College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally made it to March.  Spring is in the air and some conference tournaments have already begun.  The Madness is just around the corner.  Get your excuses ready for calling out of work, or working from home.

Just a little housekeeping before we dive into this week's article.  This will be the last of the traditional versions of the College Hoops Barometer where we analyze players on the rise or trending in the opposite direction.  Next week will feature the "Bubble Barometer", where we take stock of those teams on the fringe of making the big dance, evaluate their resumes and see who should get in and who may be left out.  Then the following week will be my annual NCAA Tournament Preview, also known as "How to Win Your NCAA Bracket Pool".  This will, of course, include some betting tips and suggestions as well.

For now, let's take a look at those players either helping or hurting their causes as we continue to hurtle straight towards the NCAA Tournament.

UPGRADE

Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette – The Golden Eagles have fairly quietly taken the Big East by storm as the usual suspects like Villanova and UConn have floundered at various points of the season.  Marquette is 16-3 in conference play, winning five-straight games and 10 of their last 11 outings.  Kolek is the catalyst for the offense.  The sophomore is averaging 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.4 steals per tilt.  He leads the Big East in dimes by a wide margin.  In fact, Kolek is second in the entire country in assists, trailing only the wizard Yuri Collins of Saint Louis, who is averaging a staggering 10.1 assists per contest.  Kolek has racked up double-doubles in each of the last two games, while also hitting the 20-point plateau in each of those clashes.  The surging Golden Eagles are a top-10 team and a dangerous squad with Kolek at the helm.

Tony Perkins, G, Iowa – The Hawkeyes are one of a staggering eight teams with either 10 or 11 conference wins in the Big 12.  Three more schools have eight wins, showing the parity in the conference this season.  Kris Murray has taken his game to new heights this season, but the improved play of Perkins has also played a key role in keeping Iowa afloat in its quest for a tourney berth.  Perkins has stuffed the stat sheet in the last two games for the Hawkeyes, both crucial wins.  Perkins tallied 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a thrilling overtime win against Michigan State over the weekend.  Perkins followed up that performance with a near-triple-double in Tuesday's thrashing of Indiana on the road.  Perkins accumulated 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight dimes in the 90-68 triumph.  If Perkins continues to play this way down the stretch, Iowa will be a tough out in the Big Ten Tournament, and perhaps beyond.

Tyrece Radford, G, Texas A&M – The Aggies have won seven of their last eight contests, emerging as one of the surprise stories of the college basketball season.  Texas A&M was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC; instead, the Aggies are 14-3 in conference play.  The ascension of Wade Taylor from complementary piece to primary option has been a big reason, but so has the play of Radford, who is averaging a career-best 13.0 points per game.  He has been attacking the basket and getting to the line with great frequency, much more so than in years past.  He is far from a one-trick pony, though, as the senior is also managing 5.4 boards and a career-high 2.4 assists per contest.  The Aggies are deep, experienced and primed for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.

Javon Franklin, F, Georgia Tech – Since being inserted into the starting lineup at the beginning of February, Franklin is averaging 14.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.2 blocks per contest.  By contrast, Franklin managed just 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks in the first 20 games of the campaign.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Yellow Jackets have been much more respectable since Franklin's inclusion as a starter, including winning four of their last five contests.  Franklin capped off the tremendous stretch with a triple-double in Tuesday's win at Syracuse, amassing 14 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the 96-76 victory over the Orange.  Franklin and company will look to play the role of spoiler in the ACC Tournament.

CHECK STATUS

Keyonte George, G, Baylor – George was injured in the first half of last weekend's win over Texas.  The ankle ailment kept him out of Monday's triumph over Oklahoma State as well.  While the Bears have been able to tread water in the absence of the star freshman, any hopes for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament hinge upon the return of a healthy George.  The neophyte has been among the best first-year players in the nation, averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest.  Prior to the injury, he had reached at least 20 points in three of his previous five outings.  Jalen Bridges has averaged 15.5 points in the games George has missed, while senior Dale Bonner has seen a huge uptick in playing time and responded with averages of 14 points and four assists without George in the lineup.

Chucky Hepburn, G, Wisconsin – Hepburn hurt his knee in Sunday's loss at Michigan, and has not practiced since that time, leaving his status up in the air in the short term.  The sophomore guard has been the leading scorer for the Badgers, but also the leading assist man as well.  Overall, Hepburn has been averaging 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per tilt.  The Badgers have some work to do to make the NCAA Tournament, and losing Hepburn for the remainder of the regular season as well as the Big Ten Tournament could spell doom for their chances.  The Badgers have missed the NCAA Tournament just once this century.

Matt Knowling, F, Yale – The Elis find themselves in a three-way tie for the regular season Ivy League crown headed into the last weekend of the season.  The top four teams in the standings will make the Ivy League Tournament; this is a departure from a time when the Ivy League sent the winner of the regular season to the NCAA Tournament.  Knowling missed the last two games due to an ankle sprain, but the Bulldogs still took care of business against Cornell and Princeton.  He is expected to return for the regular season finale with Brown, but the real question will be his health heading into the Ivy League Tournament.  Knowling is the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for Yale.

DOWNGRADE

Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee – Zeigler suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury in Tuesday's win over Arkansas.  Said injury could severely damage Tennessee's ability to make noise this month.  Zeigler leads the entire SEC conference in assists at 5.4 dimes per contest.  Zeigler is a handful on both ends of the floor, as he also averages two steals per contest, which is tied for third in the conference.  The sophomore is also tied for second on the Vols in scoring, so his loss would be felt across the board for Tennessee.  A healthy Josiah-Jordan James would go a long way towards softening the blow of losing Zeigler, though Santiago Vescovi would be asked to shoulder the playmaking role if Zeigler is lost for the remainder of the campaign.

Kadary Richmond, G, Seton Hall – Richmond has missed the last two games for the Pirates due to a balky back.  Richmond has done a little bit of everything this season for the Hall, averaging 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 thefts per outing.  The timing of the injury could not come at a worse time, as the Pirates appear to be sliding out of NCAA Tournament contention.  Seton Hall has lost five of their last six contests, leaving the Pirates with a sub-.500 conference record in the Big East heading into the regular season finale with Providence.  Even if Richmond returns, the Pirates may be too far gone at this point anyway.

Tristan da Silva, F, Colorado – The leading scorer for the Buffs left Sunday's narrow loss to UCLA late due to an ankle injury.  He was immediately taken to the locker room, and his status is currently up in the air.  Colorado needs to make a run in the Pac-12 Tournament to have any shot at advancing to the big dance, and missing da Silva would borderline catastrophic to that cause.  Prior to sustaining the injury, da Silva was managing 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per tilt.  Even more pressure will be placed on K.J. Simpson if da Silva is shelved, as the Buffs have been hit hard by injuries this season and have barely been playing eight players even when da Silva was healthy.