Freshman Haze: Top Tiger

I took myself over to Baton Rouge recently for an early Christmas present to see the one and only Ben Simmons and his fellow LSU Tigers. I live an hour west of the state capital, but I had never made the trip to the Pete Maravich Center to watch Tier 1 college basketball. You can read more about the experience here, but I will say that I have taken a dislike to LSU this season. I tend not to like the overhyped, and Simmons seems like he fits that category. His faults are just so easy to spot and his strengths do not make LSU a better team. For fantasy purposes, however, Simmons is a dream come true. Let's look at him and six others hiding in his shadow.

Ben Simmons, forward, LSU Tigers

For anyone who just looks at boxscores or sees highlights of Simmons, he appears to be doing everything right. The 6-foot-10 southpaw is putting up Durant/Beasley-type freshman numbers with 19.1 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks. He has not developed a perimeter shot yet, but that is mainly because he hasn't had to. Simmons can to get the basket whenever he wants and has a solid post game. The presumptive top pick of the 2016 draft is also a fancy passer. So, what am I complaining about? Despite the steals and blocks, he doesn't play much defense and does not box out. It is hard to argue with his production, but I will be very curious to see if he changes his game to help the Tigers win in SEC play.

Jamal Murray, guard, Kentucky Wildcats

In order to stand out on Kentucky, a player has to be really special. While the top recruit of this Wildcat class, Skal Labissiere, has been relatively quiet, Murray has become the go-to player. The 6-5 guard from Canada has had two of his better scoring games in the team's pair of losses. He hit seven 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 33 points in last Saturday's loss to Ohio State, and converted five 3-pointers in the loss to UCLA. Maybe he shouldn't hit so many 3-pointers. Murray has scored in double digits in all but one game and is averaging 17.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. He may be the best guard at Kentucky since the John Wall-Eric Bledsoe class.

Allonzo Trier, guard, Arizona Wildcats

Through the first month of season, Trier's minutes and production were spotty. He had a pair of 5-point games in which he did not play more than 14 minutes in the Wooden Legacy tournament. Since that point, the 6-5 scoring guard has blossomed and is now working on a streak of seven straight games of 11 points or more (and the Wildcats have won all seven games). He burned Fresno State for a season-high 27 points on Dec. 9. Over the streak, Trier is converting 59.4 percent of his field goals and he has hit 10 3-pointers in his last five games.

Marquese Chriss, forward, Washington Huskies

You may be wondering why Chriss has an extra "s" at the end of his last name. For the answer, you should refer to Dick Vitalte, who would likely say that the 6-9 freshman has been "super, scintillating, and sensational!" When he has been on the court, it is easy to concur with Mr. Vitale. Over his last three games, Chriss has averaged 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. The problem is his propensity to foul: Chriss has been whistled for at least four fouls seven times and fouled out four times. He has two double-doubles and he could be able to help the Huskies to be a surprise team in Pac 12 play.

Steve McElvene, center, Dayton Flyers

Fantasy owners don't always expect huge things from their centers. For a player like the 6-11 McElvene (who is of no relation to former Marquette center Jim McIlvaine), we can overlook his 7.7-point scoring average. The redshirt freshman doesn't shoot much, but he hits better than 60 percent of his field goals. The Flyer big man is adept at rebounding (8.2 boards) and blocking (2.2 rejections). He has three double-doubles. Like Chriss, McElvene has had some issues with fouling, which have limited his playing time. Look for the return of forward Dyshawn Pierre to help McElvane in A10 conference games.

Jahmal McMurry, guard, South Florida Bulls

Not much has gone right for the Bulls in the first two months of the season. The team has just three wins and has lost to teams like Troy, NJIT, and Boston University. There likely won't be a postseason for USF, but there is hope for the future in 6-0 McMurry. The guard is leading the team with 13.0 points and has scored in double digits in all but two games. McMurry is not efficient and is making just 38 percent of his field goals and 30.5 percent of his 3-pointers (of which he takes 6.3 per game). The Kansas native might as well bomb away in the hopes of more 22-point games like he had on Dec. 16 in the win over Jacksonville.

John Konchar, guard, IPFW Mastadons

There is plenty of fantasy goodness coming from the Mastodons (which are not extinct in the Summit League.) The team has four double-digit scorers and Konchar, a 6-4 guard, is actually the fourth. He is averaging 10.5 points, but is doing plenty to help IPFW and his fantasy teams win. Konchar is leading the team with 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals to go along with 2.4 assists. His scoring tends to come and go, and he has only scored in double digits in two of his last seven games. Konchar is much more consistent on the boards and has at least six rebounds in his last 12 games.