This article is part of our College Basketball Waiver Wire series.
The final plays of a game are always magnified. Baskets in the short strokes are clutch and mistakes are game-changing. There is still time in the season that your waiver-wire decisions can still make a big difference. In other words, there is still time!
As we do each week, we'll look at each conference and see if we can't point to a player (or two) who can give your team an extra point (or rebound or assist). Good luck.
ACC
Shelton Mitchell, guard, Clemson Tigers
The duo of Marcquise Reed and Elijah Thomas get most of the renown when it comes to the Tigers. Mitchell is in his third year with the team after transferring from Vanderbilt and he has scored in double digits in all three seasons. As a senior, he is providing 11.9 points and 3.0 assists. The 6-foot-4 guard had a down period in scoring over the first five weeks of ACC play, but he has bounced back lately. In his last five games, he has scored at least 12 points and averaged 14.8 points. Clemson heads to Pittsburgh then hosts North Carolina.
Jarius Hamilton, forward, Boston College Eagles
The Eagles have been dealing with injuries to players such as Nik Popovic, who has returned, and Wynston Tabbs, who has not. They have had to rely on some young players, such as the 6-8 Hamilton. The freshman has come through with 28 points in his last two games and played at least 34 minutes in each game.
The final plays of a game are always magnified. Baskets in the short strokes are clutch and mistakes are game-changing. There is still time in the season that your waiver-wire decisions can still make a big difference. In other words, there is still time!
As we do each week, we'll look at each conference and see if we can't point to a player (or two) who can give your team an extra point (or rebound or assist). Good luck.
ACC
Shelton Mitchell, guard, Clemson Tigers
The duo of Marcquise Reed and Elijah Thomas get most of the renown when it comes to the Tigers. Mitchell is in his third year with the team after transferring from Vanderbilt and he has scored in double digits in all three seasons. As a senior, he is providing 11.9 points and 3.0 assists. The 6-foot-4 guard had a down period in scoring over the first five weeks of ACC play, but he has bounced back lately. In his last five games, he has scored at least 12 points and averaged 14.8 points. Clemson heads to Pittsburgh then hosts North Carolina.
Jarius Hamilton, forward, Boston College Eagles
The Eagles have been dealing with injuries to players such as Nik Popovic, who has returned, and Wynston Tabbs, who has not. They have had to rely on some young players, such as the 6-8 Hamilton. The freshman has come through with 28 points in his last two games and played at least 34 minutes in each game. The 3-point shot is not quite part of his arsenal and he has only hit 31.6 percent of his long-range shots, but he could be a rebounder to watch with 4.2 rebounds in 21.3 minutes. Boston College hosts Louisville before going to Georgia Tech.
BIG TEN
Xavier Tillman, forward, Michigan State Spartans
Nick Ward does not look like he will be back any time soon with a fracture hand, so the young Spartan forwards are being thrown plenty of minutes. In the last two games, the 6-8 Tillman has come through. The sophomore forward has put up 33 points and 15 points in wins against Rutgers and Michigan. He has been a presence on the boards all season long and has five double-digit rebounding games, including the double-double against the Scarlet Knights. After defeating the Wolverines on Sunday, the Spartans head to Indiana next Saturday.
Ron Harper Jr., guard, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Harper has a good basketball pedigree. Pops was a five-time NBA champion with the Bulls and Lakers. The son has had a decent season with the Scarlet Knights as a freshman. He has struggled from long range and converted just 26.4 percent of his 3-pointers, but is able to slash to the basket from time to time like his old man. Harper had back-to-back double-digit scoring games in losses to Iowa and Michigan State last week, but was held to three points in the win over Minnesota on Sunday. Rutgers is off until next Sunday when they play at Iowa.
BIG 12
Kendric Davis, guard, TCU Horned Frogs
When Jaylen Fisher got hurt and late left the program, the Horned Frogs needed a lift. They have received one from the 5-11 Davis. He scored 10 points or more in four of six games, including 22 points in the Feb. 9 win over Iowa State. Davis has cooled off for just eight points on 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from the field in his last two games. Freshmen are mercurial. Davis is hitting just 30.6 percent of his 3-pointers and his averages of 6.6 points and 2.0 assists in 16.7 minutes, but he can bump for much more. TCU plays West Virginia and Texas Tech.
Matt Coleman, guard, Texas Longhorns
Coleman has improved just enough with his shooting that he is a threat for the Longhorns. Last season, he averaged 10.2 points, but hit just 28.6 percent of his 3-pointers. His scoring has fallen to 10.1 points, but he is converting 32.0 percent of his long-range shots despite a recent slump. As an upperclassman, Coleman will certainly be experienced after playing at least 31.6 minutes per game over his first two seasons. He also leads the Longhorns with 3.6 assists. Texas starts the week against Baylor, against whom Coleman had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, and finishes with Texas Tech.
BIG EAST
Marcellus Earlington, forward, St. John's Red Storm
Coach Chris Mullin does not like to use his bench. It took Marvin Clark fouling out in just eight minutes for Mullin to give Earlington an extended look. He played a season-high 11 minutes in the loss to Providence, but he provided 10 points and five rebounds in the loss. The 6-6 freshman was able to play 11 minutes again in the win over Seton Hall on Saturday and provided three rebounds and three blocks. Develop the bench, coach Mullin! The Red Storm play Xavier and DePaul
Eli Cain, guard, DePaul Blue Demons
Speaking of the Blue Demons, Cain has bumped up his production in the late going. He has scored at least 13 points in three of his last four games. He may never be the scorer he was in the first half of his sophomore season, but he is able to score when called upon. Cain is hitting 36.2 percent of his 3-pointers, which is his best mark since his freshman season. The 6-6 senior continues to play excellent perimeter defense and provides 12.6 points, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals. The Blue Demons will try to snap a three-game losing streak against Georgetown and the Red Storm.
PAC-12
Rob Edwards, guard, Arizona State Sun Devils
It is not too late for the Sun Devils to go on a run and make some noise in March. The team has won three straight games and Edwards has had a starring role. The Cleveland State transfer has scored 60 points in the wins over Utah, Stanford and California. Perhaps that isn't the best trio of teams that the Pac-12 has to offer, but it is just the second time in conference that Arizona State has won three games in a row. Edwards is averaging 11.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Coach Bobby Hurley and his charges head to Oregon for a pair of difficult games against the Ducks and Beavers
Connor Vanover, center, California Golden Bears
It nearly goes without saying that being the worst team in the worst conference in Tier 1 may just be better left alone. Nearly. The Golden Bears continue to play games and continue to lose. They did receive some inspired play from the 7-3 Vanover. He had a run of four games in which he scored at least 12 points. The freshman is still getting minutes, but has provided just 6.0 points over his last three games. Coach Wyking Jones may as well give him as many minutes as he can handle. Cal plays its last two home games of the season against Washington and Washington State.
SEC
E.J. Montgomery, forward, Kentucky Wildcats
Reid Travis is out for the next couple of weeks with a knee strain, so there are minutes to be had in the Wildcat frontcourt. In brief spurts, Montgomery has looked good in his freshman season. He is just another uber athletic big man for coach John Calipari. He started for Travis on Saturday in the blowout win over Auburn and provided six points, seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks. His bump in minutes could result in a host of defensive stats, but he also has a soft scoring touch. Kentucky hosts Arkansas before heading to Tennessee for a big game on Saturday.
Jordan Harris, guard, Georgia Bulldogs
It may take coach Tom Crean some time to build a winning program in Georgia. The Bulldogs have lost eight straight games to sink into the basement of the SEC. As Crean looks for answers, he may have found something in Harris who has scored in double digits in his last five games. The 6-4 junior has not commanded many shots despite his uptick in scoring. He has only taken more than seven shots twice. In those five games, Harris has averaged 12.0 points and 5.8 rebounds. Georgia faces two more tough opponents with Auburn and Florida on the slate.
MID-MAJORS
Jacquil Taylor, forward, Hofstra Pride
Prior to the season, some people thought Taylor would slide into Rokys Gustas' role and dominate the glass for the Pride. It took the 6-10 Purdue transfer some time, but he seems to have figured things out in the last couple of weeks. Taylor has snagged at least 11 boards four times in his last seven games. He had 14 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks in the double-overtime win against Towson on Feb. 21. After winning 16 straight games, Hofstra has lost three of its last seven games. They close the regular season with Drexel and Delaware.
Shawn Roundtree, guard, Central Michigan Chippewas
Before illness slowed Roundtree down against Ball State on Saturday, the 6-0 guard had scored at least 20 points in four straight games. The team was able to win without a healthy Roundtree to extend its winning streak to three games. The Missouri State transfer is at his best when he is attacking the basket. He is hitting 80.4 percent of his free throw on 6.0 attempts per game. Roundtree is not bad from the perimeter and is hitting 39.3 percent of his 3-pointers. Roundtree and Larry Austin give the Chippewas a tough backcourt duo. CMU plays Eastern Michigan and Toledo.
Tyler Cheese, guard, Akron Zips
Who doesn't love Cheese? Akron's opponents, that's who. The 6-5 junior has bumped up his scoring in the second half of the season and had a season-high 27 points in the win over Miami Ohio on Saturday to help the Zips snap a three-game losing streak. He has scored at least nine points in his last six games and 15 or more four times in that span. Cheese is converting just 24.7 percent of his 3-pointers and does most of his damage in the mid-range. He is averaging 11.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Akron plays Buffalo and Ohio, two teams on either end of the MAC.
Bolden Brace, guard, Northeastern Huskies
Glue guys. They get mentioned a lot by people who talk about winning teams, but they also add a variety of stats. The 6-6 Brace is a player who helps the Huskies win even when the ball isn't coming his way. Northeastern has won seven of its last eight games. Brace has three double-doubles in that stretch. He has only scored eight points in his last two games, but provided seven rebounds and five assists in the win over Towson on Saturday. With Hofstra showing some holes, the Huskies are just one game from the CAA lead. Like the Pride, Brace and his mates end the regular season against Delaware and Drexel.
Dwight Wilson, forward, James Madison Dukes
The Dukes do not figure into the regular season contention for the CAA title this year, but Wilson could lead them to better finishes in future seasons. The 6-7 sophomore has scored at least 14 points in three of his last four games. He had a career game in the Valentine's Day win over Drexel with 20 points and 18 rebounds. On the season, Wilson is tallying 9.5 points and 7.6 rebounds. The forward will have two more regular season opportunities to put up numbers against Elon and the defensive-disinclined William & Mary Tribe.
