This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The Duke Blue Devils are a juggernaut. Duke has an unblemished 12-0 record in ACC Conference play, and many of those wins have been lopsided. In fact, Duke has won eight of those 12 contests by at least 20 points. As far as star power, Cooper Flagg gets the pub, and rightly so. He is the likely No. 1 selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, as close to "can't-miss" as there has ever been. But this Duke squad is so much more than just Flagg. The sensational play of another freshman, Kon Knueppel, often gets overlooked; Knueppel is averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Khaman Maluach is also a freshman, and at 7-2 he is difficult to miss. Maluach provides an intimidating presence on both ends of the court for the Blue Devils. In fact, Duke allows fewer than 60 points per contest, which is fifth in the country. Junior Tyrese Proctor provides a steady, experienced hand in the backcourt. The Blue Devils even dipped their toes into the transfer portal for veteran point guard Sion James, who has done less scoring than he did at Tulane, but continues to shine in terms of playmaking ability. An intriguing clash with Clemson (10-2 in ACC) looms this weekend, but Duke is riding a 16-game winning streak and has not lost since before Thanksgiving. In addition, Duke handed No. 1 Auburn its only loss of the season. We still have a month or so until March
The Duke Blue Devils are a juggernaut. Duke has an unblemished 12-0 record in ACC Conference play, and many of those wins have been lopsided. In fact, Duke has won eight of those 12 contests by at least 20 points. As far as star power, Cooper Flagg gets the pub, and rightly so. He is the likely No. 1 selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, as close to "can't-miss" as there has ever been. But this Duke squad is so much more than just Flagg. The sensational play of another freshman, Kon Knueppel, often gets overlooked; Knueppel is averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Khaman Maluach is also a freshman, and at 7-2 he is difficult to miss. Maluach provides an intimidating presence on both ends of the court for the Blue Devils. In fact, Duke allows fewer than 60 points per contest, which is fifth in the country. Junior Tyrese Proctor provides a steady, experienced hand in the backcourt. The Blue Devils even dipped their toes into the transfer portal for veteran point guard Sion James, who has done less scoring than he did at Tulane, but continues to shine in terms of playmaking ability. An intriguing clash with Clemson (10-2 in ACC) looms this weekend, but Duke is riding a 16-game winning streak and has not lost since before Thanksgiving. In addition, Duke handed No. 1 Auburn its only loss of the season. We still have a month or so until March Madness, but the Blue Devils should be an incredibly popular pick to cut down the nets when the brackets are released.
Let's discuss some players who have been in the news recently in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Igor Milicic, F, Tennessee – The transfer from UNC-Charlotte has had a couple of monstrous games of late. Milicic posted 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks in Wednesday's thrilling win over Mizzou. He also tallied 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a narrow loss to Kentucky at the end of January. The 6-10 senior from Croatia has four double-doubles on the season. Not only does he lead the Vols in rebounding, but he has proven to be a more than capable passer out of the post. Milicic will need to be at the top of his game if Tennessee wants to keep pace with Auburn, Alabama, Florida and others in the highly-competitive SEC.
Dain Dainja, F, Memphis – Since entering the starting lineup four games ago, Dainja has hit the 20-point mark twice, notched a double-double, averaged three dimes per game, stolen three passes in one contest and swatted four shots in another. Dainja is one of several transfers making an impact for the Tigers, including PJ Haggerty and Tyrese Hunter. However, Dainja's strong play this season, first as the sixth man and currently as a starter, is perhaps the most surprising. Despite showing tremendous efficiency at his last stop at Illinois, Dainja averaged just 10 minutes per game last season with the Illini. As a member of the Tigers this season, he is putting up career-best numbers, figures which have gotten even better over the last few outings.
Juwan Gary, F, Nebraska – Gary has been playing inspired basketball for the Cornhuskers, hitting the 20-point scoring mark three times over the last three weeks. That included a career-high 27 points against USC towards the end of January. He poured in 23 points at Oregon on Sunday, and followed that performance up with 17 points and seven rebounds in a win at Washington. Gary is averaging nearly 16 points per clash over his last seven outings, far exceeding his season average of 12.9 points per tilt. If the Cornhuskers have any chance of making the big dance, Gary will need to continue his recent stretch of stellar play.
Nelly Junior Joseph, C, New Mexico – The 6-10 senior originally from Nigeria has been a double-double machine for the Lobos this season. He has racked up an impressive 13 such outputs this season, including four-straight. He was particularly dominant in Wednesday's triumph over Colorado State. Not only did he score 18 points and snag 11 rebounds, but he also dished out a season-high four assists and swatted five shots. Junior Joseph forms a potent inside-outside combo with Donovan Dent, and the dynamic duo has the Lobos in prime position for a return to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season.
See how these rising players stack up among other power conference talent in RotoWire's fantasy college basketball rankings.
CHECK STATUS
Vasean Allette, G, TCU – Allette was dismissed from Old Dominion as a freshman last season, but landed with the Horned Frogs. He recorded arguably his best game as a member of his new school Wednesday, accumulating 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in the 65-60 victory over West Virginia. Allette can stuff the stat sheet when right, though had just 10 points combined in the previous two contests before Wednesday's outburst. Still, he has started 15-straight contests for the Horned Frogs and is averaging 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per tilt during that span. He may have the occasional clunker, but Allette remains one of the most important players on the roster for TCU.
Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona – Awaka suffered an undisclosed injury during Wednesday's 85-74 victory over BYU, leaving his status in question for the short term. After playing more of a complementary role for two seasons at Tennessee, Awaka transferred to the Wildcats and has started 21 of 22 contests for Arizona. He has four double-doubles on the season, and narrowly missed another versus the Cougars before departing due to injury. The leading rebounder on the team, Awaka's offensive game is limited to the paint area, and he does have a tendency to get into foul trouble, which also prevents him from playing more than 20 minutes per game. With Trey Townsend also ailing, Henri Veesaar could be thrust into a starting role, while freshman Carter Bryan could also be asked to shoulder more work around the basket.
Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.
DOWNGRADE
Chucky Hepburn, G, Louisville – Hepburn exited Wednesday's blowout win for the Cardinals over Boston College due to a groin injury. His status moving forward is unknown at this time. Hepburn has been a key component in revitalizing Louisville this season, averaging 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists in his first following a transfer from Wisconsin. The Cardinals have plenty of depth up front but are rather thin at guard, so expect fellow transfer Terrence Edwards from James Madison to be tasked with an even heavier workload if Hepburn misses time. Edwards came reasonably close to a triple-double in the win over the Eagles.
Conor Enright, G, DePaul – The starting point guard for the Blue Demons, Enright will miss the remainder of the season due to a balky shoulder. Enright had previously been playing through the injury, but underwent shoulder surgery and will be shelved for the remainder of the campaign. Enright was third in the Big East in assists, averaging 6.2 dimes per tilt. He was averaging 7.5 points per game as well, though the shoulder injury initially suffered in January may have been affecting his shooting. Enright shot just 37.7-percent from the field in January. By contrast, he never shot below 43-percent in either of his two previous seasons at Drake. David Thomas could see some increased run with Enright gone; the sophomore scored a season-high 16 points in Wednesday's loss to Villanova.
Tomislav Ivisic, F, Illinois – Ivisic missed three games at the end of January due to mononucleosis, making a triumphant return to the starting lineup this past Sunday against Ohio State. Unfortunately, the euphoria was short-lived, as Ivisic left Wednesday's clash with Rutgers early due to an ankle injury, and the Illini subsequently dropped the game to the Scarlet Knights by a score of 82-73. There has been no report yet as to the severity of the injury. The 7-1 sophomore is the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for the squad, so it is rather unsurprising that the Illini have lost three of their last five games while he has been battling multiple ailments.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim, F, Providence – A disappointing season ends in injury for Abdur-Rahim, who suffered a serious knee injury and will be unable to appear in additional games for the Friars this season. Abdur-Rahim transferred from Georgia, where he started 27 of 29 contests for the Bulldogs en route to averages of 12.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per tilt. The son of former NBA player Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jabri had been mostly coming off the bench for Providence this season, managing just 7.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per tilt. In a cruel twist, Abdur-Rahim had his best game as a member of the Friars in his last outing, pouring in 27 points, including eight three-pointers, in a narrow loss to an incredibly stacked St. John's squad. The starting backcourt trio of Bensley Joseph, Jayden Pierre and Corey Floyd will continue to hold down the fort for the Friars in Abdur-Rahim's absence.
