The Auburn Tigers started the college basketball season swimming in a sea of uncertainty. With serious allegations looming, and coach Bruce Pearl's job far from secure, the Auburn program appeared ready to implode. On the court, the Tigers were not expected to finish in the top half of the SEC, let alone contend for a conference title. Yet somehow, some way, the Tigers blocked out the noise and have become one of the biggest surprises of the season. The Tigers find themselves in first place in the SEC. Auburn is 9-2 in the conference, and 21-3 overall. Leading scorer Bryce Brown has been pouring it on of late, averaging 21.4 points over Auburn's current five-game winning streak, though he has been nursing a shoulder injury which could sideline him this weekend. Still, with four players averaging in double figures, the balanced Tigers are among the top scoring squads in the country. They are also ferocious on the glass, ranking in the top echelon in offensive rebound rate according to KenPom.com. The Tigers still must face Kentucky and Florida down the stretch, and lost a barnburner to Texas A&M on Wednesday, but Auburn is in the odd position of being in the driver's seat in the conference. Of note, Auburn has only won the SEC Regular Season Championship twice in school history, the last time coming in 1999. Can the Tigers complete a miraculous season? We'll see how the next month unfolds.

As always, this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer will highlight players who have made headlines over the past week.

Shamorie Ponds, G, St. John's

Remember the last time the Johnnies and Duke Blue Devils actually played a close game prior to last Saturday? Neither do I. Granted, the schools do not exactly square off all that often. Still, nobody expected the Red Storm to upend one of the top teams in the country. Yet that's exactly what unfolded Saturday at The World's Most Famous Arena. The Johnnies were led by scoring sensation Shamorie Ponds, a brimming star who actually decided to stay at home to go to school, unlike so many other New York City prodigies who take their talents elsewhere. Ponds poured in 33 points, while also collecting seven rebounds and four steals in the upset win. Still, Ponds wasn't finished, accumulating 26 points, five rebounds and five assists in Wednesday's stunning victory at No. 1 Villanova, perhaps even more impressive than the win over Duke. It was St. John's first conference win this season. Somehow, St. John's is under .500 yet boasts two of the more impressive victories of the season, and posted them consecutively no less.

Noah Dickerson, F, Washington

The reigning NCAA Player of the Week was an obvious choice for an upgrade, as Dickerson has taken his game to new heights recently. The junior forward has two double-doubles in the last four games. He's averaging 23 points over the last two tilts. Dickerson has improved his shooting in every facet this season, averaging career-bests in his percentages both from the field as well as from the charity stripe. Since losing two of the first four games of the season, the Huskies are 15-4 as a unit, and sit in third place in the Pac-12. Not bad for a team that lost the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft and was predicted to finish 10th in the conference. Dickerson's consistency has been a big part of U-Dub's success.

Kassius Robertson, G, Missouri

The leading scorer for the Tigers this season is a graduate transfer from Canisius College. Yes, you read that correctly. In the absence of Michael Porter, Jr., Mizzou has seen Robertson merge as its top scoring option. He earned SEC Player of the Week Honors, the first Missouri player in four years to earn such distinction, after sparking the Tigers with consecutive wins over Alabama and Kentucky. In an ultra-competitive conference, Robertson has placed the Tigers back on the bubble in terms of an NCAA Tournament bid. It remains an uphill battle for the Tigers (that non-conference loss to Illinois is going to be tough to overcome), but Robertson has given the Tigers hope in the unlikeliest of forms.

Tyler Cook, F, Iowa

Cook has been heating up of late, averaging over 20 points over the last five games for the Hawkeyes. Cook is shooting a blistering an impressive 60.8-percent from the field over that span. Cook has also seen a rebounding spike recently, managing four double-doubles in the previous eight games for Iowa. Unfortunately for Cook, his efforts have been largely forgotten, as the Hawkeyes are just 3-10 in Big Ten Conference Play, with road games against ranked opponents in the form of Ohio State and Michigan up next. Cook simply does not have enough help this season.

Peyton Aldridge, F, Davidson

Expectations were sky-high for Aldridge heading into his senior campaign for the Wildcats. Not only did he make garner Second Team All-Conference honors, but he was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team. The departure of Jack Gibbs was supposed to open up even more opportunities on the offensive end as well. Aldridge is averaging over 20 points per game once again this season, but his field goal percentage is down from a year ago. In addition, he is shooting a career-low 33.1-percent from three-point land. His rebounding totals are also slightly depressed. All in all, maybe the extra attention from the opposition has hurt Aldridge slightly in terms of efficiency and production. His statistics are still impressive, but perhaps not in line with the expectations from before the year started.

Doral Moore, C, Wake Forest

Moore won't make Demon Deacon fans forget about Tim Duncan, but the 7-foot-1 junior is a double-double threat each and every time he steps onto the floor. Moore has collected at least 10 rebounds in seven-straight contests for Wake Forest, amassing four double-doubles over that span. The imposing center is third in the country in field goal percentage, hitting over 70-percent of his shots from the floor. Foul trouble remains a concern for Moore; he's been disqualified from two of the last five tilts. Still, his conditioning has gotten better as the season has gone on, and he is starting to learn how to use his size to affect shots on the defensive end. Moore still may be a work in progress to a certain extent, but he has dramatically improved in his first season receiving legitimate minutes.

Eric Paschall, F, Villanova

A concussion kept the junior Paschall out of the above-referenced loss to St. John's on Wednesday, and the lack of depth and toughness on the interior showed. Paschall is averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. Since coach Jay Wright loves to employ three-guard sets, the play of a few big men can be vital to the team's overall success. With Paschall sidelined, the Wildcats were forced to rely on little-used freshmen Jamar Samuels and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, both of whom have not had the impact of fellow freshman phenom Omari Spellman. As a result, without Paschall, the Wildcats lost some of their interior presence and were unable to outrebound the Johnnies in the 79-75 loss. Paschall will miss at least another week for the Wildcats, who will face a Butler squad this Saturday which has already beaten them this season.

Isaiah Roby, F, Nebraska

Roby seems to alternate big outputs with duds this season. The sophomore forward set a career high with 21 points in Tuesday's triumph over Minnesota. He also collected eight boards and five blocks for the game. However, Roby failed to score a single point in the previous tilt at Wisconsin. In fact, Roby has just six games in double figures this season. Clearly, he is capable of filling up the stat sheet, but his lack of consistency in terms of shooting makes him difficult to rely on. Otherwise, Roby would be a sneaky performer, as he impacts the game in a variety of ways. He is fifth in the Big Ten in blocks and has also collected four assists and four steals in different contests as a sophomore.

Deng Adel, F, Louisville

The leading scorer for the Cardinals, Adel missed Thursday's tilt with Georgia Tech due to an ankle injury. The 6-foot-7 junior has seen improvement across the board in several categories his season, most notably scoring. He has been held in single digits just once this season. The severity of Adel's injury is unknown, but Louisville had been struggling even with the junior on the court this season. Louisville has lost three-straight games, and the Cardinals are now just 6-5 in ACC play. Adel is also second on the team in dishing, so even more pressure will be placed on senior guard Quentin Snyder to be the catalyst for the offense.

Nik Popovic, F, Boston College

Popovic himself has been the chief beneficiary of the season-ending injury to Deontae Hawkins. Popovic is averaging nine points and six rebounds per game though he has seen a notable uptick in minutes over the two months since Hawkins went down. However, the injury bug has caught up with the sophomore as well, as Popovic was injured in Tuesday's clash with Notre Dame and ultimately did not return to the contest. The type of injury, as well as the severity, is not yet known, though the Eagles would be mighty short-handed Saturday versus Miami if Popovic had to be held out. A combination of Vin Baker, Jr., Johncarlos Reyes, and Luka Kraljevic would attempt to fill the void left by injuries.

Kam Williams, G, Ohio State

The Buckeyes have enjoyed a resurgence on the court led by Keita Bates-Diop, but Williams may not be around to see how the rest of the season plays out. That's because the senior guard was recently suspended indefinitely for an unspecified violation of team rules. He has already missed the last two games for OSU. Williams was fifth in scoring for the Buckeyes, averaging eight points per game. Ohio State was not exactly a scoring juggernaut prior to losing Williams, but instead has relied largely on defense and the exploits of the above-referenced Bates-Diop. Ohio State sits at 12-1 and tied for first in the conference following a huge win over Purdue, so the timing of the suspension could not have come at a worse time.

Isaiah Wilkins, F, Virginia

The Cavaliers are built on defense along with offensive efficiency. Wilkins has played an integral role as a starter for the 23-1 Cavaliers, but that has not been reflected so much in the stat column. In fact, Wilkins is putting up similar numbers as compared to his junior campaign. He rarely scores in double figures, or grabs double-digit rebounds. However, he affects the game on the defensive end in terms of shot-blocking and thefts. Still, he often finds himself in foul trouble, and has also battled a balky back recently. As s result, his production has been unpredictable. Wilkins makes a better actual player than fantasy commodity.