College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Have we entered a new era of college basketball? The prevalence of social media has led to more exposure for the "Cinderella" squads, and fewer and fewer no-names and surprises. We had a No. 11 seed in Loyola-Chicago make the Final Four last season. The Ramblers won't take anyone by surprise this March if they make the Big Dance. Ja Morant of Murray State is a surefire NBA lottery pick and has been featured in the media more than any other college baller not named Zion Williamson this year. He's arguably the most well-known player from the Ohio Valley Conference we've ever seen. We can rattle off the names of elite scorers like Mike Daum of South Dakota State, Justin Wright-Foreman of Hofstra, and Chris Clemons of Campbell with little to no research. Furthermore, this will be the first NCAA Tournament since the impossible became possible; a No. 16 seed defeating a No. 1 seed. Was UMBC's stunner over Virginia simply a perfect storm? Is there more parity than ever in college basketball, or was last season just an aberration? Will the tournament be flipped on its head, or will there be a return to the so-called "norm"?

We will get some answers to these questions shortly. However, let's get to March Madness first. Let's take a look at some impact players as we head into the end of the regular season in this week's College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Braxton Huggins, G, Fresno State - The New Mexico State transfer leads the Bulldogs in scoring and is third in the Mountain West overall. Huggins never averaged more than 13.7 points per game during three seasons with the Aggies, but has exploded into an elite scorer for the surging Bulldogs, managing 19 points per contest. Huggins has been pouring it on recently, averaging 24.8 points over the last five contests. Perhaps unsurprisingly, four of those games have been wins for the Bulldogs. Fresno State is 10-3 in conference play, with a huge meeting left with highly touted Nevada. It will help to have Huggins at the top of his game.

TJ Haws, G, Brigham Young - The junior can really fill it up, but Haws set a career high with 35 points in last Thursday's OT win over San Diego. Haws is a superb distributor as well, though, averaging 5.2 dimes per contest. Haws is fourth in the West Coast Conference in assists, and has been even better of late. He's averaging 7.3 dimes over the last three gamed for the Cougars. Double-double machine Yoeli Childs gets more pub, but Haws is a terrific player in his own right, and BYU is currently clicking on all cylinders. With five-straight wins, the Cougars look the part of a tournament team heading into Saturday's monstrous clash with Gonzaga.

Josh Sharma, C, Stanford - Sharma took home Pac-12 Player of the Week honors with a couple of dynamite performances in victories for the Cardinal. In truth, though, Sharma has seen his play improve over a longer stretch than just two games. He was a role player for three years at Stanford, but has played a more central role during his senior campaign. He scored 20 points at Oregon State in February 7, then followed that up with 10 rebounds in the subsequent contest at Oregon. Sharma collected 14 points and nine rebounds last Wednesday in a win over USC, and then notched his second double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 boards in a triumph over UCLA. Sharma shot an impressive 10-of-11 from the floor for the game. Stanford has won five of their last six contests, and the excellent play from the seven-footer Sharma is a big reason why.

Kerry Blackshear Jr., F, Virginia Tech - The absence of Justin Robinson has forced Blackshear to take on an even larger load, and he has delivered. Blackshear registered a season-high 29 points in Saturday's 70-64 win over Pitt. He nearly collected a double-double in the process with nine rebounds. Blackshear did all he could to spark an upset of Virginia on Monday as well. Though the Hokies came up just a bit short, Blackshear tallied 23 points and 13 rebounds in the 64-58 loss. It was his fifth double-double of the season. Blackshear has even outplayed leading scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker of late. Blackshear will need to continue this hot streak for the Hokies to finish the ACC slate strong, as matchups with Duke and ranked Florida State still remain.

CHECK STATUS

Kyle Lofton, G, St. Bonaventure - The freshman has been one of the few bright spots for the Bonnies this season, and Lofton is coming off arguably the best game of his brief collegiate career. The New Jersey native exploded for 32 points in Sunday's 79-56 thrashing of George Mason. Lofton connected on 7-of-8 treys, while also dishing out seven assists. Lofton is second on the team in scoring behind senior leader Courtney Stockard, and leads the squad in dishing. After a rough non-conference slate, St. Bonaventure is 7-5 in the A-10 and has won three of the last four contests. Still, at 11-14 overall, the Bonnies will likely have to be content playing spoiler; a clash with Davidson on March 6 looks to be the game to circle on the schedule.

Kyvon Davenport, F, Memphis - Davenport suffered an undisclosed injury Saturday against UCF, and his status is unclear as of right now. The senior forward leads the Tigers in rebounding, and is second on the squad in scoring behind Jeremiah Martin. The injury comes at a poor time for coach Anfernee Hardaway and the Tigers, who look like they are headed towards the NIT rather than the NCAA Tournament. Davenport has eight double-doubles in the season, but just two in his last 10 games. Memphis has lost four of its last six games, and thus it is vital for Davenport to return to health as soon as possible.

L.J. Figueroa, G, St. John's - Shamorie Ponds gets the notoriety, but the JUCO transfer Figueroa was the sparkplug in Sunday's startling comeback win over Villanova at Madison Square Garden. Figueroa notched a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, including three clutch three-pointers to spur the Johnnies to the 71-65 upset victory. It was the fifth double-double of the season for the 6-foot-6 sophomore, who plays bigger than his listed height. He leads St. John's in field goal percentage, hitting 52.3 percent of his shots from the field. Along with transfers Mustapha Heron (Auburn) and Justin Simon (Arizona), the Red Storm have their signature win and will look to polish up the resume heading into the tail end of the season.

Louis King, F, Oregon - King gutted out the second half of Saturday's loss to Oregon State after injuring his hand, but has been unable to practice since then, leaving his status in doubt in the short term for the Ducks. King is the leading scorer for the Ducks, at least since the season-ending injury to Bol Bol. King is managing 12. Points and 5.4 rebounds per contest on the year, but has been even better of late. He had been averaging 15 points and 6.3 rebounds over the last four contests. The already shorthanded Ducks would rely on fellow freshmen Miles Norris and Francis Okoro if King is forced to miss games.

DOWNGRADE

Nick Ward, F/C, Michigan State - Ward and the Spartans suffered a tough break Sunday, as the star center suffered a hairline fracture versus Ohio State, and the injury will actually require surgery. Ward could miss the remainder of the regular season for Michigan State, and possibly longer. It's a huge blow not only to Michigan State's Big Ten title hopes, but also possibly to their NCAA Championship dreams as well. Kenny Goins and Xavier Tillman will collectively try to fill the large void left by Ward, who is nearly irreplaceable. Ward is second in scoring for a Spartans squad that has already lost third-leading scorer Joshua Langford for the season due to an ankle injury.

Nick Weatherspoon, G, Mississippi State - The sophomore guard has been suspended indefinitely due to a rules violation. The Bulldogs have been in and out of the top 25 this season, but are 6-6 in SEC conference play, so the absence of a player like Weatherspoon down the stretch will certainly not help their cause. Weatherspoon is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per contest, and second in assists, dropping 2.3 dimes per tilt. Freshman Robert Woodard looks to be the chief beneficiary, as the Bulldogs played just seven players in Saturday's 77-067 win at Arkansas.

C.J. Jackson, G, Ohio State - Jackson injured his ankle in Saturday's lopsided loss to Michigan State. Though the injury does not appear serious, Jackson is the catalyst for the OSU offense, leading the team in assists with 3.5 per contest. He is also second on the team in scoring, and fourth in rebounding. Any amount of time missed by Jackson could prove costly for the Buckeyes. After starting the season 12-1, OSU has limped to a 6-8 record in the Big Ten. OSU has matchups with four ranked opponents remaining on the regular season schedule. Should Jackson miss time, Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington Jr. could play larger roles.

Herbert Jones, G, Alabama - The elevation in game never came this season for Jones, who was named to the preseason second-team All-SEC squad, but has failed to live up to expectations for the Tide. Jones is seeing basically the same amount of minutes as a sophomore as he did as a freshman. He is averaging just 6.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a sophomore. Certainly these numbers aren't horrific, but they aren't eye-popping either. The Tide have an abundance of wing-type players on the roster, including Donta Hall, Tevin Mack and Riley Norris. As a result, the glut has left seven players averaging between five and 11 points. In other words, Jones has been unable to separate himself from the pack as a sophomore, and as a result is vying for opportunities like the rest of the squad.