When thinking of the word underrated, another word — unappreciated — also comes to mind.
However, that is not always the case.
Hype and accolades can follow a player, and he can still be deprived of the recognition he deserves. This is true with a couple of the most underrated players going into the 2016 college basketball season.
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It is hard to be listed on the AP Preseason All-American Team and still be underrated, but Buddy Hield is just that. Hield is the heart and soul of the Oklahoma Sooners. He is able to score off the dribble, spot up, and still be a strong defender who uses his size effectively.
Hield, who is from the Bahamas, is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year. He took the honor after averaging 17.4 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals. Hield affects all areas of the floor for Oklahoma and does not always get the national love other top players receive. According to KenPom, Hield earned an offensive efficiency rating of 110.2 last season. Hield is no doubt one of the top players in the nation. His main deficiency is a lower than expected shooting percentage from deep. If Hield can improve that, he will be unstoppable.
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Another player who gets plenty of recognition, but is still slightly overshadowed by a teammate, is North Carolina’s Kennedy Meeks. As a top player on the top ranked team in the country, Meeks lives in the shadow of scoring point guard Marcus Paige. However, he is the consistent force in the middle, and the Tar Heels were not the same team last season in March when Meeks went down.
Meeks is over 50 pounds lighter (260) than he was when he started with the Tar Heels. Better fitness naturally led to an increase in production. He went from 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game to 11.4 points and 7.3 boards per game last season. His shooting percentage improved to 56.2 percent last season.
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Taurean Prince, with Baylor, fills a role which is similar to Meeks at North Carolina. All he does is fill the stat sheet and give the Bears an athletic shot eraser in the middle. Playing limited minutes last season, Prince still managed to lead the Bears in scoring. A new season will certainly bring more opportunities for Prince, who played just 63.5 percent of Baylor’s available minutes coming off the bench.
The main question for Prince is whether he can shoot a high enough percentage. He was just under 40 percent on twos and far worse on threes last season. Prince makes up for this with his ability to get to the rim and then rebound if he doesn’t finish.
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The final big man on the list is Utah’s Jakob Poeltl, who was very strong in his first season with the Utes. While the stat sheet does not tell the entire truth, Poeltl is one of the better pure centers in the college game, and he has age on his side as well.
Poeltl averaged just 9.1 points per game last season, despite possessing all the offensive tools necessary to succeed. Much of this was due to a lack of opportunities, as he attempted only 188 shots in 792 minutes on the floor, while shooting over 68 percent. The main question is whether Poeltl can improve on his 6.8 rebounds-per-game average with his seven-foot frame. That will be a key to Utah’s success.
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While Georges Niang gets most of the attention and accolades for Iowa State, Monte Morris is the player who runs the show and gets everything going. With Steve Prohm replacing Fred Hoiberg, Morris remains an ideal fit in the offense — he won’t be out of place, because Prohm’s style gives Iowa State a great deal of offensive continuity. Morris is fast and efficient, averaging an astounding 4.63 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. Some in the Cyclone fan base would like to see Morris score more, but he was still averaging a strong 11.9 points per game last season. He nailed the shot that beat Texas at the buzzer in the Big 12 tournament last season.
