Many sports fans, myself included, have spent the last 20 or so weekends focusing on football. The casual fan may tune in to a top ranked hoops matchup during the week, or to kill some time before kickoff, but I'm willing to bet there aren't a lot of folks out there who know how conference races are shaping up on the hardwood. Well, it's time for that to change! You've got a two week hiatus from the pigskin, just in time for some juicy conference tilts before we head in to February and March. In the ACC, I'd expect even the casual fan to know what team(s) are hot. Florida State just knocked off Duke and North Carolina in the same week. But oddly, the 'Noles success on the court isn't leading to success in fantasy land. Save for a 32-point eruption from Deividas Dulkys against North Carolina, FSU is finding their groove with an all-around team effort. Other folks throughout the league however, have cranked their games to a higher level in recent weeks. Unfortunately, a handful of guys are also falling from relevance. Consider this your pre-Super Bowl primer.
Hot
Kenny Kadji, center, Miami Hurricanes
I'm going to start off by admitting my biggest mistake of the season. When Reggie Johnson returned to the court on Dec. 17, it figured to be the end of Kadji's limited fantasy success. Boy, was that wrong! Since Johnson's return, Kadji has at least 14 points in seven of eight games and has four double-doubles. This month, Kadji is averaging 18.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks while making 59.3% of his shots (35-for-59). The 6-foot-11 junior has even hit seven three-pointers since Johnson's return. I'm still floored by Kadji's success, but his numbers start for most fantasy lineups, and when you plug him in to your center position, it's even more attractive.
Scott Wood, forward, North Carolina State Wolfpack
Wood is scoring, and that's about it. But when you are the leading scorer for a team tied atop the conference standings, one trick ponies get ink. Wood has scored ten or more points in eight straight, highlighted by a season-high 21 Sunday at Miami. He's buried 18 three-pointers in that stretch, while also breaking the ACC's record for consecutive free throws made. Wood's last miss was Feb. 2, 2011 against Virginia Tech. He's currently hit 55 straight and has only missed 13 freebies in his two plus seasons in Raleigh. The 'Pack play four more times before the Patriots and Giants kick off in two weeks. Should Wood remain perfect, he won't have missed a free throw in over a year.
Terrell Stoglin, guard, Maryland Terrapins
This one is pretty simple. Stoglin still leads all Tier One players in scoring at 21.2 points, and has been held under 14 just once all year. He's already hit 48 shots from behind the arch after hitting 33 his entire rookie season. He's got a meager six steals all year, but we're nitpicking. Stoglin, like former teammate Jordan Williams from a year ago, is about as automatic as they come.
Dorenzo Hudson, guard Virginia Tech Hokies
It's a smaller sample size than the players listed above, but Hudson seems to have rediscovered his scoring prowress. Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Hudson scored 16 points against North Carolina. He followed it with 12 at Virginia Sunday, and is now averaging 13.7 points over his last three tilts. Hudson has hit 5-of-8 three-pointers in that stretch, and is playing with a confidence we haven't seen much of this year. Remember, this is a guy who scored 31 earlier this season against Florida Internationl before not hitting for double-figures in six straight. Another explosion seems imminent.
Travis McKie, forward, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
McKie's scoring has been there all year, and he's averaging an impressive 17.2 points to date. What has been shocking was the lack of rebounds from the sophomore who had eight double-digit rebounding efforts a season ago. Emphasis on was, because McKie has found the glass during ACC play. He's got three double-doubles in five conference games, averaging 9.2 boards over that stretch. It's taken some patience, but I'm willing to bet McKie at least matches his seven double-doubles from last year.
Cold
Alex Len, center, Maryland Terrapins
Yuck, yuck and more yuck. After dunking his way to at least 12 points and seven rebounds in the first four games of his career, the 7-foot-1 Ukrainian has combined for just eight points and 13 rebounds in his last four. He's committed ten fouls in that stretch, and played a season-low seven minutes over the weekend at Temple, thanks to a sprained ankle.
Reggie Bullock & P.J. Hairston, guards, North Carolina Tar Heels
The loss of Dexter Strickland (ACL) for the season allows me to lump Bullock and Hairston together, as they will undoubtably be called on for increased minutes. After providing the 'Heels with some outside shooting they so sorely needed during the first half of the season, this shooting duo has gone ice cold in league play. Neither has scored more than six points in four ACC games while throwing up plenty of bricks. Bullock has averaged 4.8 points, hitting just 7-for-28 (25%) shots from the floor and 5-for-18 (27.7%) from three-point land. Hairston's numbers are similar, scoring just 4.3 points whil shooting 19% (4-for-21) from the floor, and 4-for-19 (21%) from three-point range. Writing bad things about players here has seemed to backfire on me all season, often leading to a hot streak from those I've dissed. I'm selfishly hoping to work that magic again here. Bullock figures to slide in to the starting lineup with Strickland out, and both are capable of scoring in bunches. Now it's time to see some consistency, and a rediscovery of some shooting confidence.
Glen Rice, Jr., forward, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Rice finds his way into this portion of the article largely thanks to his team's scoring ineptitude. The Yellow Jackets have averaged just 50 points in their last three conference games, lowlighted by a 38 point showing against Virginia. Rice broke out of his mini-funk over the weekend, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting against Clemson, and scored just 13 points in his previous two outings, hitting 5-of-18 from the floor. That three game snipit is Rice's season in a nutshell. He's consistently inconsistent, and if you haven't already, I recommend letting him be someone else's problem in your league.
Patrick Heckmann, guard, Boston College Eagles
Heckmann is the third freshman listed here as he's found the goings to be rather tough in the ACC. After playing 76 minutes in the final two games of December and averaging 12 points, 4.5 rebounds and four assists, Heckmann has played 87 minutes in five league contests, averaging just five points.1.8 rebounds and one assist. He has hit 10-of-20 from the floor in that stretch, but while his minutes flucuate, he hasn't seen more than 19 in the Eagles' last four outings.
Malcolm Grant, guard, Miami Hurricanes
It's my duty to include Grant here, but I don't feel good about doing so. Grant is struggling on and off the court right now, which makes it difficult to be hard on the senior. The 'Canes' leading scorer is averaging just 8.4 points during January while shooting just 27% from the floor (13-of-48.) He exploded for 16 points and four three-pointers against Clemson, but followed it with an 0-of-7 performance against North Carolina State. To make things worse, he's recorded ten rebounds, eight assists and three steals all month.