POSTERIZED: Terrence Jones is a beast

Coming into the season, Harrison Barnes was far and away the most hyped freshman in the country. He was the first freshman to be named a preseason AP all-american. He was named CBSSports.com preseason player of the year. Draft Express had him slotted as the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Fast forward to the first week of December, and Kyrie Irving of Duke was the guy getting all the hype. It was understandable. He dominated Michigan State to the tune of 31 points. He scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, including two huge, game-changing threes on back-to-back possessions, in a win over Butler. He was averaging 17.1 ppg and 5.4 apg before he was injured. Combine that with Barnes' struggles, and it was no wonder that he was starting to get a lot of attention.

Well, what about Terrence Jones?

When will his name start to get thrown into the conversation of the best freshman -- and possibly the best player -- in the country?

Coming into Wednesday's tilt with Notre Dame, Jones was averaging a cool 19.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, and 2.3 bpg while already notching four double-doubles. And his performance against the Irish was hands down his best game to date.

Jones finished with 27 points, 17 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. He dominated the Irish, scoring with his back to the basket, driving to the rim, and spotting up for threes. It was this dunk, however, that really sparked the 'Cats. At the time, Kentucky was down 38-27, Ben Hansbrough of Notre Dame was going off, and the Wildcats looked from. After this dunk, UK went on a 22-2 run that spanned the two halves, giving Kentucky firm control of the game:



The more I watch Jones play, the more I believe he is going to be a great player in the NBA. He's a 6'9" combo forward with the strength and athleticism to spend time at both positions. He can score with his back to the basket, but he has the handle and the jumper to play on the perimeter. He can pass the ball and he can lead the break. Perhaps more importantly, he's aggressive. He seems to have a bit of a mean streak in him.

Comparisons for Jones are all over the place. I've see Lamar Odom and Chris Bosh and Marvin Williams. Personally, I think the best comparison is probably Carmelo Anthony, although I'm not sure he has the same ceiling as Anthony. Maybe somewhere between a Michael Beasley and a Danny Granger.

Regardless of how you think of Jones as a potential pro, the bottom line is that he's been as productive as any freshman in the country. He should be recognized as such.

Was this as good as the rest of the dunks for 2010-2011?

POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas