College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Remember the improbable run of Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 two years ago?  The march of St. Peter's last season may have left the Golden Eagles largely forgotten, as the Peacocks became the first No. 15 seed to ever make the Elite Eight.  Still, Oral Roberts remains relevant, as their leader from that squad, Max Abmas, is still a member of Golden Eagles.  Now a senior, Abmas is averaging 22.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest.  The rebounds and assists represent career bests.  Abmas showed he still has some magic left, with a half-court buzzer-beater in a 74-71 win over Kansas City earlier this month.  Oral Roberts is currently undefeated in Summit Conference play, having won six of those eight outings by double-digits.  No one is going to want to play Abmas and company if the Golden Eagles make the big dance.

Here are some other players and programs in the news in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Cliff Omoruyi, C, Rutgers – Omoruyi has been a rebounding machine for the Scarlet Knights of late.  The junior has racked up double-digit rebounds in seven of the last nine contests.  He has six double-doubles over that span.  Omoruyi is also managing two rejects per game as well, including a six-block performance in an OT triumph over Ohio State earlier this month.  Overall, he is second in the Big Ten in rebounding and third in blocked shots.  Rutgers has won eight of its last 10 games and currently sits in second place in the Big Ten.  The recent play of Omoruyi has been a huge contributing factor to this run. 

Tamin Lipsey, G, Iowa State – The freshman has been something of a Jack-of-all-trades for the Cyclones this season.  Lipsey is averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals per tilt for ISU.  He stuffed the stat sheet in Tuesday's impressive victory over Kansas State, tallying 10 points, six rebounds, four dimes and three steals in the 80-76 triumph over the Wildcats.  St. Bonaventure transfers Osun Osunniyi and Jaren Holmes have also been welcome additions to a squad that went to the Sweet 16 a season ago.  With Gabe Kalscheur returning to reprise his scoring role from a season ago, the Cyclones could be primed for yet another deep run come tourney time.

Samuel Mennenga, F, Davidson – A Cinderella run is extremely unlikely this season for the Wildcats, but Mennenga is still having a superb campaign for Davidson.  He has notched double-doubles in three of the last four games.  That includes a career-best 27 points in Tuesday's win over La Salle.  He also posted a career-high 16 rebounds earlier this month in a narrow loss to Richmond.  The 6-9 forward is seventh in the Atlantic 10 in points, and fifth in rebounding.  He has almost doubled his scoring average from a season ago.

Jamarius Burton, G, Pittsburgh – The Panthers were picked to finish second-to-last in the ACC in the preseason, but sit at a surprising 6-3 in conference play.  That's also without the services of John Hugley for the majority of the season.  Hugley was recently ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to injury.  The return of Blake Hinson has provided a spark, but Burton has been the chief catalyst for Pitt.  Burton is on his third school after stops at Texas Tech and Wichita State, but has been playing at his best for the Panthers.  He is averaging 16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest.  Burton scored 31 points in a 76-74 triumph over UNC on December 30, then tallied a double-double in a more recent win over Louisville.  The versatile guard has been a difference-maker for the Panthers.

CHECK STATUS

Braden Smith, G, Purdue – Replacing a player like Jaden Ivy is no small task, but the freshman Smith has done a more than admirable job.  Smith is managing 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest for the No. 1 Boilermakers.  Smith does not possess Ivy's size, athleticism, or slashing ability, but he does have a knack for putting his teammates in position to succeed.  Perhaps most importantly, he knows how to get star center Zach Edey the rock.  Smith has also proven to be a knock-down three-point shooter, canning 44.6-percent of his shots from beyond the arc.  Smith leads Purdue in dishing and is third in both scoring and rebounding.  The neophyte has played a pivotal role in Purdue's success this season.

Jett Howard, F, Michigan – The coach's son has started all 19 games as a freshman, averaging 14.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest in his first season with the Wolverines.  However, Howard injured his ankle Sunday against Minnesota, and his status is in doubt for this week's crucial clash with Purdue.  While the battle between Zach Edey and Hunter Dickinson will be highly anticipated, the absence of Howard could spell trouble for Michigan if the Wolverines were hoping to pull off an upset.  Fortunately, Howard's injury is not considered serious.

Dawson Garcia, F, Minnesota – A transfer from UNC, Garcia will miss his first game of the season Wednesday due to an ankle injury.  While the injury is not considered serious, the Gophers will also be without the services of Pharrel Payne, who suffered a concussion.  Minnesota will be forced to use a much smaller lineup, or play Treyton Thompson at center against Indiana.  Garcia is on his third school in three years but is averaging 14.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.  Those statistics almost mirror his figures from two years ago while at Marquette.

DOWNGRADE

Luis Rodriguez, F, UNLV – The transfer from Ole Miss was sidelined last game for the Rebels due to a leg injury.  It remains to be seen when he will return to the lineup.  Rodriguez started all 19 contests played prior to the ailment, averaging 12.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.  With Jackie Johnson also shelved, Elijah Harkless was forced to shoulder a heavy offensive burden but responded with 28 points in Tuesday's 86-72 win over Wyoming.  The Oklahoma transfer is having his best season as a collegian in a starring role for UNLV, though the Rebels are just 2-6 in Mountain West action.

David Jones, G, St. John's – Jones has been relegated to a bench role of late for the struggling Johnnies, failing to secure a starting spot in four of the last six games.  Over the last four contests, the DePaul transfer is managing only 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per clash.  He has shot just 30.4-percent over that span.  By contrast, Jones averaged 14.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in the first 16 outings of the season.  After a strong start to the season, the Red Storm have dropped six of their last eight contests.

Jordan Wright, F, Vanderbilt – Wright was benched for the second half of Tuesday's loss to Kentucky by coach Jerry Stackhouse, allegedly for showing poor effort.   Wright has had a down senior season, seeing decreases in points, rebounds and shooting percentage from his junior campaign.  He had been playing better prior to Tuesday, though, averaging 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the previous six contests.  However, he found himself riding the pine in the second half against the Wildcats, and it remains to be seen if he will remain in Coach Stackhouse's doghouse.