College Hoops Barometer: Fox Leads 'Cats

During the selection process for the NCAA Tournament, one of the most scrutinized items for bubble teams is the strength of their non-conference schedule. Did a particular school choose challenges in November/December, or did they simply want cupcake tune-ups for conference play? That is one of the questions.

Take Michigan State, for example. The Spartans do not appear to have the same caliber squad as in years' past, though they have also played a brutally hard schedule to begin the season. The Spartans play Arizona, Kentucky, Duke and a ranked Baylor team in the first eight games of the year. So while the Spartans could be 4-4 to start the season, coach Tom Izzo challenged his kids and believes it will help them once conference play begins. Meanwhile, Maryland, another Big Ten school, decided to simply rest on its laurels. The Terps are 7-0, but they have hardly played anyone of note. One-point wins over Kansas State and 3-4 Georgetown are the "best" victories on Maryland's resume.

Now, there is no right or wrong answer. That said, none of Michigan State's losses will likely be looked upon as "bad" losses. On the flip side, despite Maryland winning each of the first seven games of the season, it is unlikely that any of those wins will mean much to the selection committee. Nobody likes a loss, sure, but if I'm running a huge program, I try to get at least a couple of tough tests against elite opponents on the slate before heading into the meat of my schedule. A loss usually doesn't hurt you much in those contests, while a win could do wonders come tourney time if you happen to find yourself on the bubble.

We're still a long way from March Madness, though. So let's look at some players rising and falling in this week's College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

De'Aaron Fox, G, Kentucky - The Wildcats have yet another absurdly talented freshmen crop, with Fox and backcourt mate Malik Monk leading the charge. While Monk may be a better shooter and scorer, it's the versatile Fox who can fill up the entire box score. In fact, Fox notched just the second triple-double in Kentucky history in the Final of the Atlantis Showcase. Fox collected 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the 115-69 shellacking of the Arizona State Sun Devils. Overall, Fox is averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.0 steals per contest for the Wildcats. He is tied for fourth in the country in assists. With fellow freshmen Edrice Adebayo and Wenyen Gabriel manning the frontcourt, UK has yet another exciting, dazzling group of neophytes, with Fox serving as the catalyst.

Tacko Fall, C, Central Florida - A candidate for the All-Name Team, Fall is difficult to miss, on or off the basketball court. The 7-foot-6 center from Senegal was adjusting to the college game as a freshman last season, but appears to be rounding into form for the Knights this year. He has three double-doubles through the first five games of the season en route to averages 15.2 points and 13.0 rebounds. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fall has also been a capable shot blocker, managing 3.2 swats per contest. The Knights are 4-1 to start the season, with their only loss coming against defending champion Villanova in a rather competitive contest. In that game, Fall shot a perfect 10-for-10 from the floor. He is shooting an insane 78.3 percent from the floor on the year, as most of his shots come around the basket. Now, if he could only shoot free throws. Fall is 4-of-22 (18.2 percent) from the charity stripe thus far. Still, the overall progress is notable for Fall, and directly beneficial to the Knights early on this season.

Drew Eubanks, F/C, Oregon State - Expect an upswing in production from Eubanks due to the recent injury to teammate Tres Tinkle, who recently suffered a broken wrist. Though Tinkle will not require surgery on the wrist, he will still miss at least a month for the Beavers, and he must feel a little snake-bitten. Eubanks broke his foot in the offseason and had surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Tinkle had returned with a vengeance through the first six games of the season, though, managing 20.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per tilt. However, in the first game without Tinkle, it was Eubanks who poured in a career-best 32 points in a blowout win over Southern Oregon. The 6-10 big man will certainly be relied upon heavily until Tinkle comes back.

Marquise Moore, G, George Mason - Rebounding is largely about effort. I am a firm believer in that idea, that some players simply want the ball more than others. I feel that way watching Russell Westbrook crank out triple-doubles for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The same can also be said for Moore, the 6-2 guard who is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game for the Patriots. That includes a 15-rebound game against Bradley last week, and a 14-rebound output against Kent State in the previous contest. Moore is no slouch when it comes to scoring the basketball either, as he is averaging 18 points per game while shooting a crisp 50 percent from the floor. Still, the most impressive part of Moore's play recently has been his rebounding. Size does not preclude you from boxing out, going after loose balls and simply wanting the basketball more than your opponent. Moore has proven that mantra thus far this year.

CHECK STATUS

Sindarius Thornwell, G, South Carolina - The Gamecocks have started the season on a tear for the second-straight year, led by the hot-shooting of the senior Thornwell. Thornwell is averaging 20 points through the first six contests, shooting an impressive 48.7 percent from the field. That includes a 48.1 percent clip from beyond the three-point arc. Thornwell is also averaging a career-high seven rebounds per game, dishing out 3.3 dimes per tilt and even swatting a shot or two each game. So why isn't Thornwell an upgrade? For one, this type of shooting is uncharted waters for him. In his career he hasn't shot above 39 percent in any season from the field, while failing to shoot above 37 percent from three-point range in any year as well. Even his free throw shooting percentage has been unusually high. In addition, as mentioned above the Gamecocks also started last season on fire at 15-0, only to limp to a 9-8 finish and miss the NCAA Tournament. As such, it might be better to take a wait-and-see approach with both Thornwell's production as well as the anointment of the Gamecocks into the upper echelon of the SEC.

Obi Enechionyia, F, Temple - I'll refrain from a Star Wars reference here. Too easy. Enechionyia is a stretch-four at 6-10, 220. He is shooting a blistering 56.3 percent from downtown. The three-point shot only really became part of his game a season ago. Obi has also been able to take advantage of his size en route to averaging nine rebounds per game. This is significant because he averaged just 3.8 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game just last season. As such, it appears that Enechionyia has made great strides in both outside shooting as well as rebounding as a junior. Only time will tell if these improvements will stay, though it is clear the departures of both Jaylen Bond and Quentin DeCosey have opened up added opportunities for Obi.

John Collins, F, Wake Forest - Collins played more of a complementary role last season, with Devin Thomas dominating the frontcourt and racking up the double-doubles. With Thomas graduating, though, Collins has taken over that slot. The sophomore has three double-doubles through the first seven games, including each of the last two games for the Demon Deacons. Collins has proven an excellent scorer in the post, averaging 17.9 points per tilt. It remains to be seen how Collins will fare against stiff competition in the ACC, but thus far he is more than holding his own.

Nigel Hayes, F, Wisconsin - After two seasons of playing as a sidekick to Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, Hayes piloted the Badgers as a junior last year with averages of 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Returning for his senior season, Hayes was selected as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Whether there's been added pressure, outside distractions or Hayes simply has not been able to find his groove yet, the start to his final season in Madison has been a bit disappointing. Hayes is averaging just 11.6 points per game. His rebounds and assists are also slightly down from a season ago. Hayes had just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in last week's ugly 71-56 loss to North Carolina. The sample size is small, and the season still in its infancy, but thus far Hayes has not lived up to the preseason hype.

DOWNGRADE

James Blackmon, Jr., G., Indiana - As if losing to the Fort Wayne Mastodons wasn't bad enough, the Hoosiers found out their leading scorer in Blackmon has been dealing with a knee injury. He was forced to sit out Sunday's clash with Mississippi Valley State. Though the injury is not considered serious at this time, Blackmon was unable to practice at all leading up to that game. Not only has Blackmon been the leading scorer for the Hoosier's early on this season, but he is also second on the team in rebounding and third in assists. Any sort of lengthy absence would certainly hurt Indiana, as the Hoosiers are a tad thin at guard without Blackmon in the lineup.

Kameron Rooks, C, California - The Bears lost Jaylen Brown to the NBA, and Rooks was expected to fill some of the void in the paint. The 7-2 center was averaging 6.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 rejections per game thus far during the 2016-2017 campaign, filling in admirably down low while leaving most of the scoring to Ivan Rabb and Charlie Moore. However, Rooks hurt his knee and is now out indefinitely. With no timetable set for his return, and Jabari Bird still dealing with a back injury, Cal is suddenly thin in the frontcourt. Look for Kingsley Okoroh to eat up the majority of the minutes vacated by Rooks.

Yuta Watanabe, G/F, George Washington - The 6-9 swingman did not show much growth as a sophomore, but had been off to a better start to begin his junior campaign. Watanabe was averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game through five tilts for the Colonials. That included a double-double against Siena in the second contest of the season. Watanabe hails from Japan and has a lanky frame, though he had been attempting to put on weight in each of the last two offseasons. Unfortunately, Watanabe recently injured his lower leg, and missed GW's last game versus Penn State. It remains to be seen how long Watanabe will be sidelined. Once dubbed "The Chosen One" in Japan, Watanabe must prove he can stay healthy, get stronger and shoot with more consistency.

Landen Lucas, F, Kansas - Did I miss the memo? Wasn't this supposed to be the year Lucas finally saw enough playing time to break out? That has not materialized thus far during his senior campaign, as Lucas is averaging just 4.5 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Jayhawks. Coach Bill Self has used 6-8 freshman sensation Josh Jackson at the power forward position, even though Jackson is more in the mold of a shooting guard or small forward. Foul trouble has also been a huge bugaboo for Lucas, who has fouled out of two of KU's six games this season. Lucas has accumulated four fouls apiece in two other contests. After playing 35 minutes in the season opener versus Indiana, Lucas has crossed the 20-minute mark just once since that time. Discipline will be the name of the game for Lucas, who hasn't been able to stay on the court enough to fulfill his promise.