This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The task of following the last of the undefeated squads has been a tad less burdensome during these COVID times, as a topsy-turvy start to the season leaves just three remaining candidates. The defending champion Baylor Bears, perhaps to the surprise of many, sit atop the charts at No. 1 with an unblemished record. We've talked about the Bears in prior renditions. The same can be said for the USC Trojans, who lost the incredibly talented Evan Mobley to the NBA but somehow still find themselves sitting at 12-0 at the time of this writing.
The final undefeated squad is the most intriguing, though. The Colorado State Rams, hailing from the Mountain West Conference, have a spotless 11-0 record, including wins over Mississippi State, Creighton and last year's Cinderella darling, Oral Roberts. CSU is led by David Roddy, who is having a sensational junior campaign with averages of 19.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. His partner in crime is floor general Isaiah Stevens, a fellow junior managing 14.2 pints, 3.0 bounds and 6.8 assists per tilt. The Rams can score with almost anyone and are unselfish on the offensive end to boot. Navigating the Mountain West will not be easy amongst the likes of San Diego State and Boise State, and an Achilles' heel of the Rams may be their lack of size. Roddy is their leading rebounder at 6-5. Nevertheless, it has been a banner start to the 2021-2022 campaign for Colorado State, as the Rams
The task of following the last of the undefeated squads has been a tad less burdensome during these COVID times, as a topsy-turvy start to the season leaves just three remaining candidates. The defending champion Baylor Bears, perhaps to the surprise of many, sit atop the charts at No. 1 with an unblemished record. We've talked about the Bears in prior renditions. The same can be said for the USC Trojans, who lost the incredibly talented Evan Mobley to the NBA but somehow still find themselves sitting at 12-0 at the time of this writing.
The final undefeated squad is the most intriguing, though. The Colorado State Rams, hailing from the Mountain West Conference, have a spotless 11-0 record, including wins over Mississippi State, Creighton and last year's Cinderella darling, Oral Roberts. CSU is led by David Roddy, who is having a sensational junior campaign with averages of 19.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. His partner in crime is floor general Isaiah Stevens, a fellow junior managing 14.2 pints, 3.0 bounds and 6.8 assists per tilt. The Rams can score with almost anyone and are unselfish on the offensive end to boot. Navigating the Mountain West will not be easy amongst the likes of San Diego State and Boise State, and an Achilles' heel of the Rams may be their lack of size. Roddy is their leading rebounder at 6-5. Nevertheless, it has been a banner start to the 2021-2022 campaign for Colorado State, as the Rams hunt for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.
Let's take a gander at some other players and storylines in the first edition of the College Hoops Barometer for 2022.
UPGRADE
Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin – Davis has been a revelation for the Badgers as a sophomore, taking his game to new heights. Davis is averaging 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists through 11 games. Remarkably, he has been even better of late. Davis has notched back-to-back double-doubles, including a sensational 37-point, 14-rebound masterpiece on Monday's road victory at No. 3 Purdue. Davis also accumulated three dimes, two blocks and two steals in the 74-69 triumph over the Boilermakers. Davis has a knack for getting to the foul line and surprisingly does most of his scoring damage from inside the three-point arc. With long arms and quick hands on the defensive end as well, Davis is quickly becoming an all-around dynamo for the Badgers.
Wendell Green, G, Auburn – Green played his freshman campaign at Eastern Kentucky before transferring to Auburn, and he has been quite the catalyst for the Tigers. He started the first three games of the season, but has since filled a bench role. Nevertheless, Green is averaging 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per contest in that reserve role. He has scored in double figures in five-straight games, notched a double-double just before Christmas against Murray State, and dished out eight dimes at Saint Louis in the prior outing. Freshman sensation Jabari Smith and big man Walker Kessler are getting a lot of the pub for Auburn, and rightly so, but the newcomer Green has been just as vital to the early-season success of the Tigers.
Justin Lewis, F, Marquette – The Golden Eagles started off Big East conference play with an 0-3 record but stunned a ranked Providence squad Tuesday thanks in large part to a mammoth performance from Lewis. Lewis racked up 23 points and 11 rebounds in the 88-56 dismantling of the Friars. It was not his first impressive performance of the season, though, as he tallied nine points, 12 boards and three swats in double overtime loss to Creighton on New Year's Day, while hitting 20 points in the previous game versus UConn. Lewis is currently third in the Big East in rebounding. Despite a mediocre record, the Golden Eagles have been competitive against several ranked foes and should remain a tough out with Lewis at the helm.
Jake LaRavia, F, Wake Forest – LaRavia transferred from Indiana State but has been even better as a Demon Deacon than he was as a member of the Sycamores. The junior is averaging 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. He is shooting a standout 61.2 percent from the floor, including nearly 40 percent from three-point land. LaRavia had arguably his best game of the season Tuesday in a demolition of Florida State, recording 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the 76-54 triumph. He forms a potent tandem with senior Alondes Williams, who leads the squad in points, rebounds and assists. Wake Forest is looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017, and then its first win in the big dance since 2010.
CHECK STATUS
Dalen Terry, G, Arizona – The Wildcats have several primetime players, including scoring sensation Bennedict Mathurin, powerful center Christian Koloko, playmaker Kerr Kriisa and the Tubelis brothers from Lithuania. Terry may be the most versatile of the bunch, though, and he flashed his multitude of talents with a near triple-double against Washington on Monday. Terry tallied 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in the 95-79 thrashing of the Huskies. Terry has the size and length to guard multiple positions on the defensive end and can play either guard slot on offense. Terry's long-distance shooting remains a work in progress, and he still has more room to fill out despite standing at almost 6-8. Terry's upside makes him a player to watch, even on an ultra-talented Arizona squad.
Henry Coleman, F, Texas A&M – The Aggies have an interesting collection of talent, with seven players averaging between seven and 13 points per contest. In fact, A&M has had a different leading scorer in each of the last five games, which have all been victories. Coleman paced the Aggies in their most recent win with 23 points at Georgia, while also accumulating seven rebounds, two dimes, three steals and one block. Coleman is second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring. The depth of this squad makes it a tad difficult to predict who will break out on a given night but spreading the wealth has certainly not hurt the Aggies overall en route to a 12-2 start.
Jarkel Joiner, G, Ole Miss – Joiner will be sidelined for at least Wednesday's clash with Tennessee due to a back ailment. The senior guard is the leading scorer for the Rebels, while currently placing second on the team in dishing. Unfortunately for Ole Miss, the Rebels have been ravaged by a combination of injuries and COVID-19 issues, leaving them shorthanded. However, they did get back freshman Daeshun Ruffin recently from a hand injury, and Ruffin could be tasked with assuming the lead scoring role in the absence of Joiner. Ruffin has hit double figures in scoring in each of the last three outings.
DOWNGRADE
Terrence Shannon, F, Texas Tech – It has been difficult for Shannon to stay on the court this season. He missed the first three games of the season due to eligibility issues and will now have missed the last four contests for the Red Raiders due to a balky back. In between those absences, he had been productive for Texas Tech, averaging 14.3 points, 3.2 boards and 2.2 dimes per tilt. However, it remains to be seen when he will return to action, and even when he does, how effective he will be. In his absence, the Red Raiders should continue to rely on Kevin McCullar, Hampton transfer Davion Warren and Adonis Arms. Arms has been starting in Shannon's place, is averaging 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists during that span, and has a spectacular name to boot.
Ja'Shon Henry, F, Bradley – Henry has not been in the lineup for the last three games for the Braves due to undisclosed reasons. The senior had been averaging 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per tilt prior to being sidelined. That placed Henry second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding. Bradley had won six of their last eight games after a rough start to the season, so losing Henry's minutes heading into the meat of Missouri Valley Conference play is certainly not ideal. Malevy Leons and Rienk Mast will be forced to shoulder a heavy frontcourt load until Henry returns.
Tre Mitchell, F/C, Texas – The positive for the Longhorns is that the three-headed monster of Mitchell, Dylan Disu and Christian Bishop has performed extremely well thus far this season, particularly on the defensive end. Texas is allowing just 52.3 points per game, which is tops in the nation. The downside is that Mitchell, who was a statistical dynamo at UMass, has depressed numbers due to the timeshare. Add in the presence of Utah transfer Timmy Allen, and Mitchell's averages are almost halved as compared to a season ago. Mitchell is averaging 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest, which are certainly still serviceable figures, but he is playing just 20 minutes per tilt and is simply lacking the volume he once possessed for the Minutemen. He played just 10 minutes Tuesday at Kansas State, finishing with a meager two points and one rebound. Mitchell appears to be sacrificing for the betterment of the team, but that provides little solace from a fantasy perspective.
