College Hoops Barometer: Here's To You, Mr. Robinson

College Hoops Barometer: Here's To You, Mr. Robinson

This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.

How about a shakeup in the polls? The top three teams in the country last week lost. Villanova succumbed to Shamorie Ponds and the suddenly surging Johnnies, Purdue was toppled at the buzzer by Miles Bridges and Michigan State, and Virginia fell in overtime to in-state rival Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Kentucky is out of the top 25, and despite the presence of arguably the best player in the country in the form of Trae Young for Oklahoma, the Sooners have dropped three games in a row. And to think, it's not even March yet.

What more does this topsy-turvy season have in store? Let's take a look at some other movers and shakers in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Shakur Juiston (F)
Juiston was named the Player of the Week in the Mountain West after two monstrous double-doubles which resulted in impressive victories for the Rebels. He notched 19 points and 12 rebounds in a road win at ranked Nevada last Wednesday. The Wolf Pack had been 9-1 in conference play prior to that game, and had been pummeling most of their opponents. Juiston backed up that effort with 22 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 15-point win over a tough Wyoming squad. Juiston now has 11 double-doubles on the year. Freshman big man Brandon McCoy gets the pub at 7-foot-1, and rightly so, but with Juiston at his side, the duo makes for a formidable combination down low for UNLV.

Gabe DeVoe (G)

How about a shakeup in the polls? The top three teams in the country last week lost. Villanova succumbed to Shamorie Ponds and the suddenly surging Johnnies, Purdue was toppled at the buzzer by Miles Bridges and Michigan State, and Virginia fell in overtime to in-state rival Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Kentucky is out of the top 25, and despite the presence of arguably the best player in the country in the form of Trae Young for Oklahoma, the Sooners have dropped three games in a row. And to think, it's not even March yet.

What more does this topsy-turvy season have in store? Let's take a look at some other movers and shakers in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Shakur Juiston (F)
Juiston was named the Player of the Week in the Mountain West after two monstrous double-doubles which resulted in impressive victories for the Rebels. He notched 19 points and 12 rebounds in a road win at ranked Nevada last Wednesday. The Wolf Pack had been 9-1 in conference play prior to that game, and had been pummeling most of their opponents. Juiston backed up that effort with 22 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 15-point win over a tough Wyoming squad. Juiston now has 11 double-doubles on the year. Freshman big man Brandon McCoy gets the pub at 7-foot-1, and rightly so, but with Juiston at his side, the duo makes for a formidable combination down low for UNLV.

Gabe DeVoe (G)
DeVoe has been on fire from downtown of late. The upperclassman has hit an absurd 64.7 percent of his treys over the last four games. DeVoe is averaging 22.8 points per contest over that span, and he's hit at least five three-pointers in every one of those games. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Tigers have won all four of those tilts. The season-ending injury to Donte Grantham has opened up some increased opportunities for DeVoe, who appears to be taking advantage for the startlingly successful 20-4 Tigers.

Jerome Robinson (G)
Robinson could always score, but he's really ratcheted up his game recently. The second-leading scorer in the ACC is averaging an insane 30.6 points over his last five contests. He poured in a career-high 46 points in a loss at Notre Dame last week, then followed up that performance with 29 points in a win over then-ranked Miami. Robinson is shooting an impressive 60.2 percent from the floor over the last five outings, including 46.9 percent from long range. The Eagles may be just 6-7 in conference play, but they've already beaten Duke this season and took No. 1 UVA down to the wire. With Robinson's ability to fill it up, the Eagles can still be a dangerous foe.

Tra Holder (G)
The Sun Devils raced out to a 12-0 start this season, but have struggled since Pac-12 conference play began. ASU is just 7-6 since that hot start, though a return to prominence could in the cards. The Sun Devils have reeled off three-straight conference wins, including the last two against high-caliber opponents in UCLA and USC. Holder is the leading scorer for Arizona State has is averaging 21.3 points during the current winning streak. He's no one-trick pony, though, as he is also fourth in rebounding and second in assists on the squad. As Holder goes, so do the Sun Devils. Arizona State is hoping the senior can continue to spark the late-season surge.

CHECK STATUS

T.J. Starks (G)
The SEC Freshman of the Week averaged 20 points and three assists for the Aggies during their last two wins. The 23 points scored in a rousing win over Kentucky set a career high. The loss of Duane Wilson to a season-ending knee injury will only further necessitate improved play from Starks. Starks just crossed the 30-minute mark for the first time this season in the win over Kentucky. As a result, it remains to be seen if Starks will be able to shoulder the additional minutes and embrace his newly expanded role over a longer period of time. Certainly the Aggies have to be thrilled with the response from the freshman so far, though.

Cameron Johnson (F)
The transfer from Pittsburgh missed the first 11 games of the season due to a torn meniscus. Thereafter, it took him some time not only to return to full health and get in game shape, but also get acclimated with his new school and teammates. After some ups and downs, Johnson has turned into a consistent contributor for the Tar Heels over the last five games. He is averaging 32. 5 minutes per game, parlaying extended court time into 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per tilt. Johnson punctuated his fine play of late by pouring in 32 points in a loss at Clemson at the end of January. By contrast, Johnson managed just 10.8 points over his first 10 games played following his return from injury. Johnson's stock appears to be on the upswing, though he may not always contribute much in categories other than scoring.

Daejon Davis (G)
The freshman guard contributes in a bevy of categories for the Cardinal. Davis leads the team in assists and steals, is fourth on the squad in rebounding despite standing at 6-foot-3, and is third on the team in scoring. Davis had a double-double with rebounds on Jan. 13 at Washington, then tallied a double-double with assists on Jan. 27 at UCLA. Unfortunately, Stanford is struggling this season, and Davis has still endured growing pains. For example, he leads the Pac-12 in turnovers with 4.1 per tilt. The future is bright for Davis, but he will need to develop some more consistency as he matures and figure out how to take care of the basketball a bit more.

Justin Robinson (G)
Robinson led the charge in the above-referenced upset of Virginia. He paced the Hokies with 20 points and seven assists in the gutsy 61-60 win on the road in overtime against the Cavaliers. Robinson has elevated his play as a whole recently, averaging 24.7 points over the last three games. That includes a career-best 32 points against NC State last week. Robinson has elevated his game to new heights of late, and the Hokies have responded by winning five of the last six games, boosting them in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth in the process. It remains to be seen if the recent scoring binge can last for Robinson, though; the junior is still averaging just 13.8 points per game on the year.

DOWNGRADE

Jordan Goodwin (G)
Goodwin will not play for the Billikens for the rest of the year after violating policy relative to a Title IX investigation. Goodwin's production on the court will be extremely difficult to replace, as he led the team in several categories, including rebounds, assists and steals. The freshman was also second on the team in scoring, managing 11.5 points per outing. He had four double-doubles as a freshman and just posted a career-best 28 points in a win over La Salle. Senior Aaron Hines looks to be the most direct beneficiary in Goodwin's absence, though leading scorer Javon Bess should also swallow up some additional shots as well.

Martez Walker (G)
Walker's senior season, and as a result his collegiate career, will end prematurely after he broke his foot Saturday against Detroit. Walker is third in scoring for the Grizzlies, though had been averaging a standout 17.6 points per contest. Three-point bomber Kendrick Nunn could actually see even more shots with Walker finished for the season; Nunn already shoots 20 times per tilt, including over 11 treys per contest. Senior Nick Daniels should also see a bump in minutes for the remainder of the season due to Walker's absence.

Jose Alvarado (G)
Alvarado will miss the remainder of the season due to a broken elbow. Alvarado suffered the injury in Sunday's loss to Duke and was initially diagnosed with a dislocation. However, tests later confirmed the break, and he will be shut down for the rest of what had been a promising freshman campaign. Alvarado was averaging 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per tilt for the Ramblin' Wreck. The Brooklyn native led the team in dishing, and was second in scoring. He was fourth in the ACC in thefts. The Yellow Jackets have already lost seven of their last eight contests. Sophomore Josh Okogie is likely to post even more monstrous outputs with Alvarado on the shelf.

E.C. Matthews (G)
Keep an eye on Matthews, who left Tuesday's win over Richmond with a knee injury. Though reportedly he did not suffer a torn ACL, Matthews has a checkered injury past, including actually suffering a torn ACL in his right knee during the 2015-2016 campaign. He also missed six weeks earlier this season due to a broken wrist. Matthews is the second-leading scorer for a Rhode Island squad that has reeled off 16-straight wins, which is tied with Cincinnati for the longest inning streak in the country. Matthews is also tied for third in rebounding with 3.9 boards per tilt for the ranked Rams.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jesse Siegel
Siegel covers college football, college basketball and minor league baseball for RotoWire. He was named College Sports Writer of the Year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.
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