College Hoops Barometer: Brooks is Quacking

It's a new year, and yet so much remains the same. Taking a glance at the top 10 of the college basketball rankings, and the group is littered with the usual stalwarts. Michigan State, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arizona. Virginia has been a staple at the top of the rankings the last few seasons as well, and Maryland also has a rich history dating back decades. Even Butler has become a well-known college hoops commodity since Brad Stevens and Gordon Hayward put the school on the map.

So which of the schools in the top 10 is not the others? A case can be made for Oklahoma at No. 3, though most knew senior Buddy Held would be a Player of the Year contender. No, the focus is on Xavier, 12-0 and still flying under the radar. Despite making the NCAA Tournament a staggering 24 of the last 28 years, the Musketeers are still not mentioned with the premiere college basketball programs in the country. The Musketeers have never been to a Final Four, which could be part of the reason. Coaches have also used Xavier as a stepping stone rather than a landing spot, as head honchos like Thad Matta and Sean Miller have parlayed their success at the school into more higher-profile jobs.

Could this be the year that all changes? Trevon Bluiett is one of the best players the casual college basketball fan has likely never heard of. The sophomore has been able to build on a stellar freshman season with an even better start to his second year. At 6-foot-6, Bluiett is an exceptional rebounder despite having guard skills otherwise. He is shooting better from three-point range than from the field overall, canning a blistering 44.9-percent of his treys. In all, Bluiett is averaging 14.7 points and 7.7 boards per game, as the Musketeers have already notched standout wins over Cincinnati, Michigan and Dayton.

Who else is looking to build off a stellar start to the season? Let's take a gander in this week's College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Dillon Brooks, F, Oregon - The Ducks are stacked in the frontcourt, but Brooks remains the most impressive player of the bunch. It's Brooks who leads the talented group in minutes, points and rebounds, while tying for second in terms of assists. He is averaging 16.5 points per game, but has been even better recently. Over the last four contests, the sophomore is averaging 21.5 points. He played all 40 minutes in three of those four games. The Ducks are clearly reliant on brooks and his many talents, and that has resulted in increased production, which should continue once Pac-12 play begins.

Chase Fischer, G, BYU - It seems like BYU churns out these high-scoring guards. Jimmer Fredette, Tyler Haws and now Fischer, the senior and Wake Forest transfer. Fischer is averaging 17.4 points per game, shooting an outrageous 8.7 three-pointers per tilt. Fischer poured in 41 points against New Mexico last week, hitting a ridiculous nine treys in a 96-66 rout of the Lobos. He came back the following game and "only" scored 26 points, though he still took 11 shots from long distance. That made for 25 three-pointers taken in just a two-game span. With that kind of freedom to shoot whenever he pleases, it is no surprise that Fischer has the potential for explosive point totals each and every time he takes the court.

Michael Young, F, Pittsburgh - The Panthers have begun the season 10-1, and perhaps no player is more responsible for the hot start than Young. Though he has had some help from Jamel Artis and James Robinson, it is Young who is the leading scorer and rebounder on the squad. Perhaps most impressively, he has improved on his scoring and rebound from a season ago despite playing five fewer minutes per game. That's efficiency at its finest, as Young is averaging 17.4 points and 7.9 rebounds in just 26.6 minutes per contest. He has been no slouch dishing the rock either, compiling 3.4 assists per game as well, which is second on the squad. In sum, Young has been doing a little bit of everything for Pitt, while maximizing his opportunities.

Isaiah Miles, F, St. Joseph's - Miles posted one of the more absurd stat lines of the young season last week against Virginia Tech. With a stat line LSU freshman sensation Ben Simmons would be proud of, Miles tallied 36 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in a 79-62 thrashing of the Hokies. Miles connected on 11-of-18 shots from the floor, as well as 11-of-12 free throws. It was the fourth double-double of the season for the senior, who is averaging 17.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest. Miles and junior DeAndre Bembry form one of the most potent frontcourt combos in college basketball. Bembry is averaging 16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

CHECK STATUS

Dyshawn Pierre, F, Dayton - A friendly reminder that Pierre could be eligible to be reinstated as early as December 30th against Arkansas, as he was suspended for the fall semester for an off-court incident. Pierre was the leading rebounder for the Flyers last season with 8.1 boards per contest. Dayton has been dominated on the glass to begin the year; the Flyers are averaging 38.8 boards per tilt, which is tied for 105th in the nation. The Flyers were outrebounded by 14 in a 90-61 loss to Xavier early in the season. Pierre's return should provide a huge boost, provided he is in shape, can get in rhythm and can stay on the court.

Isaiah Briscoe, G, Kentucky - Briscoe missed Saturday's intrastate clash with Louisville due to an ankle injury. The Wildcats had more than enough depth to overcome the Cardinals, but this is still not a team on caliber with last year's squad. As a result, though the injury is not considered serious, the Wildcats would prefer to have Briscoe back sooner rather than latter. The freshman had been playing over 30 minutes per game en route to average 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest.

Fred VanVleet, G, Wichita State - A hamstring injury sidelined VanVleet for four games earlier this season, and he has yet to regain his form from last season. His assists are down, his turnovers are up, and he is still attempting to play a full complement of minutes for the Shockers. Still, it's not that VanVleet has been particularly bad, only by comparison to his junior campaign. He has still managed 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.3 dimes per contest. Perhaps most importantly, the Shockers are 5-2 with him in the lineup, whereas the squad was just 1-3 during the four games he missed in late November.

Michael Carrera, F, South Carolina - The Gamecocks are 11-0; is their scorching start a mirage, or a sign of things to come? Carrera is the leading scorer and rebounder for South Carolina, and though he has always played decent minutes throughout his four years in school, he has never been the focal point of the squad. Still, he is aided by two other big bodies in the frontcourt, Mindaugas Kacinas and Laimonas Chatkevicius. All three players are averaging about 12 points per game, and between four and six rebounds per contest. Still, South Carolina's biggest win so far has been at 7-5 Clemson, so perhaps the Gamecocks are in for a rude awakening once SEC play starts. We'll see if Carrera and company are able to keep up the production, and the winning, against stiffer competition.

DOWNGRADE

Cameron Ridley, C, Texas - Ridley broke his foot during practice over the weekend and recently underwent surgery. He will be out indefinitely. The behemoth of a big man was averaging a double-double for the Longhorns, scoring 12.7 points and snatching 10 rebounds per game. The senior was also tied for fourth in the country in blocks, swatting 3.4 shots per game. It's a crushing blow for the Longhorns, who have reeled off six-straight wins after starting the season just 2-3. Without Ridley's services for the foreseeable future, Texas is extremely thin in the frontcourt. The inexperienced Prince Ibeh, along with Maryland transfer Shaquille Cleare, are the most likely candidates for a bump in playing time, though coach Shaka Smart has done well with smaller, more athletic lineups in the past at VCU. He could simply choose to wreak havoc in this fashion until Ridley returns.

Chris Clarke, G, Virginia Tech - The injury of the week seems to be a broken foot, as the injury will sideline Clarke in the short term as well following a surgical procedure. The freshman had been productive for the Hokies since coming on campus, averaging 10.5 points and 7.4 bounds per contest. Though Clarke was the second-leading rebounder on the squad, the Hokies were rather well-balanced in terms of scoring, and still have USF transfer Zach LeDay. LeDay leads the squad in both categories and has accumulated seven double-doubles through the first 12 games for Virginia Tech.

Jordan Barham, G, Davidson - Davidson is most famously known for being the school that produced NBA MVP Steph Curry. However, coach Bob McKillop has taken the Wildcats to eight NCAA Tournaments during his 27-year tenure at the school, including three of the last four years. Junior Jack Gibbs is putting up Steph Curry-type numbers this season, averaging 24.6 points per game. However, the Wildcats have four players scoring in double figures, including the senior Barham, who is averaging 12.5 points per contest. Barham left Davidson's last game with a knee injury, though, and the severity has not yet been determined. The experienced squad is rather thin overall, as Barham is only one of six players averaging more than 20 minutes played per game. As a result, an absence of any length of time for Barham could be significant for the Wildcats, whose only losses thus far have come to power conference teams in UNC, Pitt and Cal.

TJ Dunans, G, Auburn - The Tigers have struggled to begin the 2015-2016 campaign, even with the talented frontcourt duo of Tyler Harris and Cinmeon Bowers. Kareem Canty has been the catalyst for the offense as well, as the Marshall transfer leads the squad in both scoring and dishing. Still, Auburn is rather thin after those three players, and their lack of depth showed in their two most recent, brutal losses to Harvard and Hawaii. Dunans suffered a knee injury in the loss to the Crimson, and did not play in the loss to Hawaii, as Canty notched seven turnovers in the 79-67 defeat. Dunans is not only the fourth-leading scorer for the Tigers, at 12.4 points per game, but also takes some of the ball-handling pressure off of Canty, as the two play the majority of their minutes together. The injury to Dunans may not be serious, but the Tigers are going to have even more issues than they already have if his absence is lengthy.