College Hoops Barometer: UW is Fultz of It

March gets the pub, but February can make or break many squads en route to the NCAA Tournament. The conference slate is in full swing, and usually certain markers must be met in order to make a case for at-large, power conference bubble teams to advance to the big dance. Specifically, teams usually must be at least .500 in conference play in order for their resumes to not be thrown in the trash. In addition, big conference wins can boost a team's perception.

Take the Miami Hurricanes. The 'Canes are 4-4 in ACC play and likely a year away from truly making an impact on the big stage. That being said, Miami is still 14-6 on the season and just crushed North Carolina this past Saturday, a victory which could certainly turn some heads come tourney time.

Speaking of huge wins, how about Syracuse? The Orange limped to an 11-9 start, including 3-4 in ACC play, before two triumphs in a row, including Saturday's 82-72 win over highly ranked Florida State. The ACC in general is going to make things extremely difficult for the selection committee. As of this moment, there are 10 teams at .500 or better in the conference, including Duke at 4-4.

Even outside the ACC, though, the questions are already looming. Kansas State is 4-4 in the Big 12, having beaten West Virginia only to subsequently lose to two unranked squads. Then there's Marquette, 5-4 in Big East play, but two of the wins came over defending champion Villanova and a top-10 squad in Creighton. The Big Ten is also a royal mess, with five teams at 4-5 in the conference, including Indiana and Michigan.

I'm certainly no bracketologist, but it appears the selection committee will have its work cut out for themselves in March. The moral of my rambling; don't discount February wins or losses just because they don't occur in March.

UPGRADE

Markelle Fultz, G, Washington - Fultz is one of the most talented players in college basketball, but he has taken his game to even greater heights of late. Tasked with carrying a mediocre squad through a rugged conference schedule, Fultz has put the Huskies on his back. Though his impeccable play has not resulted in wins, Fultz appears to have only furthered his stock in terms of this June's NBA Draft. Over his last five outings, Fultz is averaging 29 points per game. That includes three 30-point efforts, with a career-best 37 points against Colorado on January 18th. Fultz is also pulling down 7.2 rebounds per tilt during this recent surge, while continuing to dish out over five assists per contest. Fultz's well-rounded game has NBA scouts salivating, even if it has not resulted in wins for his Washington squad.

T.J. Cline, F. Richmond - The 6-foot-9 Cline is a stat sheet stuffer, possessing point guard skills in a bigger body. He's been productive for three years at Richmond, but even he might be surprised at how well he's played recently. He could always score, but his rebounding has improved immensely as a senior. Cline has four double-doubles in his last five games, including a mammoth triple-double in the Spiders' last contest. Cline tallied a season high 34 points to go along 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Cline has evolved into a superb passer; just two years ago he averaged 1.6 dimes per game. Now? Cline is dishing out 5.4 assists per contest, second in the conference only to Jaylen Adams of St. Bonaventure. The Spiders currently lead the A-10 with a record of 7-2, and Cline is the biggest reason why. He deserves more notoriety, and perhaps the Spiders do as well.

Trevon Bluiett, G, Xavier - The Musketeers have barely survived through a miserable part of their schedule, losing four of their last six games. Xavier took on four teams in the top 20, and lost every contest against a ranked foe. Still, the blame certainly cannot be put on Bluiett, at least not in Xavier's last loss to Cincinnati on January 26th. The junior guard exploded for a career-high 40 points, including nine three-pointers. Bluiett has been surging from long distance of late, shooting an insane 68.2-percent from downtown over the last three games. Bluiett also notched his second double-double of the season Saturday at St. John's. The junior is keeping the Musketeers afloat in a competitive Big East, as Xavier currently stands at 5-3 in the conference.

Torian Graham, G, Arizona State - The path for Graham has been a winding one. Graham will turn 24 years old in March, but is completing his one and likely only season of major college basketball. Graham bounced around high schools and junior college and was briefly a member of the Houston Cougars before ultimately landing at Buffalo. Then he came with coach Bobby Hurley and two teammates from Buffalo to Arizona State. Issues both on and off the court prevented Graham from suiting up until this season, but he has finally been able to capitalize on his opportunity. Graham is the leading scorer for the Sun Devils, averaging 18.7 points per game, which is second in the Pac-12. Only the above-referenced Markelle Fultz is scoring at a greater clip than Graham. He has eight games of 20-plus points this season, including a 30-point barrage in a win at Stanford on December 30th. The Sun Devils are 10-12 this year and unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament, but Graham has come from virtual anonymity to make his presence felt on the big stage.

CHECK STATUS

Bryce Alford, G, UCLA - The coach's son has taken a bit of a backseat to freshman sensation Lonzo Ball. Alford is actually averaging a career-best 16.6 points per game this season, but otherwise the basketball has just not been in his hands as much as a senior. As a result, Alford is averaging nearly three fewer assists per game this year. In addition, despite being much more efficient in terms of shot selection overall, Alford has been in a bit of a shooting slump of late. Since a 37-point explosion on January 12th at Colorado, Alford is shooting just 40-percent from the field en route to an average of only 10.5 points per contest. Alford is certainly capable of catching fire at any moment, but if he's not scoring, the dip in his peripheral stats makes him a less-enticing commodity.

Reggie Lynch, C, Minnesota - The wheels have officially come off for the Golden Gophers, who have lost five straight games in the Big Ten. Lynch has been one of the few bright spots, though, particularly on the defensive end. The 6-foot-10 transfer from Illinois State is averaging 3.1 rejections per game, which places him fifth in the nation in that category. He had a nine-block game earlier this season against St. John's, and has registered at least five swats in six games for Minnesota. That includes Saturday's loss to Maryland, where Lynch tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. It was the second double-double of the season for Lynch. Foul trouble remains the biggest impediment to Lynch taking the next step in his evolution, and he is still a tad raw on the offensive end. Nevertheless, Lynch is a big man to watch.

Justin Bibbs, G, Virginia Tech - The production for Bibbs has taken a nosedive overall during his junior campaign. He is scoring nearly three fewer points per game this season, largely due to inefficiency from the floor. He is shooting career lows in terms of percentages, both from the field as well as three-point land. However, the tide may be turning for Bibbs. He snapped out of his mini-slump in tying his season high with 18 points Sunday in a victory over Boston College. Bibbs hit 6-of-9 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. It was his first scoring output in double figures in five contests. Perhaps Bibbs is poised to get back on track for the Hokies.

Khadeen Carrington, G, Seton Hall - Carrington has had a rough stretch shooting the ball, and that was before he dislocated a finger on his shooting hand last week versus Butler. Carrington is averaging 17.2 points per game this year for the Pirates, but he has not been as productive over the last three games. Carrington is averaging just 9.3 points per contest during that timeframe, shooting an astonishingly bad 21.6-percent from the floor. It remains to be seen if the dislocated finger will only further to hinder his shooting percentage in the short term. Carrington will be able to play through the injury, but his scoring prowess could continue to be curtailed.

DOWNGRADE

James Blackmon, Jr., G, Indiana - Coach Tom Crean must feel like it's Groundhog Day every day this season. Blackmon is just the latest Hoosier to be sidelined due to injury, just one week after it was determined that O.G. Anunoby would miss the remainder of the year due to a knee injury. Blackmon suffered a lower leg injury in last Thursday in the loss to Michigan, and is out indefinitely. The attrition certainly appears to have taken its toll on the Hoosiers, who at one point early on this season were the No. 1 team in the country. Indiana is 4-6 in its last 10 games, and have Wisconsin and Purdue on their schedule rather shortly. Players like Thomas Bryant and Robert Johnson will be tasked with putting an end to the misery if Blackmon misses an extended period of time.

Peter Jok, G, Iowa - A balky back seems to have derailed Jok's season, and it is clear he has been hurting of late. After a scintillating start to the year, Jok's numbers have hit the skids. In the first 18 games of the season, the senior guard averaged 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. By contrast, in his last three games played, Jok is managing only 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest Even worse, Jok did not take the court in Saturday's win over Ohio State. Sophomore guard Brady Ellingson led the Hawkeyes with 17 points in Jok's absence, and it would appear that the sophomore has earned himself some extra minutes if Jok continues to be limited with the back ailment.

D.J. Hogg, F, Texas A&M - Hogg is second on the Aggies in scoring and third in rebounding, but the sophomore forward has been relegated to street clothes over the last two contests due to a foot injury. The injury for Hogg is not considered serious, but it remains to be seen how long the sophomore will be sidelined. Freshman Robert Williams has seen a bit more run with Hogg sidelined, and has double-digit rebounds in four consecutive games. In addition, starting point guard Admon Gilder has upped his scoring in the absence of Hogg; Gilder set career highs in back-to-back games, scoring 22 and then 24 points for the Aggies without Hogg.

Tony Hicks, G, Louisville - The hits just keep on coming for the Cardinals, as yet another guard will miss time due to injury. First it was Quentin Snyder who was sidelined due to a hip injury. Then Hicks broke his hand, leaving the Louisville backcourt in disarray. On the positive side, Hicks will not need surgery, and he could return in as little as two weeks. Still, the Cardinals will miss be missing significant contributors in road games coming up against Virginia, Syracuse and possibly North Carolina. In the interim, Donovan Mitchell continues to shine, averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists over Louisville's last two tilts.