When teams do not bring many players back (and are not named Kentucky), we don't who will step up. There are always players that take advantage, and we consider them surprises. Tennessee, similar to teams like St. John's, had very little returning for 2011-12, but three players have made the move to prominence. We'll take a look at them plus a few other pleasant surprises in the early going. To finish up, I'll try to suss out the Kentucky situation and figure out who might move from balanced contributor to fantasy superstar by the end of the season. Let's head to the Volunteer state.
Trae Golden, guard, Tennessee Volunteers
Golden opened many eyes with his 29-point, nine-assist performance in the opening game against UNC-Greensboro. Only later did we learn that the Spartans are a particularly bad Tier 4 team that would give up career-best performances to other players. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has cooled off, of course, since then, but he has settled into a nice groove. Golden played 13.3 minutes as a freshman last year and averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 assists. More was needed from Golden by new coach Cuonzo Martin and the guard has delivered. He has scored at least 12 points in all six games and has seven or more assists in four of them. Golden does mix in his share of turnovers (2.5 per game), but he has been excellent in his efficiency (45.1% from the field, 43.8% on threes, 80% from the line).
Jeronne Maymon, forward, Tennessee Volunteers
Maymon made his name known in the overtime loss against Memphis in the Maui Invitational. The 6-foot-7 forward who transferred away from Marquette provided 32 points and 20 rebounds against the Tigers. He went 16-for-17 from the free throw line in the game, but has only attempted a combined 18 freebies in the five other games. Was that game a simple outlier against a team that doesn't play the staunchest defense? Perhaps, but at least we know that the junior has a high ceiling. The forward only played two minutes in the next game after hurting his ankle and was limited to eight points and six rebounds in the loss at Oakland on Tuesday. Maymon, who is averaging 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds, is certainly a player worth watching.
Jordan McRae, guard, Tennessee Volunteers
While Golden and Maymon have faded a bit, someone had to score points for Tennessee. That someone is named McRae. After averaging 10.5 points in the first four games of the season, McRae has broken out with two 25-point games. Three-point shooters are notoriously inconsistent and the 6-foot-5 sophomore is no different. He is hitting 50% of his three-pointers and has gone 8-for-15 in his two-game scoring spree. One interesting trend is that McRae has taken more shots in each game from seven in the opener to 17 in the loss to the Golden Grizzlies. Where will this trend end? McRae likely won't get more than 17 shots up against Pitt on Dec. 3, but the rest of the non-conference schedule is not particularly daunting.
Anthony Hickey, freshman guard, LSU Tigers
I was very high on Tiger freshman Johnny O'Bryant coming into the season. He seemed to fit a need for LSU, but coach Trent Johnson has not given the 6-foot-9 freshman many minutes. When O'Bryant is in, he shoots - a lot. I figured there wouldn't be many available minutes in the backcourt as the team returned Andre Stringer and Ralston Turner. The 5-foot-10 Hickey has forced his way into the lineup and leads the team in shots taken. The freshman has had some rough games, including his most recent two-point performance against Houston (1-for-11 from the field). Hickey hit a career-high 20 points in the win over Georgia Tech and has hit 37.5% of his three-pointers. He has also been playing a lot of minutes including at least 36 in his last three games.
Lance Goulbourne, forward, Vanderbilt Commodores
In some ways, Goulbourne really isn't a surprise. He is the best forward on a team that is without their center Festus Ezeli. The senior has seen a nice jump in minutes, but has scored much better than he did in his first three years in Nashville. Goulbourne has improved his scoring average to 11.0 points while maintaining his 7.4-rebounding average. In the overtime loss to Xavier on Monday, Goulbourne equaled his career high with 18 points. He also has 26 rebounds in the last three games. What will happen when Ezeli comes back? Goulbourne's point total will probably descend, but just a little bit. He'll keep hammering away at the boards and retain a good value for SEC leagues.
Chris Denson, guard, Auburn Tigers
Denson is a bench player for the Tigers who may force his way into the starting lineup. The 6-foot-2 sophomore played 18.4 minutes as a freshman, but only hit 16.0% of his three-pointers. He apparently spent the offseason working on his shooting stroke. Denson led the team in scoring in two preseason games and has averaged 11.3 points in 24.3 minutes through four games. He gets a solid 24.3 minutes per game and is coming off a game in which he went 3-for-4 on threes on his way to a season-high 17 points. Denson has also chipped in 3.0 assists to show that he can set up the offense in a pinch as well. If you are in a dynasty league, I think Denson would be a nice player to add to the end of your bench.
Kentucky's balance
I was a little concerned about the Wildcats coming into the season because I wasn't sure who would step forward. While the schedule hasn't been terrible challenging (other than the win over Kansas) thus far, the team has five players averaging between 10.7 and 15.1 points. If you add in Darius Miller and Kyle Wiltjer, there are two more scorers who provide at least 7.0 points. So who will separate from themselves from the pack? My guess is the sophomores. Terrence Jones has provided 62 points in the last three games and will move his average at least up to his 15.7 points provided in his freshman season. Doron Lamb is by far the team's best shooter and he will get more opportunities. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis is a fantastic prospect, but doesn't look like he will shoot that much. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague are also nice pieces, but neither player is a go-to scorer on this team. Is my answer a cop out? Maybe, but I think Jones will accept his changed role from last year (from power forward to small forward) and take advantage.