College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

The last of the undefeated teams has fallen.  Top-ranked Purdue lost to Rutgers for the second-straight season, while surprising New Mexico's Cinderella start came to a halt at the hands of Fresno State yesterday.  With that drama out of the way, who is the most surprising current squad in the rankings?  While the aforementioned Lobos could certainly make a case, the Charleston Cougars get the nod out of the Colonial Athletic.  The Cougars are currently 14-1 with wins over Virginia Tech, Davidson, Richmond and Colorado State.  Their only loss came to North Carolina, who was ranked No. 1 at the time but has since fallen on some hard times.  Nevertheless, the Cougars have made enough of an impression to be taken seriously early on this season, despite coming from a smaller conference.  It remains to be seen if the Cougars will be able to hand the pressure of such a lofty status, but the Cougars posses a balanced, veteran squad with five scorers averaging in double figures, and nine players managing more than 15 minutes per contest.

Let's take a look at some other schools (and players) making noise in the first 2023 edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Keyontae Johnson, F, Kansas State – Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety who collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football and is currently in critical condition.  Johnson himself collapsed on the basketball court in December, 2020 while attending the University of Florida.  Johnson was able to make a full recovery, ultimately transferring to K-State after sitting out nearly two years.  Johnson has made a triumphant return to the college hoops scene this season, averaging 18.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per tilt.  This includes a standout line from Tuesday's win at Texas in which he tallied 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the 116-103 triumph.  Here's to hoping Hamlin can make a similar recovery to Johnson.

Oumar Ballo, C, Arizona – Ballo has stepped in seamlessly in place of Christian Koloko, who took his talents to the NBA following last season.  Ballo has gone from a complementary piece to a dominant force on the interior for the Wildcats.  Ballo has six double-doubles in 14 games for Arizona.  He leads the Pac-12 in rebounding and shooting percentage, while placing third in scoring and fourth in rejections.  Ballo is shooting an outrageous 71.9 percent from the floor.  Along with 6-11 teammate Azuolas Tubelis, the duo forms arguably the most potent frontcourt combo in the nation.

James Bishop, G, George Washington – Bishop dropped a 40-piece on Loyola-Chicago on New Year's Eve en route to a 97-87 victory over the Ramblers.  Bishop leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring, but he has proven to be more than just a one-trick pony as a senior.  Bishop is averaging five assists per clash for the Colonials, which is third in the conference.  Bishop averaged a mere 1.9 assists just a season ago, so clearly he has found the right balance between getting his own shot and finding open looks for his teammates.  George Washington was predicted to finish 12th in the conference in the preseason, but any squad with Bishop has a fighting chance to prove the naysayers wrong.

Souley Boum, G, Xavier – Boum is on his third school as a member of the Musketeers after a pit-stop at San Francisco and three-year stay at UTEP.  Boum is averaging 16.9 points per contest in what has been by far his most efficient collegiate campaign to date.  He is shooting 50.3 percent from the floor, including an impressive 46.9 percent from three-point land.  Both represent by far career highs for Boum.  In addition, he has also shown elite passing skills, managing 4.6 dimes per tilt.  Boum played a game-high 38 minutes in last Saturday's 87-73 victory over UConn, which was the first loss of the season for the Huskies.  Boum and junior Colby Jones anchor the backcourt for a Xavier squad that is just as strong up front with Jack Nunge and Zach Freemantle.  The Musketeers should be an incredibly dangerous squad come tourney time due to the addition of Boum.

CHECK STATUS

Tyler Wahl, F, Wisconsin – Wahl left Tuesday's win over Minnesota in the first half with an ankle issue and was unable to return.  The severity of the injury is currently unknown, but Wahl's loss would certainly be a huge deal for the Badgers.  Wahl has improved in every season at Wisconsin and is currently averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds. 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest as a senior.  Wahl leads the squad in scoring and field goal percentage, while placing second in rebounding and third in steals and assists.  Junior Steven Crowl has had something of a coming out party recently, and the Badgers will have to rely even more heavily on the seven-footer if Wahl misses any game action.

Anthony Black, G, Arkansas – Nick Smith was the more hyped recruit, but Black has outplayed him to date.  Granted, Smith has been bothered by a knee injury which will now sideline him indefinitely.  Still, it appears that Black has the more well-rounded skill set anyway, at least at this juncture.  Black is averaging 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.  At 6-7, Black presents matchup issues for the opposition due to his ball-handling skills.  He played all 40 minutes of last week's narrow loss to LSU.  With Smith shelved, Black will face a ton of pressure and be asked to shoulder a huge burden for the 'Hogs.  He does have Wichita State transfer Ricky Council to lean on, but it will be interesting to see if Black can handle the spotlight during SEC conference play.

Hunter Cattoor, G, Virginia Tech – Cattoor was a fairly unlikely MVP of the ACC Tournament last season, as the Hokies knocked off North Carolina and Duke in successive games to win that title.  Cattoor poured in 31 points in the Championship, canning seven three-pointers in the 82-67 triumph.  The Hokies were subsequently bounced from the NCAA Tournament by Texas in the first round, though, and Cattoor's torrid stretch from a season ago seems to be a thing of the past.  In fact, he is averaging fewer points per game than a season ago, and has scored over 20 points just once through 13 games for Virginia Tech.  Cattoor also missed a New Year's Eve clash with Wake Forest due to a forearm injury.  The injury is considered minor but is yet another hurdle as Cattoor attempts to recapture some of the magic from last year.

DOWNGRADE

Patrick McCaffery, F, Iowa – We also wish McCaffery the best as he announced a leave of absence from the Hawkeyes to address his anxiety.  McCaffery averaged just four points and 2.5 rebounds over Iowa's last two games, compared with averages of 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the three games previous.  Patrick's brother, Connor McCaffery is one of the likely candidates for increased minutes, as the Hawkeyes attempt to find some additional depth behind leading scorers Kris Murray and Filip Rebraca.

Ven-Allen Lubin, F, Notre Dame – The freshman exited Tuesday's eventual loss to Boston College after just one minute due to an ankle injury.  The 6-8 forward has played valuable minutes behind Nate Laszewski, as the Irish are thin in the frontcourt.  In fact, the freshman leads the team in shot-blocking while placing second in rebounding.  Little-used forward Matt Zona may be pressed into action, though the remainder of the rebounding load will likely be shared by Notre Dame's talented guards, which include Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan and JJ Starling, none of whom are shorter than 6-4.  In other words, it will be a team effort on the glass until Lubin can return.

Chance Westry, G, Auburn – Sometimes, a highly-touted recruit comes in and plays right away for his school.  Other times, the talented phenom has to bide his time before bursting onto the scene.  Westry appears to be in the latter category for the Tigers, as he currently sits behind talented upperclassmen Wendell Green, Allen Flanigan and K.D. Johnson for a ranked Auburn squad.  Westry was the No. 39 overall recruit in his class, but the 6-6 freshman is playing just 10.1 minutes per game thus far during his freshman campaign.  A recent knee injury caused Westry to miss Auburn's most recent game and will only further dampen his fantasy prowess for the remainder of the campaign.  Fellow freshman Yohan Traore has endured a similar fate, though; the 6-10 Frenchman is managing only 12.9 minutes per contest.  The future is bright for these two neophytes, but their production may not match their potential this season.