College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

In some universe, Duke just hit another 3-pointer. Saturday's game against Virginia was amazing in that the Blue Devils were insanely hot from the perimeter. Zion Williamson did not have a huge performance, though he did have the block of the game. Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett showed why they are top-5 NBA prospects by stretching the court. Hopefully, we get a Round 3 and both teams are healthy in the ACC tournament next month.

While we are still in February, there are plenty of players who can help your fantasy squad. Here are a few to consider.

ACC

Jared Wilson-Flame, guard, Pittsburgh Panthers

The Panthers have improved from last season, but they still are not terribly competitive in the ACC. Wilson-Flame is one of the few players to survive the Kevin Stallings era. The 6-foot-5 senior opened the season with three consecutive 20-point games, then cooled off until the mid-January. Since Jan. 19, Wilson-Flame has been raining 3-pointers on opponents. In the team's current seven-game losing streak, he has hit 28 3-pointers on 46.7 percent for 14.9 points. Pitt will look to break the streak against Boston College and Virginia Tech.

Jordan Chatman, guard, Boston College Eagles

Chatman missed three games in late December with an injury and it took him some time to get back into the flow of things. Like Wilson-Flame, Chatman scored well in his last seven games. Over that span, he averaged 17.0 points and 3.7 3-pointers. He nailed 45.6 percent of his 3-pointers in the stretch, but the Eagles only won twice. The 6-5 senior does not bring much value beyond shooting and scoring, but points always help. After playing Pitt, BC plays host to Miami this week.

BIG TEN

Anthony Gaines, guard, Northwestern Wildcats

The Wildcats are struggling. On Sunday, they blew a 14-point lead in the last five minutes to lose to Iowa. It was the team's fourth straight loss. Gaines is a sophomore guard who has improved his scoring average in each of his last nine games. He averages 6.6 points and has not scored fewer than seven points in those nine games. Gaines had a season-high 18 points in a loss to Maryland on Jan. 29 in which Northwestern scored just 52 points. Northwestern plays host to Rutgers and plays at Nebraska this week.

Gabe Kalscheur, guard, Minnesota Golden Gophers

As a freshman, Kalscheur has been intermittently successful as a scorer. He pokes up every now and then, but has not scored in double digits more than three games in a row. The 6-4 guard hit a season-high seven 3-pointers on his way to 25 points in a win over Santa Clara on Nov. 20. He also led the Golden Gophers to a surprise win over Iowa with 19 points on Jan. 27. In his last four games, he has averaged 11.0 points, but was just 1-of-10 on 3-pointers in losses to Purdue and Wisconsin. Minnesota will look to snap its three-game losing streak to Nebraska and/or Indiana this week.

BIG 12

Matt Mooney, guard, Texas Tech Red Raiders

At South Dakota, Mooney was the man. He averaged more than 18.0 points in two seasons, but he wanted a bigger challenge. With the Red Raiders, the graduate transfer has been a complementary player and averages 10.6 points. He scored at least 11 points in four of his last five games and had 18 points in a win over TCU on Jan. 28. The 6-3 senior has also provided 4.0 assists over his last four games. The Horned Frogs have a big week at home against Kansas and Oklahoma.

Courtney Ramey, guard, Texas Longhorns

If the Shaka Smart era at Texas oan be boiled down to one issue, it would be lack of perimeter shooting. The team has never been able to knock down shots from the outside consistently, but Smart may have found a player to provide some 3-point support. Ramey is hitting 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers and is coming off a game against West Virginia in which he hit five treys on his way to 19 points. The 6-3 freshman has scored 19 points twice and has hit 16 3-pointers in his last five games. The Longhorns play host to Kansas State and Oklahoma State this week.

BIG EAST

Saddiq Bey, forward, Villanova Wildcats

Several Wildcats have bubbled up to support Phil Booth and Eric Paschall with scoring. Colin Gillespie was featured in this space a few weeks ago. Bey, a 6-8 freshman, has scored in double digits in five of his last six games. He even had 10 points in the loss to Marquette on Saturday. Like all Villanova players, he can hit 3-point shots, making 36.5 percent from the beyond the arc. Bey had a double-double in a win over DePaul on Jan. 30. Villanova will look to start a new winning streak against Providence and St. John's this week.

Josh Leblanc, forward, Georgetown Hoyas

The future of Hoyas basketball looks quite bright. The team has a solid freshman backcourt duo in James Akinjo and Mac McClung. Leblanc is a 6-7 forward from Baton Rouge who has provided interior help for Jessie Govan. He averages 9.8 points on 65.9 percent shooting from the field and 7.2 rebounds. Leblanc has helped the Hoyas beat Xavier and Providence with 17 points in each game. He has five double-doubles and will have more space after Govan graduates. Georgetown heads to Seton Hall before facing Villanova at home this week.

PAC-12

Bryce Wills, guard, Stanford Cardinal

The present of the Cardinal is not terrible, but the future might be quite good. The team has won three consecutive games (through Sunday evening) and freshmen like Wills have been stepping up. Wills received a bump in playing time while Cormac Ryan was out with an ankle issue. On Sunday, guard Daejon Davis was out with a head injury, which means more playing time for Wills. The 6-6 freshman provided 10.6 points in his last five games and 16 points in the win over California last Sunday. The Cardinal face visiting USC and UCLA this week.

John Sharma, forward, Stanford Cardinal

Sharma, a senior, will not be a part of the Cardinal's future. He had 20 points on 8-of-10 from the field in the surprise win over Oregon State on Thursday. The 7-0 center is a consistent source of boards, averaging 7.7 rebounds in his last six games. Fouls tend to be an issue with Sharma, and he has accrued at least four fouls in his last four games. He fouled out of the loss to Utah, but provided nine points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Stanford won five of seven before getting pounded by Oregon on Sunday. The Cardinal will look to start a new winning streak against the southern California teams this week.

SEC

Lamonte Turner, guard, Tennessee Volunteers

Turner missed the majority of the first two months of the season with a shoulder injury. The Volunteers survived without him, but they are clearly stronger with him back. The 6-2 junior gives Tennessee another perimeter threat, averaging 37.8 percent shooting on 3-pointers on his way to 11.8 points per game. In his last five games, the guard averaged 14.6 points and 4.8 assists. Turner converted 52.0 percent of his 3-pointers in that span. Tennessee plays host to South Carolina before playing the big game at Kentucky next Saturday.

Javon Pickett, guard, Missouri Tigers

First, it's crazy that there are three Tigers teams in the SEC (Missouri, Auburn, LSU). The teams should play a round-robin tournament to determine which team may remain a Tiger. Missouri is the newest Tiger in the SEC and should find a new name. It appears to have found a new producer in the 6-4 Pickett. He provided 13.0 points in his last three games and is not afraid to shoot. He tried 18 field goals in a Feb. 5 loss to Tennessee. Missouri is at home against Arkansas before heading to Ole Miss this week.

MID-MAJORS

Jordan Walker, guard, Morehead State Eagles

The Eagles have been streaky. They lost their first three OVC games, won four straight and have now lost of their last five games. Other than a three-game down spell in late November, Walker has continued to provide points. He has scored in double digits in all but four games and had a season-high 30 points in the win over Eastern Illinois. The 6-0 junior is hitting 41.0 percent of his 3-pointers and leads the Eagles with 16.2 points per game. The Eagles play host to Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay this week.

Quinton Dove, forward, Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks

The Skyhawks entered the season with a bunch of questions. They had transfers Preston Parks from the Citadel and Kevin Little from Colorado State, but neither guard has lit the OVC on fire. Dove has provided some answers from the frontcourt. The junior college transfer leads the Skyhawks with 13.0 points per game on 59.6 percent shooting from the field. In his last five games, he bumped his scoring up to 19.0 points on 65.0 percent shooting. UT-Martin has won consecutive games and will look to keep up the winning against Southeast Missouri State and SIU-Edwardsville this week.

David Collins, guard, South Florida Bulls

Somehow, the Bulls have been able to win without forward Alexis Yetna. The forward has piled up double-doubles but had to sit out with a leg injury. Fortunately, the team has one of the best guard combos in the nation. Collins combines with Laquincy Rideau to make every opponent pass a possible turnover. The 6-3 sophomore has scored at least 20 points in his last three games and averages 15.0 points per game. Until recently, he had struggled with his shot, but he has converted 55.6 percent of his field goals in the scoring binge. Collins also averages 2.3 steals. The Bulls have surprised the American Athletic with five consecutive wins but head to UCF before playing host to Temple.

Marcus Santos-Silva, forward, VCU Rams

The Rams find themselves tied with Davidson at the top of the A10. They have won four consecutive games, including three on the road, and would not have done so without Santos-Silva. The 6-7 sophomore has averaged 12.8 points on 58.3 percent from the field and 8.5 rebounds. He has produced in limited minutes and has played just 23.0 minutes over the winning streak. On the season, Santos-Silva has averaged 9.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. VCU plays an intra-city game against Richmond before heading to dangerous Dayton.

Amauri Hardy, guard, UNLV Runnin' Rebels

This has not been a banner year for the Rebels. They lost leading rebounder Shakur Juiston to a knee injury. Joel Ntambwe looked like he would slide right in, but the freshman has been inconsistent. Hardy has developed into a good scorer. The 6-2 guard has hit 35.9 percent of his 3-pointers and leads the team with 3.7 assists per game. He also provides 12.7 points per game and has scored better than his average in four of his last five games. Hardy has scored in double digits in nine of 11 conference games. UNLV lost four of its last five games but have winnable matchups against Air Force and San Jose State this week.