{"id":1327,"date":"2010-12-29T12:12:02","date_gmt":"2010-12-29T16:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1327"},"modified":"2010-12-29T13:33:55","modified_gmt":"2010-12-29T17:33:55","slug":"top-15-big-men-in-college-basketball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1327","title":{"rendered":"Top 15 Big Men in College Basketball"},"content":{"rendered":"

A month ago we listed the top point guards in college basketball this year, and now we’ll move down in the trenches and rank the top big men in the nation.\u00a0 There might not be a ton of superstar, lottery pick-type big guys out there this year, but there are a ton of quality players.\u00a0 Just narrowing the list down to 15 was a bit of a challenge.<\/p>\n

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NBA scouts like what they see from Perry Jones<\/p><\/div>\n

15. Perry Jones<\/em><\/strong>, FR, Baylor<\/strong>:\u00a0 Jones is probably the highest-rated recruit in Baylor history, but its been a somewhat disappointing start to the season for him and his team.\u00a0 He’s averaging 12.5 points and 8 rebounds, but he sneaks onto this list based on potential.\u00a0 He’s a skilled 6-10 with elite athleticism, and there’s a good chance that he could become a dominant force in a month or two.\u00a0 He will almost definitely be a lottery pick this June.<\/p>\n

14. Trevor Mbakwe, <\/em>JR, Minnesota:\u00a0 <\/strong>It’s been a long road for Mbakwe, who was a freshman at Marquette three years ago before multiple off-the-court incidents had him at a junior college in Florida before he made it back to big-time college basketball.\u00a0 The rugged, 6-8 PF is averaging 13 points (shooting 62%)\u00a0and 10 rebounds\u00a0for a Golden Gopher team that has picked up some good wins and might be the best Minnesota team since Bobby Jackson led them to the ’97 Final Four.\u00a0 He should give them a strong defensive presence in the post which, as we’ll see below, will be invaluable in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n

13. Kenneth Faried, <\/em>SR, Morehead State: <\/strong>This 6-8 dread-locked PF looks like he could go from the Ohio Valley Conference to the NBA because he can do one thing that all NBA teams need: rebound.\u00a0 He leads the nation at 14.3 per game (a year after finishing second in the nation), while also scoring 18 a game.\u00a0 It can be hard to judge a player in a low-major conference, but Faried put up 20 points\/18 boards against Florida and 15\/12 against 2nd-ranked Ohio State.\u00a0 He also averages 2.5 steals and almost 2 blocks.<\/p>\n

12. Jordan Williams, <\/em>SO, Maryland:\u00a0 <\/strong>Another elite rebounder, at 6-10 and 260 lbs., Williams has the body and the motor to dominate on the glass.\u00a0 To go along with his 12 rebounds a game, he’s also leading the Terps at the offensive end with an 18-point average.\u00a0 He put up 27 points and 13 boards against Boston College a couple weeks ago.<\/p>\n

11. Matt Howard, <\/em>SR, Butler:\u00a0 <\/strong>One of the amazing things about Butler’s Final Four run last year was that Howard, their 6-8 PF, had a disappointing junior season and an even more disappointing NCAA tournament, when he seemed\u00a0unable to play a minute without picking up two fouls.\u00a0 Even though the team has lost four games already this year, Howard has been great.\u00a0 He’s averaging 18 points\/8 boards and, for the first time in his career, is stepping out and shooting from distance.\u00a0 He’s hit 14 of 31 3-pt attempts on the year.\u00a0 It looks like he’s also improved his defensive positioning, as he’s fouled out just twice in 13 games.\u00a0 He’s also shooting 83% at the foul line.<\/p>\n

10. Kawhi Leonard<\/em>, SO, San Diego State<\/strong>:\u00a0 Even though he’s\u00a0just 6-7, Leonard’s averaging 9.5 rebounds, after averaging 10 as a freshman last year.\u00a0 He’s the best player on the 14-0, 7th-ranked Aztecs.\u00a0\u00a0The crafty scorer is averaging 16 a\u00a0game and very well may be heard from in March.<\/p>\n

9. Rick Jackson<\/em>, SR, Syracuse<\/strong>:\u00a0 This big and powerful Philly native has\u00a0lost a lot of excess weight\u00a0and is one of the most improved players in the nation.\u00a0 He’s raised his rebounds per game from 7 last year to 12, and is chipping in with a 14 point average.\u00a0 He dominated the glass against Michigan State, with 16 boards and 17 points.\u00a0 He’s also averaging 2 blocks and 2.5 assists for the\u00a0undefeated Orangemen.<\/p>\n

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The Dancing Bear of Lansing<\/p><\/div>\n

8. Draymond Green<\/em><\/strong>, JR, Michigan St<\/strong>.:\u00a0 Speaking of the Spartans,\u00a0Green is one of my favorite players in the country.\u00a0 At a wide-bodied 240 lbs., he looks like a typical power forward, but he can do a little\u00a0bit of absolutely everything on a baskeball court.\u00a0 The 12 points and 9 rebounds a game are nice, but Green also provides\u00a03.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks a game.\u00a0 He’s surprisingly nimble for his size (which has earned him the nickname\u00a0The Dancing Bear), which helps him\u00a0score in the post, but he can also\u00a0step out beyond the arc, where’s he\u00a0hit 14 of 30 attempts on the year.\u00a0 It’s been a really disappointing start to the year for the Spartans, but Green hasn’t been the\u00a0problem.<\/p>\n

7. Keith Benson, <\/em>SR, Oakland:\u00a0 <\/strong>One of the few true centers on the list, the slender, 6-11 Benson is one of the best mid-major players in the nation.\u00a0 He’s averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.\u00a0 Oakland has played a brutal schedule so far and Benson has had some of his best games against top teams.\u00a0 He put up 22 points\/15 boards against West Virginia, 16\/14 against Purdue, 17\/12\/4 blocks against Michigan St., and 26\/10 in an upset of\u00a0Tennessee.\u00a0 In a win over Austin Peay, Benson had a ridiculous line of 22 points, 22 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 7 assists.\u00a0 With some added strength, he’s a potential NBA starter.<\/p>\n

6. Tyler Zeller, <\/em>JR, North Carolina:\u00a0 <\/strong>Usually players at schools like North Carolina are overrated (see: Barnes, Harrison), but this 7-foot junior is actually the opposite.\u00a0 His injury problems have been well-documented, but it seems like the injuries have been fluke things and that he won’t necessarily follow in the footsteps of other 7-footers (see: Oden, Greg) that can never stay healthy.\u00a0 He’s finally healthy this season, and he’s getting a chance to show what he can do, averaging 15.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks for the Tar Heels.\u00a0 But there’s another reason he’s still underrated, besides the injuries, and that is that he hasn’t had a decent point guard to play with over the last two seasons.\u00a0 The UNC guards have been abysmal playmakers, and for a post player like Zeller, that really limits his production.\u00a0 You don’t see many 7-footers that move as well as this guy, that can hit mid-range jump shots, and shoot 75% at the line.<\/p>\n

5. Marcus Morris, <\/em>JR, Kansas:\u00a0 <\/strong>The second Philly native on this list, the 6-8 Morris is big, strong, and agile.\u00a0 He’s the kind of guy that looks like he could dominate as an NFL tight end.\u00a0 At times last year he was the best player on a team that featured Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, and that entered the tournament as the favorites to win the title.\u00a0 He’s got that rare combination of size and quickness that is difficult to guard near the basket, and he has range out to the 3-point line.\u00a0 He’s leading the unbeaten Jayhawks in scoring (15.5) and averaging 6 rebounds.\u00a0 He may not start the next couple games after throwing a vicious elbow against Cal, but he’ll be back in there soon enough.<\/p>\n

4. Jon Leuer, <\/em>SR, Wisconsin:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>This is the type of big man that we’ve come to expect at Wisconsin: one that can step outside and consistently knock down jump shots.\u00a0 But Leuer may be the best one they’ve had in a while.\u00a0 The 6-10 PF is averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Badgers, and he’s made\u00a032\u00a03’s through 13 games, shooting 49% from behind the arc.\u00a0 He has a complete offensive game, with the ability to post up or hit from mid-range as well.\u00a0 There may be better big men in the Big Ten (see below), but there aren’t any with a more well-rounded offensive repertoire\u00a0than Leuer.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Derrick Williams, <\/em>SO, Arizona:\u00a0 <\/strong>This athletic 6-8 PF had a really nice freshman season, but not many noticed because Arizona (and pretty much the whole Pac-10) was not very good.\u00a0 This year, Zona is off to an 11-2 start and looking like an NCAA tournament team, and it’s mostly thanks to Williams.\u00a0 He’s averaging 19 points, shooting 63% from the field, and he’s hit a ridiculous 13 of 19 3-pointers.\u00a0 He’s also averaging 7 rebounds.\u00a0 He matched his season high scoring total in a road game at Kansas, putting up 27.\u00a0 Guys with his size and skill tend to go early in\u00a0NBA drafts, and this is starting to look like it will be Williams’s last season at the college level.<\/p>\n

2. JaJuan Johnson, <\/em>SR, Purdue:\u00a0 <\/strong>Johnson is a long-armed, skinny 6-10 center who’s production has steadily increased throughout his very successful career at Purdue.\u00a0 He’s an impressive leaper with good touch around the basket and good range out to 18 feet.\u00a0 He’s averaging 20 points, 8 boards, and 2.3 blocks for the Boilermakers this year.\u00a0 He put up 25 points, 11 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks against a solid Oakland team, and he\u00a0scored 29 points at Virginia Tech in the ACC\/Big Ten Challenge.\u00a0 He even hit a 3-pointer in each of those games, which is something he never did in his first three\u00a0years.\u00a0 He’s still not a threat from out there (4-17 on the year), but he’s obviously trying to expand his game in hopes of making it at the next\u00a0level.\u00a0 The most important thing is probably adding some muscle, but he might just be the kind of guy that will always be a bit too thin to bang with NBA power forwards.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Can Sullinger match Melo?<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Jared Sullinger, <\/em>FR, Ohio State:\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>Speaking of too thin, that is a problem that Jared Sullinger will never have.\u00a0 At 6-9, 280 lbs., he doesn’t look like a guy that was playing in high school less than a\u00a0year ago.\u00a0 Analysts seem\u00a0to love to talk about his butt, which is kind of creepy, but the point is that he is a fearsome\u00a0back-to-the-basket (maybe butt-to-the-basket?) scorer that can clear space out under the rim to score or rebound.\u00a0 He’s averaging 18 points and 10 boards, which aren’t numbers that blow you away, but consider that he’s doing it for a team that is very much a title contender.\u00a0 His season highlights include 26 points\/10 boards\u00a0at Florida in his second collegiate game, 30 points\/19 boards against South Carolina, and 40 points against IUPUI.\u00a0 If Duke’s Kyrie Irving misses the rest of the year with his toe injury, the Buckeyes will\u00a0possibly enter the tournament as the\u00a0favorites to win it all.\u00a0 If they can pull it off, Sullinger would be the first freshman to be the best player on a title team since Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse in ’03.\u00a0 I wouldn’t bet against him.<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions:<\/strong><\/p>\n