This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
Over half of the top-25 was in action Wednesday night, and four contests featured matchups between two ranked squads. In one of these clashes, freshman phenom Cooper Flagg led No. 9 Duke to an impressive win over Johni Broome and the previously-undefeated Auburn Tigers. Meanwhile, No. 1 Kansas also lost, the reason for which will be explored in more detail below. This marked the first time both No. 1 and No. 2 lost on the same date in almost a year. Perhaps the most unlikely ranked squad in action Wednesday was No. 16 Memphis, whose only loss is to aforementioned Auburn. Penny Hardaway's squad also has a win over the two-time defending champion Huskies on its resume. On Wednesday, they held off Louisiana Tech behind 23 points from PJ Haggerty. The Tigers look like the cream of the crop in the American Conference early on this season.
Let's dive deeper into the best performances from last night's incredible slate of games, and beyond, in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Pop Isaacs, G, Creighton – Isaacs scored 27 points Wednesday to lead the Bluejays to a huge upset victory over No. 1 Kansas. The Texas Tech transfer has scored at least 25 points in three of the last five contests. Thus far through eight games, Isaacs has improved his numbers from a season ago across the board, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. Perhaps most notably, he is shooting career-bests from both
Over half of the top-25 was in action Wednesday night, and four contests featured matchups between two ranked squads. In one of these clashes, freshman phenom Cooper Flagg led No. 9 Duke to an impressive win over Johni Broome and the previously-undefeated Auburn Tigers. Meanwhile, No. 1 Kansas also lost, the reason for which will be explored in more detail below. This marked the first time both No. 1 and No. 2 lost on the same date in almost a year. Perhaps the most unlikely ranked squad in action Wednesday was No. 16 Memphis, whose only loss is to aforementioned Auburn. Penny Hardaway's squad also has a win over the two-time defending champion Huskies on its resume. On Wednesday, they held off Louisiana Tech behind 23 points from PJ Haggerty. The Tigers look like the cream of the crop in the American Conference early on this season.
Let's dive deeper into the best performances from last night's incredible slate of games, and beyond, in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Pop Isaacs, G, Creighton – Isaacs scored 27 points Wednesday to lead the Bluejays to a huge upset victory over No. 1 Kansas. The Texas Tech transfer has scored at least 25 points in three of the last five contests. Thus far through eight games, Isaacs has improved his numbers from a season ago across the board, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. Perhaps most notably, he is shooting career-bests from both the field and three-point land. The triumvirate of Isaacs, point guard Steven Ashworth and big man Ryan Kalkbrenner gives Creighton a formidable, experienced group that can beat anyone on a given night.
KeShawn Murphy, F, Mississippi State – Murphy nearly left the Bulldogs program during the offseason, but the Bulldogs are certainly glad he changed his mind. After battling injuries and inconsistency during his first two seasons, Murphy has taken his game to new heights as a junior. He has more than doubled his averages from last year, managing 12.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. Murphy has also proven a more than capable passer, averaging 1.9 assists in just 22.6 minutes per tilt. Murphy has also been a force on the defensive end, averaging 1.1 swats per contest. He scored a career-high 20 points in Wednesday's 90-57 thrashing of a ranked Pittsburgh squad. Despite coming off the bench the last five games, Murphy is averaging a double-double over that span. Overall, Murphy leads the Bulldogs in rebounding and is second in scoring.
Keeshawn Barthelemy, G, Oregon – The football team is currently No. 1, and the basketball squad is also undefeated through nine contests. Barthelemy has played a crucial role in particular over the last two contests in stellar wins over Alabama and USC. The senior is averaging 20 points, three rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals over that span. He has been white-hot from long range, canning 8-of-10 three-pointers during that time period. Nate Bittle is healthy at center, and the Ducks also have a deep guard group that includes TJ Bamba and Jackson Shelstad, who are both averaging double-digits in points. The fact that Barthelemy comes off the bench and can be this productive speaks volumes about the potential of this team.
Walter Clayton, G, Florida – The Gators are also still undefeated, and Clayton is the main reason. The senior is averaging career-best 18.4 points per tilt. He has been efficient from the floor, shooting 48-percent from the field thus far this season. Of course, shooting over 90-percent from the foul line does not hurt either. Clayton poured in 27 points in Tuesday's 87-69 thrashing of Virginia. The SEC is stacked this season, so it will be interesting to see how the Gators fare once conference play begins. The non-conference slate has certainly been navigated effectively and successfully by Clayton and company thus far, though.
CHECK STATUS
Magoon Gwath, F, San Diego State – The seven-foot freshman posted career-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's thrashing of Fresno State. Gwath has been a menace on the defensive end thus far for the Aztecs, managing an impressive 3.7 swats per contest. In fact, he's already blocked at least five shots in three separate outings. His offensive game remains a work in progress, though clearly as witnessed by his most recent output, the potential is there. Gwath even went 3-of-4 from three-point range. The Aztecs have played an extremely difficult non-conference slate including clashes with Gonzaga, Creighton, Houston and Oregon and more than held their own, so Magoon and the rest of the SDSU squad should be primed to dominate the Mountain West in conference action.
JT Toppin, F, Texas Tech – The New Mexico transfer with NBA bloodlines has been a revelation for the Red Raiders in his first season in Lubbock. Toppin is averaging a double-double with 18.6 points and 11 rebounds per tilt. He has scored at least 22 points in three of his first seven games played with Texas Tech. However, Toppin was forced to miss Wednesday's win over DePaul with a lower body injury. The severity of the ailment is unknown. Tech has a crucial in-state clash with A&M on Saturday, so the hope is that Toppin will be able to return for that matchup. However, the schedule softens thereafter through New Year's Eve, so the Red Raiders could choose to rest Toppin and avoid the potential for reaggravation.
Chase Ross, G, Marquette – The Golden Eagles fell to Iowa State on Wednesday for their first loss of the season, partly due to the shooting struggles of star Kam Jones, but also because Ross suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the contest and did not return. Ross does a little bit of everything for Marquette, averaging 10.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals per tilt. If Ross is forced to miss additional time, a pair of freshmen are the likely beneficiaries. Damarius Owens played a career-high 26 minutes in the loss to the Cyclones, while Royce Parham led the squad with a collegiate-best 17 points.
VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor – The prized freshman recruit will undergo an MRI after missing Wednesday's narrow loss to UConn. Edgecombe's current injury has not yet been disclosed, though he did leave last week's win over New Orleans early due to a tight hamstring. The athletic phenom already provided one of the season's first viral moments when he posterized Gonzaga coach Mark Few's son in a blowout loss earlier in the campaign. Overall, Edgecombe is averaging 11 points, 5.4 rebounds, three assists, 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest. Junior Langston Love entered the starting lineup in place of Edgecombe last game. With Duke transfer Jeremy Roach also potentially shelved due to a concussion, freshman Rob Wright could also see an uptick in responsibilities in the backcourt.
DOWNGRADE
Jalen Reed, F, LSU – Reed suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2024-2025 campaign for the Tigers. The junior was having his best collegiate season prior to the injury, averaging 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the field. 6-10 freshman Robert Miller could benefit the most from Reed's continued absence, as will fellow freshman Corey Chest, who is already leading the team in rebounding with 7.6 boards per tilt. LSU was one of the better rebounding squads in the country prior to Reed's injury; it will be interesting to see just how much the loss affects the Tigers in that regard moving forward.
Alex Karaban, F, Connecticut – Karaban suffered a head injury during the Maui Invitational last week and has missed the subsequent two games for the Huskies. He is on the mend currently, but when exactly he will return to the court is unknown. Karaban has known nothing but championships since coming to UConn, as the junior played pivotal roles on both title teams. With the predicted mass departures following such success, Karaban has become the leading scorer for the Huskies this season. He is also their best three-point shooter. Karaban is averaging 15.9 points, shooting over 50 percent from the floor and nearly 47 percent from three-point land. He is also second on the squad in dishing, flashing improvement and growth with a well-rounded skill set. Freshman Liam McNeeley has helped to pick up the slack in Karaban's absence, including leading the Huskies in scoring in the win over Baylor on Wednesday.
