This article is part of our Freshman Haze series.
The 2014-15 college basketball season has its hook: will Kentucky lose? There are plenty of other undefeated teams, but is there anyone else who thinks that TCU might lose before the season is up? Duke is a solid team, but the ACC boasts a number of other fine teams who will likely beat the Blue Devils away from Cameron. The SEC? Not so much.
So, this week we'll stop beating around the bush and look at the current class of Wildcats freshmen, but we won't exclude Duke completely. Hopefully, things work out and we see these two teams play at some point (maybe even the NCAA Tournament final). As we usually do, we'll close out on a couple of smaller conference freshmen worth pointing out.
Karl-Anthony Towns, forward, Kentucky Wildcats
The Calipari platoon has worked magnificently for the Wildcats. It allows all of the players to defend with 100 percent effort. It is not good, however, for fantasy purposes in which none of the players are particularly helpful. Towns has the highest draft profile of the Kentucky players. If his numbers were pro-rated over 30 minutes, he'd be sitting pretty. As it is, he plays just 19.5 minutes and provides 8.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. Look for his minutes to rise in the second half of the season and he could be a decent bargain.
Tyler Ulis, guard, Kentucky Wildcats
Ulis is the exception to the Wildcat rule of being huge across the board. He sticks out despite being just 5-foot-9, but he is an effective on-ball defender. If opponents get past him, Ulis has plenty of defensive support behind him. In other words, he can gamble, and he had at least one steal in his first eight games. He missed two early December games with an illness. Even in limited offensive opportunities, Ulis is hitting 51.1 percent of his field goals and 52.2 percent of his three-pointers for 5.8 points per game.
Devin Booker, guard, Kentucky Wildcats
Booker (and to some extent Lyles) was the biggest beneficiary of the injury to Alex Poythress. While his minutes haven't increased greatly, Booker has been afforded more shot attempts and has been doing damage. The 6-6 Michigan native is leading the Wildcats in three-point percentage (46.0 percent from long range) and nailed five three-pointers in the blowout win over UCLA. Booker has hit three or more three-pointers in five games and has tallied 19 points twice.
Trey Lyles, forward, Kentucky Wildcats
Lyles is just another big, talented body that coach John Calipari can call upon in one of his platoons. He played an amazing 30 minutes in the Dec. 10 win over Columbia and had his second straight 10-rebound game. Lyles is not a good three-point shooter (just 14.3 percent from beyond the arc), but he can hit the boards (5.8 rebounds) and pass on the interior (1.6 assists). The 6-9 freshman seems like a prime prospect to return to Lexington and get more playing time as a sophomore.
Tyus Jones, guard, Duke Blue Devils
Through non-conference play, Jones had been proving a lot of people wrong (including me). The 6-1 native of Minnesota has shown the ability to do pretty much everything the Blue Devils need. He is averaging 10.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Jones has saved his biggest scoring games for the biggest rivals: 17 points against Michigan State, 22 against the Badgers and 21 against Connecticut. He has attacked the basket more actively and has taken at least six free throws in his last four games.
Sean Sellers, forward, Ball State Cardinals
Sellers may have brought high expectations on himself after just three games. He averaged 22.0 points in his first three games (of which the Cardinals won one) and hit nine three-pointers. Since that point, Sellers has cooled off and has only scored in double digits in three of his last seven games. The 6-6 forward had 26 points in the opener against Utah, so he didn't just score against terrible competition. His minutes have also fallen lately, but he may be a player to monitor.
Jaylen Adams, guard, St. Bonaventure Bonnies
College basketball can be confusing. The Bonnies have two freshman guards named Ja(y)len Adams and both are getting rotational minutes. The Adams with the "y" is the team's starting point guard and is averaging 3.2 assists to go along with 12.2 points and 1.2 steals. He is converting 45.1 percent of his three-pointers and 48.5 percent of his field goals. Adams' scoring is inconsistent. He had 26 points in a Dec. 6 win over Ohio, but has been held to single digits four times.
