After losing so many seniors to graduation last year, it looked like it could be a down year for the Big Ten. After all, a record seven teams made the NCAA Tournament last year so topping that seemed impossible. The Big Ten has the best winning percentage of any conference so far, which may be overrated at this point, but is nonetheless impressive. The combination of some outstanding recruiting classes along with the additions of these players is helping each team recover from whatever players they lost last season. Although there were more players that redshirted or transferred other than just the ones listed below, the players here should actually make an impact on their team's success. Most of them also offer some fantasy value as well, while others are players to keep an eye on.
Sam Maniscalco, guard, Illinois Fighting Illini (transfer from Bradley)
After an injury in the 2010-2011 season that limited Maniscalco to six games played, as well as a coaching change, the redshirt senior decided to transfer to Illinois. Over his career, Maniscalco has averaged 10.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Maniscalco actually defeated his current team during his junior year at Bradley, by a score of 72-68. Maniscalco scored 12 points in that contest on 1-for-7 shooting, but was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. He and freshman guard Tracy Abrams should split minutes at point guard for U of I, but I see Maniscalco taking the bigger chunk of playing time by the end of the year once he is completely healed from his last injury. Maniscalco is currently a graduate student at Illinois and will only be eligible to play for the Fighting Illini this season. Maniscalco could definitely be a contributor to your fantasy team in both the points and assists categories.
Brandon Wood, guard, Michigan State Spartans (transfer from Valparaiso)
Wood is currently at his third school in five years. He started at Southern Illinois before transferring to Valparaiso, where he averaged 17.7 and 16.7 points, respectively, in two seasons there. Wood is off to a so-so start at Michigan State, currently averaging 9.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, while playing over 22 minutes per game. Wood should be able to hold on to the starting shooting guard role for the Spartans barring any injury. He has fantasy value in the scoring category and has produced enough assists and rebounds as a guard in the past, although those numbers are low this year. I currently have him as trade bait in my Big Ten Challenge and was able to steal him late in the draft.
Julian Welch, guard, Minnesota Golden Gophers (Junior College transfer)
Like Wood, Welch is at his third school. While starting his career at UC Davis, Welch transferred after his freshman season to play Junior College ball. He is now back in Division I, a part of Tubby Smith's squad. Welch averaged 7.8 points during his one season at UC Davis, while only playing 18.5 minutes. This shows that Welch knows how to score, but whether that will translate at Minnesota is yet to be seen. Welch scored seven points in his Golden Gopher debut, but has been held scoreless the last two contests. He should be a serviceable backup guard for a team that is not particularly strong at that position. At this point, he serves no fantasy value although that could change.
Bo Spencer, guard, Nebraska Cornhuskers (transfer from LSU)
Spencer is another member of my team in my Big Ten Basketball Challenge. I actually stole him in the last round, which is incredible considering he is Nebraska's leading scorer. Spencer averaged 11.4 and 14.5 points in his sophomore and junior years at LSU, respectively. He is off to a hot start in Lincoln, averaging 17 points thus far. He also contributes 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the undefeated Cornhuskers. While many picked Nebraska to finish eleventh in the Big Ten, I think their team has an outside shot of playing in the NCAA Tournament. They return all but one starter, and Spencer seems to be filling his role pretty well so far. Spencer definitely has fantasy value and is a proven player, who played in a power conference previously, that could very well lead his team in scoring this season.
Evan Ravenel, forward, Ohio State Buckeyes (transfer from Boston College)
After a two-year stint at Boston College, Ravenel decided to take his talents to Columbus, Ohio. Ravenel is a solid 6-foot-8, 260 pounds and is a perfect backup for Jared Sullinger. Ravenel only averages 3.0 points on his career, but has averaged 5.0 so far this year. Thad Matta uses such a short bench that it's tough to see Ravenel playing more than 10 minutes per game. Even if that is the case, he can be used if Sullinger gets into foul trouble or simply just to rebound, defend, and take up space. While Ravenel may not contribute as much statistically as the other players on this list, he also has given himself the best chance to win a National Championship. The third-ranked Buckeyes are heavy favorites to win the Big Ten and anything less than that would be a major disappointment.
Robbie Hummel, forward, Purdue Boilermakers (Injury Redshirt)
Many worried about how Hummel would come back this season after two serious injuries in the past 20 months. So far Hummel has scored between 17 and 24 points in all five games, four of which were wins. Hummel hit the go-ahead three-pointer against Iona in a 91-90 win last Thursday. He is also averaging 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while playing 31.2 minutes. On his career, Hummel has averaged 13.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, but does not have E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson with him for the first time. Hummel will be the Boilermakers go-to-guy on both offense and defense and hopefully will not sustain any more injuries. Hummel is a fantastic fantasy contributor, who was a huge steal in our Big Ten Basketball Challenge as a third round pick. Hummel is the best player on this list, and could very well end up being a first or second team All-Big Ten selection by the years end.
Dylan Talley, guard, Nebraska Cornhuskers (Junior College transfer)
Like Julian Welch, Talley went from a Division I school to a JUCO and now to a Big Ten school. Talley averaged 11.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in his freshman year at Binghamton before leaving. He is also off to a good start for the Big Ten's newest squad, averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists. Although he went undrafted in our league, Talley was quickly picked up off the waiver wire. Nebraska has no superstars, but has many capable players, so expect Talley to be consistent for them. Although his 19.7-minute average is not bad, an increase there would definitely help improve his already good production. He has been efficient as well, shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep.
Anthony Johnson, guard, Purdue Boilermakers (Freshman Redshirt)
I feel as though not enough coaches redshirt their incoming freshman. Unless the freshman will be an instant impact player that will start or play big minutes, I see it as a waste to burn a year of eligibility for someone to sit on the bench all season. Johnson is a perfect example of why more freshman should want to redshirt. After sitting out last season, Johnson is now playing over 18 minutes per game, while averaging 9.4 points. He is actually ahead on the depth chart of some other guards who did not redshirt last year, which shows you can improve even if you sit out a year. Johnson is valuable to a fantasy team because he still has the freshman tag, despite being a year older than the other freshman. Johnson also adds 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest, but is shooting a miserable 47.6% from the free throw line.