This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The rematch between Kansas and Oklahoma did not quite live up to the first clash, but that did not make the result any less important. With 11 consecutive regular-season titles on the line, the Jayhawks took care of Buddy Hield and the Sooners for a second time this year, putting KU in the driver's seat for another Big 12 regular-season crown. With starting point guard Frank Mason III fouling out with more than three minutes left, Kansas did not rely on elder statesmen like Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden. Instead, they threw sophomore Devonte' Graham into the deep end to see if he could swim. Graham did much more than that, as he was all over the aforementioned Hield like a cheap suit, forcing him into his worst shooting performance in conference play. Graham also poured in a career-high 27 points, as the Jayhawks won on the road, 76-72. This game was yet another example of not only KU's dominance in the conference, but also that this season remains as unpredictable as ever.
Here's a look at the rest of the collegiate landscape in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Tyler Ulis, G, Kentucky - Ulis has surged lately, and thus it is no surprise that the Wildcats have won their last three games by an average of 26.7 points. During that time, the sophomore point guard averaged 21.3 points and 7.8 assists per game. That includes two double-doubles and a career-high 27 points against South Carolina last
The rematch between Kansas and Oklahoma did not quite live up to the first clash, but that did not make the result any less important. With 11 consecutive regular-season titles on the line, the Jayhawks took care of Buddy Hield and the Sooners for a second time this year, putting KU in the driver's seat for another Big 12 regular-season crown. With starting point guard Frank Mason III fouling out with more than three minutes left, Kansas did not rely on elder statesmen like Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden. Instead, they threw sophomore Devonte' Graham into the deep end to see if he could swim. Graham did much more than that, as he was all over the aforementioned Hield like a cheap suit, forcing him into his worst shooting performance in conference play. Graham also poured in a career-high 27 points, as the Jayhawks won on the road, 76-72. This game was yet another example of not only KU's dominance in the conference, but also that this season remains as unpredictable as ever.
Here's a look at the rest of the collegiate landscape in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Tyler Ulis, G, Kentucky - Ulis has surged lately, and thus it is no surprise that the Wildcats have won their last three games by an average of 26.7 points. During that time, the sophomore point guard averaged 21.3 points and 7.8 assists per game. That includes two double-doubles and a career-high 27 points against South Carolina last Saturday. Ulis has scored at least 20 points in six of his last eight games, and is the undisputed catalyst for the Kentucky offense. For some reason, Ulis has not been getting the same publicity as Buddy Hield, Ben Simmons and Denzel Valentine, but he has won SEC Player of the Week on three occasions, and should rival the aforementioned Simmons for SEC Conference Player of the Year when all is said and done.
Justin Jackson, F, North Carolina - After hitting a bit of a lull in January, Jackson has returned to form over his last two contests. The sophomore crossed the 20-point mark in a 68-65 win at Boston College on Feb. 9, then stuffed the stat sheet in UNC's subsequent game against Pitt. Jackson tallied 14 points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in the 85-64 thrashing of the Panthers. Over those last two tilts, Jackson is shooting a scorching 71.4-percent. Not surprisingly, the Tar Heels came out victorious in both outings, and Jackson looks like the X-factor for UNC after Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige.
Jaylen Brown, F, California - The freshman has stepped right in for the Bears and made an impact. He has scored in double figures in 10 straight games, averaging 18 points over that span. Brown has shown he is certainly no one-trick pony either, averaging 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists during that time period as well. Still, scoring remains Brown's forte, and the neophyte has notched 16 games with at least 15 points during his inaugural campaign. The Bears have won three games in a row, and Brown has scored at least 15 points in each of those contests too. Brown is the leading scorer for Cal, though he is one of four players averaging more than 12 points per contest.
Maurice Watson Jr., G, Creighton - Elementary, my dear Watson. Maurice has been putting on a show lately, as the Butler transfer has spurred the Bluejays to three-straight victories. Watson has been on fire over that span, and not just in the scoring column. While Watson did pour in a career-high 32 points in a stunning upset win over Xavier on Feb. 9, he has done just as much damage setting up his teammates. Watson recorded nine assists on Feb. 6 against DePaul, and then notched 10 dimes at Marquette last Saturday. It was the fourth double-double of the season for Watson, who has handed out at least five assists in 10 straight outings. The Big East Player of the Week has put Creighton in third place behind juggernauts Villanova and Xavier in the conference standings.
CHECK STATUS
Dwayne Bacon, G, Florida State - Bacon sizzled through the early part of his freshman campaign, and even during the start of ACC play. However, he has been a bit of a letdown recently. Over his last three games, Bacon is averaging just 10.3 points per game, shooting just 35.5 percent from the field. By contrast, on the year the freshman is averaging 15.7 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor. The Miami Hurricanes can be blamed for at least a portion of Bacon's struggles. In FSU's most recent game, a 67-65 loss to the 'Canes, Bacon had just nine points. It snapped a streak of 16-straight games in double figures. Interestingly, however, his lowest point total over the aforementioned streak came in FSU's other game with Miami, where Bacon had just 10 points in another hard-fought loss. In two games against Miami, Bacon has shot just 7-for-19 from the floor. Unless they meet in the ACC tourney, Bacon won't have to face the 'Canes again, but it appears that Miami has just been a small part of Bacon's recent struggles.
John Egbunu, C, Florida - The Gators have been led by senior Dorian Finney-Smith for the majority of the season, though Egbunu has come on strong lately. The sophomore center from Nigeria has flexed his muscle recently, racking up double-doubles in back-to-back games. In fact, the combination of Egbunu and Finney-Smith has vaulted the Gators to 20th in the nation in terms of rebounds per game. Egbunu has scored in double figures in four straight contests as well, and is an outstanding shooting 56.3-percent from the field overall as a sophomore. Egbunu has turned the frontcourt into a huge strength for the Gators this season.
Wade Baldwin IV, G, Vanderbilt - The Commodores have been Baldwinning recently, with many thanks due to Wade. Over the last four games, Baldwin is averaging 15.5 points, five rebounds and 7.8 assists per game. Perhaps most importantly, Baldwin had just five turnovers over that span. By contrast, he is averaging nearly three giveaways on the year. Doing a little bit of everything for Vandy, the Commodores won three of those tilts and have vaulted into contention in the SEC with a conference record of 7-5. Baldwin has also been asked to take on more of a scoring load this season, and he has not disappointed. The sophomore has improved his shooting percentage from the field, hitting 46.7 percent from the floor and a superb 45.9 percent from three-point land.
Michael Carrera, F, South Carolina - The Gamecocks have been one of the more surprising units this year, though have hit a bit of a snag since a rousing 15-0 start to the year. Since that win-streak, SC is a rather pedestrian 6-4. Still, Carrera does not appear to be an appropriate party to blame. The senior has notched five double-doubles over the last 10 games, while scoring in double-digits in nine of those contests. Carrera poured in a career-best 34 points against Mississippi State on Jan. 26, while also snaring 15 rebounds in arguably the best game of his collegiate career. He was the lone bright spot in Saturday's ugly loss to Kentucky, tallying 25 points and 10 rebounds in the 89-62 loss. The Gamecocks may not quite be Cinderella anymore, but Carrera is going to try and make sure the clock doesn't strike midnight on them just yet.
DOWNGRADE
Corey Sanders, G, Rutgers - The leading scorer for the Scarlet Knights has been suspended for two weeks due to a violation of team rules. As a result, Sanders will miss four games for Rutgers. It's a crushing blow for a squad simply trying to keep afloat in the ultra-competitive Big Ten. Sanders not only leads the Scarlet Knights in points, but also paces the team in assists, steals and minutes played. In addition, Sanders was coming off of three monstrous games, including a near triple-double in a triple OT loss to Illinois on Feb. 3. Over those last three tilts, Sanders averaged a ridiculous 30 points, along with 4.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
Bradley Hayes, C, Georgetown - A broken hand will sideline Hayes indefinitely, and while no timetable has been set, he could perhaps miss the remainder of the season for the Hoyas. Hayes is the leading rebounder for Georgetown, pulling down 6.6 boards per game. Freshman Jessie Govan is slated to take over the starting slot as a result of the injury to Hayes. Govan did score in double figures for the first time in seven games in the absence of Hayes. Still, the 6-foot-10, 270, Govan managed just two rebounds in a 75-72 loss to Providence, and the Hoyas were outrebounded by a margin of 36-28. Fellow freshman Marcus Derrickson may be the more intriguing add. Derrickson tallied 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists against the Friars, setting career highs in points and dimes in the process.
Wes Clark, G, Missouri - Clark has been dismissed from the Mizzou basketball team for academic reasons. Clark flashed potential during his three years at Missouri, but could never quite find the consistency. Still, he was the second-leading scorer on a rather bad squad this year, and started every game for the Tigers. He even came close to a triple-double in mid-January at South Carolina, piling up 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists. The already undermanned Tigers will be forced to rely on Namon Wright and freshman Cullen VanLeer to bolster the backcourt. However, forward Ryan Rosburg has been the best player for Mizzou in recent games, and he should continue to see a nice upswing in playing time.
Daxter Miles, Jr., G, West Virginia - Do you remember Daxter Miles? Let me refresh your memory. He's the guy that guaranteed his Mountaineers would beat the then-undefeated Kentucky Wildcats in last year's NCAA Tournament, which would have left UK with a 36-1 record. While the Wildcats did lose eventually, it was not that night to West Virginia. In fact, the guarantee by Miles backfired so badly, that the Mountaineers were basically run out of the gym. It looked like JV vs. Varsity, in fact. The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back, doubling up the Mountaineers by a score of 78-39. Miles did not score a point in the game. West Virginia has actually looked better than Kentucky this season, though Miles has been bothered by a hamstring injury recently, and was forced to sit out Tuesday's clash with Texas. With Jaysean Paige leaving the game with an ankle injury, West Virginia is suddenly a bit thin at the guard position. No word yet on whether Miles has guaranteed when he'll come back.
