College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Amongst the lesser-talked about yet super productive stars on the college basketball scene is David Jones of Memphis.  Jones started his collegiate career at DePaul, where during his sophomore year he catapulted to becoming a central figure for the Blue Demons, averaging 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per tilt.  His travels next took him to St. John's, where despite starting only about half of his games, still managed 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per tilt.  Now at Memphis, his scoring has soared, buoyed largely by his vast improvement in his outside shooting.  Jones is hitting almost 40-percent of his three-pointers as a senior.  By contrast, he failed to hit even 30-percent of his shots from outside the arc in any prior collegiate season.  Add in a stout 2.2 steals per contest, and Jones has been a vital part of the early season success for the Tigers.

Let's take a look at some other players in the headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Matthew Murrell, G, Ole Miss – Murell tallied one of the more unique double-doubles Tuesday against Troy with 18 points and 10 steals.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Murrell broke the school record for steals in a game, tied for the most steals in a game in SEC conference history, and was the highest steal total in an individual collegiate game since 2020.  Behind Murrell's record-breaking performance, the Rebels improved to 11-0 on the season.  This is the fourth time in school history the Rebels have started the season with double-digit victories.  The Rebels have a veteran group besides Murrell, including Auburn transfer Allen Flanigan, St. Peter's transfer Jaylen Murray and senior Jaemyn Brakefield, who has started 66 games during his time at Ole Miss.  The Rebels are looking to change their misfortunes on the hardwood during March Madness; Ole Miss has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2013, and the program's lone Sweet 16 appearance came in 2001.

R.J. Davis, G, North Carolina – Davis has been a scoring machine of late for the Tar Heels.  The senior has scored at least 26 points in five-straight outings.  That includes a 30-point effort in a triumph over Arkansas the day after Thanksgiving.  Davis is shooting over 40-percent from three-point range during that span.  Davis has also been extremely effective at both getting to the foul line as well as hitting his foul shots.  Davis is 38-of-39 from the charity stripe during this scorching five-game streak, which all came against legitimate opponents.  Davis forms a potent inside-outside tandem with standout forward/center Armando Bacot.

Julian Reese, F, Maryland – Reese has become a consistent force on the interior for the Terps on both ends of the court.  Even though he did not have his best shooting night Tuesday against Nicholls State, his impact was still felt with a stellar six blocked shots in the 73-67 triumph.  Reese is certainly capable of scoring in his own right, though, averaging 15.2 points on the season.  This includes 24 points in an OT win over Penn State earlier this month.  Reese has also been ferocious on the glass, notching five double-doubles already on the season.  The Terps may struggle once Big ten play begins, but Reese should continue piling up the statistics regardless.

CHECK STATUS

Spencer Jones, F, Stanford – The upperclassmen has started a staggering 121 games during his time at Stanford, though he has missed three of the last six contests for the Cardinal due to wrist and leg injuries.  Mixed in between those absences was a 27-point barrage in a narrow loss to Arkansas in which Jones canned five three-pointers.  The veteran stalwart is averaging double-digits in points for the third-straight season, though it remains to be seen what kind of impact his current leg ailment will have on his production during the 2023-2024 campaign.  Brandon Angel, Maxime Raynaud and to a lesser extent freshman sensation Andrej Stojakovic will continue to anchor the frontcourt if Jones is forced out of any additional action.

DJ Davis, G, Butler – Davis suffered a sprained ankle during Tuesday's win over Georgetown and did not return.  The transfer from UC-Irvine had started all 11 games for the Bulldogs prior to the injury, averaging 12.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per tilt.  Davis averaged 15 points per contest a season ago as a member of the Anteaters, shooting over 40-percent from three-point range.  Fortunately, the Bulldogs are stacked with additional scorers if Davis is forced to miss any time.  Fellow transfers Jahmyl Telfort, Posh Alexander and Pierre Brooks are all averaging double-digit points in over 30 minutes played apiece per game.

Tre' Williams, G, Tulane – Williams missed last weekend's clash with Southern due to a shoulder injury.  He had scored in double figures in each of the four games prior to being shelved.  The severity of the injury is currently unknown.  The well-travelled senior is on his third school and has been shuffled between the bench and the starting lineup throughout his collegiate career.  However, Williams had been playing a career-best 25.8 minutes per game for the Green Wave prior to the injury en route to career-highs of 9.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per tilt.  Should Williams be forced to miss additional time, the Green Wave will continue to rely on the guard triumvirate of Kolby King, Sion James and Jaylen Forbes.

DOWNGRADE

Jesse Edwards, C, West Virginia – The Syracuse transfer broke his wrist and will miss about a month for his current squad.  Edwards had been a force for the Mountaineers in 10 starts prior to the injury, averaging 14.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per clash.  That included three double-doubles to his credit.  In addition, Edwards had been a deterrent on the defensive end, tallying multiple blocked shots in six of those 10 outings.  Iona transfer Quinn Slazinksi is having a breakout season for West Virginia and will be relied upon even more in the frontcourt in the absence of Edwards.

Ven-Allen Lubin, F, Vanderbilt – The transfer from Notre Dame has had trouble staying on the court during his first season with the Commodores.  Lubin missed the first four games of the season due to a hip injury.  He returned to start six games for Vandy en route to averages of 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.  However, he missed Vanderbilt's last game due to a groin injury, and was scheduled to undergo diagnostic testing.  The nature of and extent of the injury is unknown.  After playing more of a complementary role for the Irish, Lubin was expected to figure more prominently for the Commodores.  However, he must prove he can stay healthy to have a significant impact, which is even more important now due to the season-ending injury to fellow forward Colin Smith.  

Jesse Zarzuela, G, Oregon – The Ducks have been bitten by the injury bug this season.  The injuries started in the frontcourt, with N'Faly Dante playing in just one game after suffering a fairly serious hamstring injury, and Nate Bittle needing wrist surgery and being sidelined for at least another month.  Meanwhile, guard Keeshawn Barthelemy has been battling a nagging ankle injury, which forced him to miss Oregon's last game.  Zarzuela's ailment is much more severe, as he will undergo season-ending surgery for an ankle issue of his own.  The pre-season injury never healed properly, and despite starting five games and averaging 10.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists during that span, Zarzuela opted for the medical procedure.  The Ducks have played 15 different players this season due to various injuries, though freshman Jackson Shelstad and former South Carolina Gamecock Jermaine Couisnard figure to shoulder most of the backcourt load without Zarzuela and Barthelemy.