College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

It seems like the first three weeks of the college basketball season have featured as many big matchups as any in recent memory. Granted, my memory only extends back a few hours, but we have already had the Champions Classic, Duke-Gonzaga, Kansas-Tennessee and even Sunday's matinee of Florida State-Villanova in the Advocare Invitational final.

The Zags victory over the Blue Devils in the Maui Invitational might be the biggest win. You might start thinking about an undefeated Gonzaga season, particularly since the team has not had forward Killian Tillie (ankle) yet. The Bulldogs' non-conference slate is loaded. The team plays host to Tennessee on Dec. 9 and travels to Chapel Hill for a date with the Tar Heels the following week. Gonzaga has only lost two conference games the last two years and the gulf between it and BYU and St. Mary's seems wider than ever. You can probably pencil in that West Regional No. 1 seed with Gonzaga.

ACC

Brandon Childress, guard, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The results for the Demon Deacons have been discouraging with losses to St. Joseph's and Houston Baptist in overtime, but Childress has been shooting very well. The second generation Demon Deacon (his father Randolph played with Tim Duncan) has provided at least 12 points and four assists in every game, and is making 51.2 percent of his field goals and 53.6 percent of his 3-pointers. His sub-38 percent shooting in his first two seasons in Winston-Salem indicate that his marksmanship won't continue, but sign him up until he cools down.

Coby White, guard, North Carolina Tar Heels

Nassir Little was supposed to be the Tar Heel freshman to watch. The 6-foot-6 forward may still be drafted early in the 2019 NBA Draft, but it will be for potential rather than production. White, a 6-5 freshman, has been the most productive first-year Tar Heel and had a season-high 33 points in the loss to Texas in the Las Vegas Invitational. He has scored at least 16 points in his last three games and has nailed 14 3-pointers in that span.

BIG TEN

Eugene Omoruyi, forward, Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Just in case you forgot, Rutgers is still in the Big Ten. The team is playing pretty well and has beaten the teams it was supposed to. Omoruyi has forged the center place in the Scarlet Knight offense and is leading the team with 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds. The 6-7 junior is coming off his best game with 20 points and 17 rebounds in the low-scoring win over Boston University. He has added a 3-point shot to his arsenal and has hit 8-of-14 (57.2 percent) from long range. Omoruyi has the first three double-doubles of his career.

Isaiah Roby, forward, Nebraska Cornhuskers

There are bigger names on the Cornhusker roster, but the 6-8 Roby has been providing all-around numbers in the early going. He does most of his scoring as a tertiary – at best – option on offense and has only topped double digits twice, but he does just a bit of everything to give fantasy value. The junior is averaging 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals. His rebounds and blocks are actually down a tick from last season, so he should continue to put up numbers.

BIG 12

Kerwin Roach, guard, Texas Longhorns

The 6-4 Roach has always had undeniable athleticism. It appears that it has taken four years in the Longhorn stew for him to become a go-to scorer. He outdueled White on Thursday with a career game in the win over North Carolina. Roach finished with 32 points on 12-of-15 from the field with seven assists, six rebounds and four steals. He has not been held to less than 13 points and has converted 14 3-pointers in five games. Roach is not afraid of being labeled a volume shooter.

Tristan Clark, forward, Baylor Bears

If it weren't for fouls, Clark would be on the path to the All-Conference team. The 6-9 sophomore has accrued four fouls or more in four of his six games, and has fouled out twic.e He was limited to a season-low seven points before being eliminated in the win over George Mason on Saturday. He had a career-high 27 points on 11-of-13 from the field in the loss to Ole Miss one day before. Clark has at least two blocks in every game and rejected five shots in the Nov. 12 win over Prairie View.

BIG EAST

Ty-Shon Alexander, guard, Creighton Bluejays

There appeared to be a scoring vacuum for the Bluejays coming into the season. That vacuum has been filled by the 6-4 Alexander who made a national statement by scoring 36 points in the win over Clemson on Wednesday in the Cayman Islands Classic. The sophomore hit seven 3-pointers and made 11 successful forays to the free-throw stripe. He has scored at least a dozen points and hit at least three 3-pointers in every game. Creighton could work its way into the NCAA Tournament conversation behind Alexander.

Paul Scruggs, guard, Xavier Musketeers

No one is going to forget Trevon Bluiett any time soon, but Scruggs is doing a nice job in his sophomore season. He has moved into the starting lineup and provided 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. The 6-4 guard put up a season-high 24 points in the win over Evansville on Nov. 10 and has only been held to single-digit scoring once (against Wisconsin on Nov. 13). It helps that Scruggs is nearly guaranteed minutes and is putting up 9.3 field goals per game. He appears to be a player that can grow during the season.

PAC-12

Zylan Cheatham, forward, Arizona State Sun Devils

While freshman Luguentz Dort has grabbed the headlines for the Sun Devils, Cheatham has been a super role player in his first year with Arizona State after transferring from San Diego State. The 6-8 senior is leading the team with 8.0 rebounds to go with 12.0 points, 3.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks. Cheatham is hitting 50.0 percent of his field goals and has helped coach Bobby Hurley grind out five wins. He has one double-double, but will likely get more as the calendar flips to December.

Donnie Tillman, forward, Utah Utes

Folk wisdom has it that players take their biggest leap in performance between their freshman and sophomore seasons. Sometimes folk wisdom is true. Tillman has improved across the board for the Utes and has nearly doubled his scoring and rebounding averages. The 6-7 forward provided nine rebounds in three straight games and added seven assists in the win over Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 15. He only has one assist in his five other games. Tillman is making 55.8 percent of his field goals and should get more shots if that rate continues.

SEC

Saben Lee, guard, Vanderbilt Commodores

The recommendation of Lee comes with more than a hint of sadness. Freshman guard Darius Garland, the team's leading scorer at 16.2 points, injured his meniscus and will be out indefinitely. Lee will be counted on to score a bit more in addition to his ball handling duties. The 6-2 sophomore is averaging 12.2 points after putting up 10.6 points last season. Lee has scored at least nine points in every game this season, so a bit more scoring might not be too hard for the guard.

Aric Holman, forward, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Because the Bulldogs are relatively deep, their players do not come with the strongest fantasy recommendations. Coach Ben Howland tends to keep his charges from running and gunning as well. Holman has found a way to be an impact defender with 9.2 points and 3.0 blocks. The 6-9 senior had his best game in the loss to Arizona State with 22 points and 10 boards. It was his second double-double. He is adding 12.6 points and 1.2 steals to provide a nice all-around statistical portfolio.

MID-MAJORS

Eugene German, guard, Northern Illinois Huskies

German was suspended for the first two games of the season after being charged with retail theft. Once he made restitution, he was allowed to get back on the court. It hasn't taken long for the 6-0 junior to warm up. He has scored at least 17 points in every game and hung 30 points on Oral Roberts On Nov. 23 in the Men Against Breast Cancer Challenge. German is averaging 21.3 points and hitting 43.5 percent of his 3-pointers. He could lead the MAC in scoring.

Charles Brown, forward, St. Joseph's Hawks

Wrist issues kept Brown from playing last season, but it apparent that the injury did not keep him from practicing 3-pointers. The 6-6 sophomore is canning 56.8 percent of his long-range shots and is leading the Hawks with 25.0 points. On Saturday, Brown set a new personal best with 37 points. He has hit 16 3-pointers in his last four games and it doesn't look like anyone is going to grab the ball from Brown at the last minute. Good grief, he has been excellent!

Jayden Gardner, forward, East Carolina Pirates

Generally, rebounding provides somewhat more consistent numbers than scoring. As long as a player is hustling, the boards will come, while streaky shooting can provide a range of scoring performances. Gardner has been taking advantage of his scoring opportunities for 16.6 points on 60.0 percent from the field. The 6-6 freshman's rebounding totals have been all over the place. He had 17 boards in the win over Prairie View and followed that up with three boards in the loss to High Point. Despite the inconsistencies, his scoring and 7.4 rebounds make Gardner a nice player to pick up.

Jalen Pickett, guard, Siena Saints

New Siena coach Jamion Christian was able to add a few of "his guys" to the roster after replacing Jimmy Pastos. It appears that the 6-6 freshman Pickett has his coach's trust. The guard is leading the team with 15.3 points and 6.0 assists. On Saturday, he had 21 points, nine assists, seven steals and five rebounds which makes for a quadruple-double alert. This will be a learning season for Pickett and the Saints. Even if the team continues to lose, Pickett should get plenty of shots.

Braxton Huggins, guard, Fresno State Bulldogs

Bulldog guard Deshon Taylor was probably the first and only Fresno State player drafted (if any were) in most leagues. He averaged 17.8 points and figured to lead the team in scoring again. In the early going, Taylor has been supplanted by Huggins. The New Mexico State transfer is providing 21.5 points and scored 28 points in the two-point loss to Miami on Friday. Huggins is making 46.9 percent of his 3-pointers and could take some pressure off of Taylor in Mountain West play.