College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

The Buffalo Bulls have made a name for themselves on the hardwood the last few seasons. The Bulls have gone to the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons, and the program got its first win in March Madness last season in a stunning blowout of Arizona. Of course, its most recognizable figure was Bobby Hurley, the former Duke star who led the Bulls to their first appearance in 2016. While Hurley has since moved on, coach Nate Oats has the Bulls ranked in the top 15, and they may have just gotten their second signature win of the season.

After shocking West Virginia in OT earlier this season, the Bulls delivered a comeback victory on the road at Syracuse on Tuesday. Buffalo was led by senior C.J. Massinburg, who tallied 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the stunning 71-59 win. The Bulls are physical, deep and experienced; in fact, Buffalo has been so good it might not be able to sneak up so easily on anyone come this March. Buffalo is undefeated at the time of this writing, though with another tough road test at Marquette looming.

Let's look at some other newsworthy ballers in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Max Strus, G, DePaul - Strus almost went pro after last season, but decided to return for his senior campaign with the Blue Demons. He's shown improvement across the board, which is saying something considering he nearly went to the NBA in June. Strus averages 20.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He's shooting better from both three-point land as well as from the floor overall. He had a big outing in his last game, posting career highs of 34 points and 13 rebounds over UIC. Strus canned eight treys in that victory. He's fourth in scoring and second in rebounding in the Big East, putting himself in the way too early conversation for Player of the Year in the conference. Strus has done little to diminish his stock in the early portion of the 2018-2019 campaign.

Makai Mason, G, Baylor - Jeff Van Gundy used to say he was the only player to transfer from Yale due to playing time on the basketball court. Mason doesn't quite have the same story as JVG, but Makai did decide to use his final year of eligibility in the Big 12 instead of the Ivy League. In an intriguing plot twist, Mason led Yale to the first-round upset over Baylor in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Now he is the leading scorer for the Bears, averaging 14.7 points per game. Mason paced the Bears with 22 points in last Saturday's win at Arizona, breaking the Wildcats 52-game non-conference home winning streak. Mason is also second on the squad in assists, while also managing 2.8 rebounds per game. The Bears have their work cut out for them with the likes of Kansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Kansas State and TCU sitting atop the conference, but Mason has certainly proven to be an impact transfer thus far this season.

Chuma Okeke, F, Auburn - Bryce Brown and Jared Harper get the pub for the Tigers, but Okeke is an underrated contributor and stat sheet stuffer. The sophomore is second on the team in blocks, steals and assists. Yes, you read that correctly. He leads the squad in rebounding, shoots 40 percent from three-point range and is one of four double-digit scorers for the highly ranked Tigers. Okeke impacts the game in a variety of ways, making him valuable in both fantasy and non-fantasy circles.

Jordan Bone, G, Tennessee - The Vols have a stacked squad that could make a run to the Final Four this March. While Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield get the pub, and rightly so, it may just be the improvement in Bone's play that has the Vols rising to the top. With Lamonte Turner missing all but three games, Bone has stepped in as the top setup man for UT. He averages 6.3 assists per game, which is second in the SEC to Jalen Harris of Arkansas. Bone's scoring has also jumped up a notch; while he's been a little cold from three-point range to start the year, his shooting percentage overall from the field is up, as he has been finding ways to penetrate defenses and either finish near the rim or hit an open teammate. Bone is third on the team in scoring at 13.7 points per contest. Tennessee's most recent game was perhaps Bone's best, as he notched a double-double with 24 points and 11 points in a win over Samford. Both figures were career highs. Bone appears to be the catalyst for Tennessee, and may just make the Vols complete as a unit.

CHECK STATUS

Kellan Grady, G, Davidson - Grady is an NBA-caliber talent who missed the last two games due to a knee injury. The leading scorer for the Wildcats, Grady averages 19.4 points per game. The sophomore shoots an impressive 51.6 percent from the field, while also managing 4.1 boards and 2.1 dimes per game. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Wildcats have lost both games without their best player after beginning the season with an 8-1 record. Jon Axel Gudmundsson, the other star for the Wildcats, has played all but one minute in three of the last four games. While Grady's injury is not considered serious, he could sit out due to precautionary measures until the crucial Dec. 29 visit to North Carolina.

Evan Gilyard, G, UTEP - Another leading scorer has been shelved, as Gilyard missed UTEP's last game due to a mysterious leg injury. While there has been no word on how the injury occurred or its severity, it was bad enough for Gilyard to miss the Miners most recent win at UC-Riverside on Sunday. Gilyard averages 18 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for UTEP. Freshman forward Efe Odigie had a huge game in Gilyard's absence, totaling 26 points and 11 rebounds. It was his second-straight double-double and fourth of the young season. Look for another freshman, Jordan Lathon, to also continue to see a bump in production if Gilyard remains sidelined.

Sagaba Konate, C, West Virginia - One of the better shot blockers in college basketball, Konate missed two of the last five games due to a lingering knee issue. Konate's offensive game continues to evolve; he even has started shooting three-pointers. However, his overall shooting percentage is rather low. He remains beastly on the defensive end, though, averaging eight rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He leads the Big 12 in blocked shots and is fourth in rebounding. The knee injury appears to be hampering him in some way, though his statistics are largely up from a season ago. Keep an eye on his balky knee, as when healthy Konate is an excellent source of blocked shots, which can be a rare commodity in fantasy circles.

M.J.Walker, G, Florida State - Walker came to Florida State last year amid much fanfare, but he hasn't quite been an instant impact player. He played more sparingly as a freshman, but has not been much more productive despite more minutes as a sophomore. Averaging nearly 30 minutes per game, Walker is managing 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He's struggled with fouls and turnovers in particular, though has shown some improvement in his shooting, especially from long range. He also recently suffered a minor ankle injury that forced him to miss one game. The Noles are 10-1 and guard-heavy, led by seniors Terance Mann and P.J. Savoy, and junior Trent Forrest. As a result, there simply hasn't been enough ball to go around for Walker, who was ranked ahead of names like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tremont Waters for the 2017 recruiting class.

DOWNGRADE

Rex Pflueger, G, Notre Dame - The Irish will be without the heart and soul of their squad, as Pflueger suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Pflueger was playing more than 30 minutes per game for the second straight season, averaging 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game this year. Freshmen Dane Goodwin and Prentiss Hubb likely will attempt to fill the void. Hubb collected seven assists in Notre Dame's first game without Pflueger, a 69-56 win over Binghamton.

Jailyn Ingram, F, FAU - Ingram suffered the same fate, as the talented junior forward was also diagnosed with a torn ACL, and his season is now finished. Ingram took his game to new heights prior to the injury, averaging 10 more points per game for the Owls. Ingram led FAU in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, making him virtually impossible to replace. In the Owls' first game without Ingram, senior forward Simeon Lepichev led the squad with 20 points and nine rebounds, and figures to be the most reasonable choice to attempt to fill the huge void.

Haanif Cheatham, G, FGCU - The transfer from Marquette has had his Florida Gulf Coast career cut short to just 10 games, as he sustained a shoulder injury that required surgery and will miss the rest of the 2018-2019 campaign. It's a tough blow for the Eagles, as Cheatham was the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points per game. He wasn't a one-trick pony either, as he also managed 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Eagles will be forced to lean even more heavily on Iona transfer Schadrac Casimir, who is the only other player in double figures in scoring average. Casimir averages 17.3 points per game since Cheatham was injured. Freshman Zach Scott also poured in a career-high 25 points in FGCU's last game, though it was just his second game in double digits all season.

Dean Wade, G, Kansas State - Wade has been plagued by various foot injuries over the last two seasons. The Preseason Player of the Year in the Big 12, Wade tore a tendon in his right foot against Georgia State on Sunday and could miss up to two months. Wade also battled a purportedly different foot injury during March last season. The senior leader for the Wildcats was averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. On the bright side, the Wildcats are still deep and experienced with seniors Barry Brown Jr. and Kamau Stokes; the latter is not expected to miss any time after spraining his ankle against Georgia State.