Sometimes when I sit down to write, I like to think of myself as a crotchety old man. It makes some of these columns easier to write to be easily annoyed. While this may or may not be that far from the actual mark, my cantankerous self comes out when I read early college basketball previews. Many of them are centered on what a team lost rather than what a team has. I realize this is a method of providing continuation from past seasons where there isn't much of that to be found in college basketball.
While concentrating on what a team lost can be frustrating to me, the fantasy college basketball player can look at teams with holes to fill as an opportunity to find some hidden gems. Of course, there are teams like Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina who simply reload with top recruits. The top teams don't require constant monitoring. What about those teams that don't reload but rebuild? Someone has to step up. Let's take a look at five teams in this situation and take a best guess at who might "come out of nowhere" to take fantasy prominence:
California Golden Bears
As Tyler Holmes noted in his Pac 10 Roundup, last year's Pac 10 representative to the NCAA tournament has now cleared the cupboard. Last year, the Bears had four double-digit scorers and they enter the season without any of them. Coach Mike Montgomery has never been afraid to slow things down and dump the ball into the post, so I am intrigued by their big (275 lb Markhuri Sanders-Frison) and tall (7-foot-3 Max Zhang) center platoon. Neither player was featured in the team's perimeter flavored offense, but both are worth watching. If the bigs can hold their own, there could be more room for freshman Allen Crabbe to show off his sweet three-point stroke.
Maryland Terrapins
The Terrapins aren't quite as hungry for fantasy talent as the Golden Bears, but they similarly have to make up for three double-digit scorers (including all-world fantasy player Greivis Vasquez). They do have a centerpiece in forward Jordan Williams who averaged 9.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 sophomore had double-doubles in both of the Terrapins' NCAA tournament games. Sean Mosley should settle into the featured wing performer, but coach Gary Williams will need a newcomer to take over the point position. Freshman Terrell Stroglin from Tuscon is the most likely candidate, but will Williams give him the keys to the offense?
Michigan Wolverines
Rebuilding after a successful season is usually tolerable for fans. What about rebuilding after mediocrity? It appears that coach John Beilein's system has not taken root in Michigan yet. The Wolverines have to replace their top two scorers and rebounders. The biggest name on the roster is Tim Hardaway Jr., a 6-foot-5 freshman, but he may be more of a work in progress than someone that you want to draft. The top freshman on the roster is 6-foot-9 Evan Smotrcyz who has the perimeter skills to be a Beilein favorite. Junior Zack Novak leads the returning players with his 7.6-point scoring average.
Oklahoma Sooners
One would have thought that coach Jeff Capel's Sooners were a squad that would reload rather than rebuild. Problems in the program have caused Oklahoma to start from square one (and maybe ask if there are any more Griffin brothers coming down the pike). Scrappy Cade Davis scored 9.9 points last year and broke the 20-point plateau three times. Yet, he failed to hit 40% of his shots. The Sooner perimeter game will be buoyed by freshman slasher Cameron Clark and point guard T.J. Taylor. Keep an eye on juco transfer Nick Thompson who could get minutes in the post in lieu of anyone else.
South Carolina Gamecocks
It would seem like a good bet that South Carolina will not be as exciting without Devan Downey. The diminutive point guard could put a scare into anyone. The Gamecocks will be a much different team without Downey and three other leading scorers. Forward Sam Muldrow matured in his junior year to become an offensive factor. He averaged 10.4 points while blocking 3.1 shots. Muldrow should be paired with sophomore Lakeem Jackson in the frontcourt. The 6-foot-5 Jackson provided 7.9 points and five rebounds in 26.7 minutes. He only hit 16-of-59 (27.1%) from the free throw line. Some of the available minutes will go to first year players, including center Damontre Harris, forward R.J. Slawson, and point guard Bruce Ellington.