College Basketball 2012-13: The Six Best CBB Players Under Six Feet

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Some of the most exciting players during the 2012-13 college basketball season won't be the biggest guys on the court. The "tale of the tape" doesn't tell the whole story.

Here is a lightning fast look at the six best players under six feet tall.

Several other players could have been listed here, but in their official published measurements, they are generously listed at 6'0".

6. Angel Rodriguez (Kansas State)

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Angel Rodriguez had a solid first year at K-State.

Averaging 8.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.2 apg, the 5'11" Miami-native helped the Wildcats advance to the Round of 32 in last year's NCAA Tournament.

He picked a great night to have his best game of his freshmen year when he scored 15 points, handed out 6 assists and grabbed 4 steals in KSU's late season upset win over Baylor.

With Rodriguez running the show, watch for K-State to be right in the thick of the Big 12 race under first-year head coach Bruce Weber

5. Aaron Bright (Stanford)

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Aaron Bright had a super sophomore season for Johnny Dawkins.

The 5'11 guard led the Cardinal in assists (3.7 apg) and was the team's second leading scorer (11.7 ppg).

He is a threat from deep, hitting 43.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc last season.

Bright elevated his game (15 ppg, 5.2 apg) as he was selected as the 2012 National Invitational Tournament MVP and Stanford won the NIT title.

Bright doesn't back down from anyone, and will be a factor in helping the Cardinal back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2007-2008 season.

4. Chaz Williams (UMass)

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At 5'9", Chaz Williams is a super-charged competitor that gets stuff done all over the court.

In 2011-12, his first season at UMass after transferring from Hofstra, Williams led the Atlantic 10 in assists (6.4 apg), led the Minutemen in scoring (16.4 ppg) and still managed to pull down 4.2 rebounds per game.

In last year's NIT, the Brooklyn native put up 22.3 points and dished out 5 assists per game as UMass made it to the semi-finals before losing to Stanford.

Williams, a rising junior, will leave it all on the court in '12-13 in order to get the Minutemen to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.

3. D.J. Cooper (Ohio)

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D.J. Cooper is getting ready to have a super senior season for the Bobcats.

In his first three years at Ohio, the Chicago native has scored 1595 points (14.6 ppg), dished out 692 assists (6.3 apg) and grabbed 512 rebounds (4.7 rpg).

Cooper led Ohio to a 2012 Sweet Sixteen appearance and was selected as the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year by collegeinsider.com and a Lute Olson All-American.

Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated stated recently that Cooper is one of the most important senior returnees in college basketball for the 2012-13 season.

2. Phil Pressey (Missouri)

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Phil Pressey does a little of everything for the Tigers. He averaged 10.3 ppg, 6.4 apg and 3.3 rpg in 2011-12.

He also had a nice 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio and pinched 2.1 steals per game.

The rising junior from Dallas is considered one of the top PGs in the nation.

DraftExpress.com has Pressey as the No. 28 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Mizzou's second-year head coach Frank Haith will count on Pressey to pull together the Tigers' talented returning players and their multiple big-time transfers.

1. Pierre Jackson (Baylor)

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You could say that Pierre Jackson made the transition smoothly last season from JuCo All-American to D1 scoring PG.

He won a truck-load of awards in his first year in Waco:

• All-American, Honorable Mention (AP)
• Bob Cousy Award Finalist
• All-Big 12, First Team (ESPN.com; Kansas City Star
• Big 12 All-Rookie Team (Coaches)
• Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Waco Tribune Herald)
• Big 12 Transfer of the Year (ESPN.com)

The 5'10" dynamo from Vegas dished, drove and delivered Baylor to the 2012 Elite Eight by leading the team in scoring (13.8 ppg), assists (5.9 apg) and steals (1.8 spg).

Jackson steps it up in the clutch. Last year, he was involved in eight go-ahead, game-tying or game-winning plays, either by scoring or distributing an assist.

With the departures of Perry Jones III, Quincy Acy and Quincy Miller, Jackson will have the challenge and opportunity to bump things up another notch in 2012-13.