This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
It seems as long as Gonzaga plays its games in the West Coast Conference, the Bulldogs will always be treated as a step-child. An "untested" Cinderella. An unworthy mid-major.
Nevermind that the Zags have beaten Florida, Iowa State, Arizona, Washington and Tennessee during the non-conference slate. Nevermind that they just beat what was supposed to be their biggest in-conference rival in Saint Mary's by 23 points Saturday. No, at 17-0, Gonzaga still cannot crack the top 3 in the polls, even though they are the only undefeated team remaining in college basketball. Perhaps it is because the Zags have never been to a Final Four. Perhaps the college hoops establishment is scared of setting some sort of precedent, or nervous about a Wichita State-type collapse in the NCAA Tournament.
No disrespect to Villanova, Kansas or UCLA, but it seems as though the Zags are getting the short end of the stick in favor of the "Bluebloods". Maybe to change perception, Gonzaga has to quiet the doubters and make the Final Four. Maybe this is the year everything changes. For now, though, Gonzaga will just have to try and run the table in its seemingly meaningless conference games.
UPGRADE
Scottie Lindsey, G, Northwestern - Lindsey has taken his game to another level as a junior. He's averaging nearly 10 more points per game than a season ago, leading the 15-4 Wildcats in scoring. Northwestern has never been to the NCAA Tournament. Yes, you read that correctly. Perhaps this is the year,
It seems as long as Gonzaga plays its games in the West Coast Conference, the Bulldogs will always be treated as a step-child. An "untested" Cinderella. An unworthy mid-major.
Nevermind that the Zags have beaten Florida, Iowa State, Arizona, Washington and Tennessee during the non-conference slate. Nevermind that they just beat what was supposed to be their biggest in-conference rival in Saint Mary's by 23 points Saturday. No, at 17-0, Gonzaga still cannot crack the top 3 in the polls, even though they are the only undefeated team remaining in college basketball. Perhaps it is because the Zags have never been to a Final Four. Perhaps the college hoops establishment is scared of setting some sort of precedent, or nervous about a Wichita State-type collapse in the NCAA Tournament.
No disrespect to Villanova, Kansas or UCLA, but it seems as though the Zags are getting the short end of the stick in favor of the "Bluebloods". Maybe to change perception, Gonzaga has to quiet the doubters and make the Final Four. Maybe this is the year everything changes. For now, though, Gonzaga will just have to try and run the table in its seemingly meaningless conference games.
UPGRADE
Scottie Lindsey, G, Northwestern - Lindsey has taken his game to another level as a junior. He's averaging nearly 10 more points per game than a season ago, leading the 15-4 Wildcats in scoring. Northwestern has never been to the NCAA Tournament. Yes, you read that correctly. Perhaps this is the year, the Wildcats end the drought. Lindsey also has the Wildcats on a three-game winning streak which has boosted their conference record to 4-2 in the Big Ten. Lindsey is averaging 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists during conference play. With center Dererk Pardon rounding into health, along with contributions from forward Vic Law and point guard Bryant McIntosh, the Wildcats could be poised to break the school's curse and go dancing in March.
Jevon Carter, G, West Virginia - The Mountaineers made sure that Baylor's time atop the polls was short-lived, as West Virginia trounced the Bears, 89-68, last Tuesday. Carter had a season-high 17 points in the rout, along with three rebounds, seven dimes and five steals. Carter has proven an expert in thievery throughout his time with the Mountaineers. In fact, he is fourth in the nation in steals with 3.1 thefts per contest. The full-court press of coach Bob Huggins seems to suit Carter well. An improved shot has boosted Carter's all-around game as well, as he is shooting a career-high 44.8 percent from the floor. A capable assist man to boot, all that seems to be missing from Carter's repertoire is more consistency from beyond the arc. Still, he's scored in double figures in eight straight outings, and West Virginia is 7-1 over that span.
Canyon Barry, G, Florida - The son of NBA legend Rick Barry, Canyon made waves when he was spotted shooting his free-throws underhanded just like his father. The younger Barry is hitting 83.9 percent from the charity stripe "Granny Style", but there's much more to Canyon's game than just emulating his father at the free throw line. The graduate transfer from the College of Charleston has been particularly effective of late, averaging 18.8 points and 4.3 rebounds over Florida's last four contests, all wins for the Gators. That includes a season-high 27 points in Florida's most recent victory over Georgia. The Gators are 5-0 in conference play, and could be the only squad that can give Kentucky a run for its money in the SEC. Circle February 4th on the calendar; the Gators host the Wildcats in Gainesville on that date.
Marcus Marshall, G, Nevada - Marshall is a scorer first and foremost, and he certainly loves the three-point shot. In fact, only two players in the country take more treys per game than the Missouri State transfer. Marshall is shooting over 40-percent from beyond the arc, but that's not the only weapon in his arsenal. Marshall gets to the foul line nearly six times per game as well, hitting 82.7-percent of his shot from the charity stripe. Marshall knocked in 14-of-15 free throws in his last game at Wyoming. He has been particularly scorching of late, having scored at least 25 points in five of the last six games for the Wolf Pack. Perhaps not surprisingly, Nevada is 5-1 over that span. Marshall has also nearly doubled his assists per game from his final season at Missouri State, and had nine dimes in a contest earlier this year. With Marshall at the helm, the Wolf Pack have a legitimate chance of making the NCAA Tournament out of the Mountain West.
CHECK STATUS
Marc-Eddy Norelia, F, Florida Gulf Coast - A turbulent season for the senior forward, who recorded 16 double-doubles as a junior, could be back on the rails, just when all hope seemed lost. Norelia missed the first four games of the season due to a broken hand suffered in the offseason, and started slow out of the gate while getting back into rhythm. Once he finally appeared to be getting back into the swing, there were murmurs of off-court concerns, and the 6-foot-8 senior subsequently missed six games in late December and early January, including not even traveling with the team. However, Norelia made a triumphant return to the lineup and has averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds over the last two games for the Eagles. it remains to be seen how the rest of the season will play out for Norelia at "Dunk City", but FGCU certainly appears to be the frontrunner in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a healthy (and happy) Norelia.
DeAndre Burnett, G, Ole Miss - The Miami transfer injured his ankle last Wednesday versus Georgia, and he was unable to take the floor Saturday at South Carolina. The Rebels lost both contests. While an MRI showed no ligament damage, Burnett remains day-to-day, and Ole Miss will certainly miss its leading scorer and assist man. The Rebels have already limped to a 1-4 start, and a gimpy Burnett will certainly not help matters. Burnett is averaging 18 points and 3.1 assists per tilt. Burnett is only an adequate outside shooter from the field, but he is exceptional at getting to the foul line and hitting free throws. Burnett averages 7.6 trips to the charity stripe per game and shoots 91-percent from there. Certainly a balky ankle will limit his ability to get to the hoop and draw contact, though, so it remains to be seen if he will be limited upon his return.
Luke Fischer, C, Marquette - The big man for the Golden Eagles has struggled during Big East play. Over the first 12 games of the season, the non-conference slate, he averaged 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. By contrast, in the six conference subsequent conference games, Fischer is averaging just seven points along with 5.3 rebounds per tilt. Foul trouble has been a chief concern for Fischer. The senior has fouled out of three of those six conference tilts, with four fouls in the January 14th clash with DePaul. Fischer needs to be smarter with his fouls so that he can stay on the floor and make an impact for Marquette. The Golden Eagles lost two of the three games in which Fischer was disqualified.
Malik Pope, F, San Diego State - Injuries have limited Pope's effectiveness this season. Despite having an NBA game (he's viewed as a stretch-4), Pope has been unable to stay on the floor during a good chunk of his time as a junior. He has missed a total of nine games already this season, all because of knee issues. He missed the first three games of the season after tweaking his knee prior to an exhibition game in early November, then missed six-straight games most recently due to pain behind the knee. He was able to return this past Saturday in a win over Utah State, but it should come as no surprise that the Aztecs struggled in Pope's absence. It remains to be seen how effective he will be moving forward. In other words, will the injury linger? Or will Pope make good on his NBA ability? Only time will tell.
DOWNGRADE
Quentin Snyder, G, Louisville - The Cardinals will be without the services of Snyder for at least two weeks due to a hip flexor injury. The junior guard leads the team in assists with four dimes per game, and he is also second on the squad ins scoring. The loss of Snyder comes at a particularly poor time for the Cardinals, who had rebounded to win three-straight ACC games after starting the season 0-2 in conference play. The Cardinals are rather thin at guard, meaning that even more pressure will be placed on leading scorer Donovan Mitchell to perform. Mitchell is averaging 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore.
Tevin Mack, F, Texas - Mack has been suspended indefinitely by the Longhorns for a violation of team rules. The leading scorer for Texas, the sophomore Mack was averaging 14.8 points per game, as well as 4.8 boards per tilt. The suspension only furthers the dismal start for the Longhorns, who have lost five of their last six games and sit at 1-4 in the Big 12. The Longhorns did get some good news this past week, though; standout point guard recruit Matt Coleman chose the Longhorns over Duke. However, Coleman obviously won't be able to help coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns this season.
Detrick Mostella, G, Tennessee - In another unfortunate turn of events, Mostella has been kicked off the Tennessee basketball team. He was third on the squad in both points and rebounds. Mostella had been playing inspired basketball of late as well, managing 15.2 points in the six games prior to his dismissal. Look for freshman Grant Williams and sophomore Admiral Schofield to eat up the minutes left by the departed Mostella.
Maurice Watson, Jr., G, Creighton - Watson suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in Sunday's win over Xavier in what could be a crushing blow for the Bluejays. He reportedly heard the knee pop, and was seen on crutches after halftime. Watson is the leading assist man in the country, averaging 8.8 dimes per contest. However, Watson was no slouch in terms of scoring the basketball as well, managing 13.4 points per game, which was third on the squad. Should Watson be sidelined for an extended period, the Bluejays would be forced to rely even more heavily upon leading scorer and K-State transfer Marcus Foster, along with sophomore Khyri Thomas in the backcourt. During the regular season, the 18-1 Bluejays still have to face ranked Butler and No. 1 Villanova, along with a rematch with Xavier. While not appearing to be season-ending, the injury still puts a huge damper on Creighton's once-promising Final Four dreams.
