Info Sport 24: Basketball

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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtp-3kkDFpcAyAZkemXDjRrpmS1C5AjS6Axsbv2P8yqP5wghsEW479-nEGSe-pDgjd72wDgyXbGD8svx5Isg3ByxVHYuEjREYHcSnM_jDpbwSyW9rhteradwmVH5dIMmuGU3DKEDKGHUIQ/s1600/telechargement.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtp-3kkDFpcAyAZkemXDjRrpmS1C5AjS6Axsbv2P8yqP5wghsEW479-nEGSe-pDgjd72wDgyXbGD8svx5Isg3ByxVHYuEjREYHcSnM_jDpbwSyW9rhteradwmVH5dIMmuGU3DKEDKGHUIQ/s1600/telechargement.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">W</span><span style="font-size: large;">hen the college basketball season begins, the players that fans are most excited to see usually fall into one of two categories: returning stars and promising freshmen.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>By the end of the season, though, there are always players who emerge that end up doing better than expected. Take a guy like Winston Sheppard, who went from being San Diego State’s eighth-leading scorer two years ago to its second-leading scorer last year and will now lead another tough Aztecs team. Or Frank Kaminsky, who sat for two seasons behind Jared Berggren at Wisconsin before becoming last year’s biggest breakout players.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>What I’m trying to find here are the guys that could break out like Sheppard, or perhaps even more so, like Kaminsky. These players all had significant roles in the past, but are now being asked to step into leading roles.</b></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Travis Trice, Sr., G, Michigan State:</span></strong></h4>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">   T</span><span style="font-size: large;">rice has backed up former Michigan State star Keith Appling for the past three seasons, and now he’s ready to take the lead. Playing the sixth man role last year, Trice still had a large impact on games, being on the floor for over 22 minutes per game. He is also their best free throw shooter (81.8%), and has an easy time getting to the hoop; so increased minutes should give his scoring numbers a large boost. The most important thing Trice will bring to the table for the Spartans is leadership. He’s been with the Spartans through some very deep tournament runs, along with a handful of high profile regular season games, in the Big Ten as well as in nonconference play. Tom Izzo hopes having a strong leader like Trice will pay off big time late in the season.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Justin Anderson, Jr., G/F, Virginia:</span></strong></h4>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">   G</span><span style="font-size: large;">one is Joe Harris, gone is Akil Mitchell. The spotlight has shifted to Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, and London Perrantes. However, if you asked Tony Bennett whom to watch out for this upcoming season, I’d bet you he would say Justin Anderson. Last year’s ACC sixth man of the year backed up Harris and Brogdon, but he’ll be asked to do more this season. A true swingman, Anderson will most likely start at the 3 spot for Virginia. The offense will run through Brogdon, but Anderson should do just fine as the team’s second option. The way Bennett has worked his roster, don’t expect Virginia to miss a beat this season.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Rakeem Christmas, Sr., F/C, Syracuse:</span></strong></h4>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">   G</span><span style="font-size: large;">ames played are by far one of the most underrated stats in all of sports. You can be the best at your sport, but if you can’t stay on the floor, it means nothing. Since Christmas arrived on the frozen campus in Syracuse, New York, he’s played in every game, and started all but two. That’s huge, especially for an injury-riddled team like Syracuse. With DaJuan Coleman missing significant time due to injury the last two seasons, Jim Boeheim has had to lean heavily on Christmas. Tyler Ennis stole a lot of the spotlight last year, but Christmas was there to do all the dirty work. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game, Christmas will be huge presence in the post for the Orange this year, which may still be without Coleman. If his offensive game (5.8 PPG) comes around, the Orange should be all smiles.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Monté Morris, So., G, Iowa State:</span></strong></h4>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">   F</span><span style="font-size: large;">red Hoiberg’s Cyclones made the jump from middling power-five conference team to a true national contender last year. Led by DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim, Iowa State made it to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to eventual national champion UConn. Kane and Ejim, along with Dustin Hogue, were very ball-dominant during that tournament run, but Monté Morris was the X-factor. Having Morris in the starting lineup allowed Kane to play off the ball more, where he wouldn’t always have to create his own shot. With the addition of UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones (who will fill Kane’s spot), Morris will be in complete charge of the offense. He may not be the number one scoring option, with players like Hogue, Dejean-Jones, and Georges Niang on the team, but Morris will be the floor general</span>.</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">Derrick Walton, So., G, Michigan:</span></strong></h4>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;">   R</span><span style="font-size: large;">eplacing the great Trey Burke is no easy task. I doubt any incoming freshman point guard could have done that last year. The one player who was tasked with that was Derrick Walton. In a year when Michigan was expected to take a step back, the Wolverines did no such thing. Sure, Nik Stauskas and Caris LeVert led the way, but Walton’s contributions—including a 19-point performance on a huge Saturday night game in East Lansing—were key. With Stauskas gone, more of the scoring load will fall on Walton. He started 36 of the teams 37 games last season, so experience isn’t a huge issue with him anymore. He isn’t Trey Burke. Burke was asked to do much more as a freshman, and was arguably the nation’s best player as a sophomore. However, Walton is the clear leader in the Wolverines backcourt this year. Like his in-state rival Trice, Walton is out to prove he can be just as good as his predecessor.</span></div>
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Breakout College Basketball Players to Watch

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