College Hoops Barometer: White Swings Momentum for Kansas

It's time for our weekly highlight of players and teams gaining or losing momentum in the college basketball landscape.

While the Miami Hurricanes have been making headlines on the gridiron as well as on the hardwood under first-year head coach Jai Lucas, a different sort of Miami has also been in the news.  The RedHawks of Miami of Ohio are currently one of the few remaining undefeated teams in college basketball.  Sitting at 18-0 at the time of the writing of this article, the alma mater of Wally Szczerbiak has been mauling the competition.  In fact, 13 of their 18 wins have been by double-digits.  

The RedHawks have essentially six players averaging double-figures in points, led by 6-8 sophomore Brant Byers.  The RedHawks light up the scoreboard, averaging 93.3 points per clash, which is sixth in the nation.  Miami of Ohio also boasts the top three-point shooting percentage as a team in the country at 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.  Despite residence in the MAC, the RedHawks may not even be considered Cinderella by the time March Madness rolls around.

College Basketball Stock Report: Early Stars of Conference Play

Which players are surging, and which ballers have fallen off?  Let's take a closer look in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE - College Basketball Stock Rising

Tre White, G/F, Kansas – White was pivotal in Tuesday's shocking thrashing of previously undefeated Iowa State.  White tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the 21-point victory over the Cyclones.  White is at his fourth school in four years, though has been productive at virtually every stop.  He has started 103 games and counting during his collegiate career.  However, White is currently averaging career bests in terms of points (15.4), rebounds (7.2) and assists (2.1).  White has provided stability for the Jayhawks during a rollercoaster of a season thus far that has included extended missed time from uber-freshman Darryn Peterson. With Peterson now healthy, the Jayhawks could return to prominence.

Dailyn Swain, F, Texas – The transfer from Xavier continues to improve.  Swain started all but one game a season ago for the Musketeers, averaging 11 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists.  Swain is playing the same amount of minutes as last year for the Longhorns, yet is now managing 15.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.3 dimes per tilt.  Swain's shooting stroke as well as his efficiency in terms of scoring have gotten better.  Swain is shooting career highs in shooting both from the floor as well as from three-point land.  He poured in 34 points against Mississippi State earlier this month, as he went to the foul line a staggering 15 times.  Swain has also shown he is far from a one-trick pony, as he has two double-doubles in his last four games, while tallying at least five assists in a contest four times this season.  In fact, Swain leads the Longhorns in points, rebounds, assists and steals.  It is difficult to undersell his value.

Darrion Williams, F, North Carolina State – The Texas Tech transfer was slowed recently by a shoulder ailment, but is looking more and more like his old self with each passing day.  Williams has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back wins for the Wolfpack.  He stuffed the stat sheet in last weekend's blowout win at Florida State, tallying 20 points, 10 rebounds and five dimes.  Williams has three double-doubles on the season.  With the ability to stuff the stat sheet on any given night, as well as a return to health, Williams and the Wolfpack look primed to make some noise in the ACC.

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Jacari White, G, Virginia – A graduate student who transferred from North Dakota State, White missed five games for the Cavaliers due to an ankle issue but returned to the court Tuesday in the 79-70 win at Louisville.  White has been exceptional from long distance, canning 49.2-percent from beyond the arc.  However, his overall numbers are down from a season ago when he was the focal point of the offense for the Bison.  White averaged 17.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per tilt last year.  By contrast, White is playing more than 10 fewer minutes per contest, averaging just 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 dimes per tilt.  White is still a productive player for the Hoos when healthy, he is just more of a complementary piece with the step up in competition to the ACC.

Austin Rapp, F, Wisconsin – Rapp started the first seven games of the season for the Badgers with mixed results.  He had a 20-point game in a blowout win at Providence, though also scored just two points apiece in losses to BYU and TCU.  Rapp then retreated to the bench, with similar inconsistencies.   Unfortunately, the transfer from Portland has also missed the last three contests due to an ankle injury.  The 6-10 sophomore should return to the court shortly, but as with White above, Rapp will serve as just one of the many pieces to the puzzle for the Badgers rather than the catalyst for his new squad.

Karter Knox, F, Arkansas – Knox was one of the top recruits in the class of 2024, but has still yet to live up to that lofty ranking, at least in terms of production.  Knox has an NBA frame along with the ability to impact the game at both ends of the floor, but the statistics would not scream that he is a dominant contributor.  Knox is averaging 8.6 points and five rebounds per contest for the Razorbacks as a sophomore.  He averaged similar numbers as a freshman just a season ago.  Knox shows flashes of brilliance and dominance; he had 20 points and six boards in a stellar win at Texas Tech last month.  In addition, his outside shooting is much-improved, as Knox is now hitting an impressive 43.5-percent of his shots from downtown.  Maybe Knox is simply waiting to be unleashed, or the scheme at Arkansas does not allow him to fill up the box score.  He also picked up a minor hip injury last game.  Knox is an exceptional athlete with elite talent as well as scoring acumen, but he may never dominate the box score while in Fayetteville.

Jason Edwards, G, Providence – The well-traveled Edwards has been as good as advertised for the Friars, though he did miss Tuesday's loss to Villanova as he recovers from a minor foot injury.  Otherwise, Edwards continues to fill it up as he did at Vandy and North Texas, averaging 17.2 points per contest.  He had a 32-point game last month at Butler, though had slowed down a tad in terms of scoring prior to the injury.  In fact, he averaged just 11.3 points per clash in four contests before being sidelined.  However, Edwards has proven to be a more willing passer for Providence than at his previous stops, averaging a career-best 3.3 assists per contest.  He is even pulling down nearly three boards per outing, also a career high.  Assuming the foot ailment is not serious, Edwards should continue to see plenty of usage for the Friars alongside fellow transfer Jaylin Sellers.

DOWNGRADE - Key College Basketball Injuries

Jaland Lowe, G, Kentucky – Lowe will undergo season-ending surgery on a balky shoulder, prematurely ending his campaign with the Wildcats after only nine games played.  The transfer from Pitt had apparently been battling the issue all season, suffering several dislocations in the process.  Lowe was a standout performer at Pittsburgh a season ago, averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 rebound, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per tilt.  Unfortunately, he was never able to get going due to the injury, starting just two of nine contests while managing only 8.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  Senior Denzel Aberdeen should continue to hold down the point guard slot for the Wildcats for the remainder of the season, though should also get assistance from freshman Jasper Johnson.

Kayden Mingo, G, Penn State – Unlike Lowe above, Mingo will eventually return to his squad this season, it just may not be for a few more games.  The freshman sensation has an undisclosed injury and has already missed the last two contests for the Nittany Lions.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, Penn State lost both contests.  Prior to being shelved, Mingo was going a little bit of everything for PSU, averaging 14.9 points, 3.9 boards, 4.5 assists and 2.5steals per clash.  The Long Island point guard who played last season with Kiyan Anthony led the Big Ten in steals and was ninth in the conference in assists.  Domonick Stewart started the last two games in place of Mingo, but Freddie Dilione and Melih Tunca should really see more responsibilities for a Nittany Lions squad that is extremely thin in the backcourt otherwise.  Dilione poured in 25 points in the most recent contest, a loss to Purdue.

Latrell Wrightsell, G, Alabama – Wrightsell has missed the last two games for the Tide due to a leg ailment.  Unfortunately, this has become a familiar refrain for Wrightsell, who missed five additional games earlier this season.  Likewise, Wrightsell missed all but eight games a season ago for Alabama.  Perhaps due to the lack of continuity in playing time or the ability to stay on the court, Wrightsell's shooting numbers have taken a nosedive.  After shooting 50-percent from the floor in limited action last year and 44.6-percent from the field in his first season at Alabama in 2023, Wright is shooting a putrid 32.8-percent from the floor.  In addition, Wrightsell went from shooting above 42-percent from three-point land to a dismal 26.9-percent from the floor this year.  When healthy, Wrightsell shoots a staggering amount of treys, so he is still averaging 10.8 points per tilt for the Tide.  However, the efficiency is clearly lacking, as is Wrightsell's general availability.