Even in an era where many teams within both college and pro basketball are making the decision to go smaller with their lineups, the massive post player is not dead. Need proof? Look at top-three NBA draft picks Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, who parlayed their respective one-and-done seasons into multi-million dollar contracts. On that note, three B1G freshmen will enter college basketball this season looking to achieve similar results, with high expectations and impressive pedigrees in tow. Rookie Thomas Bryant will give an Indiana unit with shooters galore some height on the interior. Freshman prospect Diamond Stone spurned his home school in Wisconsin to join a Maryland team with legitimate National Championship hopes. Lastly, newcomer Caleb Swanigan de-committed from Michigan State to team with the heavyweight tag team of AJ Hammons and Isaac Haas at Purdue. All three will almost surely have an impact on the league this season, but which one will be the biggest force?
Bryant, for one, seems to be exactly what Indiana needs. Last season the Hoosiers were outstanding offensively, ranking ninth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. They did so predominantly by shooting the lights out and simultaneously cutting down on the turnovers that plagued them in 2013-14. You have to figure that adding a legitimate post player with significant offensive ability will only enhance the Hoosiers’ opportunities to find quality looks from the perimeter. But even more importantly for Tom Crean’s squad, Bryant really needs to make his presence known on the defensive end. Indiana cannot rank anywhere close to last season’s 214th best (worst?) defensive unit in the land if it wants to improve upon a 20-14 mark. The combination of Bryant and Michigan transfer Max Bielfeldt gives the team much more in the way of size and bulk than they had a year ago. With a true big man defending the rim, Troy Williams and the Hoosiers’ other wings should be able to apply more ball pressure.
Maryland had some size during their surprising 2014-15 campaign, but neither Damonte Dodd nor Michal Cekovsky proved ready for heavy minutes. Stone, on the other hand, comes to College Park with a lofty reputation as a powerful interior presence. As a result, he should help give the Terps more inside-outside balance in the starting lineup than any other team in the B1G. Unlike Indiana and its perimeter-heavy attack, Maryland now has a true small forward (Jake Layman), a power forward (Robert Carter) and a center. Stone also represents the third potential first round pick on this roster; a talent load which goes a long way in explaining why Mark Turgeon’s unit is ranked so highly this preseason (#3 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll).
Swanigan will give Purdue an opportunity to play with two legitimate low post threats on the court at all times. This is a team that hasn’t been particularly good at knocking down perimeter shots in recent years (although a healthy Kendall Stephens and freshman Ryan Cline could change this), but they should absolutely own the paint from 10 feet and in. Those iffy perimeter options should get much better looks from the outside with all the beef taking up defensive energy inside. Expect an improved Boilermakers’ offense as a result.
All told, each of these teams got better because of the size they’ve added, and all three have legitimate chances to play into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Which big man progresses the furthest in his freshmen season could very well determine which team ends up playing the longest. For now, Stone enters with both the best pedigree and best team around him. He and the Terps are the team to beat in the B1G, but if one of the other freshman bigs can outplay him, a team other than the Terrapins could take the regular season title.