This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
Now that conference shuffling seems to have come to at least a temporary halt, it seems that the Big East may be making a comeback. Although Syracuse and UConn both left the once dominant conference, some of the old school power programs appear to be gaining steam once again. Villanova is one of the last undefeated teams, and coach Jay Wright has been fairly consistent in keeping his Wildcats nationally relevant in recent years. However, not since the tenure of Ron Artest and Bootsy Thornton has the St. John's Red Storm seen this type of renaissance. One of the premiere programs of the 1980s, the Johnnies had a few good seasons in the 90s before dipping into anonymity. In 2014, the return to prominence has been led by senior guard D'Angelo Harrison, who averages 19.5 points per game. Meanwhile, the Seton Hall Pirates have matched the 11-2 start of St. John's, including a head-to-head win Wednesday, with the scoring of Sterling Gibbs. The Pirates have not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 2004; St. John's hasn't won a tourney game since 2000. Even Georgetown has been ranked this season. Will the Big East continue to make a power play? Or has the relevance of this conference come and gone? Stay tuned.
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UPGRADE
Kyle Collinsworth, G, BYU - Triple-doubles are rare feats, particularly in the college realm. There have been six triple-doubles this season in the NCAA; Collinsworth has managed two of them. His latest stat-sheet stuffer came Saturday against highly ranked Gonzaga. In an 87-80 loss to the Bulldogs, Collinsworth tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. His other triple-double came Dec. 6 against Hawaii. Collinsworth notched 19 points, 12 boards and 10 dimes in the 90-70 rout of the Warriors. Collinsworth averages 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. With 2.2 steals per game to his resume as well, the junior is an elite fantasy option. His next triple-double could be right around the corner.
Luke Fischer, C, Marquette - The height-challenged Golden Eagles have welcomed Fischer with open arms. The only player taller than 6-foot-7 on the roster, Fischer was a midseason transfer from Indiana who sat out two semesters before becoming active for Marquette. In his first four games since becoming eligible, Fischer has responded with averages of 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. The 6-11 center has even proven an able passer, managing 1.8 assists per tilt. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Golden Eagles were 4-0 over that span. Prior to those four games, Marquette limped to a 4-4 record out of the gate. Fischer's impact cannot be overstated; he is shooting an absolutely outrageous 63.9 percent from the floor. Although that number does not figure to last, it is clear that Fischer's presence in the middle has been huge for Marquette.
Christian Wood, F, UNLV - The Rebels had a loaded frontcourt last season with Pittsburgh transfer Khem Birch and Connecticut transfer Roscoe Smith. As a result, minutes were hard to come by for Wood. With both players leaving Las Vegas, however, Wood has finally shown his ability. In fact, the 6-11 sophomore is averaging a double-double this season. Wood has managed 14.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Specifically, Wood has notched double-doubles in eight of UNLV's 12 games to begin the 2014-15 campaign, including each of the last two contests. Wood has also made his presence felt on the defensive end, averaging 3.2 rejections per game. The big man's patience is clearly paying dividends.
DeAndre Mathieu, G, Minnesota - Andre Hollins has battled injury this season, leaving the senior Mathieu to take on an increased role for the Gophers. While the 5-9 Mathieu doesn't quite have the same build or scoring prowess as fellow senior Hollins, Mathieu has been extremely effective dishing the rock this season. Mathieu is averaging 6.6 assists per game, including two double-doubles and five games with at least eight assists. Mathieu has also shown his quickness on the defensive end of the court, notching 2.8 steals per game. He has five games with at least four assists. Over the last four games for Minnesota, Mathieu has excelled in thievery, totaling 16 thefts. Even his scoring has been lifted, as Mathieu has found double figures in scoring in six of the last seven games. Mathieu's ability to impact the game in a variety of ways makes him a valuable fantasy commodity.
CHECK STATUS
Malcolm Brogdon, G, Virginia - Brogdon was one of the main reasons Virginia ended up with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. His emergence as a freshman, a scoring complement to team leader Joe Harris, helped elevate the cavaliers to new heights. With Harris now playing in the NBA, Brogdon was expected to take the reins of the squad and bring his game to another level. While he hasn't been bad as a sophomore, his numbers have pretty much stayed the same from a season ago. Brogdon is averaging 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore. Last season, Brogdon averaged 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Virginia plays a slowdown offense and is premised on defensive stoutness, but the absence of Harris should have created a void for Brogdon. That has not materialized thus far for Brogdon. So while the sophomore is enjoying a consistent campaign, his numbers have not been eye opening. However, it is worth noting that he is averaging 15.8 points over his last four contests.
Tekele Cotton, G, Wichita State - Cotton's story is similar to Brogdon's. The Shockers lost a crucial part of their regular season undefeated squad from a season ago when Cleanthony Early jumped to the NBA. A four-year player for the Shockers, Cotton's scoring is actually down from a season ago. Cotton has battled shooting woes to begin his senior year. He is shooting a career-low 40.9 percent from the field, including a subpar 28.2 percent from long distance. Cotton has never been a good free-throw shooter, but the 6-3 guard is hitting an inexcusable 53.6 percent from the charity stripe. Add in a decrease in rebounding and a slight increase in turnovers, and Cotton's impact hasn't been quite so positive for the Shockers, even though he continues to see heavy action.
Ryan Boatright, G, Connecticut - Few people expected the Huskies to win the national championship last season. Even fewer expect them to compete for the title without Shabazz Napier. UConn's tourney hopes in 2015 hinge on the play of Boatright, who has taken the helm for the Huskies with Napier in the NBA. Boatright's numbers have seen a predictable rise, as he is averaging 17.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. However, the senior left Wednesday's OT loss to Temple in the first half with a deep left thigh bruise. Boatright tried to come back onto the court in the second half, but could not gut it out. The injury does not appear to be serious, but the Huskies have four games in 11 days during an upcoming stretch, and do not stand much of a chance with Boatright gimpy or riding the pine.
DaVonte Lacy, G, Washington State - Perhaps this is being a bit picky, as Lacy is still putting up stellar numbers for the Cougars. The senior guard averages 17.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. However, his points and rebounds are down from a season ago, and his shooting percentages are at their lowest since his freshman campaign. Lacy is hitting just 40 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point land. He is also averaging a career-high 2.4 turnovers per contest. The issue could be the lack of overall talent from the Cougars, a squad that is 6-6 this season, including 0-3 on the road. Lacy is being asked to do almost everything for this unit; his only real help is sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson, who is averaging a double-double. As a result, Lacy has a lot on his plate, and could simply be forcing things from time to time.
DOWNGRADE
Isaiah Whitehead, G, Seton Hall - The Pirates appeared to be back on the rise this season, buoyed by the play of the freshman sensation Whitehead. However, Whitehead suffered a stress fracture in his foot just before Christmas, and will be sidelined for at least a couple weeks. Whitehead was averaging 11.9 points, 4.3 boards and 3.4 assists through 11 games for the Pirates. Junior sharpshooter Sterling Gibbs will be forced to shoulder even more of the scoring load for Seton Hall in Whitehead's absence. Fortunately for the Pirates, Gibbs is hitting more than 50 percent of his treys thus far as a junior.
Anthony Drmic, G, Boise State - A lingering ankle injury ultimately proved too much for Drmic, who will undergo surgery next week and miss the rest of the season. Drmic had missed the previous six games for the Broncos before the decision was made to shut it down. The senior swingman was second on the squad in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Drmic will reportedly file for a medial hardship waiver and attempt to return to school for a fifth season. Without Drmic, the Broncos will be forced to rely even more heavily upon senior point guard Derrick Marks.
Eli Carter, G, Florida - The Gators had high hopes for Carter this season, with massive departures from last season's squad that made the Final Four. He averaged 14.9 points per game as a freshman for Rutgers in 2012-13. Unfortunately, Carter has barely been able to get his season off the ground due to a variety of injuries. Carter missed five of Florida's first 11 games due to leg and foot ailments. After a nearly two-week layoff he took the court Tuesday against Florida State, only to hurt his ankle during his first minute of game action. The snake-bitten Carter is averaging 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, but hasn't really been able to find his rhythm due to the assortment of injuries. It remains to be seen how long his ankle injury will keep him sidelined.
Tiel Daniels, F, Colorado State - How about the start for the Colorado State Rams? Without much fanfare, CSU is off to a 13-0 start, mostly due to the continued dominance of J.J. Avila. The senior forward is averaging 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for the undefeated Rams. Daniels is a transfer from Southern Illinois who shares the frontcourt with Avila. Daniels averages 5.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, but missed the last game due to a calf injury. He will likely be sidelined for at least one more contest, as he remains on the mend. Fortunately for the Rams, they are extremely deep this year, so even if Daniels misses more time, players like Stanton Kidd, Daniel Bejarano and Gian Clavell will be more than able to pick up the slack. Daniels could even lose his spot in the rotation due to the depth of the Rams.
