College Basketball: Top 15 Breakout Stars of the Season's First Month

Some of the biggest names in college basketball this season were thoroughly unknown quantities when the first games tipped at the beginning of November. From freshmen who had yet to prove themselves to reserves stepping into starting jobs, new names are turning into huge names across the country.

One of the stars of the freshman class has turned out (unsurprisingly) to be Florida’s Bradley Beal. The high-flying guard is providing an impressive rebounding presence to go with his first-class scoring for the No. 12 Gators.

Read on for a closer look at Beal and the rest of the best players who have gone from anonymous to A-list in the first month of 2011-12.

15. J’Covan Brown, Texas

A solid reserve on a team loaded with NBA talent last season, J’Covan Brown has stepped into the spotlight as a junior. The 6’1” guard is leading the Longhorns with 19.4 points a game, up from 10.4 off the bench a year ago.

Brown is also getting his teammates involved, placing second on the Texas roster with five assists a night.

Paired with standout freshman Myck Kabongo, Brown has done an impressive job of keeping the Longhorns relevant despite their heavy draft/graduation losses.

14. Terrence Ross, Washington

Lost in last season’s crowded Washington backcourt, Terrence Ross is getting his chance to shine as a sophomore. The high-flying shooting guard is leading the Huskies with 16.2 points a game.

Ross’ prodigious leaping ability and 6’6” frame are also helping, as he ranks second on the team with 6.7 rebounds per contest. His 19 points and nine boards narrowly missed sparking an upset of No. 11 Marquette last night.

13. Terrell Stoglin, Maryland

As an occasional starter in 2010-11, Terrell Stoglin was one of many complementary scorers around star center Jordan Williams, averaging 11.4 points a game. In 2011-12, the 6’1” sophomore has become the main man in College Park.

Stoglin is leading Maryland with 22.4 points a contest (more than double his next-best teammate’s output) this season. Now he just needs to figure out how to translate his brand of high-volume shooting into more consistent winning for the 4-3 Terrapins.

12. Trae Golden, Tennessee

After a chaotic offseason in Knoxville, no Volunteer has landed on his feet better than Trae Golden. The sophomore point guard, who averaged just three points a game last season, has become a star under new coach Cuonzo Martin.

Golden has proven the ideal floor leader to run Martin’s fast-paced, perimeter-focused offense. He’s leading the Vols with 16.3 points and 6.1 assists a game in 2011-12.

11. Tim Frazier, Penn State

A respectable point guard lost in Talor Battle’s shadow last season, Tim Frazier has added an entirely new level to his game in 2011-12. After posting a career high of 6.3 points a game last year, Frazier is leading the Nittany Lions with 19.2 points a night.

Remarkably, Frazier has also improved his passing numbers even without having Battle to set up, dishing out 7.1 assists a night. The 6’1” junior is even leading PSU in rebounding with 5.8 boards per contest.

10. Royce White, Iowa State

One of several key transfers on coach Fred Hoiberg’s roster, Royce White arrived from Minnesota last season having never stepped on a collegiate court.

Though disciplinary issues short-circuited his Golden Gophers career, White has looked brilliant in his Cyclones debut.

The 6’8” forward is leading Iowa State in scoring (15.1 points per game), rebounding (10.8 a night) and assists (4.3 per contest) on the young season.

It remains to be seen whether he’ll also be able to lead his new team to a winning season in the very competitive Big 12.

9. Meyers Leonard, Illinois

The prize of Illinois’ 2010 recruiting class, Meyers Leonard was a major disappointment as a freshman. The 7’1” center barely made it on the floor behind veterans Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale, playing fewer than 10 minutes per game.

As a sophomore, though, Leonard has seized the starting job and become the driving force in an 8-0 start for the Illini. He’s leading the team in scoring (13.4 points per game), rebounding (6.6 a night) and blocks (2.9 per contest) on the year.

8. Bradley Beal, Florida

Few freshmen in the country are facing as much pressure in 2011-12 as Bradley Beal, who has been asked to step into a starting job for a team hoping to contend for the Final Four. The 6’3” guard has stepped up in a big way through the first month of game action.

Beal is second on the Gators in both scoring—15.6 points a game—and, remarkably, rebounding (seven boards a night, behind only 6’9” center Patric Young).

With Beal's talents around the rim added to the perimeter scoring of Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton, Florida’s tournament ambitions could turn out to be justified.

7. Shabazz Napier, UConn

To the already-glowing list of Kemba Walker’s achievements at UConn, add this one: he kept Shabazz Napier on the bench.

The freshman Napier had averaged 7.8 points and three assists a game, but as a sophomore he’s leapt to the forefront for the No. 9 Huskies.

Napier is leading the team with 6.1 assists a game while also scoring an impressive 16.8 points a night. Add in 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals a game, and no player is doing more to make UConn a winner in 2011-12.

6. Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

A workmanlike center in two seasons at UTEP, Arnett Moultrie didn’t seem likely to be a game-changing addition to a Mississippi State frontcourt that already featured Renardo Sidney. Instead, Moultrie has become the new leader of the 18th-ranked Bulldogs.

The 6’11” Moultrie is averaging 16.7 points per game, second on the team, and pulling in 11.1 rebounds a night—12th in the nation. If the Bulldogs are to make any noise in the crowded SEC, Moultrie will be the key to that effort. 

5. Travon Woodall, Pitt

After two seasons as an unremarkable backup point guard, Travon Woodall has taken over the starting job with a vengeance. The 5’11” junior is third in the nation with 8.3 assists a game for the Panthers.

Woodall is also second behind Ashton Gibbs on the Pitt roster with 14.1 points a night. He’ll be sorely missed over the next month as he recovers from groin and abdominal strains.

4. Mike Moser, UNLV

As a freshman at UCLA, Mike Moser scored a total of nine points for the 2009-10 season. After a transfer to UNLV and the accompanying year on the sidelines, Moser has blossomed into one of the country’s toughest forwards.

The 6’8” Moser is averaging 12.6 rebounds a game to lead the country through the season’s first month. He’s also scoring 16.9 points a game to lead the 8-1 Rebels.

3. Herb Pope, Seton Hall

A valuable rebounder for last year’s underwhelming Seton Hall team, Herb Pope has become a dominant all-around player in 2011-12. He’s more than doubled his scoring average, pouring in 21.4 points a game (11th in the nation) as a senior.

Pope is still a terrific rebounder, grabbing 11 boards a night. He’s also become a leader on defense for the Pirates, averaging 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks a game.

2. Thomas Robinson, Kansas

One of the country’s best sixth men in 2010-11 has become one of its best players, period. After backing up the Morris twins as a sophomore, Kansas junior Thomas Robinson has proven a thoroughly capable replacement with the Morrises gone to the NBA.

The 6’9” Robinson is averaging 16.1 points and 12.1 rebounds a game, with the latter figure ranking him second in the nation. His latest feat was staving off an upset by dangerous Long Beach State last night with a 26-point, 11-rebound effort.

1. Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Hands down the nation’s most successful freshman in the early season, Anthony Davis has become the defensive heart of the top-ranked Wildcats. The 6’10” center is blocking an absurd 4.5 shots per game—second in the nation.

Davis isn’t slacking off in other areas of his game, leading Kentucky with 9.1 rebounds a night and scoring 12.3 points a game. His performance will be critical to Kentucky’s well-justified title hopes in 2011-12.