This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
Who is going to beat Duke if freshman phenom Marvin Bagley III continues playing at such an elite level? Bagley has seven double-doubles through the first nine games of his collegiate career. The 6-foot-11 forward is shooting 59.8 percent from the floor, and has even canned four treys thus far this season. Add in a stacked roster with fellow freshman big man Wendell Carter, Jr., as well as the most hated player in America in the form of Grayson Allen, and the Blue Devils appear to be just as good as advertised. Duke is No. 1 in the nation and currently sits at 8-0 after dispatching of Texas, Florida and Indiana in successive matchups.
Let's take a look at some other notable names in this week's College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
The freshman sensation Sexton scored 40 points Sunday for the Tide in an 89-84 loss to Minnesota in the Championship of the Barclays Center Classic. In a bizarre twist, a near brawl saw about half of the Alabama team ejected from the game for leaving the bench during the fracas. Due to an additional injury and foul woes, the Tide played the final 13 minutes of the game with just three players, Sexton being one of them. In one or the more valiant comeback efforts you will see, Sexton scored nearly half of his team's points in the contest but could not get the shorthanded Tide all the way over the hump. Sexton is averaging 25.2 points,
Who is going to beat Duke if freshman phenom Marvin Bagley III continues playing at such an elite level? Bagley has seven double-doubles through the first nine games of his collegiate career. The 6-foot-11 forward is shooting 59.8 percent from the floor, and has even canned four treys thus far this season. Add in a stacked roster with fellow freshman big man Wendell Carter, Jr., as well as the most hated player in America in the form of Grayson Allen, and the Blue Devils appear to be just as good as advertised. Duke is No. 1 in the nation and currently sits at 8-0 after dispatching of Texas, Florida and Indiana in successive matchups.
Let's take a look at some other notable names in this week's College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
The freshman sensation Sexton scored 40 points Sunday for the Tide in an 89-84 loss to Minnesota in the Championship of the Barclays Center Classic. In a bizarre twist, a near brawl saw about half of the Alabama team ejected from the game for leaving the bench during the fracas. Due to an additional injury and foul woes, the Tide played the final 13 minutes of the game with just three players, Sexton being one of them. In one or the more valiant comeback efforts you will see, Sexton scored nearly half of his team's points in the contest but could not get the shorthanded Tide all the way over the hump. Sexton is averaging 25.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists through the first six games of the season, flashing his enormous potential.
Brandon McCoy (F) 
McCoy is a 7-1 freshman imposing his will on the opposition. He has the Rebels off to a 6-1 start. McCoy is averaging a monstrous double-double over that span with 18.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per tilt. Though the Rebels have faced mostly patsies thus far during the 2017-2018 campaign, McCoy did record a massive double-double with 26 points and 17 rebounds in a clash with Power 5 opponent Utah of the Pac-12.
Jalen Hudson (G) 
The transfer from Virginia Tech has been pouring it on for the Gators of late. He posted a career-high 35 points in a Double OT win over Gonzaga last Friday, hitting eight-three pointers in the 111-105 victory. He nearly led the Gators to an upset over Duke in the following contest, notching a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Hudson is shooting an impressive 47.5-percent from long range, but has also nearly doubled his free-throw attempts as compared to his sophomore season at Virginia Tech. The Gators will give Kentucky (and perhaps Texas A&M?) a run for their money for the SEC Championship.
Andrew Rowsey (G) 
Rowsey currently leads the Big East in scoring, average 23.3 points per game. This average has more than doubled from a season ago. Rowsey is also managing more rebounds and assists than last year; he is seventh in the conference in dishing at this time. Increased opportunity does have something to do with the huge uptick in numbers for Rowsey, though, the 5-11 guard has shown a penchant for drawing fouls and getting to the foul line. Nearly a 90-percent shooter from the charity stripe, Rowsey is shooting more than nine free throws per game, which places him amongst the leaders in the entire nation in that category. He has taken his game to new heights as a senior.
CHECK STATUS
The Bulldogs lost plenty of firepower from last year's squad that made it all the way to the NCAA Championship Game before losing to North Carolina. However, Perkins returns in a more central role for the 'Zags, who are still a Top 25 team this year. Perkins is averaging nearly double as many points as a season ago at 15.6 points per contest. That places him second on the team behind former Mizzou forward Johnathan Williams. Perkins is also the leading assist man for the Bulldogs at 4.6 dimes per tilt. The 'Zags have some new faces playing bigger minutes and larger roles, but the talent is still there for coach Mark Few, and the inside-outside game between Williams and Perkins should still carry the 'Zags a long way this season.
Kenrich Williams (G/F) 
The Horned Frogs are 6-0, but have not really played anyone of note just yet. Can their hot start last? Even if not, Williams should be a stat sheet stuffer for the entirety of the 2017-2018 season. The 6-7 senior led TCU to the NIT Crown last year and was the Most Outstanding Player of the tourney. The Horned Frogs are thirsty for more this year, and if they make the NCAA Tournament, it will be on the back of Williams. He is a jack of all trades, averaging 12.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.9 steals per tilt. Williams is a combo forward who can do a little bit of everything. With three-straight double-doubles for TCU, Williams could be surging at the right time as TCU gears up for conference play.
J.P. Macura (G) 
Forward Trevon Bluiett gets the pub for the Musketeers, but the senior Macura has been a steady contributor over the last year or so. In particular, Macura has been much more efficient with his shot. He's posted career bests in shooting, both from three-point range as well as overall from the field. In fact, the 6-5 guard is hitting over 59 percent of his shots from the floor thus far this season. By contrast, Macura never hit more than 47 percent from the floor in any previous season. It remains to be seen if he can maintain this type of efficiency from the floor, but both his shot selection as well as his shooting stroke seem improved. Add in 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, and it is clear Macura is vital to Xavier's success.
Des
Deshawn Freeman (F) 
The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 6-0 start this season before succumbing to Florida State in a narrow 78-73 loss Tuesday. However, the defeat cannot be pinned on Freeman, who collected his second-straight double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. The 16 boards set a career high for Freeman, who notched 10 double-doubles last season. Rutgers has been predicted to be arguably the worst team in the Big Ten this season, so Freeman may not be able to post many more double-doubles once the competition stiffens. Still, the minutes should be there for Freeman as he plays in his final collegiate campaign.
DOWNGRADE
Maston is unlikely to return to the floor for the Bears until the beginning of 2018 after breaking his hand Tuesday. Maston is undergoing surgery, and the official timetable is 4-to-6 weeks on the shelf. Matson is currently third on the squad in scoring and second in rebounding. Even more pressure will now be placed on frontcourt mate Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. The seven-footer is already averaging a double-double on the young season, though struggled without Maston on the floor in a 76-63 loss to Xavier. Former Miami Hurricane Manu Lecomte will also be asked to shoulder some of the additional scoring load.
Malik Pope (F) 
Pope flirted with going pro following his junior season, but ultimately decided to return to the Aztecs. This was probably a smart decision, as the 6-10 stretch forward missed a good chunk of last year with a knee injury. However, after starting off his senior campaign strong, he has struggled of late. A foot injury could be to blame, as Pope will undergo further testing to determine the severity of this nagging injury. While he has superb raw gifts, Pope has yet to truly tap into his vast potential. He also must shake off the injury bug and prove he is not injury prone. Pope is averaging 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest; in fact, he leads the squad in rebounding. The Aztecs would have some serious issues on the glass if Pope is sidelined for an extended period of time.
Josh Newkirk (G) 
A change in coaching staffs has negatively impacted Newkirk. With new coach Archie Miller now running the show for the Hoosiers, Newkirk is seeing fewer minutes than he was a season ago. In fact, the senior is averaging seven fewer minutes per game than last year. Though never a huge scorer, Newkirk is averaging just eight points per game as Miller implements his system and experiments with lineups. The Hoosiers got crushed by Indiana State in the season opener, so Miller still has some kinks to work out.
Brandon Sampson (G/F) 
An ankle injury will keep Sampson out for at least the near future. Sampson initially injured the ankle just one minute into last Tuesday's clash with Notre Dame, then was forced to sit out the contest the following night against Marquette. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Tigers lost both matchups, despite a Herculean effort from freshman standout Tremont Waters in the loss to Marquette. Sampson was averaging 10 points, four rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for the Tigers, who will be forced to rely even more heavily upon the aforementioned freshman Waters. Sophomore Skylar Mays will also be asked to pitch in a bit more in the backcourt as long as Sampson is sidelined.
