College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

The Iowa Hawkeyes aren't just winning; they are mauling the competition.  Through six games, Iowa has won by an average of 30.3 points.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Those wins haven't just been against cupcake opponents, either.  Iowa beat North Carolina by 13 and Iowa State by 28.  The conversation starts and ends with Luka Garza for the Hawkeyes.  The senior big man leads the nation in scoring at 29.2 points per contest.  Garza can do it all on the offensive end.  He has a bevy of post moves, canned six three-pointers versus Iowa State, and hit 10-of-12 free throws in a triumph over Southern.  At 6-foot-11, 265-lbs, Garza also pulled down nine boards per contest while also swatting 2.2 shots per contest.  A willing passer as well, Garza is the total package and has been every bit as dominant as expected coming into the season.

The No. 3 Hawkeyes are scheduled to play No. 1 Gonzaga on Saturday night in a Herculean matchup.  It will be interesting to see how Drew Timme and company attempt to handle Garza.  If it can be done at all.

Let's take a look at some other movers and shakers in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Jordan Goodwin, G, Saint Louis – Despite standing at just 6-foot-3 and being listed as a guard, Goodwin averaged a double-double last season as a junior, and he is well on his way to putting up similar figures as a senior.  Goodwin has collected double-doubles in four of the first five contests for the Billikens, all wins.  In fact, Saint Louis has been downright dominant, winning by an average margin of 27.2 points.  Goodwin is second on the team in both scoring and dishing, while also stealing 2.4 balls per game.  The Billikens have already beaten a Power 5 program in LSU, and have two more upcoming tests against NC State and Minnesota before getting in their Atlantic 10 schedule.  Saint Louis is extremely well rounded with Javonte Perkins and Yuri Collins as well, but Goodwin appears to be the backbone of this squad.

Oscar da Silva, F, Stanford – Da Silva's statistics have improved each and every season during his time in Palo Alto, and his senior campaign has started no differently.  He is averaging over 20 points per game to begin the year, shooting a blistering 67.9-percent from the field.  With Daejon Davis not playing for undisclosed reasons Tuesday, da Silva poured in 32 points in a triumph over CSU Northridge.  Even with Tyrell Terry opting to go pro, Stanford is experienced and talented with da Silva and teammate Ziaire Williams making the Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference First Team.  With one of the top defenders in the nation in Bryce Wills on the squad as well, the Cardinal could be dangerous come March, with da Silva playing the featured role.

Herb Jones, F, Alabama – With Kira Lewis speeding into the NBA, Jones and teammate John Petty have been tasked with picking up the playmaking slack.  Jones is extremely versatile at 6-foot-8, 210-lbs.  He grabbed 17 rebounds in one game last season, while dishing out seven assists in another outing. He posted a double-double in Alabama's last contest, a win over Furman.  Jones compiled 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in the 83-80 triumph.  Jones leads the Tide in scoring and rebounding, and is tied for second in dimes.  Jones is also expanding his shooting range in 2020.  He took just 14 three-pointers as a junior.  By contrast, he has already attempted 10 treys through six games as a senior, and has hit half of them.  In sum, Jones has stepped up for the Tide and is showing significant growth in his game early on.

Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John's – Champagnie has taken his game to new heights as a sophomore.  We glimpsed his potential down the stretch of his freshman campaign.  He started the final 10 games of the season for the Red Storm, averaging 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.  He has always been a terrific rebounder for his size and position, but he has been asked to score more as a sophomore with LJ Figueroa gone.  Thus far, Champagnie has delivered.  He is scoring 20.8 points per game for the Johnnies, which is just a tick behind Butler's Aaron Thompson for tops in the Big East.  He exploded for 29 points in the season opener versus Boston College, and has tallied three double-doubles already through six tilts.  It may be a tough season for St. John's overall, but Champagnie may be a budding star.  The craziest part of Julian's story, though?  His twin brother, Justin Champagnie, may be having an even better start to the season at Pittsburgh.  Justin posted back-to-back 20-point, 20-rebound games last week for the Panthers.

CHECK STATUS

Hunter Dickinson, C, Michigan – Dickinson has been as good as advertised through six games for undefeated Michigan.  Granted, Michigan hasn't played anyone really yet.  Still, at 7-foot-1, 255-lbs, Dickinson has overwhelmed the competition in the paint.  He leads the Wolverines in scoring, rebounding and blocks.  The top recruit in the 2020 class for coach Juwan Howard, Dickinson had a double-double versus Ball State and subsequently scored a career-high 20 points in a 62-58 win over Penn State.  Matchups with the abovementioned Luka Garza as well as Kofi Cockburn of Illinois will show just how special Dickinson is.  Still, the freshman may only be scratching the surface of his potential.

Trendon Watford, F, LSU – Watford missed Monday's win over Sam Houston, and was spotted wearing a walking boot on his right foot while in street clothes in pregame warmups.  Details have been hard to come by regarding the lower leg injury, though clearly it was severe enough to sideline him for the contest.  Watford had been mighty impressive in the four games prior to Monday, averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 thefts per outing.  He's shooting over 61-percent from the field to begin the year, including 42.9-percent from three-point range.  The versatile forward nearly had a triple-double in LSU's season opener. Javonte Smart picked up the scoring slack with 25 points in the absence of Watford, while junior Darius Days notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Even if Watford plays in LSU's next tilt, it will be interesting to see at what level he can perform, especially given the curious secrecy regarding the ailment.

E.J. Liddell, F, Ohio State – Liddell has been held out of late for the Buckeyes due to a non-COVID related illness.  The leading scorer and rebounder for OSU, Liddell managed 15.5 points, 7.5 boards, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per contest in four games played.  Freshman Zed Key had 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal versus Cleveland State, the first game Liddell missed due to the illness.  Key played a career high 21 minutes after seeing the floor for just two minutes in the prior win over Notre Dame.  Key could be crucial for the Buckeyes if Liddell misses more time.

Greg Brown, F, Texas – The No. 9 overall recruit in the country according to ESPN in 2020, Brown is averaging 9.8 points and 6.0 points per game as a freshman.  The reason he has not been able to have quite the same instant impact as other newbies is that other players on his own squad that require the basketball in their hands.  Specifically, guards Matt Coleman and Courtney Ramey, who are both exceptional passers as well as shooters from long distance.  As a result, Brown can get lost in the shuffle occasionally, especially since outside shooting is not his game.  Brown is a superb athlete whose game is above and around the rim at this point in time.  He also needs to put on a bit more muscle.  In other words, Brown has a ton of upside but is raw right now.  He needs to work on creating his own shot more than a few feet from the basket.

DOWNGRADE

Jalen Johnson, F, Duke – Johnson will be sidelined for the foreseeable future due to a foot injury.  The freshman had gotten off to a solid start, averaging 11.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 assists per contest.  Johnson was Duke's top recruit from this year's freshman class.  Without the services of Johnson, sophomore Matthew Hurt will be forced to take on even more responsibility, while freshman Jaemyn Brakefield could also be asked to shoulder more of the load at the frontcourt position.  The Blue Devils have lost two of their first four games of the campaign, albeit the losses came against high-caliber opponents in the form of Michigan State and Illinois.  Still, the absence of Johnson for an extended period does not bode well for Duke's ACC chances this season.

Yves Pons, F, Tennessee – Pons was named Preseason All-SEC First Team along with teammate John Fulkerson.  Through three games, Pons has been outperformed.  The ample size is small, naturally, but Fulkerson is averaging more than double the amount of points.  Meanwhile, Pons has shot a putrid 30.8-percent from the field.  Pons is a stalwart on the defensive end (he averaged 2.4 swats per contest last year despite standing at only 6-foot-6), but his offensive game still looks like a work in progress.  The season is extremely young, and like other programs, the Vols have had a bevy of cancellations due to COVID-19.  So Pons may simply need some time to get into the flow of the offense.  That being said, he certainly wishes he had a better shooting start to his senior campaign.

Kevin Marfo, F/C, Texas A&M – A transfer from Quinnipiac, Marfo led the NCAA in rebounding as a junior.  He's finding the step up in competition from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to the SEC to be a bit challenging thus far, though.  Marfo led the nation in rebounding while a member of the Bobcats, pulling down a robust 13.3 boards per contest.  Marfo certainly isn't playing as many minutes with the Aggies as he did with the Bobcats, though his "Per 40 Minutes" numbers are down virtually across the board as well.  Marfo played center at QU, but at 6-foot-8, he is no longer a man among boys in a Power 5 conference.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, he has been unable to impose his will thus far.  Marfo was a rather sought-after transfer but he may end up being merely a complementary bench piece for A&M this season.

Garrison Brooks, F, North Carolina – Quite frankly, the Preseason Player of the Year in the ACC has been mediocre thus far for the Tar Heels.  Brooks is averaging just 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds through the first six games of the season.  By contrast, brooks managed 16.8 points and 8.5 boards per tilt last season.  He was outperformed by Luka Garza in a 93-80 loss at Iowa earlier this month, and had just five points and four rebounds in a surprisingly close clash with North Carolina Central last weekend.  UNC has already lost twice in six games.  After one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Tar Heels as a program last year, Brooks needs to turn things around quickly for this version to avoid a similar fate.