College Hoops Barometer: Maye the Force Be With You

College Hoops Barometer: Maye the Force Be With You

This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.

Apparently Trae Young is human after all. The freshman sensation had arguably his worst game as a collegian Tuesday versus Kansas State, turning the ball over 12 times in a blowout loss. Young has at least six turnovers in five of the last six outings for the Sooners. in addition, just one game after hitting a staggering 10 three-pointers versus TCU, Young struggled from long range, connecting on just two of 10 shots from beyond the arc against the Wildcats. Young remains a star in the making, but he has been a tad streaky in terms of treys since conference play began, and the rise in level of competition has seen his turnovers increase as well.

Let's take a look at some other players making waves in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Luwane Pipkins (G)
The sophomore not only has one of the best names in college basketball this season, but he can flat out score as well. Pipkins doused La Salle with 44 points last week in an overtime win. Pipkins is averaging over 20 points per game this season, and has hit at least 30 points in three contests this year. He is not a one-trick pony, though, as he is also managing 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for the Minutemen. UMass may be mediocre in the Atlantic-10 this season, but Pipkins will be a candidate for a conference player of the year regardless.

Jeremiah Martin (G)
There were rumors a couple of

Apparently Trae Young is human after all. The freshman sensation had arguably his worst game as a collegian Tuesday versus Kansas State, turning the ball over 12 times in a blowout loss. Young has at least six turnovers in five of the last six outings for the Sooners. in addition, just one game after hitting a staggering 10 three-pointers versus TCU, Young struggled from long range, connecting on just two of 10 shots from beyond the arc against the Wildcats. Young remains a star in the making, but he has been a tad streaky in terms of treys since conference play began, and the rise in level of competition has seen his turnovers increase as well.

Let's take a look at some other players making waves in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Luwane Pipkins (G)
The sophomore not only has one of the best names in college basketball this season, but he can flat out score as well. Pipkins doused La Salle with 44 points last week in an overtime win. Pipkins is averaging over 20 points per game this season, and has hit at least 30 points in three contests this year. He is not a one-trick pony, though, as he is also managing 3.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for the Minutemen. UMass may be mediocre in the Atlantic-10 this season, but Pipkins will be a candidate for a conference player of the year regardless.

Jeremiah Martin (G)
There were rumors a couple of weeks ago that Martin was considering leaving the Memphis program. For their sake, let's hope that's not the case. Martin has been a beast of late for the Tigers, averaging 26.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists over the last four games. He is shooting an impressive 53.1 percent from the floor over that span. Not surprisingly, the Tigers won all four of those contests. Martin is second in scoring and fifth in assists in the American Conference, and the Tigers will need him to continue producing at a high rate in order to have any chance of making the NCAA Tournament in March.

Luke Maye (F)
One of the surprising stories of last season's title run, Maye has transformed from complementary piece to star for the Tar Heels as a junior. He is averaging a double-double for a squad that lost plenty of size and scoring to the NBA. That includes career bests of 32 points and 18 rebounds against Boston College last week. With several mammoth outputs to his name this season, Maye has emerged as perhaps the most vital cog in the North Carolina assembly line. He did leave UNC's last game briefly and received five stitches due to a cut on his nose, but returned to the floor no worse for wear.

Gary Trent Jr. (G)
Trent led a furious comeback in the second half by the Blue Devils on Tuesday versus Miami, as Duke stunned the Hurricanes with a 28-9 run to end the game. The charge was led by the freshman Trent, who poured in a career-high 30 points. Trent has been on fire from long distance of late, canning a staggering 12-of-16 three-pointers over the last two games. After struggling to find his rhythm early on as a freshman, Trent has scored at least 13 points in eight straight contests for the Blue Devils.

CHECK STATUS

Grant Williams (F)
Williams affects the game in a variety of ways for the Vols. During UT's current three-game winning streak, Williams had one outing where he scored a career-high 37 points. In a victory over Kentucky, he had eight rebounds and four assists. In yet another triumph, he scored only nine points but swatted three shots. On the season, Williams is averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 swats per contest. Williams always seems to be producing, but the particular categories in which he excels may vary on a nightly basis.

Sagaba Konate (F)
Konate is a force for the Mountaineers in the low post, particularly on the defensive end. He swatted Kansas shots in the first half alone of Monday's 71-66 loss. Only freshman sensation Mohamed Bamba of Texas is averaging more blocks per game in the Big 12. In addition, Konate has collected double-digit rebounds in four-straight games for West Virginia. His offense remains a work in progress; for a big man, his shooting percentage of 50.8 percent from the floor is on the low end. He has scored in single digits in 10 of West Virginia's 18 games this season. His defensive prowess makes him a stellar weapon, but his overall value could really make a jump if he can improve his efficiency and touch around the basket.

Quade Green (G)
Green has missed the last three games for the Wildcats due to a balky back. He appears to be close to returning, though his availability for Saturday's tilt with Florida remains in question. Green is one of five Wildcats averaging double figures in points, though he is also second on the team in assists. He has been sharing point guard duties with fellow freshman Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been seeing even heavier minutes without Green.

Matthew Fisher-Davis (G)
A shoulder injury forced the senior to miss Tuesday's loss to Mississippi State. Though the injury is not considered serious, it has been a down year for both Fisher-Davis as well as the Commodores as a whole. Fisher-Davis is averaging two fewer points per game than a season ago, and his shooting percentage from the field has dropped as well. In addition, he is shooting a career-low 33.3 percent from three-point range. Vandy has dropped four contests in a row, and currently sit at a dismal 6-12 on the season. Even with a quick return to the lineup by Fishier-Davis, this may be a lost season for the Commodores.

DOWNGRADE

Zach Smith (F)
Fresh off their upset win over West Virginia, the Red Raiders received some bad news. Smith had already been sidelined for the last two games, but confirmation arrived that he has been dealing with a broken bone in his foot, and his return date is currently unknown. Smith has taken a step back as a senior as well despite the early season success of the Red Raiders. He is averaging almost half as many points and rebounds as he did just a season ago, as freshmen Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver have taken over some of his responsibilities. With seniors Keenan Evans and Niem Stevenson leading the charge, the Red Raiders have plenty of depth and remain in good hands even if Smith has a lengthy absence.

Donta Hall (F)
Hall underwent a minor surgical procedure on his wrist and is expected to miss nearly two weeks for the Crimson Tide. The junior leads the squad in rebounding and is third on the team in scoring. He has three double-doubles to his credit this season already. Freshman big man Alex Reese had nine points and three rebounds in Alabama's last game in place of Hall, though the guard-heavy Tide will likely still rely on the exploits of Collin Sexton and Dazon Ingram if Hall has an extended absence.

Duncan Robinson (G/F)
Robinson was expected to play a large role for the Wolverines this season, but instead has seen his role diminish as the year has worn on. Robinson averaged 13 points in nearly 31 minutes per contest through the first seven games of the year. However, since Big Ten play began in earnest, he is averaging just 6.2 points per tilt in about 18 minutes played per game. Freshman Isaiah Livers has taken over Robinson's starting spot, and with the presence of Moritz Wagner in the frontcourt as well, Robinson's stock appears headed in the wrong direction.

D.J. Harvey (F)
The Irish frontcourt has been racked with injuries. First it was star Bonzie Colson who went down with a broken foot. It was hoped that Harvey could at least replace some of the production left by the void of Colson, but a knee injury of his own is expected to sideline Harvey for a significant period of time. In the four games before Harvey was injured, he averaged nearly 30 minutes per game, parlaying the increased opportunity into nine points and 5.8 boards per contest. Senior Martinas Geben had a monstrous 22-point, 17-rebound double-double in the absence of both Harvey and Colson on Tuesday versus Louisville, and will continue to see heavy minutes in an ultra-thin frontcourt. Sophomore John Mooney should also see a bump in playing time.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jesse Siegel
Siegel covers college football, college basketball and minor league baseball for RotoWire. He was named College Sports Writer of the Year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.
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