Jared Sullinger or Harrison Barnes: Who Will Be the Greater Sophomore?

Going into this year’s draft talk, Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes were two of the highly touted freshmen speculated to enter their names for this year’s draft class.

Both surprised everyone by saying that they would be returning to their respective universities for their sophomore years of college. Even though Sullinger’s announcement to return to Ohio State was dismissed as just another heat of the moment spill, the naysayers have began to think that he actually means what he said after the loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Harrison Barnes was asked the question about his possible return to Chapel Hill many times, including during the Jordan Brand Classic this past weekend. He brushed off the question with maturity and showed scouts why his personality is in great standing along with his athletic ability.

Barnes has announced that he will be returning to North Carolina to play his sophomore year and his teammates and fans could not be happier.

His teammate, John Henson, was especially happy to hear the news. He tweeted soon after Barnes’ revelation.

_John_Henson_: Lol !!! glad my bro is coming back to school... !

Now the question is, who will be the greater athlete in their second year? That is going to be hard to decide because both Sullinger and Barnes play different positions, therefore their contribution to the team is going to be much different.

Jared Sullinger is the kind of aggressive player that the Big Ten thrives on. He draws the contact with grace and rarely, if ever, loses his temper when he is sent to the foul line. That is rather unusual in such a powerful player, but he exemplifies the control and stamina that he needs to be a steady asset for the Buckeyes.

The 6’9" Buckeye freshman saved his team from suffering a defeat at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats with 10 free-throw makes in overtime, ending the game with 20 points and 18 rebounds. No one can say that he single-handedly kept OSU afloat, but the end of that game showed so many people why he is as valuable as he is to that team.

With David Lighty, Jon Diebler and big-bodied Dallas Lauderdale out of the picture now, he will be called upon, along with Aaron Craft and William Buford, to become the most stable component on both sides of the floor.

Harrison Barnes, on the other hand, was the shining star of the North Carolina’s offense. Although his minutes were steady early in the season, his offensive contributions were not. Barnes was still trying to find his fit in Roy Williams’ system, but when his team’s confidence in him grew, his court performance grew and he became the player you could count on to pull the Tar Heels out of a slump.

His most memorable game from this past season would have to be the 40-point game against Clemson to send North Carolina to the ACC finals against the Duke Blue Devils. They would lose, but after that game, viewers became aware of how dangerous Barnes could be in late game situations.

The rest of his points were a generous addition to the scoreboard on UNC’s behalf, but the key to the victory was a three-pointer with 1:23 left that put the team within two points of overtime. Barnes has 14 points in overtime and North Carolina walked away with their heads held high.

Their freshmen seasons were extraordinary, but can they keep it up and still be as beneficial to their rosters as they were in this college basketball season? My guess is that Jared Sullinger will be the primary option for the Buckeyes and will be next year’s Naismith Player of the Year, with all of the other candidates in competition for the award out of the NCAA. Barnes is close, but no cigar.