In the Shadows

Quick, which two freshmen have the highest offensive efficiency rating in college basketball? If you guessed Ben McLemore of Kansas and Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State you would only be half right. If you said McLemore and Georges Niang of Iowa State, well, ding ding ding. These two freshmen efficiency leaders face off tonight in Ames, Iowa in a game that will help decide the Big 12 regular season race.  McLemore is currently sporting an offensive rating of 120.0 compared to Niang’s 119.9 (Note: Niang led all freshmen until Kansas and McLemore beat up on an over-matched TCU team this past Saturday). While McLemore has received all the media hype throughout the year, it is Niang who has quietly put together an under the radar freshman campaign.

In conference play, Niang is over-shadowed by star freshmen such as McLemore, Smart, and Isaiah Austin of Baylor. Being over-looked is nothing new for Niang as this was commonplace during his high school career despite being a top 100 recruit and scoring a school record 2,372 points during his tenure. Niang played for The Tilton School, a New Hampshire prep school which also happened to be the home of the nation’s number 1 prospect in Nerlens Noel and class of 2013 five-star Wayne Selden. While fans were busy watching the shot blocking prowess of Noel and the powerful Seldon, it was Niang who averaged 25.1 points per game as a senior.

Draft Express currently has Niang ranked #42 amongst freshmen and had the following to stay in their scouting report:

“On the offensive end, Niang doesn't have a very pretty game from a stylistic standpoint, but he is extremely fundamentally sound and even more advanced with his awareness and polish, constantly finding ways to make positive contributions with the ball. Looking forward, Niang is the type of player every college coach loves to have and will likely find ways to consistently contribute on the offensive end in a variety of areas.”

 Iowa State lost three starters including do everything forward Royce White from its 2012 team and Fred Hoiberg knew that his transfers and freshmen would need to step up in order to have another successful season. Before the season opener, Hoiberg noted “Georges is ready. He has a tremendous basketball IQ and can score from all over the floor.” Niang came off the bench in the first game of the season and produced 15 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes. Strong early season performances earned Niang earned a starting spot before Iowa State’s Big 12 opener against Kansas. He has continued his strong play throughout conference play scoring in double figures eight out of 14 times and is currently averaging 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23.6 minutes.

Last week the country watched McLemore and Smart face off in a double overtime slugfest while Niang was quietly having one of his best games while helping the Cyclones pull a road upset against Baylor. Tonight, Niang and the Cyclones host McLemore and Kansas in ESPN’s game of the night. Despite a terrific senior season in New England and a 119.9 offensive rating, Niang has not received the spotlight like so many of his talented counterparts. Tonight, Niang has a chance to step into the national radar and out of the shadows.  

Top 5 Freshmen (OER)
#	Name	School	Rating
1	Ben McLemore	Kansas	120.0 (22.7)
2	Georges Niang	Iowa St.	119.9 (21.3)
3	Jameel Warney	Stony Brook	119.4 (21.5)
4	Gary Harris	Michigan St.	119.3 (20.1)
5	Jalan West	Northwestern St.	119.0 (20.8)
Note: Minimum 20% possessions used