College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

The decline of the ACC has been coming for the last few years, but it is still startling to view the current top 25 and see Duke as the lone representative for the conference.  Perhaps there is some inherent backlash against the once-proud staple of college basketball, as both Notre Dame and Miami appear to have solid enough resumes to warrant inclusion in the rankings.  That is an argument for another day, though.

Certainly, no one is going to feel sorry for the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Virginia won the whole enchilada in 2019, Duke was crowned champion in 2017 and North Carolina made it to the top of the mountain in 2015.  But it seems as though the rest of the country has caught up to the former blue bloods.  In addition, Roy Williams has retired, Coach K will soon follow and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim is unlikely to remain on the bench for much longer after that.  A changing of the guard appears to be in order, especially with the rise of one-and-done, transfers and mid-majors.  Just as the rise and fall of the Big East catapulted Duke and the ACC to prominence, so too will the end of ACC dominance lead to yet another era in the history of the sport.

With March right around the corner, let's take a look at some players in the headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Collin Gillespie, G, Villanova – Gillespie torched Providence on Tuesday with a career-high 33 points, taking the mantel back from the Friars in terms of supremacy in the Big East.  The Wildcats have not lost to a team other than Marquette since before Christmas.  Gillespie is the engine behind Villanova's success, placing third in the Big East in scoring with 16.8 points per game.  Gillespie had a 10-rebound performance earlier this month at St. John's and leads the Wildcats in dishing with 2.8 dimes per game.  Villanova will once again be a force to be reckoned with next month led by yet another talented guard.

Jaelen House, G, New Mexico – The former Arizona State Sun Devil has had some explosive outings recently.  House nearly notched a triple-double at the end of January with 18 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in a triumph over San Jose State.  House then punished Air Force for 42 points in a 91-77 win earlier his month.  House was equally impressive in a resounding win over a ranked Wyoming squad Tuesday, accumulating 34 points, four rebounds and six dimes.  Though House has disappeared in a couple of big games for the Lobos since the calendar turned to 2022, it is clear he has the potential to catch fire on any given night.  That will make the Lobos a dangerous spoiler heading down the stretch of Mountain West play.

Josh Oduro, F, George Mason – Oduro has put up some mammoth numbers of late, buoyed by two overtime games in his last three outings.  The leading scorer in the A-10 poured in 32 points in a double-OT loss to Saint Louis, then followed that performance up with 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in an OT win over Richmond Spiders.  In his last contest, Oduro almost notched his fifth double-double of the season, compiling 18 points and nine rebounds in a loss to VCU.  Oduro has nine games with at least 20 points.  The junior has also been a force on the defensive end, including swatting six hots in a road win at Georgia earlier this season.  The Patriots are unlikely to make the big dance, but Oduro is putting his stamp on this season nevertheless.

Eddie Lampkin, C, TCU – The freshman big man has been playing inspired ball of late, averaging 11.4 points and 9.0 rebounds over the last five games for the Horned Frogs.  That includes double-doubles at Oklahoma and at home versus Oklahoma State.  By contrast, Lampkin had just two double-doubles through the first 18 games of the season.  He set a career high with 16 points in Tuesday's narrow loss to Iowa State.  The Horned Frogs have lost three of their last four games to put a damper on their NCAA Tournament hopes, but certainly the blame cannot be placed on Lampkin. 

CHECK STATUS

Eric Ayala, G, Maryland – Ayala missed Sunday's game with Purdue due to an undisclosed injury, and his status remains up in the air.  The Terps have struggled even with Ayala healthy and in the lineup, as they have lost five games in a row and sit at an abysmal 3-11 in Big Ten conference play.  Ayala is 14th in the conference in scoring at 15.1 points per game, but his numbers are a bit misleading, as he is largely a volume shooter.  Ayala is hitting just 38.3 percent of his shots from the floor.  Only three other plays in the Big Ten take more shots per game than Ayala.  Unfortunately, it appears as though Ayala's final campaign at Maryland will be somewhat of a dud, though he could return for a last hurrah down the stretch of this season.

Ryan Mutombo, C, Georgetown – Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Patrick Ewing was able to convince Dikembe Mutombo's son to play at Georgetown.  The Hoya connection runs deep between the two former stars, and the freshman Ryan certainly has the size at 7-2, 250-pounds to eventually make an impact.  The younger Mutombo is raw, though, playing more of a bench role on a struggling Georgetown squad this season.  Mutombo is averaging 5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.  His offense remains a work in progress, as the big man is shooting just 49 percent from the field.  He also did not see the floor in Georgetown's last game, a loss at Creighton.  The size, bloodlines and upside are present, but Mutombo certainly appears to need some seasoning.

A.J. Hoggard, G, Michigan State – The sophomore point guard is third in the Big Ten in dishing despite playing just 19.3 minutes per game.  While Hoggard has started the last two games for the Spartans, the chief reason he remains largely a complementary piece for Michigan State is his lack of a consistent shot.  Hoggard is shooting just 41.2 percent from the field, including 28.6 percent from three-point land.  Those pedestrian figures are remarkably vast improvements from his numbers as a freshman.  Hoggard has also battled a minor ankle ailment of late, which has limited his effectiveness.  Hoggard is more than capable of getting his teammates open looks, but Hoggard needs to reform his own shooting stroke in order to take his game to the next level.

DOWNGRADE

Jesse Edwards, C, Syracuse – Edwards suffered a broken left wrist and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.  The loss of Edwards is a damaging blow to the NCAA Tournament hopes of the Orange, who had reeled off four-straight wins prior to the injury.  Edwards had started every game of his junior campaign after playing a reserve role in his first two seasons with 'Cuse.  This season, Edwards averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.  Edwards was second in the ACC in shot blocking, and also second in field goal percentage, hitting an impressive 69.1 percent of his shots from the floor.  The Orange will likely rely on a committee to replace Edwards for the rest of the campaign consisting of Frank Anselem, John Bol Ajak and Bourama Sidibe.

Jarod Lucas, G, Oregon State – Lucas is the leading scorer on what is quite frankly a very bad Oregon State squad.  Lucas is averaging 13.4 points per game and shooting 42 percent from the field, including 38.8 percent from downtown.  Lucas does not provide much in the way of the other statistical categories, managing only 2.3 boards, 1.1 dimes and 1.0 steals per game.  The junior was stymied in Tuesday's dismal loss to Colorado, shooting just 2-for-12 from the floor in the 90-64 thrashing by the Buffs.  The Beavers are just 1-12 in the Pac-12, and a putrid 3-20 on the season overall.  Add in a rough stretch to end the regular season with matchups against juggernauts Arizona, USC and UCLA, and likely blowouts will only serve to hinder Lucas and his minimal production even further.