This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
As the NCAA Tournament approaches, the bubble gets smaller and more teams start relying on a conference tournament championship to receive their own coveted automatic bid. There have already been some surprises: Monmouth was defeated by Iona, led by senior A.J. English, a name you might not be familiar with. Both Valparaiso and Oakland -- the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the Horizon Conference -- were knocked out in their first games of the conference tournament and in their space for the automatic bid sits UW-Green Bay. Florida Gulf Coast earned another trip to the Big Dance as well and will look to be a huge bracket buster yet again.
With the recent turmoil in the mid-major conference tournaments, it will be interesting to see how the power conference tournaments go this weekend. Here's what's going on in the rest of the NCAA as tournaments begin to ramp up:
UPGRADE
Malcolm Brogdon (G)
Brogdon has scored at least 17 points in six straight games, all coming after Virginia's loss to Duke on Feb. 13 that ended with a Grayson Allen buzzer-beater. He's extended and improved his range since his junior year, hitting 41 percent of his threes this season versus 34 percent last year. The star senior has dominated as the team's leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34 minutes per game, and he's led his team to a No. 2 seed in the very competitive ACC Tournament, where they'll open against Georgia Tech.
As the NCAA Tournament approaches, the bubble gets smaller and more teams start relying on a conference tournament championship to receive their own coveted automatic bid. There have already been some surprises: Monmouth was defeated by Iona, led by senior A.J. English, a name you might not be familiar with. Both Valparaiso and Oakland -- the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the Horizon Conference -- were knocked out in their first games of the conference tournament and in their space for the automatic bid sits UW-Green Bay. Florida Gulf Coast earned another trip to the Big Dance as well and will look to be a huge bracket buster yet again.
With the recent turmoil in the mid-major conference tournaments, it will be interesting to see how the power conference tournaments go this weekend. Here's what's going on in the rest of the NCAA as tournaments begin to ramp up:
UPGRADE
Malcolm Brogdon (G)
Brogdon has scored at least 17 points in six straight games, all coming after Virginia's loss to Duke on Feb. 13 that ended with a Grayson Allen buzzer-beater. He's extended and improved his range since his junior year, hitting 41 percent of his threes this season versus 34 percent last year. The star senior has dominated as the team's leading scorer, averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 34 minutes per game, and he's led his team to a No. 2 seed in the very competitive ACC Tournament, where they'll open against Georgia Tech. Brogdon's dominance will need to continue in order to secure the No. 1 seed in the upcoming big dance, and the way he's been playing it's going to be hard to stop Virginia's roll.
Bryn Forbes (G)
Forbes caught fire from behind the arc recently, going 27-of-46 in his last five games, including a Big Ten record-breaking performance against Rutgers when he hit 11 of his 16 three-point attempts. Forbes has helped Michigan State go from a solid post-season contender to a downright dangerous team that no one wants to face. Although he is often overshadowed by fellow guard and National Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine, Forbes has been a big part of the Spartans success this season, and he's peaking at the right time as his team fights for a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Henry Ellenson (F)
Although he certainly doesn't play like a first-year player, Marquette's star freshman gained some well-deserved accolades over the weekend, grabbing first team All-Big East honors, as well as being honored on the All-Freshman team. Ellenson was a game-time decision with an ankle injury, but instead, showed perseverance and toughness by entering the starting lineup and having a big night with 29 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block during Saturday's loss to Butler. The game before that, he recorded his 17th double-double of the season. Did I mention he's only once scored below double-digits? While his effort alone wasn't enough to earn Marquette an at-large NCAA Tournament berth, they have a chance to make some noise in the Big East Tournament, and possibly snatch the automatic bid due to Ellenson. The Wisconsin native is expected to be high in the running for the Big East Freshman of the year, and -- if he leaves Marquette for the NBA -- to be a highly desired lottery pick.
A.J. English (G)
Iona's star senior, English is going out with a bang, averaging 22.4 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 36 minutes per game. He led the underdog Gaels over Monmouth on Monday to win the MAAC Tournament, securing an automatic NCAA tournament bid, with 19 points, five assists, two steals and one rebound. This was actually his lowest point total since Feb. 15 when he had 16 points, but you can't put a price on clutch. English hit a big fade-away jump shot with 1:39 left to break the tie and put Iona ahead for good. He's the type of player that makes the NCAA tournament so unpredictable, and he has the potential to lead his team to a big upset.
CHECK STATUS
Tres Tinkle (F)
According to Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, Oregon State has snuck into the NCAA tournament as a "last-four-in" team, and Tinkle has been a big part of the push. Behind senior Gary Payton II, Tinkle is the Beavers' second-leading scorer, averaging 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 assists in 28 minutes per game. Unfortunately, Tinkle injured his foot in practice last week and missed two games. He is being evaluated as a game-time decision, but the possibility that the young forward may not be available for postseason play may hurt Oregon State's chances to make a run in both the upcoming Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments.
Jonathan Holton (F)
The steady senior may not score much, but he can make up for his lack of offensive prowess with rebounding. Holton sprained his ankle during Saturday's win over Baylor and didn't practice Monday, as he's still dealing with significant swelling. Holton has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in four of his last five games, and is second on the team by averaging 7.8 boards per game. West Virginia may have nabbed the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, but they may be without Holton on Thursday, when they face TCU, and they could need to look for a new source of steady rebounding down low. If Holton can't play or is playing limited minutes, they will likely look to team-high rebounder Devin Williams and high-scorer Jaysean Paige to produce more.
Kendall Pollard (F)
Although Pollard played in the last three games, including 30 minutes Saturday against VCU, he's still suffering from a lingering knee injury. Pollard, who missed six conference games due to the injury, is averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 27 minutes per game this season. Although his value isn't top tier, he is an important role player for Dayton. The coaching staff may be sitting him strategically because the Flyers already have a pretty solid lock on an NCAA tournament bid, so resting Pollard during the Atlantic-10 tournament could potentially help him be ready to go later on.
Robert Johnson (G)
Johnson has missed three games due to a sprained ankle, but he is supposedly ahead of schedule in his recovery and is a game-time decision for Indiana's first Big Ten tournament game Friday. Johnson is a role player, averaging 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 26 minutes per game this season, but he adds a three-point threat for the Hoosiers, averaging 1.7 three-pointers per game on 44 percent shooting. Nick Zeisloft has stepped into his place, playing over 30 minutes per game in Johnson's absence. While Zeisloft has done well, having Johnson back would help the Hoosiers a lot at the guard position, and relieve some of the pressure on their star senior point guard Yogi Ferrell.
DOWNGRADE
John Egbunu (C)
The Florida big man recently sustained a torn ligament
in his thumb during a practice and is doubtful for Thursday's tilt against Arkansas. This is an important game for Florida, as they aren't quite yet a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Beating Arkansas in the first round of the SEC Tournament is crucial for convincing
the committee that they deserve a place, as the Gators have lost four out of their last five games. Egbunu is expected to available this game as he was cleared, but isn't expected to play. The 6-foot-11 starting center is the team's second leading scored and
rebounder, right behind forward Dorian Finney-Smith, and is averaging 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 26 minutes per game. Without him, Finney-Smith and Kevarrius Hayes will attempt to fill the Egbunu's hole while he recovers.
Amile Jefferson (F)
After a lot of ambiguity on whether or not he would return for the postseason, Jefferson was ruled out for the rest of the season with a fractured foot suffered in mid-December. The senior hasn't played since, and he's seeking a medical redshirt to gain a year of eligibility. The loss of Jefferson has been tough on Duke, who has been reduced to a seven-man rotation. Jefferson was averaging a double-double before he went down, averaging 11.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 blocks in 30 minutes per game. Duke has filled his minutes by starting freshman guard Derryck Thornton while using Marshall Plumlee more down low, and giving guard Luke Kennard heavier minutes off the bench.
Joey King (F)
The plight of the Golden Gophers never seems to go away. Their already rough season imploded last week when three of their main backcourt players were suspended indefinitely for their alleged involvement in an explicit video one of them posted on Twitter, but things went from bad to worse when King fractured his foot. King started off the season hot, though he went on a couple of cold streaks here and there. He was often the Gophers' highest scorer, and their go-to player, averaging 11.6 points and 3.8 assists in 30 minutes per game. It's unlikely King will be able to make it back for the Big Ten tournament, and without him or any scholarship guards, it's almost certain the Gophers' miserable season is over.
