aggressive and adept at getting to the line. Over that nine game span, he's averaging 7.3 free throw attempts. Jones also contributes in other areas with 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists during that stretch. His three-point shooting remains a work in progress, but Jones has displayed a strong mid-range jumper, which should keep his scoring at its current level.
Devoe Joseph, G, Minnesota Golden Gophers
I didn't give too much attention to Joseph's 19 points against Indiana on January 17. After all, he had a total of one point in the prior three games, and while he had put together a few nice games earlier in the year, Joseph had never exhibited much consistency. Then two things happened. First, starting point guard Al Nolen was ruled academically ineligible, leaving an opportunity for Joseph to slide into the starting lineup. Even so, I questioned his ability to facilitate the offense given his reputation as a gunner. After watching him dish out seven assists compared to just one turnover against Michigan State, those questions were answered emphatically. With the once deep Minnesota bench looking far more shallow these days, Joseph has logged 62 minutes in the last two games, where he has produced 35 points, seven boards, and 10 assists with just two turnovers. He's even knocked down 5 of 10 from three-point range. If the Gophers hope to reach the post-season, the point guard play of Joseph will be critical, so monitor his progress in Minnesota's upcoming games.
Mike Tisdale, C, Illinois Fighting Illini
Between Tisdale and frontcourt mate Mike Davis, Illinois has two of the most frustrating fantasy players in all of the conference. While each has shown the ability to post solid fantasy numbers, both have been maddeningly inconsistent as well. Tisdale opened conference play with 31 points and 11 boards against Northwestern, then had a total of 11 points and two rebounds against Gonzaga and Iowa. With things looking bleak, he responded with 27 points and nine boards against Indiana and followed that up with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocks versus Penn State. Just when he seemed to have turned the corner, Tisdale scored a total of six points in the next two games before bouncing back to go for 14 in the rematch with Northwestern. Foul trouble and generally poor defense have played a factor in the inconsistency, but the upcoming schedule should provide ample opportunity to get back on track with Penn State, Indiana, and Iowa next on the docket. Leave Tisdale in your lineups for now and hope the 7-foot-1 center can string together multiple solid performances.
Evan Turner, G/F, Ohio State Buckeyes
In spite of the derogatory and classless chants Turner received from the West Virginia faithful, I have a hard time believing Turner (or "The Villain" as teammate and Club Trillion founder Mark Titus calls him) isn't the player of the year in college hoops. The numbers speak for themselves. Throw out the game where Turner broke his back as well as his first game back, and in 12 games, he's averaging 20.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks. Turner is shooting 56.8% from the field and 72.4% from the line, and the Buckeyes have gone 9-3 (they're 5-3 when he plays sparingly or not at all). He's posted eight double-doubles and six 20-point games as well. In short, he does more for his team than anyone else in the nation. In just his third game back, he led the Buckeyes with 32 points against a tough Purdue defense as they overcame a lights-out first half shooting display by Robbie Hummel. In fact, the only thing that rivals Turner's performance for OSU this year is Titus' Mr. Rainmaker video, which is a must-see.
Big 12
Marcus Morris, F, Kansas Jayhawks
Morris seemed to be turning the corner with four straight double-digit scoring games from mid-December to early January. During that stretch, he averaged 16.0 points and 5.5 boards while shooting 62.2 percent from the field. Like a number of other Jayhawks, he struggled in the narrow win over Cornell and the surprising loss to Tennessee, tallying just six points and six rebounds in those two contests. Often the recipient of tough love from coach Bill Self, Morris has responded in the last four games by averaging 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He's made 66.7 percent of his shots thanks to a number of easy putback baskets generated by a whopping 19 offensive boards during that stretch. While his twin brother Markieff is languishing on the bench, Marcus is stepping up his game to become yet another consistent scoring option for the Jayhawks.
Jamar Samuels, F, Kansas State Wildcats
The last week has been a microcosm of just how important Samuels is to K-State. On Monday, they took down then-No. 1 Texas behind his 20 points and 12 rebounds. Then on Saturday, they dropped a home game to Oklahoma State as Samuels played 13 foul-plagued minutes and scored just five points. In fact, Samuels has been held to 10 points or less just four times on the season, and the Wildcats have lost three of those games, their only losses of the season. Overall, the talented 6-foot-7 sophomore is averaging 12.2 points and 4.8 boards while shooting 60.3 percent from the field. For K-State to be successful, it's apparent how much they need Samuels on the floor. That means he needs to break his string of games with four or more fouls, which currently stands at five. It will be interesting to see if he can do it in the next two tilts against Baylor and Kansas.
Mike Singletary, F, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Many casual college basketball fans got their first taste of Singletary during his 43-point one-man show against Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament last year, and the junior has done a pretty good job of building on that performance this season. He's reached double figures in 15 of 19 games, including five contests with 23 or more points. Three of his four double-doubles have come in the last four games, and after shooting 21 three-pointers in the first 17 games, he's 5 of 7 from deep in the last two. I don't think you can expect the 6-foot-6 bruiser to keep knocking down threes with much regularity, it does add another dimension to his game. The lone recent blip for Singletary was the blowout loss to Kansas where he was held scoreless on four shot attempts in 20 minutes. The Red Raiders still hold out hope for a tournament bid, but they have a difficult stretch coming up. Singletary will need to keep up his recent pace (47 points and 21 rebounds in the last two games) if they want to have any chance of dancing in March.
Donald Sloan, G, Texas A&M Aggies
I thought Sloan was nuts to put his name in the draft last year (and I still do), but he's certainly made the most of his return to campus. The senior guard is averaging a career-best 17.5 points to go with 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Sloan has at least 16 points in 14 of 19 games and has scored at least eight points in every contest. After Derrick Roland suffered that gruesome leg injury, Sloan has done his best to hold the team together and has the Aggies off to a 3-2 start in conference play. Although his three-point shooting is the best of his career, it's still been inconsistent, but he has made a concerted effort to be agressive, draw fouls, and get to the line. Sloan is shooting 76.0% from the foul line in 121 attempts, and he's seen his field goal shooting jump from 38.8% last year to 46.4% this season. Given the number of minutes he's been logging lately, there's no reason to believe Sloan can't keep up his current pace.
Willie Warren, G, Oklahoma Sooners
The good news about Warren missing the game against Texas Tech is that it was injury-based and not just a flat-out benching like he suffered earlier in the season. Even so, Warren's season has been one of disappointment for the most part despite averaging 17.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. He's scored at least 13 points in 13 of 17 games, but his field goal percentage has dropped from 47.3% as a freshman to 43.7% this year. His dropoff in three-point shooting has been more dramatic, plummeting from 37.2% to 28.6%. Warren's rebounding has ramped up lately, but the assists are all over the board. Turnovers are a constant though with at least five turnovers in seven of the last nine games. Whether NBA scouts are downgrading Warren or not, his decision to return to Norman has not led to an evolution in his game. He clearly has the potential to post big fantasy numbers, but owners who spent an early pick on Warren are most likely experiencing buyer's remorse based on who they could have grabbed instead.
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*All statistics through the games of January 24.