This article is part of our College Basketball Waiver Wire series.
With only a few more weeks left to make some key pickups, this is a great time to jump on some players who have emerged for their teams of late. Injuries are always something to keep an eye on, and a number of the teams below have lost some important players, giving opportunities for others to step up. And step up they have...
Guards
Shahada Wells (TCU):
Wells is going to get his time to cook with Mike Miles out with a knee injury. Over the last five games, the junior is averaging 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers per contest. Wells is also shooting 55.6 percent from the field over that span. He is now the clear starter in the Horned Frogs backcourt alongside Damion Baugh.
Hunter Cattoor (Virginia Tech):
Cattoor has been excellent since returning from a forearm injury. In the last six games, he is putting up 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest. Those are all nice numbers, but it's really been his deep threat ability that has been the difference for the Hokies of late. During that stretch he is hitting 3.7 three-pointers per game on a sizzling 47.8 percent shooting. It's a great time to hop on board with Boston College, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech up next.
Tristen Newton (Connecticut):
Newton has been an inconsistent scoring option throughout much of the season, but he has now eclipsed double figures in his last five games. Over
With only a few more weeks left to make some key pickups, this is a great time to jump on some players who have emerged for their teams of late. Injuries are always something to keep an eye on, and a number of the teams below have lost some important players, giving opportunities for others to step up. And step up they have...
Guards
Shahada Wells (TCU):
Wells is going to get his time to cook with Mike Miles out with a knee injury. Over the last five games, the junior is averaging 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers per contest. Wells is also shooting 55.6 percent from the field over that span. He is now the clear starter in the Horned Frogs backcourt alongside Damion Baugh.
Hunter Cattoor (Virginia Tech):
Cattoor has been excellent since returning from a forearm injury. In the last six games, he is putting up 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest. Those are all nice numbers, but it's really been his deep threat ability that has been the difference for the Hokies of late. During that stretch he is hitting 3.7 three-pointers per game on a sizzling 47.8 percent shooting. It's a great time to hop on board with Boston College, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech up next.
Tristen Newton (Connecticut):
Newton has been an inconsistent scoring option throughout much of the season, but he has now eclipsed double figures in his last five games. Over that stretch, the ECU transfer is putting up 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers per contest. Connecticut has fallen off a bit in conference play, but Newton's recent emergence could really help the Huskies down the stretch.
Russell Felton (East Carolina):
From one former ECU player to a current one, Felton has taken over for Javon Small (15.8 PPG), who will miss at least the next few weeks with a knee injury. In the six games that Small has missed thus far, Felton is putting up 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 three-pointers, and 1.2 steals per contest. The sophomore will continue to see the offense run through him until Small is able to return to the court.
AJ Storr (St. John's):
This incoming freshman is someone the coaches really were excited about coming into the season. It took him a little bit to find his footing, but Storr has arrived. Over the last four games, he is averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers, and 1.0 steals per contest. Posh Alexander has had a really rough season, but thankfully Storr has been able to step up his game and give coach Mike Anderson a legitimate weapon the wing. St. John's plays at one of the fastest tempos in the country, which is ideal for Storr's longterm upside.
Forwards
Matthew Mayer (Illinois):
It took the fifth-year senior a while to adjust to coach Brad Underwood's system, but the Texas native is now thriving. Over the 10 games for the Illini in 2023, Mayer is putting up 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers, and 2.0 blocks per contest. He is also hitting on 40.6 percent of his shot attempts from behind the arc. Illinois gets Minnesota on Tuesday -- a team Mayer burned for his only career double-double back on Jan. 16.
Jaylon Tyson (Texas Tech):
It's been a struggle this season for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders still have just one win in conference play, and that was an amazing comeback last week against Iowa State. They are dealing with a number of injuries, but Tyson has really stepped up for coach Mark Adams. The Texas transfer has three double-doubles over his last seven games, a stretch in which he is putting up 11.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers per contest. Tyson is a player with a ton of talent, and he will get a chance to show that down the stretch this season.
Lars Stefanovic (Utah):
Stefanovic has been a solid contributor off the bench all season for the Utes, but with Gabe Madsen (11.7 PPG) set to potentially miss the rest of the regular season with a leg injury, the door is wide ope for Stefanovic to start putting up some big lines. Since stepping into a lead role for Utah, Stefanovic is putting up 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 4.3 three-pointers, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals over the last three games. The Utes still have hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, and Stefanovic's play will go a long way in determining that.
Jae'Lyn Withers (Louisville):
It's been El Ellis and everybody else for Louisville all season. This team has just three wins on the season, but Withers has put up some really nice lines of late. The senior is averaging 14.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.0 three-pointers over the last four games. Withers is also hitting from deep at an eye-popping 57-percent clip. He's going to continue to get the green light going forward because there really is nothing to lose for the Cardinals at this point.
Centers
Josh Gray (South Carolina):
The Gamecocks started the season with Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk as their five man, but Gray is the guy who has taken that position and ran with it. The 7-footer is in the mix of a four-game stretch in which he is putting up 10.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest. South Carolina has a tasty upcoming stretch of poor defenses including Missouri, Vanderbilt, and LSU. Jump on Gray now.
Will Baker (Nevada):
Nevada is squarely on the bubble and it has been the play of Baker recently that has taken them there. He is averaging 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. This 7-footer has the ability to knock down shots from the perimeter and he is also shooting a career-high 56 percent from the field. Baker and the Wolf Pack have a stretch upcoming against some of the weaker defensive teams in the Mountain West including Fresno State, Utah State, and San Jose State.
Vince Iwuchukwu (USC):
With center Joshua Morgan sidelined indefinitely with an ankle injury, the four-star freshman has an immediate opportunity on a USC team without much depth at the five. Iwuchukwu is quite the comeback story. He suffered cardiac arrest during a team workout over the summer that required hospitalization and ultimately missed the first 16 games of the season while recovering. He made his debut Jan. 12 and has been used relatively-sparingly since, but he did draw his first start Saturday against Washington. Foul trouble limited his production, but the ceiling remains there for any managers looking to add high-upside center depth during the season's final weeks.
