This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The return of sophomore guard Allonzo Trier gave the Arizona Wildcats a huge boost. After much mystery, it leaked that the athletically gifted Trier had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in September. However, the NCAA later determined that he had unknowingly taken the substance. Eventually, Trier was cleared to play, and just in time for Saturday's showdown with UCLA. Trier returned with a bang, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the 96-85 win over the Bruins. Trier makes the Wildcats immediate title contenders, as the were already 17-2 with losses only to highly ranked squads in Gonzaga and Butler during Trier's absence. The Wildcats are also tied for first in the Pac-12 with Oregon at 7-0. Everything just got a whole lot more interesting out West.
Let's look at the rest of the roundball landscape in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
K.J. Lawson, G, Memphis - The redshirt freshman missed most of last season due to a heel injury, but hasn't shown much rust or many limitations thus far this year. Lawson is third on the squad in scoring, second in rebounding and third in assists; his brother, Dedric is actually tops in points and boards, and second in dishing. The Lawson brothers form quite a combination as KJ is a 6-foot-7 swingman while Dedric is an agile 6-9 power forward. Though Dedric has the better stats overall, it was KJ who exploded last Thursday for 28 points, 16 rebounds and five assists
The return of sophomore guard Allonzo Trier gave the Arizona Wildcats a huge boost. After much mystery, it leaked that the athletically gifted Trier had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in September. However, the NCAA later determined that he had unknowingly taken the substance. Eventually, Trier was cleared to play, and just in time for Saturday's showdown with UCLA. Trier returned with a bang, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the 96-85 win over the Bruins. Trier makes the Wildcats immediate title contenders, as the were already 17-2 with losses only to highly ranked squads in Gonzaga and Butler during Trier's absence. The Wildcats are also tied for first in the Pac-12 with Oregon at 7-0. Everything just got a whole lot more interesting out West.
Let's look at the rest of the roundball landscape in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
K.J. Lawson, G, Memphis - The redshirt freshman missed most of last season due to a heel injury, but hasn't shown much rust or many limitations thus far this year. Lawson is third on the squad in scoring, second in rebounding and third in assists; his brother, Dedric is actually tops in points and boards, and second in dishing. The Lawson brothers form quite a combination as KJ is a 6-foot-7 swingman while Dedric is an agile 6-9 power forward. Though Dedric has the better stats overall, it was KJ who exploded last Thursday for 28 points, 16 rebounds and five assists in a 70-67 OT win over Houston. The Tigers have won six of their last seven games, and the chemistry between Dedric and a healthy KJ is more evident than ever. As an aside, there are two more Lawson's in the pipeline; Chandler, the No. 18 overall recruit in the Class of 2019, and Jonathan, a member of the Class of 2021, who many have said could be the best of all the brothers. Quite the scary thought.
Ethan Happ, F, Wisconsin - Happ exploded at Minnesota on Saturday, racking up 28 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocks for the Badgers in a 78-76 OT win. It was a career day for Happ, and he notched the seventh double-double of his sophomore campaign. Happ does most of his damage in the post area; he's shooting an impressive 60.2-percent from the floor. Happ can be dominant, and if the Badgers are looking to make a return engagement to the Final Four after a one-year hiatus, then they need Happ to continue producing stellar performances like this.
Terence Davis, G, Ole Miss - Despite standing at just 6-foot-4, Davis is a superb rebounder. In fact, he has notched double-doubles in consecutive games for the Rebels. Perhaps most importantly, Ole Miss won both contests. It was the third and fourth such outputs of the season for the sophomore guard, who was named SEC Conference Player of the Week as a result. He is averaging 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest. Only senior double-double machine Sebastian Saiz is averaging more boards per tilt on the Ole Miss squad.
Eric Mika, F, Brigham Young - Mika returned from his two-year mission last Spring, but wasted no time in getting back in the swing of things for BYU. In fact, the 6-foot-10 sophomore continues to shine, having put together a string of seven-straight double-doubles for the Cougars. During that span, he set a career high in points with 31 against San Francisco on January 12th. In fact, Mika is in the Top 40 in the nation in scoring at 20.4 points per tilt. The Cougs are 5-2 over Mika's recent double-double stretch, and will need a huge game from him when they take on undefeated Gonzaga on February 2nd. Mika is perhaps one of the more under the radar stars in college basketball.
CHECK STATUS
Ben Lammers, C, Georgia Tech - Lammers has been dynamite on both ends of the floor for the Ramblin' Wreck of late. Lammers swatted eight shots last Wednesday; it was the fifth time as a junior that he blocked at least five shots in a game. Lammers is third in the country in shot-blocking, and he's also been a double-double machine for the Yellow Jackets. He has nine double-doubles in 19 games this season. That includes a career-high 23 points in a game against Clemson on January 12th. While the jump in stats has a lot to do with simply more minutes being given to Lammers, he has been a surprisingly stellar foul shooter despite standing at 6-foot-10 and not attempting any threes thus far this season. Lammers is hitting 80.3-percent of his shots from the charity stripe, meaning he has been making teams pay for fouling him. Lammers gives Georgia Tech a glimmer of hope in the jungle that is the ACC.
De'Aaron Fox, G, Kentucky - One of the premier point guards in the land, Fox left Saturday's win over South Carolina in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return. Though coach John Calipari insists that the injury is not serious, Fox was seen on crutches and sporting a walking boot on the sidelines in the second half. The freshman has been as good as advertised for the Wildcats thus far, averaging 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per tilt. It remains to be seen how much, if any time Fox misses due to the issue, but senior Dominique Hawkins did play 28 minutes in Fox's absence. Certainly the Wildcats have no shortage of talented guards, though, so expect Malik Monk and Isaiah Briscoe to shoulder the load in the backcourt if Fox remains on the shelf.
Kameron McGusty, G, Oklahoma - His last name might sound like a rejected cheeseburger, but there's been nothing stale about this freshman, who has more than been holding his own during his first year in Norman. The freshman has turned up the heat of late, scoring in double figures in six-straight games for the Sooners. By contrast, McGusty had just two games in double-digits through the first 12 games of his brief collegiate career. The next step in his evolution as a player will be to impact the game in other ways than the scoring column; the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging just 1.8 rebound and not even one assist per game. Should he continue to see heavy minutes, McGusty will need to prove he is more than just a one-trick pony.
Kevaughn Allen, G, Florida - Despite being the leading scorer for the Gators, Allen has been inconsistent and rather unpredictable. He poured in a season-high 29 points Saturday against Vanderbilt; Florida still lost the game by a score of 68-66. In the game prior to Saturday's tilt, Allen scored just one point, largely due to foul trouble. The Gators lost that contest at South Carolina as well. In fact, Allen had three-straight games under 10 points prior to Saturday's outburst. Once thought to be perhaps the only legitimate competition for the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC, the Gators are now 14-5 on the season and struggling. Allen and company need to figure out the formula to success, and fast.
DOWNGRADE
O.G. Anunoby, F, Indiana - Anunoby and the Hoosiers can't seem to shake the injury bug this season. Anunoby missed time earlier this season with an ankle issue, then went down last Wednesday versus Penn State with a knee injury. It has been determined that Anunoby will need knee surgery and miss the remainder of the season. An athletic forward with NBA Draft lottery talent, Anunoby was averaging 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest as a sophomore. With fellow forward Juwan Morgan also ailing, the Hoosiers might be forced to play extremely guard-heavy lineups around center Thomas Bryant. In addition, leading scorer James Blackmon, Jr. will almost certainly have the green light to shoot each and every time he touches the ball. Blackmon tied his career high with 33 points in Saturday's win over Michigan State.
Antonio Campbell, F, Ohio - The reigning MAC Player of the Year recently suffered a broken foot, and Campbell will undergo season-ending surgery. As a result, his collegiate career will come to an end prematurely. Campbell averaged a double-double last season for the Bobcats, and was nearly effective this year. The senior was managing 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest prior to getting hurt. The Bobcats will be forced to look to the future now, and freshman Jason Carter appears to be next in line. Carter notched a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in Ohio's last game, a 78-69 win over Northern Illinois.
Alec Wintering, G, Portland - Yet another collegiate career cut short; the ultra-productive senior Wintering tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Wintering was averaging career bests across the board, compiling 19.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per tilt. The Pilots have lost six-straight games in conference play, and without Wintering, unfortunately there may be no end in sight to their misery. 5-foot-10 Jazz Johnson will be forced to shoulder even more of the offensive burden in Wintering's absence, while fellow sophomore Rashad Jackson should see more run as well.
Dillon Brooks, F, Oregon - Despite being undefeated in conference play as mentioned above, there has to be some concern in Eugene regarding Brooks and his ailing foot. Brooks missed the first three games of the season after rehab from offseason foot surgery took a bit longer than anticipated. Thereafter, the Ducks brought him back slowly, bringing him off the bench at first. His minutes have remained a tad inconsistent despite being reinserted into the starting lineup. However, perhaps the treatment was justified, as Brooks re-injured the same foot last Thursday against Cal and is out indefinitely. The NCAA Tournament hopes of the Ducks take a huge hit if Brooks can't return to the court this season, but even if he does, one has to wonder how effective he will be, as he has been unable to get into a rhythm and play heavy minutes this season due to the ailment.
