College Hoops Barometer: Big Hart in Philly

In an era that has seen the erosion of the prototypical big man, the Golden State Warriors winning with small ball, and players on fast breaks sprinting towards the three-point line instead of the basket, the Purdue Boilermakers are kicking it old school. While nobody would mistake Isaac Haas and AJ Hammons for the Twin Towers of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, there is something to be said for Purdue's 11-0 start being largely due to these 7-footers. Add in 6-foot-9 freshman Caleb Swanigan as the leading rebounder and 6-foot-7 sophomore Vince Edwards, and the Boilermakers have NBA-type height.

Still, Purdue is not immune to the three-point sensation that is sweeping the nation. The Boilermakers hit 10-of-21 treys in a 95-64 thrashing of Youngstown State on Saturday. However, the Boilermakers are dominating the glass, currently ranked fifth in the country in rebounds per game. They are also playing from the inside out. Going down low to Hammons and Haas, the H&H Boys, and then kicking the ball out to their shooters. Sharing is caring, and Purdue is 10th in the country in assists per game as well. Along with playing suffocating defense, the Boilermakers are showing it doesn't have to be all glitz and glam to get the victory.

UPGRADE

Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma – The new kids on the block always get the fanfare, but Hield, the old man of the bunch, is off to a riveting start for the Sooners. The senior is averaging 22.1 points, five rebounds and two dimes per game and is coming off a 30-point barrage against Oral Roberts, as the Golden Eagles proved no match for Hield's superpowers. Oklahoma is undefeated, and this may be the best chance another Big 12 team has had in a long time of dethroning Kansas. The Jayhawks have won a staggering 11 straight Big 12 regular season championships, and 13 of the past 14.

Josh Hart, G, Villanova – The Wildcats seem to churn out guards. Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye, Maalik Wayns, just to name a few. Hart has been among the bigger surprises in college hoops to begin the year, taking on a much larger role than anticipated and shining in the spotlight. The junior is scoring almost five more points per game than a season ago, averaging 15 per contest. He is also averaging 7.1 rebounds per game, playing as the biggest guard in the three-guard set that coach Jay Wright often likes to employ. Only big man Daniel Ochefu is averaging more boards per tilt for 'Nova. Along with the sharpshooting Ryan Arcidiacono and freshman Jalen Brunson, the Wildcats have yet another triumvirate in the backcourt that can do some damage come tourney time.

Henry Ellenson, F, Marquette – Back to the neophytes. Ellenson is a highly skilled big man with a sharpness to his game that is well beyond his years. The freshman is averaging 16.5 points, nine rebounds and even 2.6 dimes per game, showing terrific footwork, vision and ball-handling skills. Having slimmed down over the past few seasons, Ellenson has drawn comparisons to Kevin Love in his ability to stretch the floor, handle the rock and find the open teammate. He will never be mistaken for an elite defender, but his offensive game is legit. Ellenson's versatility at 6-10 will make him a highly sought-after commodity at the next level, but for now, the opposition is going to have their hands full.

Michael Gbinije, F, Syracuse – A Duke castoff, Gbinije has reinvented himself as a member of the Orange, turning into a more productive player as a senior. He is a scorer first and foremost, and the improvement in his shot selection has been readily apparent. Gbinije is hitting over 50-percent of his three-pointers this season, but he is also getting to the free throw line much more frequently. In addition, he is shooting a career-best 70.6-percent from the charity stripe. His work in the gym has clearly paid dividends, as Gbinije hit just 57.1 percent from the charity stripe last season, while averaging nearly two fewer attempts per game. At 6-7, his ability to both hit the trey as well as take the ball to the rack makes him a matchup nightmare. He also fits the 2-3 zone on the defensive end, using his length and athleticism to create 2.9 steals per contest, which is fifth in the nation. Known in recent years for losing underclassmen to the NBA draft, Syracuse has instead been able to develop Gbinije and keep him around as long as possible.

CHECK STATUS

Kris Dunn, G, Providence – The best player in college basketball might just be Dunn, who probably does not fit in this section, but had to get mentioned somehow. Though he is currently battling a minor illness and did not play against Bryant on Saturday, Dunn is expected back shortly for the Friars. All Dunn has done this season is average 16.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Did I mention he is also second in the nation in steals? He had an eight-theft game to open the season against Harvard, then stole seven passes against NJIT later in November. Dunn could be approaching quadruple-double territory one of these games. Lord help those poor unfortunate souls; I'm looking at you this weekend, Rider. Dunn is a stat-sheet stuffing dynamo, and there should be plenty more eye-popping statistical outputs this season.

Isaac Hamilton, G, UCLA – Hamilton can get lost on a squad with the coach's son, Bryce Alford, and Tony Parker (no, not THAT Tony Parker). However, Hamilton has been the spark for the Bruins in recent games, scoring in double-digits in seven-straight games. In fact, Hamilton has scored at least 17 points in five of those seven. The junior guard has also improved the rest of his game as well, nearly posting a triple-double against Cal Poly in the second game of the season. He is averaging more than three rebounds and three assists per contest, though also had an eight-turnover game, so it has not been all sunshine and rainbows. And once again, he can get lost in the shuffle on such a balanced squad. However, it should come as no surprise that the Bruins have been able to beat ranked squads in Kentucky and Gonzaga during Hamilton's recent hot streak.

Caris LeVert, G, Michigan – A little help here? That's what LeVert must be thinking each and every time he steps onto the hardwood. He could have bolted to the NBA, of course, but instead he decided to return for his senior campaign in Ann Arbor. He has been electric against inferior opponents; for example, LeVert had a triple-double against Northern Kentucky on Tuesday. In addition, he scored 29 of the squad's 70 points in an early season loss to Xavier, then followed that up with a near triple-double in a 66-59 win over NC State. However, against stiffer competition, LeVert has been bottled up. At least that was the case against SMU last week, when he shot an abysmal 1-for-13 from the floor, including 0-for-6 from three-point land. Was this game just an aberration, or a sign of things to come for LeVert and the Wolverines, who lost Spike Albrecht for good and are just getting Derrick Walton back to health. The Big Ten is ferocious this season, and LeVert will almost certainly be the focal point when teams face Michigan.

Markus Kennedy, F, SMU – Kennedy suffered an ankle injury and is without a timetable for a return. He had been percolating for the Mustangs prior to the injury, scoring in double figures in four of his last five contests. The senior had been shooting a career-best 58.2 percent from the field, while also showing improved distribution skills. Kennedy is averaging 2.7 assists per game for the undefeated 'Stangs. In his absence, Ben Moore will be asked to pick up the slack. The junior messed around and nearly got a triple-double in the last game against Michigan.

DOWNGRADE

Amile Jefferson, F, Duke – A fractured foot is going to sideline Jefferson for at least a couple of months, damaging what was already an extremely thin frontcourt for the Blue Devils. He was averaging a double-double with 11.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest. In addition, Jefferson was shooting a blistering 68.3-percent from the field. Coach K has already embraced the youth movement, as seen with last season's championship squad that started three freshmen, but Brandon Ingram will now have to shoulder even more of the load both in the scoring column as well as on the offensive glass in the absence of Jefferson. Marshall Plumlee will also be forced into action, though the younger brother of Mason and Miles is not quite the athlete that his brothers were, and he has never played big minutes in his four years playing at Cameron.

Kennedy Meeks, F, UNC – The injury bug is not just confined to Durham, as the epidemic appears to have spread just down the road to Chapel Hill as well. Meeks is a mountain of a man who will miss about two weeks due to a bruised left knee. Though the injury could obviously have been worse, Meeks had issues with the same knee last season, so perhaps UNC is simply being cautious with him. The Heels will still have a void down low for the time being, though, as Meeks is averaging 12.3 points and 7.4 boards per game this season.

Luke Kornet, F, Vanderbilt – Early-season injuries often have the ability to rob a team of momentum, or even prevent them from reaching their full potential. That could mean trouble for the Commodores, who were supposed to have an extremely potent and dominant frontcourt with Damian Jones and the 7-1 Kornet. While Jones is off to a monster start to the year, Kornet was also averaging a career-best 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, a torn MCL will sideline Kornet for about a month, leaving Jones to fend for himself in the post without his right-hand man. The absence of Kornet may help Jones in terms of fantasy numbers, but it will likely hurt the Commodores overall in terms of winning and losing games.

Dazon Ingram, G, Alabama – A broken foot that requires surgery will cut Ingram's inaugural season at Alabama brutally short. While he may be eligible for a medical redshirt, new coach Avery Johnson will be missing one of his prized recruits and a kind of jack-of-all-trades for the Tide. At 6-foot-5, Ingram, who is averaging 7.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game this season, is a tall point guard with a varied skill set who can affect the game in a variety of ways. In his absence, look for Retin Obasohan and Justin Coleman to receive bumps in production.