College Hoops Barometer: Where's the Love?

Denzel Valentine couldn't have scripted it any better himself. With the clock winding down Saturday against Ohio State, the Michigan State guard sank the game-winning three to beat the Buckeyes, 59-56. Denzel Valentine, coming through on Valentine's Day. Equipped with Cupid's arrow. Making Spartans fans fall in love. Breaking the hearts of the Buckeye faithful. Saint Valentine. If only every story could write itself like this one.

All puns, plays on words and unnecessary descriptions aside, the Spartans desperately needed that win. It had been an unusually subpar season under coach Tom Izzo, at least by his standards and up to that point. Struggling with the losses of Adreian Payne and Gary Harris, the Spartans were just 15-8, 6-4 in the Big Ten. However, Michigan State has won its last three games, and it no longer looks as though an 18th consecutive tournament invite is in jeopardy. Still, Izzo, Valentine, Branden Dawson and Travis Trice find themselves in the unfamiliar position of not being the top team in the conference. A March 1 date with the Big Ten's best squad, Wisconsin, looms in enemy territory. The Spartans have lost four of five games against ranked opponents this season. Saturday's win over Ohio State was the lone exception. We'll see if Valentine can spread the love a little longer.

The rest of the college basketball scene is heating up as well. There's nothing like the smell of March Madness in the morning. With the tourney just around the corner, here are some more players who are making an impact.

UPGRADE

Darrun Hilliard, G, Villanova - Where's the love for the Wildcats? Villanova is 24-2 in the revamped Big East, and Hilliard has been one of the main reasons for the success. A dangerous three-point shooter, the senior is canning 39.3 percent of shots from beyond the arc this season. Hilliard nailed eight treys at Butler on Saturday, including the game winner. He finished that contest with 31 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Hilliard followed that performance with four three-pointers in a blowout of Seton Hall, avenging an early season loss to the Pirates. The Wildcats haven't lost in more than a month, and Hilliard is averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 boards and 2.1 assists per game over that span.

A.J. West, F/C, Nevada - West has flown under the radar for the Wolf Pack, but is averaging a double-double as a junior. Not surprisingly then, West has amassed 13 double-doubles this season. His last two games have been simply monstrous. In an OT victory over New Mexico on Saturday, West collected 12 points and 17 rebounds. He responded with an even better output against Wyoming on Tuesday, with 18 points and a career-high 19 boards. West has six double-doubles in his last eight games, and four in the last five contests. It's been a rough season in the win-loss column for the Wolf Pack, but West has been the silver lining. Largely due to West's prowess, the Nevada is sixth in the country in rebounding.

Jordan Price, G, La Salle - Price had an absurd stat line in a Double Overtime win over VCU last week. Price racked up 34 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in the 74-69 victory. That was his second 30-point game in four days, as the sophomore had previously poured in 30 points at UMass. Price has four 30-point games for the Explorers this season, but his previous career-high in rebounds was seven. Still, Price is not just a scorer, as he is averaging 3.7 boards and 2.3 assists in addition to his 17.5 points per game. He leads the squad in dishing, and had six assists in Wednesday's triumph over Duquesne. Scoring remains his greatest threat, though, and Price can certainly fill it up.

Shaq Goodwin, F, Memphis - Goodwin has been forced to carry the Tigers at times this season, often with mixed results. However, he has been doing yeoman's work of late. Over his last four contests, Goodwin is averaging 13.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. Goodwin snatched a staggering 23 rebounds on February 7 against Temple, then followed that up with his third double-double of the season in a loss at East Carolina. The Tigers will have a difficult time making the NCAA Tournament by the looks of their resume, but Goodwin has shown he can be a dominating force at times. Should he decide to return for his senior campaign at Memphis, he could be among the best power forwards in the nation.

CHECK STATUS

Bronson Koenig, G, Wisconsin - Coach Bo Ryan has a plethora of weapons at his disposal, but Koenig has had the hot hand of late. Though he is averaging just 7.5 points per game on the year, Koenig has seen his playing time spike recently. The injury to Traevon Jackson is a huge reason, but Koenig has seized the opportunity. He has responded by scoring in double figures in eight of the last 10 games for the Badgers. By contrast, he registered double-digits in points in just two of Wisconsin's first 16 games this season. Koenig is a terrific three-point shooter, connecting on 42.2 percent of his shots from downtown as a sophomore. With increased minutes, he has also been able to provide a bit more rebounding and playmaking. Still, he is far from a complete player, and Jackson is currently working his way back to health. March 1 is his estimated return date. As a result, Koenig's boost in productivity may be coming to an end.

Matt Carlino, G, Marquette - Carlino has missed the last three games for the Golden Eagles due to a concussion. A graduate transfer from BYU, Carlino had emerged as the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles with 14.5 points per game. Carlino was no one trick pony, though, as he also compiled3.4 points and 3.5 dimes per tilt. While there is no timetable for his return, check out his replacement, Duane Wilson, if Carlino continues to be sidelined. Wilson exploded for 26 points at Creighton on Saturday, including five three-pointers. Wilson is a streak shooter who tends to fall in love with the three-pointer. However, when he gets hot, it can look like a sequence from NBA Jam. The chances of Wilson being on fire are higher in Carlino's absence.

Will Cummings, G, Temple - Cummings is a consistent contributor for the Owls, as well as the floor general for the 19-7 squad. However, his shooting numbers are significantly down as a senior. Cummings is hitting a career-worst 37.6 percent from the field. While last season it appeared that a three-point shot was at least part of his arsenal, his long distance proficiency has all but disappeared this year. Cummings is just 12-of-67 (17.9 percent) from three-point range. Even worse, he is 2-for-22 in his last 13 games from downtown. However, Cummings is a player who knows his strengths and weaknesses, so he does not attempt an inordinate amount of treys. He continues to excel at slashing to the rack, getting to the foul line and finding open teammates for dimes. As a result, Cummings is still averaging 13.7 points and 4.1 assists per game. He is also an excellent rebounder for his size; the 6-foot-2 point guard is grabbing 4.3 rebounds per tilt. Cummings remains a nice fantasy option; just don't expect much in terms of shooting percentages.

Bo Barnes, G, Arizona State - Barnes played a pivotal role in ASU's stunning 81-78 victory over Arizona. Barnes scored a career-high 18 points in the stunning upset of the highly ranked Wildcats. Unfortunately, just as it appeared Barnes was finally coming out of his shell, he left Friday's game with due to an ankle ailment, and was forced to missed Sunday's tilt with Washington. The ankle injury makes Barnes an extremely shaky fantasy play this week, even in daily games with his price so low. He was seen testing the ankle prior to Wednesday's clash with the UCLA Bruins, and did eventually see some floor time, albeit in a limited fashion. However, Barnes averages just 6.9 points and 2.1 boards per game for the Sun Devils, meaning there should be better options available.

DOWNGRADE

Jordan McLaughlin, G, USC - McLaughlin has been forced to shoulder a heavy workload for the undermanned Trojans this season, and those shoulders have been giving out on him as a result. McLaughlin missed two games earlier this season with a right shoulder ailment, then reinjured his surgically repaired left shoulder last week against Oregon. McLaughlin suffered a torn labrum in the left shoulder as a high-schooler. The slick-dribbling, athletic freshman was excelling even in a down year for the 10-15 Trojans despite the injuries. McLaughlin was averaging 12.1 points, 3.0 boards and 4.5 dimes per contest. He posted an impressive stat line on February 8 at Stanford, racking up 18 points, four rebounds, eight dimes and five thefts. He had seven games with at least seven assists. It remains to be seen how long he'll be on the shelf, but Elijah Stewart makes for an interesting play in McLaughlin's absence. Stewart collected 19 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks against Oregon State on Valentine's Day.

Andrew Chrabascz, F, Butler - A broken hand will sideline Chrabascz for at least two weeks, and possibly longer. Chrabascz was finally hitting his stride for the Bulldogs, too, scoring in double-figures in seven of eight games prior to the contest in which he was injured. In the five games prior to the injury, Chrabascz had averaged nearly 16 points per game. The Bulldogs have a lot of big bodies to attempt to replace Chrabascz, but none that could match his recent production. As a result, Butler will simply have to rely on the players already on the court for them, most notably seniors Kameron Woods and Roosevelt Jones. Woods posted a double-double without Chrabascz on Monday at Creighton, while Jones tallied 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in the 58-56 victory.

Rashad Vaughn, G, UNLV - The Rebels suffered a crushing blow to their NCAA Tournament dreams when Vaughn tore his meniscus in his left knee. As a result, UNLV will likely be without the services of "Mr. Showtime" for at least one month, and Vaughn could miss the remainder of the year. The freshman swingman was averaging 17.8 points per game, and coming off of a 30-point outburst at Colorado State in early February. Vaughn has nine games of at least 20 points during his inaugural season in Vegas, despite hitting less than 70 percent of his free throws. The 6-foot-6 guard was also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Double-double dynamo Christian Wood had a huge game in Vaughn's absence Saturday at Air Force, notching 31 points, nine rebounds and five blocks against the Falcons. Expect the Rebels to unleash a heavy dose of Wood while Vaughn is on the mend.

Jaylen Adams, G, St. Bonaventure - The injuries continue to pile up across the college basketball landscape. Adams had surgery to repair an injured finger, and his status for the remainder of his freshman season is uncertain. He has already missed two games for the Bonnies, who lost both contests. That could be because Adams had emerged as the catalyst for the offense, averaging 4.5 assists per outing. Adams accumulated 14 dimes at Duquesne in late January; in fact, Adams had recorded at least six assists in seven of his last eight games prior to the injury. The Bonnies tallied just nine assists as a team in Wednesday's loss to Richmond. It appears that Adams will be almost impossible for the Bonnies to replace; he also was the fourth-leading scorer at 10 points per game, and even snatched 2.5 boards per contest.