Beastly Big Boys

By Jonathan Edwards 

In college basketball, it’s not unusual to see four guards on the court at the same time, playing a run and gun game. However, having a dominant big guy that controls the paint makes padding the W column a whole lot easier. Here are this year’s best big men.

AP Photo/ Michael Conroy

1.     Cody Zeller / Indiana – Zeller is the most complete player in the nation. He has insane finesse at the rim and can finish in a number of different ways. His motor is always running and combined with his smarts on the court, he is sure to light up the score sheet every night.

2.     Tony Mitchell / North Texas – A little undersized at only 6’7’’, Mitchell is not a guy you want to mess around with down low. He averaged nearly 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game last season. He’s aided by a 7’3’’ wingspan and a lethally quick first step. Mitchell will be fun to watch this year.

3.     Nerlens Noel / Kentucky – Noel is your typical Kentucky big: tall, long, athletic, and powerful. His offensive game needs refinement, but not many players will impact games this year like Noel. He will be huge on the glass for the Wildcats, and will make a big impact on the defensive end altering shots, kind of like a freshman last year in Lexington.

4.     James Michael McAdoo / UNC – The Tar Heels lost four first round picks to the NBA, but they didn’t grab four McDonald’s All-Americans to make up for the losses. McAdoo needs to fill the huge gap that was left. He can create his own shot, and score in a variety of ways. His added weight should help him in the paint, where McAdoo can really do some damage.

5.     Mike Moser / UNLV – The Rebels are loaded with talent this year, but Moser is their go-to guy. Long and athletic, Moser is just a smooth player. He has a very good face-up game in the post, and has enough range to go back to the 3-point line. Moser is also a menacing rebounder who can out-jump almost anyone on the court.

6.     Gorgui Dieng / Louisville – Dieng is a guy who has improved every year for coach Rick Pitino. He became a much more complete player last year when he added a nice mid range game to his repertoire. Still, though, the best part of his game is down low defensively, as he averaged 9 rebounds and 3 blocks per game last season.

7.     Chane Behanan / Louisville – You’ve got a good chance at winning a lot of games when you have just one of the players on this list, but two? Yeah, the Cardinals are stacked. Height is the only thing keeping Behanan from playing in the NBA right now, as he’s only 6’6’’. The kid rebounds like a bull, and looks to improve from a great ending to last season, where he was named the West Regional’s Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament.

8.     Jeff Withey / Kansas – Withey isn’t as developed as some of the other guys on this list, but he has his own way of affecting the game. Certainly not an elite scorer, but Withey knows how to finish around the rim. He makes great cuts to get open, and has a good enough hook shot. As it seems to be a theme, Withey is further along on the defensive end, where he had 3.6 blocks per game last year.

9.     Isaiah Austin / Baylor – The Bears have one of the best inside-outside presences in the nation with Austin and Pierre Jackson. Austin stands a legit 7 feet tall, and looks even longer on the court. His pure size allows him to score and rebound, but his athleticism lets him do some things that will amaze you. Austin can also stretch the D out to the 3-point line, which is a big benefit.

10.  Mason Plumlee / Duke – It seems like he’s been around forever, but this is finally Plumlee’s senior season in Durham. He is one of those guys that does everything well, but nothing seems to stand out. Still, he can get a double-double every time he steps onto the court. The big knock on him is that he shoots very poorly from the charity stripe, leading to him not being on the court late in games.