Fantasy college hoop veterans already know the drill when it comes to centers: there aren't many to choose from, and unless you have a lenient commissioner, you could be left hoping to get a mere five points and four boards from your big man. A quick run down of "true" centers on ACC rosters (according to ESPN.com) yielded 17 total centers across the 12 schools, with three teams (North Carolina, Duke and Virginia Tech) not contributing any. We won't go in to all 17 names here, but the first two months of the season have given us a look at what we can expect for the remainder of the year. Unlike the underwhelming freshmen crop, ACC bigs have shown well today, and that's likely to continue.
Tier 1 - "Pseudo" Centers
None of these guys are actually listed as centers on their teams' roster, but they are the best the conference offers and you can make a strong case for position eligibility here.
Tyler Zeller, North Carolina - Big Z got off to a slow start, but is regaining his confidence against the 'Heels light December schedule. He's hit a remarkable 18-of-24 shots from the field in the last two games, and has his averages up to 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds, virtually identical to last season's totals. It's worth noting he's only playing 27 minutes each time out - a number that will surely go up as the competition increases.
Mason Plumlee, Duke - Plumlee's development has continued as a junior and he's a legitamate double-double threat nightly. He's posted four double-doubles to date, and is averaging a solid 12.2 points, 9.7 boards and 1.9 blocks so far, all of which are career highs. The only downfall for Plumlee is his dreadful free throw shooting. He's making a career-worst 38.1%. Yuck.
Bernard James, Florida State - Speaking of bad free throw shooting, James' 45% is the only thing keeping him from turning in to a star in the ACC. Last night's line of 17 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks show James' upside, and it's a line he produced hitting just 3-of-12 from the charity stripe. Putting up 10.5 points and 9.2 boards so far, James is playing 26.5 minutes nightly. He's another candidate for increased production when he sees a few extra minutes come conference play.
Trending up
Reggie Johnson, Miami - Since Johnson had not played before Saturday against Florida Atlantic, the fact that he was on the court has to make his owners happy. Putting up 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks has to leave those who were patient with Johnson feeling like they just left a holiday party - warm and fuzzy inside! Johnson is a beast, it's really that simple. As long as he stays out of foul trouble, he is going to be a top center nationally.
Daniel Miller, Georgia Tech - Miller might be my favorite player on this list, and he's certainly the most improved big man in the conference. He's averaging 9.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and is second in the ACC in blocks, swatting three shots nightly. Miller quietly played more than 25 minutes nightly last season, a number that's only increased to 29.3 through ten games in 2011. His scoring however has virtually doubled, and he's hitting 52.7% from the floor. Miller hasn't missed a shot in his last two games, and is even hitting a healthy 75% of his free throws.
Ty Walker, Wake Forest - Walker finds his way into the upward category mostly thanks to what his teammate (mentioned below) hasn't done. As a senior, we already know what to expect from Walker. A career 2.74 points per game scorer, Walker won't be confused with Tim Duncan. Heck, he won't be confused with Serge Zwicker either, but in just his second game back from suspension, Walker scored 12 points in 23 minutes. Even that number is a step in the right direction, as Walker's career average is 13.1 minutes. If he continues to earn minutes, blocks and rebounds should follow, as well as the occasional tip in.
Alex Len, Maryland - See Johnson, Reggie. Playing does wonders for your fantasy value, and Len becomes eligible Dec. 28.
Holding Steady
Kenny Kadji, Miami - For now at least, Kadji is treading water amongst ACC pivot men, which may not be the most appropriate way to describe him any longer. After attempting just two deep balls through the first eight contests, the 6-foot-11 former Florida Gator has made all six of this three-point shots in the 'Canes last two games. While I have no idea where this has come from, and you can't ever feel great about someone this size stepping out and hoisting long balls, Kadji has proven to be a better face-up offensive threat. He played alongside Reggie Johnson for most of the afternoon this past Saturday, and has scored 14.3 points over his last four games. Again, I don't feel comfortable with Kadji, but at the end of the night, recently at least, the numbers have been there.
Dennis Clifford, Boston College - Clifford is averaging eight points and 5.5 rebounds - so we are clearly looking at a second or third tier option in the middle. That said, he's a rookie, and he's playing a reasonably consistent amount of minutes (24.0) of a team that has absolutely no clue what their rotation will be nightly. His value rests soley in leagues where you must start a freshman, because you can kill two birds with one stone here. At 7-foot, 241 pounds, Clifford will be needed to bang come conference play, and as long as he can run the floor, should see his continue with his modest production.
Trending Down
Carson Desrosiers, Wake Forest - Following an impressive season debut, it's been all downhill for Desrosiers. After opening with eight points, ten rebounds and eight blocks, Desrosiers has been nearly invisible for the Deacons, lowlighted by last night's zero points in 16 minutes. To be fair, you can assume the Ty Walker's hot hand led to the shift in minutes, as Desrosiers minutes have been consistenly above 25 nightly. But the fact remains that Derosiers didn't solidify his role with this team in Walker's absence, and he certainly isn't going to do so now that Walker is back. He's not rosterable.