I am easily confused. And I might be confusing myself with the Big 12 and SEC. Yesterday I used a picture of former Big 12 player Varez Ward who left the conference for the SEC. Now I have a former SEC player in Romero Osby gracing the front of the Big 12 player. Of course, if I wait long enough neither the Big 12 nor the SEC will exist and the 16 best teams will be known as Football Conference 1A. In any case, there are a ton of transfers in the Big 12 led by Iowa State, which seems like an unofficial member of the Big Ten with three former players from that conference.
Royce White, forward, Iowa State Cyclones
I la-la-la-love Royce White! OK, I don't really know him, but I am sure we would get along if our paths crossed. The 6-foot-8 sophomore left Minnesota under cloudy circumstances, but he seems to have found a home in Ames. White is also making a seer out of Andy Bottoms who said that he would be a fantasy stud back in the beginning of September. White is clearly the man in charge with the Cyclones. Through two games, he is averaging 23.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks. The Cyclones aren't good enough to blow anyone out, so White should continue to get big minutes. If he can hold up and keep his nose clean, he should be the statistical player of the year in the Big 12.
Chris Babb, guard, Iowa State Cyclones
With White command a double-team on the block, there are going to be plenty of open looks for the next two players. Babb showed the ability to knock down the trey at Penn State. In his sophomore season, he hit 37.3% of his three-pointers for 2.2 threes and 9.3 points per game. The 6-foot-5 Arlington, TX native took more than 75% of his shots from long range and that continues in the early portion of 2011-12. Babb has played 37.0 minutes in the first two games and has take 17 shots, 14 of which have been from beyond the arc. He has made five threes and scored ten points in both games. Iowa State faces Western Carolina and Northern Colorado in the next week, so Babb should get plenty of open opportunities.
Chris Allen, guard, Iowa State Cyclones
The final member of the Big Ten trio on the Cyclones is the former Spartan. Allen never was able to perform to potential under coach Tom Izzo and was eventually kicked off the team. He did hit 39.8% of his threes as as sophomore and was a necessary ingredient in the team's Final Four run. However, he ran afoul of team rules and spun off to the Cyclones. Allen has received playing time in the first two games with Iowa State, but his shot has abandoned him somewhat. The 6-foot-3 senior missed all seven of his threes against Drake and finished with eight points. He did have a career-high seven assists in the game, so he does have his hand on the ball. He'll hit more threes in the near future and is a nice scorer to have on your squad.
Ty Nurse, guard, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Moving away from the Cyclones (and not mentioning Southern Illinois transfer Anthony Booker who is averaging 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds), we head over to the Red Raiders. Through two games, Texas Tech is being led by Nurse, a junior college transfer. The 6-foot-1 Canadian put his best foot forward with 29 points in the opening win over Troy. He was 9-for-13 from the field and hit six three-pointers. Nurse was not as accurate on threes in his second game (in fact, he missed all five long range attempts), but managed to get to the line ten times (making nine). It appears that Nurse and forward Robert Lewandowski will form the nucleus of the Red Raider offense. Nurse won't continue to hit 54.5% of his shots, but he may lead the team in scoring.
Romero Osby, forward, Oklahoma Sooners
Osby made his way to Oklahoma from Mississippi State, which is sort of like going from a pot of trouble into another pot of trouble. He was a reserve with the Bulldogs and never received more than 13 minutes per game. With the Sooners' lack of talent, Osby looks like he will be the main offensive force. The Sooners do have some returning players like Andrew Fitzgerald (averaged 12.6 points last year), but Osby is a big step up. The 6-foot-8 junior put up 17 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and two steals in the Oklahoma opener against Idaho State. He showed his versatility by hitting his lone attempted three-pointer. Coppin State is next on the slate before an interesting game against Washington State on Nov. 24.
Philip Jurick, center, Oklahoma State Cowboys
If your league includes rebounds or even leans toward boards, take a look at the Cowboy center. The 6-foot-11 junior transferred to Stillwater from Chattanooga State after matriculating to Tennessee two years ago. He never played for the Volunteers, but put up some ridiculous numbers in junior college. He averaged 10.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 9.5 blocks. Through three games with Oklahoma State, Jurick has steadfastly grabbed exactly ten rebounds per game. He swatted five shots away against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to go along with a career-high seven points. Other than the rebounds, there isn't much to talk about. Jurick went scoreless in 15 minutes in a blowout win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and hit his one attempted basket against Texas-San Antonio. He should continue to rebound and will get more blocks as the season continues.
Elston Turner, guard, Texas A&M Aggies
Like Osby. Turner spent two years with a Tier 1 school, Washington, but did not get much run. He was a solid reserve that launched most of his shots from three-point range. It appears his role with the Aggies will be a bigger one. He has started each of the three games and averaged 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds. He is still taking plenty of threes (2.5 per game), but he has yet to find his stroke early in the season (making just 20%). The 6-foot-3 guard has made all eight of his free throws and should be a continued offensive force with Ray Turner (who is not related). Turner will be tested against the young guards of St. John's this evening.
Pierre Jackson, guard, Baylor Bears
Coming into the season, no one questioned the excellence of the Bear frontcourt. Even with Perry Jones on suspension, Baylor has both veterans (Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones) and young players (Quincy Miller, Cory Jefferson) that are quality bigs. Meanwhile, the backcourt was full of questions. Jackson, a junior college transfer, looks like he is going to be a nice point guard for Baylor. Through the early going, he has been content to let other people do the scoring and has racked up 17 assists in three games. He had a career-high nine dimes in the Bears' recent win over San Diego State. Jackson's shot has not been falling (38.9% on field goals), but hasn't taken more than seven shots in a game. He has hit 42.9% of his threes (3-for-7) and may have more scoring opportunities when Jones returns.
Brady Heslip, guard, Baylor Bears
While Jackson has taken over the starting spot from A.J. Walton (who is also averaging 5.0 assists), Canadian import (via Boston College) Brady Heslip has taken over the shooting guard role. Heslip never actually played for BC and made his way to New Hampton Prep before transferring to Baylor and sitting out last year. Through three games, he has taken 22 shots and 20 of them have been three-pointers. The 6-foot-2 sophomore has made 40% of his threes and is averaging 10.7 points. He hit four threes against the Aztecs on his way to 16 points. It will be really interesting to see how Perry Jones' return affects the Baylor rotation. As long as he keeps making three-pointers, Heslip will get playing time.