This article is part of our College Basketball Waiver Wire series.
There are two ways of thinking about these early season tournaments in college basketball. The more positive spin is that you get a bunch of neutral-court games that can lead to some tremendous matchups. For example, Duke and Gonzaga could meet in the Maui Invitational later this week. Coaches who don't schedule the most arduous non-conference slates are given a break because they enter a wider field and have the chance to make some noise.
On the other hand, they give fantasy leagues headaches because the tournaments are not always present on team's schedules. The games are not set, so the sites figure that they can be added later. Ugh. This speaks to the haphazardness of fantasy college hoops. You have to do the research yourself … unless you come here and find a handful of players to pick up for the coming weeks. This week, we'll look at some solid producers from each major conference and a few of the less major ones as well.
ACC
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, guard, Virginia Tech Hokies
Last year, Alexander-Walker was good for a freshman. The heavily hyped first-year player did not quite make the All-American team, but he might this year. The 6-foot-5 guard is doing it all for the Hokies, including scoring and facilitating the offense. Alexander-Walker has scored at least 20 points in each of the team's three wins (but not more than 21 points). If and when Chris Clarke returns from suspension, the sophomore guard may be affected, but he
There are two ways of thinking about these early season tournaments in college basketball. The more positive spin is that you get a bunch of neutral-court games that can lead to some tremendous matchups. For example, Duke and Gonzaga could meet in the Maui Invitational later this week. Coaches who don't schedule the most arduous non-conference slates are given a break because they enter a wider field and have the chance to make some noise.
On the other hand, they give fantasy leagues headaches because the tournaments are not always present on team's schedules. The games are not set, so the sites figure that they can be added later. Ugh. This speaks to the haphazardness of fantasy college hoops. You have to do the research yourself … unless you come here and find a handful of players to pick up for the coming weeks. This week, we'll look at some solid producers from each major conference and a few of the less major ones as well.
ACC
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, guard, Virginia Tech Hokies
Last year, Alexander-Walker was good for a freshman. The heavily hyped first-year player did not quite make the All-American team, but he might this year. The 6-foot-5 guard is doing it all for the Hokies, including scoring and facilitating the offense. Alexander-Walker has scored at least 20 points in each of the team's three wins (but not more than 21 points). If and when Chris Clarke returns from suspension, the sophomore guard may be affected, but he looks like the team's leader for the time being.
Chris Lykes, guard, Miami Hurricanes
Like his Hokie conference mate, the 5-7 Lykes bided his time last year behind more established teammates. Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker are now gone, which has given Lykes the green light to shoot. He has taken advantage by also scoring at least 20 points in each of the Hurricanes' three wins. The sophomore has hit nine 3-pointers and gone to the free-throw line 21 times (making 16) in that span. While competition will get fiercer for Miami, Lykes should continue to score.
BIG TEN
Lamar Stevens, forward, Penn State NIttany Lions
With Mike Watkins sitting out due to personal issues, Stevens has stepped up to fill the void. Through three games, he has averaged 24.0 points and 10.3 rebounds. The Nittany Lions fell to DePaul in overtime on Thursday, which is not a good loss, but Stevens brought the goods (25 points, 12 boards). There is no timetable for the Watkins' return, so Stevens will have the run of the paint for the foreseeable future. He is playing enormous minutes (39.7 per game) and will continue to do so without a reliable backup.
D'Mitrik Trice, guard, Wisconsin Badgers
I wrote about Ethan Happ in the College Hoops Barometer because he has been fantastic, but he is not winning Badgers games on his own. Trice, a 6-0 redshirt sophomore, has been knocking down long-range shots from the opening tip. He has converted 65.0 percent of his 3-pointers and is averaging 18.3 points. Trice was held to 12 points in the blowout win over Houston Baptist, but he should be firing away off of Happ passes throughout the season.
BIG 12
Alex Robinson, guard, TCU Horned Frogs
Jaylen Fisher (knee) is nearing a return. When he does, he is not going to take playing time away from Robinson. Fisher may take some ball handling, but it looks like Robinson has matured as a shooter. In three Aggie wins, Robinson has put up 16.0 points on 48.6 percent from the field and 45.5 percent on 3-pointers. In his three previous seasons, Robinson was a clear pass-first player and he has accrued 8.7 assists to go along with his scoring. Having two excellent point guards is going to be a good problem for coach Jamie Dixon.
Marial Shayok, guard, Iowa State Cyclones
Lindell Wigginton's (ankle) loss has been Shayok's gain. The Virginia transfer has made the most of his early season opportunities and is taking advantage of having coach Tony Bennett's reins removed. Shayok scored a career-high 26 points in the win over Texas Southern on Monday and is averaging 20.0 points. The 6-6 senior had not scored more than 8.9 points with the Cavaliers, but has coach Steve Prohm's consent to shoot, even early in the shot clock. Shayok will slow down when Wigginton returns, but that may not be for a few weeks.
BIG EAST
L.J. Figueroa, guard, St. John's Red Storm
With Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron as the top two offensive options, there did not seem to be too many shots left over for anyone else. Figueroa, a 6-6 junior college transfer, has forced his way into the scoring hierarchy and is coming off his best game: 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists in the win over Rutgers. The loss of Sedee Keita to a knee injury has caused coach Chris Mullin to go small. Figueroa is the de facto power forward and is providing 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Paul Jorgensen, guard, Butler Bulldogs
Kamar Baldwin is the end all, be all for the Bulldogs. If you need to know a second name on the team, then Jorgensen is your guy. The 6-2 senior, who transferred from George Washington prior to the 2017-18 season, has taken Baldwin's place as the complementary scorer. Like Figueroa, he is coming off a game in which he hit six 3-pointers and finished with 27 points in the win over Ole Miss. On the season, Jorgensen is averaging 18.7 points and should continue to put up fine numbers.
PAC-12
Kezie Okpala, forward, Stanford Cardinal
When Reid Travis left the Cardinal for the bluegrass of Kentucky, it left a scoring void for Stanford. Someone pointed to Okpala as the potential guy to lead the team in scoring, and someone (namely, me) was right for once. The 6-9 sophomore has put up 22.7 points per game and added 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks. He has even hit half of his 3-pointers in limited attempts (3-of-6). Okpala even put up 16 points and nine boards in the loss to North Carolina. In his first two games, he went to the free-throw line 24 times (making 20). Easy points!
Paris Austin, guard, California Golden Bears
For the second straight season, the Golden Bears are not going to be good. They will probably finish the season in the basement of the Pac-12. The good news is that Austin, a transfer from Boise State, looks ready for a bigger role. He has provided 19.0 points and 4.0 assists as Cal split its first two games of the season. Austin put up 20 points last Tuesday in the win over Hampton. Austin has taken the lead guard spot from Darius McNeill and there is little reason to think he'll take a step back.
SEC
Terence Davis, guard, Ole Miss Rebels
Davis is in his fourth season with the Rebels, but he spent the first three years under coach Andy Kennedy. He looks reborn under new coach Kermit Davis and equaled his career-high with 30 points in Friday's loss at Butler. The 6-4 guard has been a solid scorer for the past two seasons despite being a below average 3-point shooter. After hitting 6-of-9 from long range against the Bulldogs, Davis is hitting 63.6 percent of his long-range shots. That probably won't continue, but Davis should continue to lead the Rebels in scoring.
Savion Flagg, guard/forward, Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies are missing glue-guy Admon Gilder, so Flagg has had to handle more responsibility. As a freshman, the 6-7 guard provided 4.1 points and has graduated to 17.7 points in the new season. He had 24 points and 16 boards in the opening win over Savannah State, but the Tigers do not play defense. Flagg's performances in the next two Aggie losses have calmed down to 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. He is still breaking out and should have more big games in the non-conference schedule.
MID-MAJORS
Justin Pierce, guard/forward, William & Mary Pride
In most of the profiles above, we have players who have an increased role due to injuries. It only makes sense to profile a player who has an increased role, but is now injured. Pierce missed Saturday's loss to Notre Dame with an ankle injury. He was injured late in the overtime loss to UIC after producing 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Tribe play a fantasy-friendly up tempo style and Pierce should get back to putting up big numbers – he averages 22.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists – soon.
Jon Axel Gudmundsson, guard, Davidson Wildcats
Kellen Grady figured to lead the Wildcats in scoring as a sophomore. He has been fine at 16.8 points, but it appears that the 6-4 Gudmundsson has taken the lead in production. Even though he was held to seven points in the loss to Purdue on Friday, the point guard from Iceland is averaging 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He rescued Davidson from Wichita State with 33 of the team's 57 points on Thursday in the Charleston Classic.
Jordan Ford, guard, St. Mary's Gaels
The last five years, the Gaels have been led by forwards and centers. Jock Landale is gone, and things are going to be differently this year with the big scoring role filled by the 6-1 Ford. He has come out of the gate hot and scored at least 23 points in all three St. Mary's wins, including 35 points in the win over Utah Valley State last Sunday. Ford has been excellent at forcing his way to the free throw line and has converted 24-of-25 freebies (96.0 percent). He averaged just 11.1 points as a sophomore, but could vie for the scoring lead in the WCC in 2018-19.
Eric Carter, forward/center, Delaware Blue Hens
If you are looking for a forward/center to plug into your lineup, Carter should fit the bill. The 6-9 senior has improved in each of his four years as a Blue Hen and is averaging 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds through five games. Granted, Delaware has played two non-Division I opponents, but Carter had a season-high 29 points in the opening loss against Maryland. He averaged 11.0 points and 9.1 rebounds last season, so the boards should continue even if the scoring falls off a tad.
Sincere Carry, guard, Duquesne Dukes
Coach Keith Dambrot has brought a legion of transfers to Pittsburgh, but it has been the 6-1 freshman who has taken over at point guard for the squad. He beat out Akron transfer Tavian Dunn-Martin to start and opened many eyes by scoring 32 points in the overtime win against UIC on Monday. He has scored a combined 10 points in his other two games, but has averaged 7.3 assists and 2.7 steals on the season. He should continue to get big minutes and score when called upon.
