College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

I hereby reserve this first paragraph of the weekly college hoops waiver wire to write about Zion Williamson. He is fun to watch and does things each week that do not seem possible. It is clear that he is worth the ridiculous hype that follows him from game to game. Many college basketball seasons are defined by one player: there was the Kevin Durant season, the Michael Beasley season and the Jimmer Fredette season. This season is the Zion season. He is likely leading many fantasy teams to championships as well.

Let's take a look at who might help you in the final weeks of the season.

ACC

Torrin Dorn, guard, North Carolina State Wolfpack

Let's ignore the fact that the Wolfpack scored 24 points on Saturday in the loss to Virginia Tech. That was an aberration and the first time the team had been held below 65 points. The 6-5 Dorn scored 21 percent of his team's points with a total of five. He also had 13 points in the overtime loss to Virginia, so he has seen the best defenses that the ACC has to offer. Things will get easier and he will be certainly better his averages of 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in games against North Carolina and Pittsburgh

Trent Forrest, guard, Florida State Seminoles

The Seminoles have been streaky this season. In the non-conference slate, they had winning streaks of five and seven games. They lost three straight games in conference play, followed by their current three-game winning streak. Forrest has been leading the offense and has provided 6.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the last three games. The 6-foot-3 guard is not a volume shooter and is converting just 17.4 percent of his 3-pointers (4-of-17). He can help in rebounds and assists. Florida State plays Syracuse and Louisville.

Big 10

Trevion Williams, center, Purdue Boilermakers

After losing five games in non-conference play, the Boilermakers have found their way against Big 10 competition and have won seven straight games. Some of the credit has been given to the 6-9 Williams. The freshman big man has given Purdue a strong center platoon with 7-3 Matt Haarms. Williams barely played prior to conference play, but has scored in double digits in five of his last eight games with a pair of double-doubles. His season averages are underwhelming, but he has provided 13.0 points on 76.5 percent from the field in his last two games. Purdue will look to extend its streak against Nebraska and Maryland.

Andres Feliz, guard, Illinois Fighting Illini

Coach Brad Underwood loves guards. He has a quality starting duo in Trent Frazier and freshman Ayo Dosunmu, but Feliz has provided a sweet lift off the bench. The 6-2 junior has helped the Illini win two of their last three games by averaging 11.3 points on 61.1 percent from the field. He does not take many shots from the perimeter and has converted just 26.9 percent of his 3-pointers. Feliz should move into Frazier's role next season, so there's even greater appeal in dynasty formats. Illinois hosts Michigan State and Rutgers.

Big 12

Rashard Odomes, guard, Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma has been decent at home and pretty lousy on the road. Odomes was held to five points in the road loss at West Virginia on Saturday, but has better at home. Odomes had a season-high 17 points in the Jan. 16 loss at home to Kansas State and 14 in the win over Vanderbilt on Jan 26. He had a run of four straight double-digit scoring games, which was snapped in the 30-point loss to Baylor. If the Sooners are going to jump up the Big 12 standings, they had better do so soon. Home games against Iowa State and Texas Tech will be a good place to start.

Nick Weiler-Babb, guard, Iowa State Cyclones

Compared to last season, Weiler-Babb has been a disappointment. He was the de facto point guard for the run-and-gun Cyclones as a junior and averaged 6.8 assists to go with 7.0 rebounds and 11.3 points. The 6-5 guard struggled in December, but has been better over the last two weeks. In his last five games, the senior has averaged 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He may be sitting on the waiver wire and should be picked up for some boards and dimes. The Cyclones take on the Sooners before returning home to play TCU.

Big East

Nate Fowler, forward, Butler Bulldogs

Coach LaVall Jordan has used Fowler and sophomore Joey Brunk in a center platoon. They negate each other's fantasy value to a large extent and it doesn't really matter who starts. Fowler has the advantage of being able to knock down 3-pointers and is coming off a season-high 15 points in the win over Seton Hall on Saturday. That may mean that Fowler moves back into the starting lineup and gets a bump in minutes. With 10 losses already, the Bulldogs are on the outside of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but wins at Georgetown and St. John's could help.

Mac McClung, guard, Georgetown Hoyas

There are times that McClung looks like a poised veteran. Then, there are games like Sunday's loss to Villanova in which the 6-2 guard looks very much like a freshman. He was held to four points on 2-of-11 from the field and missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Before injuring his ankle in late-December, McClung had six straight double-digit scoring games capped with 38 points in the overtime win against Arkansas-Little Rock. He has contests against Providence and Butler to get himself straight.

Pac-12

Sam Timmins, forward, Washington Huskies

Noah Dickerson sprained his ankle on Saturday in the win over UCLA and it was Timmins who stepped in and had nine points and six rebounds (earning ebullient praise from Bill Walton). The 6-11 native of New Zealand had been on the periphery of the Husky rotation for most of the season, but he could move into the starting lineup if Dickerson needs a game or two off. Despite playing just 11.4 minutes, Timmins blocks 1.0 shots per game. Washington could almost salt away the Pac-12 regular season championship with wins at Arizona and Arizona State.

Jayce Johnson, center, Utah Utes

At the beginning of the season, Johnson had to share center minutes with Idaho State transfer Novak Topalovic. Of late, Topalovic barely gets off the bench and Johnson has been cleaning the glass regularly. In his last five games, the 7-0 junior has averaged 10.0 rebounds to go along with 8.2 points. He helped the Utes win three straight before they crashed down to earth when hosting the Oregon teams. If the Utes get a lead, opponents can try Hack-a-Jayce since he is only converting 43.3 percent of his free throws. That limits his playing time. Utah heads to southern California to play USC and UCLA.

SEC

Chuma Okeke, forward, Auburn Tigers

In the first weeks of the season, the 6-8 Okeke was a popular pickup. He provided 19.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in his first two games. Auburn looked like one of the top teams in the country in the first month and even gave Duke a tussle. SEC play has not been kind to the Tigers, but Okeke seems to be on the upswing after the injury to Austin Wiley (lower leg). In his last five games, Okeke has averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 3-pointers. Auburn has won its last two games and will look to keep the good times rolling against Florida and LSU.

Keyontae Johnson, forward, Florida Gators

Johnson is a 6-5 high flyer who Blue Ribbon compared to Corey Brewer. The undersized forward has helped the Gators on the boards and brought down 8.0 rebounds over his last five games. He is hitting 38.5 percent of his 3-pointers and had 15 points before fouling out of the overtime win against Ole Miss on Jan. 30. Fouls have been an issue for Johnson since coach Mike White has given him a larger role. He has accrued at least three fouls in his last three games. Florida faces a critical road trip to Auburn and Tennessee.

Smaller Conferences

Antwon Portley, guard, Fordham Rams

While team success has once again eluded the Rams, the team has seen some players have fine seasons. Freshman Nick Honor leads the team in scoring and gives hope for the future. Portley is a 6-4 transfer from St. Peter's who has knocked down 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers. The senior is averaging 12.1 points and has scored in double digits in five straight games. On Wednesday in the loss to George Washington, Portley had his best all-around game with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The Rams head to Massachusetts before hosting Duquesne next Saturday.

Shaq Buchanan, guard, Murray State Racers

Ja Morant justifiably sucks up most of the hype for the Racers, but Murray State is not a one-man team. Buchanan has quietly had a consistent season. The 6-3 senior has scored in double digits in 10 straight games and equaled his season high of 21 points in the win over UT-Martin on Jan. 10. The Racers have lost the two games in which Buchanan scored 11 points or fewer in OVC play. Buchanan is averaging 13.6 points and is hitting 48.5 percent of his field goals. The Racers have a pair of winnable games against Eastern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville.

Eli Pemberton, forward, Hofstra Pride

Before losing at Northeastern on Saturday, the Pride were riding a 16-game winning streak. Justin Foreman-Wright is the team's big time scorer, but Pemberton has been an excellent wing man. Prior to the loss to the Huskies, the 6-7 junior had authored four straight 20-point games. He is averaging 15.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. The third-year starter is also hitting 36.7 percent of his 3-pointers. Hofstra will look to start a new winning streak against Elon and William & Mary.

De'Riante Jenkins, guard, VCU Rams

Jenkins has not built on his sophomore season and has struggled throughout the year from long range. After hitting 41.8 percent of his 3-pointers in 2017-18, he has hit just 33.1 percent from the perimeter this season. He had a brief flurry of made shots against Massachusetts and Dayton in which he went 7-of-8 on 3-pointers. Jenkins has since cooled off and is just 3-of-15 (20.0 percent) in his last three games. Jenkins remains dangerous and scored a season-high 23 points in the Dec. 15 loss to Charleston. He could start knocking down shots against George Washington and St. Bonaventure.

Adam Flagler, guard, Presbyterian Blue Hose

The Blue Hose have been a team of runs. They had a period in the Big South in which they won six of eight games, but they have lost two of their last three. Flagler is the team's leading scorer and the 6-3 freshman is providing 15.8 points. On Jan. 26, he led Presbyterian to a win over Winthrop with 28 points, including six 3-pointers. He is hitting a pristine 40.5 percent of his 3-pointers and has improved that rate to 50.0 percent over his last four games. The Blue Hose play UNC-Asheville and Gardner Webb at home.