This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The initial set of rankings were released this weekend by the NCAA tournament committee, showing the top 16 teams as they are currently constituted. Among those 16 are three teams from the state of Texas -- Houston, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. While the Cougars' placement within the top eight is unsurprising, the other two Texas schools are having fantastic seasons while flying a bit under the radar.
In the case of Texas A&M, it was thought highly of coming into the season, ranking within the top-15 of the initial polls while being picked to finish fifth in the loaded SEC during the preseason. While three SEC teams -- Auburn, Alabama and Florida -- are each currently projected one-seeds and Tennessee also resides in the top five of the committee's rankings, Texas A&M stands at 20-6 and sits just behind at number six. Led by their star backcourt of Wade Taylor and Zhuric Phelps, the Aggies have defeated Texas Tech, Purdue and Missouri, each of whom are presently within the top-15 of the polls.
Texas A&M saw its five-game winning streak snapped Tuesday at the hands of Mississippi State and is now 2-3 against SEC opponents currently ranked in the AP poll, including losses in its two biggest in-conference matchups thus far against Alabama and at Kentucky. However, the Aggies have a chance to make a big statement over the final five regular season games with three matchups against top-6 competition, hosting sixth-ranked Tennessee and top-ranked Auburn, while also
The initial set of rankings were released this weekend by the NCAA tournament committee, showing the top 16 teams as they are currently constituted. Among those 16 are three teams from the state of Texas -- Houston, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. While the Cougars' placement within the top eight is unsurprising, the other two Texas schools are having fantastic seasons while flying a bit under the radar.
In the case of Texas A&M, it was thought highly of coming into the season, ranking within the top-15 of the initial polls while being picked to finish fifth in the loaded SEC during the preseason. While three SEC teams -- Auburn, Alabama and Florida -- are each currently projected one-seeds and Tennessee also resides in the top five of the committee's rankings, Texas A&M stands at 20-6 and sits just behind at number six. Led by their star backcourt of Wade Taylor and Zhuric Phelps, the Aggies have defeated Texas Tech, Purdue and Missouri, each of whom are presently within the top-15 of the polls.
Texas A&M saw its five-game winning streak snapped Tuesday at the hands of Mississippi State and is now 2-3 against SEC opponents currently ranked in the AP poll, including losses in its two biggest in-conference matchups thus far against Alabama and at Kentucky. However, the Aggies have a chance to make a big statement over the final five regular season games with three matchups against top-6 competition, hosting sixth-ranked Tennessee and top-ranked Auburn, while also traveling to Florida to take on the second-ranked Gators.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech has also made its way into the top-10 of this week's polls, though the committee is undervaluing the Red Raiders just a bit, as they have Tech rated as the 13th best team in the land, placing them with a four seed. The Red Raiders began the season unranked and were picked to finish in the middle of the pack behind the Big 12 elites. However, the star turn of sophomore sensation JT Toppin along with steady play from Chance McMillian, Darrion Williams and Elijah Hawkins has helped prove that the Red Raiders are firmly among the Big 12 elites, having catapulted to third in the conference, including a win at Houston and a split with red-hot Arizona.
Texas Tech's final five contests has it slated for another matchup with the fifth-ranked Cougars along with a trip to Kansas to take on the up-and-down Jayhawks. With the Red Raiders' current form, having won nine of their last 11, the Texas Tech in position for a deep postseason run.
As we enter the homestretch of the regular season, let's take a look at some players making headlines in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
JT Toppin, F, Texas Tech - Perhaps no one has had a bigger stretch this season than Toppin over the last 10 days. He has posted four straight double-doubles, averaging 27.0 points and 12.8 rebounds while becoming the first player in the Big 12 since 2009 to record 30-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in back-to-back games against Arizona State and Oklahoma State. During those two games, the sophomore transfer from New Mexico connected on 29-of-39 (74.4-percent) from the field and managed to post a career-high 41 points to go along with 15 boards in the game with the Sun Devils, the fourth time this season he's pulled down at least 15 off the glass. Toppin was subject to a questionable ejection against Houston, then rolled an ankle while on his way to another double-double against Baylor but since then has responded with this most recent four-game explosion. In total, Toppin is up to 11 double-doubles this season, leading the Red Raiders to wins in 11 of their last 14 since dropping the Big 12 opener against UCF. Toppin will be at the epicenter for Texas Tech during the stretch run as the Red Raiders aim to make their second Final Four appearance in six seasons.
John Tonje, F, Wisconsin - If anyone can stake a claim to being on a bigger heater than Toppin, it's Tonje who has filled it up all season for the Badgers, including early performances of 41 points in a win over Arizona and 33 points in a win over Pitt. However, following putting up a bagel against USC last month, Tonje has really taken off over the past few weeks, totaling better than 20 points in seven of his last eight games while topping 30 in his last two, averaging 25.1 points during that stretch. Wisconsin has won 11 of their last 13 to catapult themselves near the top of the Big Ten standings and up to number 11 in this week's poll while earning a number three seed in the committee's initial rankings. The Badgers last made a Final Four in 2015 and haven't reached the Sweet Sixteen since 2017 but led by Tonje, who's suddenly been thrust into the Big Ten POY conversation, the Badgers are averaging greater than 80 points per game and are peaking at the right time.
Thomas Haugh, F, Florida - Haugh was seeing his stock rise even before star forward Alex Condon went down with an ankle injury. Haugh had seen his minutes rise from 21.3 to 25.8 over the five games preceding Condon's injury, averaging 9.0 points and 9.0 boards across those five contests. Condon then went down a minute into Florida's game on February 11 against Mississippi State and Haugh's minute total jumped to 37, supplying 16 points, nine boards and doubling his previous career high by dishing out eight assists. He then made his first start in place of Condon and posted a season-high 20 points, converting on half of his six attempts from downtown and filling in the box score with six boards, three assists, two steals and a block. Condon is expected to miss at least 10-14 days which will give Haugh plenty of opportunity to justify his extended run for the second-ranked Gators. Center Micah Handlogten returned to play his first game of the season Saturday and his return could impact Haugh's production but as the Gators attempt to solidify a one-seed through the stretch run, Haugh's breakout has come at the perfect time.
Milos Uzan, G, Houston - Simply put, Uzan has been the heart and soul of the Cougars this season. The transfer from Oklahoma was hand-picked by coach Kelvin Sampson to replace outgoing All-American point guard Jamal Shead, and while Uzan was never going to match Shead's production, he's been the perfect fit for this team as they attempt to make another deep March run. Uzan has excelled in ball distribution, averaging nearly five assists per contest, plays fantastic positional defense, rarely turns the ball over with one or fewer turnovers in 12 of 15 conference games and had scored in double figures during eight straight prior to Tuesday's nine-point effort, averaging 13.9 points during that stretch. Houston has proven that they are the cream of the Big 12 with their only blemish being a one-point OT loss to a Texas Tech team that is on fire. The Cougars have made a Final Four, an Elite Eight and two Sweet 16 appearances over the past four years and were set for a Final Four run last season prior to Jamal Shead's injury in the Sweet 16 which led directly to their loss against Duke. With Uzan at the point this season, they are arguably just as good as those previous teams and appear poised to take the next step in this year's tournament.
CHECK STATUS
Boopie Miller, G, SMU - Miller missed Saturday's game against his former team Wake Forest due to a foot injury. The injury, labeled a bruise by coach Andy Enfield, was sustained late in the game last Tuesday against Pitt, rendering Miller to a walking boot as he missed his first game of the season. Enfield stated after the game that the team would be cautious in their approach with Miller, as the severity of the injury and a possible return date are currently unknown. The point guard is the leading scorer and assist man for the Mustangs, averaging 13.4 points and 5.7 assists through 24 games to go along with 3.1 boards and 1.6 steals. SMU is firmly entrenched on the NCAA tournament bubble with a 19-6 record, including a 10-4 mark in conference play which is good for fifth in the ACC. After struggling during their loss to Wake Forest, their tournament hopes appear to be riding on the short-term and long-term health of Miller.
Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown - The Hoyas were dealt a blow when Sorber was forced to leave Saturday's game against Butler with a lower leg issue. The freshman center went down late in the first half after playing 12 minutes and was helped off the floor, walking gingerly to the locker room. He did not return to the game though he was seen on the sideline during the second half and is currently listed as day-to-day, so thankfully it appears that Sorber avoided a major injury. The freshman center was forced to miss a game last month with an elbow injury but since his return had played at least 35 minutes in each of the six games prior to Saturday, averaging 16.2 points, 9.0 boards, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks during that stretch. Sorber has been a major presence underneath for the Hoyas in his first season with the club as their main rim protector and rebounder. Drew Fielder and Jordan Burks each received extra run when Sorber went down and would seem to be the main beneficiaries if Sorber misses time, though coach Ed Cooley could elect to insert reserve guard Jayden Epps back into the starting lineup after he scored 15 points in 27 minutes during Saturday's loss.
DOWNGRADE
Jaxson Robinson, G, Kentucky - Robinson injured his wrist in practice prior to a February 8 clash against South Carolina, then lasted only 20 minutes after attempting to give it a go and hasn't played since, missing the next two games for Kentucky while being seen with a significant brace on his wrist. According to coach Mark Pope, Robinson has received three medical opinions regarding the injury with no current timetable for his return. The fifth-year wing had been on a heater, averaging 18.0 points per game while connecting on 4.4 threes per game at a greater than 50-percent clip in the seven games prior to the injury. Travis Perry entered the starting lineup for Kentucky Saturday and played a season-high 28 largely unproductive minutes for the Wildcats.
Lamont Butler, G, Kentucky - Continuing with Kentucky, they've been ravaged by injury in the backcourt as they're also set to be without starting point guard Lamont Butler for at least the next couple of games. Butler recently missed three games due to a shoulder injury, then reaggravated the injury diving for a loose ball during Kentucky's win over Tennessee on February 11. Butler, who is averaging 12.5 points, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals across 19 games this season, sat out Saturday's loss and is in a non-contact phase during practice, though he's reportedly aiming to amp things back up next week. Otega Oweh has moved from shooting guard to the point in Butler's absence while forward Koby Brea has moved into the starting lineup in Butler's place. The Wildcats would also benefit if veteran point guard Kerr Kriisa, who has not played since early December due to a foot injury, were to return but there's varying reports as to whether he's close to a return or set to take a medical redshirt. Kentucky is currently sitting tied for eighth in the loaded SEC with a conference record of 6-6 and while they were listed as a three-seed for the NCAA tournament when the committee unveiled its initial set of rankings over the weekend, if the Wildcats want to make some noise during postseason play, they will need the return to full health of both Butler and Robinson.
