Freshman Haze: Ranking the Top Frosh, 8-14

While I was putting the freshman rankings last weekend, I noticed that some of the numbers seemed off. It wasn't that none of the players that I was writing about fit, but the system did not seem to be taking into account turnovers (which I never liked anyway as a fantasy category). I did some re-jiggering of my spreadsheet and figured out that I did not change the sort function for the turnover column. The changes in the rankings were dramatic and a number of big school players (such as Aaron Holiday from UCLA and Bryant Crawford from Wake Forest) fell out of the top 21. Sadly, I wrote most of the article before I noticed the error, so I had to basically start from scratch. This week's countdown from 14 to eight will not have any errors.

14. Evan Boudreaux, forward, Dartmouth Big Green

One can only imagine what kind of season this would have been for the Big Green without the promise of the 6-foot-8 Boudreaux. The team has sunk to the bottom of the Ivy League, but Boudreaux has trudged forward with 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. He helped Dartmouth snap a five-game losing streak Saturday against Brown with 25 points and 13 rebounds against the premier big man in the Ivy, the Bears' Cedric Kuakumensah. Boudreaux has eight double-doubles and three in his last five games.

13. Derrick Griffin, forward, Texas Southern Eagles

Being mentioned in this space two weeks ago has not stopped the 6-7 Griffin from abusing opponents in the SWAC. The burly forward has six consecutive double-doubles to help coach Mike Davis' team to the top of the conference standings at 10-1. Griffin is averaging 13.1 points and 10.9 rebounds with 2.4 blocks. In his last two games, Griffin has only attempted nine shots and made eight. He needs work from the line (just 50.7 percent). With Malcolm Riley and Chris Thomas, the Tigers' two leading scorers, running out of eligibility, it may be Griffin's show next year.

12. Nick Emery, guard, BYU Cougars

I made the rankings last Sunday morning, so any stats that players have accrued over the last week will not help them. That is a shame for Emery who torched San Francisco and Santa Clara in the last two games for 68 points. He hit 10 three-pointers in the win over the Dons on Thursday and finished with 37 points. The 6-2 native of Utah put up another 31 points against the Broncos on Saturday on 13-of-21 from the field. He averages 16.1 points and has hit 38.7 percent of his three-pointers this season.

11. Marcus Evans, guard, Rice Owls

Like Dartmouth, the Owls are looking to the future after a 9-16 campaign with just four wins in Conference USA play. Evans is at the center of that future and has scored 20 points or more in four of his last five games (and Rice has won three of those games). The 6-3 guard has attempted more than 10 free throws eight times and has converted 77.8 percent from the line. His three-point shot (30.8 percent) could use some improvement, but Evans fills the stat sheet with 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals (he likes round numbers).

10. Malik Beasley, Florida State Seminoles

As would be expected from a team that is led by two freshmen (Beasley and Dwayne Bacon), the Seminoles have been inconsistent. Just a week ago, Florida State had run off four consecutive ACC wins, but they were beaten at the Carrier Dome on Thursday before falling to Miami on Saturday. Beasley was held to six points in the loss to Hurricanes, his first single-digit scoring output of his career. He is still having a spectacular shooting season with 17.2 points on 50 percent from the field, 41.9 percent on three-pointers, and 84.2 percent from the line. The Seminoles have their go-to offensive player as long as Beasley stays in Tallahassee.

9. Chris Clemons, guard, Campbell Camels

Judge him by his size, do you? Just like Master Yoda, it would be a mistake to underestimate the 5-9 Clemons, who leads the Camels with 18.2 points. Since I made my rankings, he has led Campbell to a pair of wins with 24 points and seven rebounds in the overtime win against Gardner-Webb, then 18 points and four assists to beat Presbyterian. He is converting 37.9 percent of his three-pointers and 87.1 percent of his free throws. Clemons has hit a three-pointers in every game this season.

8. Jamal Murray, guard, Kentucky Wildcats

This middle list has been dominated by small-school players, but we finish with a guy producing on the national stage. Murray is a complete offensive player and has been on fire of late. The 6-5 Canadian has nailed 18 three-pointers in his last three games to lead the Wildcats to three straight wins with 28.3 points. He is hitting a cool 40 percent of his three-pointers and has scored in double digits in all but one game (the blowout win over NJIT in the second game of his career). Murray looks like a one-and-done player.