College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

To start off this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer, we will have a few "Top 5" lists as the season hits its halfway point.  Feel free to post a comment below or reach out on Twitter (@JesseLSiegel) to discuss these lists, including any choices that may have narrowly missed the cut.  Following these "unofficial" rankings, we will dive into the usual format of newsworthy players making headlines on the hardwood.

Top 5 Teams:
1.      Houston
2.      Kansas
3.      Alabama
4.      Purdue
5.      UCLA

Top 5 School Nicknames:
1.      Presbyterian Blue Hose
2.      Kansas City Roos
3.      New Orleans Privateers
4.      Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles
5.      Northern Kentucky Norse

Top 5 Players:
1.      Zach Edey, C, Purdue
2.      Brandon Miller, F, Alabama
3.      Jalen Wilson, F, Kansas
4.      Drew Timme, C, Gonzaga
5.      Terquavion Smith, G, NC State

Top 5 Freshmen:
1.      Brandon Miller, F, Alabama
2.      Keyonte George, G, Baylor
3.      Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke
4.      Gradey Dick, G, Kansas
5.      Cason Wallace, G, Kentucky

Top 5 Transfers:
1.      Kendric Davis, G, Memphis
2.      Terrence Shannon, G, Illinois
3.      Tyrese Hunter, G, Texas
4.      Ricky Council, G, Arkansas
5.      Norchad Omier, F, Miami

UPGRADE

Markquis Nowell, G, Kansas State – Teammate Keyontae Johnson was profiled here last week, but Nowell has been just as vital to the success of the Wildcats.  Nowell has five double-doubles on the season, including a 32-point, 14-assists virtuoso performance in an OT win over Baylor last Saturday. In the game prior, Nowell poured in 36 points while adding nine dimes in the 116-103 triumph over Texas.  Nowell canned six three-pointers in that contest, while also connecting on all 12 of his foul shots.  Overall, Nowell leads the Big 12 in assists, is second in steals and sixth in scoring.  The 5-8 senior from Harlem, New York is a huge reason the Wildcats are 15-1 on the season, including 4-0 to start conference play.

DaRon Holmes, F, Dayton – The 6-10 sophomore has been a beast on the interior of late for the Flyers, notching seven double-doubles in his last 10 games.  He has reached the 20-point plateau in seven-straight outings, including a career-high 32 points in Tuesday's blowout win over Fordham.  Holmes is hitting an impressive 71 percent from the floor during that span.  Unsurprisingly, Dayton has won all seven of those contests.  The Flyers are 4-0 in Atlantic 10 conference play thus far, winning each game by at least 12 points.  The recent dominance of Holmes cannot be understated.

Matt Bradley, G, San Diego State – The Aztecs once again look like the cream of the crop in the Mountain West, and Bradley has taken his play to the next level since coverage matchups began.  Bradley is averaging 21.3 points through four conference games, all wins for SDSU.  Bradley even notched a double-double last game for the Aztecs with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over Nevada.  A member of the preseason All-Mountain West squad, Bradley has been aided by the presence of Seattle transfer Darrion Trammell.  The tandem form one of the most potent backcourts in the country.

Kameron Jones, G, Marquette – Jones has shown vast improvement across the board for the Golden Eagles as a sophomore.  He has started every game thus far this season en route to averages of 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest.  All of these marks represent career highs.  He is also shooting close to 50 percent from the floor.  By contrast, he barely shot over 40 percent as a freshman last season.  Increased opportunity has helped, but so has shot selection, as Jones leads a very talented Marquette group in scoring.

CHECK STATUS

Umoja Gibson, G, DePaul – The well-travelled point guard began his collegiate career way back in 2017, playing two games with North Texas.  He eventually made his way to Oklahoma before transferring to DePaul for this season.  Gibson has done a little bit of everything this season for the Blue Demons.  He has served as an excellent facilitator, averaging 5.1 dimes per tilt.  To put this figure in perspective, his previous career-best average was 2.0 dimes per contest.  He is also managing a career-high 15.2 points per clash.  Gibson is a 90-percent free-throw shooter, which also helps his cause.  In addition, Gibson is stealing 2.3 balls per game as well, which is second in the Big East.  Gibson helped DePaul end a 22-game losing streak against Villanova on Tuesday.  The Blue Demons may not be tournament-worthy this season, but Gibson and fellow senior Javan Johnson will keep them competitive.

Meechie Johnson, G, South Carolina – Freshman GG Jackson has been getting much of the pub for the Gamecocks, but Johnson has also been an impactful newcomer.  The Ohio State transfer posted 26 points, six rebounds and six assists in Tuesday's road win over Kentucky.  Granted, the Wildcats are having a down season, but the performance was still notable for Johnson.  He has taken on a more central role in the offense for South Carolina after being a complementary piece during his time in Columbus.  Johnson is averaging 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest on the season.  After failing to score in double figures in the first five games of the season, Johnson has reached double-digits in points in nine-straight outings.

Armando Bacot, F, North Carolina – A National Player of the Year candidate, Bacot left Tuesday's loss to Virginia after playing only one minute due to an ankle injury.  He did not return.  While the severity of the injury is unknown, Bacot being sidelined for any period of time will be a big blow to the Tar Heels, who have largely struggled since being named preseason No. 1.  North Carolina is just 11-6 on the season, including 0-4 on the road.  Bacot is still putting up numbers, though, managing 17.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per tilt.  He has nine double-doubles already this season.  Freshman Jalen Washington posted career highs in minutes (27), points (13) and rebounds (6) in the absence of Bacot.

DOWNGRADE

Jovan Blacksher, G, Grand Canyon – The Lopes suffered a devastating blow last week as they attempt to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.  Blacksher, the preseason pick for Player of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference, suffered a torn ACL in the 72-68 win over Sam Houston State.  He will miss the remainder of the season.  Blacksher's statistics had not been quite as good as expected even prior to the injury, though, averaging career lows of 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per tilt.  Still, perhaps unsurprisingly, without the services of its leader at Stephen F. Austin in the subsequent game, Grand Canyon lost by a score of 73-68.  Look for leading scorer Rayshon Harrison as well as sophomore Chance McMillian to attempt to fill the void left by Blacksher.

Amari Bailey, G, UCLA – One of the most highly-touted freshmen in this year's class, Bailey had started every game thus far for the Bruins (prior to his recent injury) but has not been asked to shoulder the entirety of the offensive load.  The Bruins are extremely deep and expect to make yet another run to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.  Jaime Jaquez, Jaylen Clark, Tyger Campbell and David Singleton are all averaging double figures in points, with Bailey just below at 9.5 points per contest.  He is also averaging 3.3 boards and 2.3 assists per contest.  In other words, Bailey has been a solid contributor, but far from a breakout star as a freshman.  Once again, opportunity and the role he has been asked to play certainly is a large part of that.  Likewise, he has been sidelined for the past three games due to a foot injury and is expected to miss at least two more contests due to the ailment as well.  The Bruins won all three of the games Bailey missed.  Bailey has proven a key cog for this Bruins squad but expecting big numbers on a nightly basis would be unwise, even when healthy.

Kedrian Johnson, G, West Virginia – Johnson missed last weekend's loss against Kansas due to a concussion, leaving his status in question moving forward.  The senior guard was averaging 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest prior to the injury.  Johnson nearly had a triple-double in an OT loss at Kansas State on New Year's Eve and does most of his damage inside the three-point arc, whether slashing to the hoop or finding an open teammate.  He has also demonstrated quick hands when on the court, as he has accumulated at least three steals in five games thus far this season.  Senior Joe Toussaint should see an uptick in usage if Johnson continues to miss time.