College Hoops Barometer: Risers & Fallers

The Connecticut Huskies have been simply sensational to begin the 2022-2023 campaign.  UConn is huge up front, with 6-9 forward Adama Sanogo leading the Huskies in scoring, while 7-2 freshman behemoth Donovan Clingan comes off the bench and punishes the opposition on the interior.  Clingan leads Connecticut in rebounding, shot-blocking and field-goal percentage.  He is hitting an outrageous 75.4 percent of his shot thus far this season.  Clingan is doing all this in just 15 minutes per game!  Yes, you read that correctly.  The Huskies are never wanting for guards either, with East Carolina transfer Tristen Newton serving as the catalyst for the offense, and sophomore Jordan Hawkins seeing a huge uptick in production from his freshman year.  Hawkins is hitting 42.6 percent of his three-pointers this season.  The Huskies are unselfish on offense, feisty on defense and have won every game thus far this season by double-digits.  With Villanova finally in a rebuilding year, another juggernaut UConn squad could be on the rise.

Let's move on to some notable individual performers in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Isaiah Wong, G, Miami – Wong almost left the 'Canes in the offseason, but ultimately returned to a squad where he is now the undisputed focal point of the offense.  Though the 'Canes did bring in transfers Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier to replace Charlie Moore and Kameron McGusty, Wong's ability to get his own shot or create separation for his teammates is unrivaled.  Wong poured in 36 points in a high-scoring win over Cornell; the Big Red is a sneaky good squad with a chance at winning the Ivy League this season.  Wong followed that performance up with 22 points, five rebounds and eight assists in a comeback win over NC State.  That triumph ultimately vaulted the 'Canes into the top-25 of the rankings.  Miami made the Elite Eight last season, and with Wong at the helm, a return trip is not out of the question.

Max Fiedler, F/C, Rice – The Owls nearly toppled Texas on Monday, ultimately succumbing to the Longhorns in overtime by a score of 87-81.  Fiedler has been a stat sheet stuffer for Rice, as he is a threat to tally a triple-double each and every time he steps onto the court.  Fiedler is averaging 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per contest.  The 6-11 big man is quite the unicorn; in fact, Fiedler leads Conference USA in assists while also ranking amongst the league leaders in shooting percentage.  Fiedler is hitting shots at a 68.6-percent clip from the floor this season as a junior.  Fiedler has certainly shown he can impact the game in a variety of ways for the Owls.

Keion Brooks, F, Washington – Brooks started 33 games for Kentucky last season, but the 6-7 forward transferred to Washington in the offseason.  Brooks averaged 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds last year with the Wildcats but has taken on a more central role in the offense with the Huskies.  He is averaging 17.8 points and 6.3 rebounds thus far this season.  Brooks leads the squad in both categories.  He poured in a career-high 30 points Tuesday in a win over Cal Poly.  Though most of his scoring takes place inside the three-point arc, Brooks has worked diligently on his outside shot and is shooting a career best from long range as well.  He is currently fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring and has shown significant strides in his offensive game.

Kendric Davis, G, Memphis – The SMU transfer has not missed a beat since coming over to the Tigers.  Davis is averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals per tilt.  Davis recorded 27 points in a win at Auburn over the weekend, then upped the ante with 30 points in a narrow defeat at Alabama on Tuesday.  Davis connected on all15 of his foul shots over that span and is connecting on a career-best 90.6 percent of free-throws this year.  Davis is the primary scoring option for the Tigers and will continue to get all the opportunities he can handle, though clearly he is also a more than capable passer.

CHECK STATUS

Marcus Shaver, G, Boise State – Shaver has been off and on the court over the last week or so.  Through the first eight games of the season, Shaver managed 15.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.6 steals per tilt for the Broncos.  However, he was sidelined last week for a win over Eastern Oregon, then struggled in his return to the court for a subsequent matchup at Saint Louis over the weekend.  He then missed Tuesday's blowout victory over New Orleans.  Boise State may just be being cautious with their star guard, as the Broncos have reeled off eight-straight wins and do not start Mountain West Conference play for another two weeks.  However, the injury issue is undisclosed, making it difficult to speculate as to the level of concern here.  Shaver leads BSU in virtually every notable offensive category, so suffice to say his absence would be missed if lengthy.         

Ta'lon Cooper, G, Minnesota – The Golden Gophers have endured a trying start to the 2022-2023 campaign.  Minnesota has dropped five-straight contests, including its first two conference outings in the Big Ten.  All of these defeats have come by at least nine points.  Leading returning scorer Jamison Battle missed the first four games of the season due to injury and has not quite looked like himself since returning.  Cooper had been attempting to hold down the fort, but the Morehead State transfer injured his ankle in Sunday's 18-point loss to Mississippi State, leaving his status in the short term in doubt.  Cooper was averaging 11.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per tilt prior to the injury.  Thankfully for the Gophers, they have a soft schedule until the calendar turns to 2023, so hopefully that will give Cooper time to get healthy and allow Minnesota to attempt to right the ship before re-engaging with some stiff Big Ten competition.

Jeremy Roach, G, Duke – A toe injury shelved Roach for last Saturday's clash with Maryland-Eastern, though the move could simply have been precautionary given the caliber of opponent.  Duke manhandled the hapless Shore Hawks, with freshman Tyrese Proctor pacing the Blue Devils with 15 points in the 82-55 triumph.  Roach is usually the floor general for Duke, though, as he leads the squad in assists with 3.5 dimes per tilt.  He is also currently second in scoring behind Kyle Filipowski.  Roach is one of the only upperclassmen to play legitimate minutes for new coach Jon Scheyer, so his experience will be invaluable for the Blue Devils this season, especially in the absence of Coach K.

DOWNGRADE

Isaac Likekele, G, Ohio State – A four-year starter at Oklahoma State, Likekele has not had quite the expected effect since coming to Columbus.  He started the first eight games of the season for the Buckeyes but averaged career-lows in points, assists and shooting percentage.  Shooting was never Likekele's strong suit, but his shot has been particularly worrisome this year.  He is shooting just 39 percent from the floor, a putrid 44.4 percent from the foul line and has yet to hit a three-pointer.  Add in that Likekele will now be sidelined indefinitely due to undisclosed personal reasons, and it is clear his transfer has been much rockier than anticipated.

Charlie Easley, G, South Dakota State – Easley will be sidelined at least one more week for the Jackrabbits due to an undisclosed issue.  The junior guard was averaging 9.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest.  Easley has filled the role of long-distance sharpshooter for SDSU, hitting nearly 45 percent of his shots from beyond the three-point arc.  Freshman Tanner Te Slaa has seen an uptick in minutes in the two games Easley has missed, though Zeke Mayo continues to shoulder the bulk of the offensive load out of the backcourt for the Jackrabbits.

Jalen Hood-Schifino, G, Indiana – Trayce Jackson-Davis gets the pub for the Hoosiers, and rightly so.  However, the Hoosiers have nine players averaging double-digit minutes per game for coach Mike Woodson, including Hood-Schifino.  Indiana started the season 7-0, but has scuffled of late, dropping two of its last three contests.  Perhaps not coincidentally, Hood-Schifino has been sidelined for all three of those outings due to a back ailment.  The freshman is fifth on the team in scoring, third in rebounding and second in assists.  His absence has been felt by the Hoosiers; hopefully he can return to the court in short order, especially with a high-profile clash with Kansas on the horizon.