College Hoops Barometer: UW's AA Reaching New Heights

On Monday, Kansas and Oklahoma played one of more entertaining regular-season games you will see. The contest pitted No. 1 vs. No. 2, something rarely seen during the regular season. It did not disappoint. The Jayhawks outlasted the Sooners in three overtimes, winning 109-106 despite 46 points from OU's Buddy Hield.

Some nuggets to chew on:

1. The Jayhawks are 199-9 at home under coach Bill Self. Yes, you read that correctly.

2. Hield's 46 points were tied for sixth-most by an Oklahoma player all-time, and the second-highest scoring output in Big 12 conference history. He had a decent night.

3. Hield played on the same AAU team as Kansas forward Perry Ellis. Yes, that's his real name. And how could that team have lost any games, by the way? Ellis posted a monster double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

4. Hield made 34 consecutive three-pointers in practice. He hit eight treys in the game. He missed his final one at the buzzer of triple overtime.

Surely, a game for the ages. The rematch is set for Feb. 13 in Norman, Okla.

Let's look at the rest of the college basketball scene in this week's College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Kahlil Felder, G, Oakland - Certainly Felder can score with the best of them. Despite being 5-foot-9, he averages an impressive 26.1 points per game. Only James Daniel of Howard and the aforementioned Buddy Hield are scoring more than Felder. However, Felder is not just a one-trick pony. In fact, his greatest skill may be his passing ability. The junior has eight double-doubles thus far for the Grizzlies, including such outputs in three of the last four contests. That includes a 14-assist game against Youngstown State on Monday. Felder actually leads the nation in dishing, managing 9.2 dimes per contest, which is more than an assist better than the next closest player. In sum, Felder is an elite talent with incredible productivity who is not getting enough pub simply because he plays in the Horizon League.

Andrew Andrews, G, Washington - Forgive his parents for the all too obvious name choice, but Andrews is another guard with impeccable all-around ability. He was stellar for the Huskies as a junior, but has taken his game to new heights as a senior. He is scoring six more points, snatching two more rebounds and dishing out nearly two more assists per game as compared to a season ago. His rebounding is perhaps most impressive, as the 6-foot-2 senior is grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. That is astonishingly first on the team. The versatility of Andrews cannot be understated, as he also leads the team in scoring while ranking second in assists to freshman Dejounte Murray. Andrews had a 35-point game in UW's Double OT victory over UCLA to open Pac-12 play. Andrews is a force to be reckoned with, and the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week gives the Huskies a chance to win as long as he is on the court.

Devaugntah Williams, G, Texas Tech - The Red Raiders are not a traditional college basketball power, but Williams is trying to change that notion. Texas tech is off to an 11-1 start, in large part due to the scoring prowess of Williams. The leading scorer at 15.2 points per game, Williams scored 23 points in Saturday's victory over Texas. The true test for the Red Raiders will be the gauntlet that is Big 12 conference play, though, as their non-conference schedule was rather weak. There are matchups with Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Iowa State, all ranked squads, before January is through. We'll know more about Williams and his team following that murderous stretch.

Mike Gesell, G, Iowa - Gesell was the catalyst for two statement wins by the Hawkeyes in the last week or so, and he proved his worth in different ways in each of the victories. In an 83-70 triumph over then No. 1 Michigan State, Gesell poured in a career-high 25 points. In Iowa's next tilt at Purdue, a 70-63 victory, Gesell tallied seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists. In other words, Gesell does whatever the team needs in a particular game, showing superb versatility. On the season, the senior is averaging 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists per contest for the 11-3 Hawkeyes.

CHECK STATUS

Nikola Jovanovic, F, USC - The junior from Serbia has three double-doubles in his last four games, and six such outputs overall. Can he continue being so productive during the meat of conference play? While he was certainly no slouch last year, Jovanovic had five double-doubles on the entire season as a sophomore. Efficiency has been perhaps his greatest improvement, as Jovanovic is averaging more points and rebounds in five fewer minutes per game than a season ago. He has proven to be more effective in shorter spurts, as foul trouble has not been an issue for the 6-foot-11 big man. Still, the next two games come against the two powerhouse schools in Arizona, so it remains to be seen if Jovanovic can keep his numbers up against stiffer competition.

Shaq Goodwin, F, Memphis - Consistency, or lack thereof, has been the biggest problem for Goodwin during his time at Memphis. The senior has all the physical gifts in the world, but his basketball skills have yet to catch up to those physical traits. There are times when Goodwin is unstoppable on the glass; he has a 19-rebound game to his resume this season, and followed that up with a 15-rebound performance against Ole Miss a couple of weeks ago. He swatted five shots in a narrow loss to Oklahoma early on this season, and scored 23 points in an OT win over Ohio State. However, he is shooting a career-low 48.6-percent from the field, and continues to battle foul woes. He has fouled out of two of the last five games for the Tigers. The talent is evident for the 6-foot-9, 230-lb power forward, but he still needs some polish.

Rodney Purvis, G, Connecticut - The Huskies are winners of five-straight, and not surprisingly for a school that produced the likes of Kemba Walker, Shabazz Napier, Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton, UConn has been spurred by its guard play. Purvis is averaging 18.6 points per game over that span. He was named the Player of the Week in the American Athletic Conference. Though Daniel Hamilton is the more well-rounded player for the Huskies, Purvis has shown a deadly shooting touch this season. The super soph is shooting 51.4-percent from the field, including a blistering 47.1-percent from long range. As long as Purvis remains hot, the Huskies can hang with just about any squad in the country.

Dominic Artis, G, UTEP - Once upon a time, Artis was a member of the Oregon Ducks. After off-court issues derailed his tenure in Eugene, Artis transferred to UTEP and has become the catalyst for the Miners. Artis can do it all on the hardwood, averaging 12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for the balanced attack employed by the Miners. He nearly tallied a triple-double towards the end of the calendar year, registering 21 points, eight boards and eight dimes against lowly Texas-Rio Grande on December 29. That type of stat line showcases the many talents of Artis. As long as he can stay on the court and improve his shot selection, Artis has the chance to be special, as this is the first time in his collegiate career that he is receiving regular minutes.

DOWNGRADE

Przemek Karnowski, C, Gonzaga - The 'Zags suffered a crushing blow to their Final Four hopes, as Karnowski's balky back has not improved with rest and treatment, and he will instead be undergoing season-ending surgery. Although Gonzaga remains loaded in the frontcourt with Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer, Karnowski had the unique combination of size and finesse around the basket. He was a capable rebounder, a superior passer, and a behemoth in the post. The Bulldogs have been forced to go with more guard-heavy sets in Karnowski's absence, but they have not been adversely affected in recent games. In fact, the Zags have reeled off six-straight wins after going 2-2 in the first four games without the Polish big man.

James Blackmon, Jr., G, Indiana - The Hoosiers finally appeared to find themselves recently, notching seven wins in a row, including victories in their first two games in Big 10 conference play. However, those two conference victories, against Rutgers and Nebraska, came without the services of their second-leading scorer Blackmon. The sophomore suffered a knee injury, though initially there was hope he would be able to return to the court in short order. Unfortunately, that will not be the case, as he underwent right knee surgery and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Blackmon was expected to form a potent 1-2 punch in the backcourt with point guard Yogi Ferrell. However, Ferrell will have to shoulder even more of the offensive load without Blackmon, who was averaging 15.8 points per contest. Versatile swingman Troy Williams should be first in line to fill the position of Ferrell's sidekick.

Keith Frazier, G, SMU - Frazier was at the center of the academic scandal last year for the Mustangs, which resulted in numerous sanctions for the program, including his academic ineligibility in the spring of 2015, and a nine-game suspension for coach Larry Brown. However, Frazier had returned to the program this season, and was seeing heavy minutes. In fact, Frazier was playing nearly 29 minutes per game for the undefeated 'Stangs, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. However, Frazier ultimately decided it was in his best interests to leave the basketball team following SMU's win over USF over the weekend. The veteran squad will rely upon seniors Nic Moore and Jordan Tolbert in Frazier's absence.

Malik Pope, F, San Diego State - Pope has an intriguing combination of guard skills at a height of 6-foot-10. With impeccable athleticism to boot, he projects to some as a possible first-round draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. There's the rub, though; it's all projection at this point. The production has not matched his skill set, at least not thus far during his sophomore season. Pope is averaging just 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He is shooting a putrid 29.2-percent from the field. Pope was admittedly coddled during his freshman campaign, as he broke his leg twice in high school. Perhaps NBA teams are hoping Pope can be the next Kawhi Leonard, but the sophomore has an extremely long way to go. Right now, he's all projection, with very limited statistics to back up his supposedly vast potential.