College Hoops Barometer: Can You Hawk the Hawk?

Trying to name the "best" player in the country is a difficult, nearly impossible task. So many factors have to be taken into account. Let me stress that there is no right answer. Is it the most physically gifted player? The most skilled? How about the player that means the most to their team? Arguments can be made for Denzel Valentine of Michigan State, Buddy Hield of Oklahoma, or Ben Simmons of LSU. Kris Dunn on Providence does not get nearly enough credit for his versatility. However, if I'm picking one guy I want to lead my squad into battle among this year's entire college class, it's Melo Trimble of Maryland.

The feisty point guard is strong with the ball, creates his own shots, can hit from long distance, and perhaps most importantly, is not afraid of the big moment. That was certainly on display Saturday, when he willed the Terps to victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. Trimble scored 13 points in the final nine minutes, including the game-winning trey. Maryland is 15-1, ranked in the top 5, and Melo is their undisputed leader. I'll leave the analysis of beastly center Diamond Stone (yes, you read that correctly) for another time.

More basketball goodness is on the horizon in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Josh Hawkinson, F, Washington State - You can talk the talk, but can you hawk the hawk? If the term "double-double" appeared in the dictionary, it might have Hawkinson's picture next to it. The junior forward has notched 10-straight double-doubles for the Cougars, punctuated by a mammoth 21-point, 20-rebound performance in his last game against Washington. It should come as no surprise, then, that Hawk is averaging a double-double, scoring 17.2 points and snatching 11.4 rebounds per contest. Hawkinson has 12 double-doubles in total this season, and has shown no signs of slowing. If only he could get some help on the glass from his teammates; the next highest rebounder on the squad is averaging 3.5 boards per contest. As such, the Cougs are among the worst rebounding squads in the nation despite the efforts of Hawkinson.

Jalen Jones, G, Texas A&M - Jones was suspended for the first four games of the season, and it took him a little bit of time to get back into a rhythm. He appears to have hit his stride of late, though. Jones has accumulated 66 points over his last three games, all wins for the surging Aggies. Jones has been no slouch on the glass either, registering at least six rebounds in all but one of the games he's played in this season. Jones is a big guard who is not afraid to mix it up with the big boys down low. He gets to the foul line with great frequency, averaging over five free throws per game. The Aggies have started conference play with an unblemished record, and Jones is a big reason why they are playing their best ball of the season.

Sebastian Saiz, F, Ole Miss - The scoring antics of Stefan Moody get most of the pub for the Rebels, but it has been the play of Saiz down low that has really turned heads this season. Saiz had more of a complementary role during his first two seasons, but has become more of a focal point on the interior for the Rebels during his junior season. Saiz has recorded double figures in rebounds in eight games this season. Ole Miss is 8-0 when Saiz grabs at least 10 rebounds in a game. He has tallied five double-doubles in the process, including two such outputs in his last two outings. Although the aforementioned Moody can really fill it up, as Saiz goes, so do the Rebels.

Alec Peters, F, Valparaiso - The Crusaders aren't all about Bryce Drew, though he is the coach and still has the most memorable moment in school history, a buzzer-beater in the NCAA Tournament in 1998 that gets played in March to this very day. While Bryce remains a prominent figure for the program, Alec Peters is the face of the Crusaders now. Peters is the leading scorer and rebounder for 13-3 Valpo, and he is coming off of the best game of his career. Peters poured in 39 points 12-of-20 shooting Sunday at Detroit. Peters hit all 11 of his free throws, while also collecting 14 rebounds in the 92-74 rout. It was also his fourth double-double in five games. The 6-foot-9, 230, stretch forward led last year's Valpo squad to the NCAA tournament, and as long as he is in the lineup for the Crusaders, they have a great chance to return.

CHECK STATUS

Kendall Pollard, F, Dayton - Pollard missed two games in a row for the Flyers due to an Achilles' tendon injury, though he did manage to suit up for this past Tuesday's tilt with Davidson. Still, it remains to be seen how effective he will be able to be, as this type of injury can linger with each and every step on the hardwood. Pollard is second on the team in scoring, and third in rebounding. His return happens to come just in time for the Flyers, though, as leading scorer Charles Cooke was a late scratch due to an oblique injury. If Cooke misses an extended period of time, Pollard could be in line for an even more vital role. However, he must prove that he is over his own injury first.

Malik Newman, G, Mississippi State - Some highly touted freshmen enter the college game and do not miss a beat, while others struggle to catch up with the speed, athleticism and skill of the opposition. Newman would fall somewhere in the middle, having come to Starkville amid great fanfare, listed as one of the top recruits at guard in the entire nation. He is averaging 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Bulldogs, by no means bad statistics. He has notched nine games with double-digit points. However, he has not had the splashy impact like some of his other similarly ranked counterparts, such as FSU's Dwayne Bacon or Kentucky's Isaiah Briscoe. Newman certainly has time to grow and mature, but it is clear he will not be able to carry the Bulldogs program to the promised land on his own, at least not as a freshman. MSU is just 7-7 to begin the year.

PJ Dozier, G, South Carolina - Dozier is another freshman that has not quite lived up to the hype just yet, though his lack of alleged star power is for a different reason entirely. The Gamecocks have been arguably the most surprising team in the country to begin the 2015-2016 campaign. In fact, SC has rattled off 15-straight wins to begin the year. This is the best start for the program since the 1933-1934 season. Let that sink in for a moment. Likewise, in the last 25 years in the SEC conference, the Gamecocks have started off league play with a record of 2-0 on just three occasions. In other words, this has been an historic season already. The Gamecocks have been riding veteran guard Sindarius Thornwell and Duane Notice throughout this hot streak, though Dozier is still averaging about 20 minutes played per game. Still, due to the squad's depth and rousing success, Dozier has not been asked to dominate the ball or exert his will. He has modest averages of 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Dozier will certainly take the wins over personal glory, though perhaps his fantasy numbers have not been quite so gaudy due to the scintillating start for the team as a whole.

Quenton DeCosey, G, Temple - On a rather pedestrian team, DeCosey has been the one constant. He is the only player scoring in double figures for the Owls, averaging 15.6 points per game. He has five games with at least 20 points this season, and has scored in double figures in all but two of Temple's games. The 6-5 senior is also second on the squad in both rebounding and dishing. He has two double-doubles to his credit this year as well. The Owls may have had a rough non-conference portion of their slate, but if they are to make any noise this year, it will undoubtedly be because of the play of DeCosey.

DOWNGRADE

Yankuba Sima, C, St. John's - The Johnnies seem to churn out these shot-blocking giants in recent years. Chris Obekpa immediately comes to mind. Sima appears to be in a similar mold, as the lanky 6-11 freshman was averaging 3.1 swats per contest, which is tied for fifth in the country. Using his length to his advantage, Sima also managed 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken bone in his left hand and will miss the next four-to-six weeks. How about this for a capable fill-in, though? Fellow freshman Kassoum Yakwe played a career-high 32 minutes in the first game without Sima, and Yakwe swatted six shots. St. John's lost its seventh game in a row, though, falling by a score of 81-75 to Marquette.

Allonzo Trier, G, Arizona - A broken hand will sideline the fabulous freshman for at least a month. It appears that Trier injured the hand in the epic quadruple overtime loss to USC, though he managed to play through the injury in that contest. Trier had 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the 103-101 loss. The Wildcats will play it safe with their prized neophyte, though, hoping to get Trier back for the Pac-12 Tournament and subsequently the Big Dance. Trier was the leading scorer for the Wildcats, racking up 14.8 points per game. In his absence, expect Gabe York and Ryan Anderson to attempt to shoulder even more of the scoring load.

Matthew Fisher-Davis, G, Vanderbilt - Fisher-Davis had been starting at shooting guard for the Commodores, but was forced out of Saturday's loss to undefeated South Carolina due to a foot injury. An MRI is on tap, leaving his status up in the air in the near future. He did not suit up for Tuesday's tilt with Auburn. The Commodores do have other versatile guards to carry the load like Riley LaChance and Wade Baldwin, but the squad has already been hit with the injury bug after losing big man Luke Kornet for a five-game stretch earlier this season. Vandy is just 8-7 on the season and 0-3 to begin SEC play, meaning they need all the help they can get. Missing out on 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game from Fisher-Davis will not help what has already been a disappointing start to the year.

Terry Henderson, G, NC State - The West Virginia transfer was supposed to make a big splash for the Wolfpack, but he has instead spent virtually the entire year on the shelf due to an ankle injury. Even more disturbing, coach Mark Gottfried indicated that the ailment might be serious enough to cause Henderson to miss the remainder of the season. Initial indicating were that Henderson would be back in 6-8 weeks following the injury, which was suffered in the season opener against William & Mary. Henderson played one season at West Virginia, averaging 11.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. The Wildcats have clearly missed his presence, as they have started ACC play with a dismal record of 0-3.