This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
It has been unusual to see early season losses on the resume for Gonzaga, but at least no one can accuse the Bulldogs of ducking competition during the non-conference portion of their schedule. Gonzaga has faced ranked opponents in the form of Kentucky, Texas and Purdue, losing two of those three contests by a combined 37 points. The 'Zags have also beaten Xavier and Michigan State, have a matchup with a ranked Baylor squad later this week and play a ranked Alabama unit later in December. Perhaps the other shoe has finally dropped after years of churning out top-tier talent, or Gonzaga is finding out what life would be like if they resided in a major conference.
Whatever the case may be, center Drew Timme has still been as good as advertised, averaging 20.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per contest, which are all career highs. He is shooting an impressive 62.1-percent from the field.
Let's take a look at some other players making waves in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Brandon Miller, F, Alabama – Miller's transition to the collegiate ranks has been smooth, as the freshman forward is averaging 19.6 points and 8.9 rebounds through seven games for the Tide. After going 0-for-6 from three-point range in the season opener, Miller has hit nearly 55-percent of his shots from three-point land. He still managed a double-double in the aforementioned first game of the season as well, notching 14 points and 13
It has been unusual to see early season losses on the resume for Gonzaga, but at least no one can accuse the Bulldogs of ducking competition during the non-conference portion of their schedule. Gonzaga has faced ranked opponents in the form of Kentucky, Texas and Purdue, losing two of those three contests by a combined 37 points. The 'Zags have also beaten Xavier and Michigan State, have a matchup with a ranked Baylor squad later this week and play a ranked Alabama unit later in December. Perhaps the other shoe has finally dropped after years of churning out top-tier talent, or Gonzaga is finding out what life would be like if they resided in a major conference.
Whatever the case may be, center Drew Timme has still been as good as advertised, averaging 20.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per contest, which are all career highs. He is shooting an impressive 62.1-percent from the field.
Let's take a look at some other players making waves in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Brandon Miller, F, Alabama – Miller's transition to the collegiate ranks has been smooth, as the freshman forward is averaging 19.6 points and 8.9 rebounds through seven games for the Tide. After going 0-for-6 from three-point range in the season opener, Miller has hit nearly 55-percent of his shots from three-point land. He still managed a double-double in the aforementioned first game of the season as well, notching 14 points and 13 rebounds against Longwood. Alabama has already beaten ranked opponents like North Carolina and Michigan State, and Miller is one of the key reasons as to why the Tide has been so successful early on this season.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, F, Marquette – The Golden Eagles destroyed a top-10 squad in the form of Baylor on Tuesday, and Prosper was the high-scorer for the game. Prosper notched 24 points in the 96-70 thrashing of the Bears. However, that was not even his season high in terms of points, as he poured in 31 points in a blowout win over LIU earlier this month. Prosper has also shown he is not afraid to mix it up down low, as the junior notched 11 rebounds to go along with 18 points for the first double-double of his collegiate career versus Chicago State. With Villanova off to a dismal 2-5 start, the Big East could be wide open for the taking, and Prosper's Golden Eagles should find themselves in the running.
Hunter Tyson, F, Clemson – Tyson has seen his numbers improve in each and every season with the Tigers, culminating in a starring role for Clemson as a fifth-year senior. Tyson is averaging 14.1 points and 8.8 rebounds through the first eight games of the season. He is currently sixth in the ACC in rebounding. Tyson notched two double-doubles earlier this season, then accumulated a career-best 24 points in Tuesday's Double OT win over Penn State. The improvement of his three-point shot is particularly notable, as Tyson is hitting a career-high 43.2 percent from long distance thus far this season. Tyson has outplayed teammate PJ Hall to date, and the prediction of Clemson to finish 11th in the ACC prior to the season may be looking a tad shortsighted.
Andre Curbelo, G, St. John's – Curbelo had a disappointing, injury-plagued last season at Illinois, but his transfer to St. John's has sparked the Red Storm to an undefeated start to the season. Curbelo stuffed the stat sheet Tuesday in a rout of LIU, tallying 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the 95-68 triumph. Curbelo posted a season-high 23 points in an OT victory over Syracuse earlier this month and has also been a pest on the defensive end, averaging 2.3 steals per contest. Curbelo and Posh Alexander form one of the most potent backcourt combinations in the country, and there appears to be enough ball to go around to satisfy both. The Johnnies should be ranked soon enough.
CHECK STATUS
Kevin McCullar, F, Kansas – The Texas Tech transfer missed the last game for the Jayhawks due to a groin injury and is unlikely to play in Thursday's clash with Seton Hall as well. McCullar's numbers thus far this season have more or less been in line with his figures from his prior two years as a member of the Red Raiders. On an uber-talented squad like Kansas, McCullar may take a back seat on some nights despite consistent minutes. For example, he scored just five points in a win earlier this season against Southern Utah, but then managed 18 points and nine rebounds in a subsequent OT victory against Wisconsin. McCullar can impact the game in a variety of ways, but even if healthy, that may not always show up on the stat sheet.
Hunter Maldonado, F, Wyoming – The versatile sixth-year senior needed four staples in his head during last week's loss to Boston College, and he will not take the floor in the next game for Wyoming versus Santa Clara. Maldonado has also not been producing at quite the same level early on this season. His points, rebounds and assists are all down from last year. Maldonado is still averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest, but the expectations were extremely high coming into the season for a member of the Preseason All-Mountain West team. With Graham Ike still expected to be signed through January, the Cowboys are in dire need of a healthy and productive Maldonado performing at his highest level.
Darrion Trammell, G, San Diego State – Staying in the Mountain West, the Seattle transfer has perhaps predictably struggled a tad since moving to a more competitive conference. Trammell is averaging career lows of 13.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest. By contrast, he averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a member of the Pilots last season. Trammell is shooting under 40 percent from the field on the young season, also the worst mark of his collegiate career. Trammell's numbers are still solid, but the Aztecs have lost two of their last three games, and it remains to be seen if they can compete with the juggernauts if Trammell does not play like a star.
N'Faly Dante, C, Oregon – The senior big man was sidelined for Sunday's win over Villanova and is questionable to return to the court in the short term for undisclosed reasons. Dante was off to a strong start to the season prior to being shelved, as he was averaging a career-best 13.0 points through the first six contests of the year. Though the Ducks did manage to defeat the struggling Wildcats without Dante, Oregon had lost four of its first six outings even with the senior in the lineup. Freshman seven-footer Kel'el Ware, a top-10 recruit in last year's class, should continue to play heavy minutes in the absence of Dante.
DOWNGRADE
Isiaih Mosley, G, Missouri – Mosley did not play for the Tigers in Tuesday's 88-84 win over Wichita State. While we do not want to speculate as to the reason for Mosley's absence, the Missouri State transfer had already missed another game earlier this season, and when on the court, has been surprisingly confined to a bench role. By contrast, Mosley was the focal point of the offense at his prior school, averaging 20.4 points last season to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 dimes per contest. It is clear Mosley has not had the expected or desired impact thus far this season for the Tigers, and it remains to be seen just how much of a contributor he will be moving forward.
Yohan Traore, F, Auburn – Traore has NBA talent but has been outshined by fellow Auburn forwards Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams so far this season. Traore has come off the bench in all seven of Auburn's contests, averaging just 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per outing. A top-30 overall recruit, Traore can jump out of the gym, but his impact has been limited due to the lack of playing time.
Dereck Lively, C, Duke – Lively was the No. 1 recruit in the country last year but has struggled to begin his collegiate career. That was particularly evident in Duke's last game against Purdue. Lively was overwhelmed by polished Boilermaker center Zach Edey. Lively failed to score a single point, missing all three of his shots, and fouled out in just 22 minutes of action. In fact, Lively has battled foul trouble in three of Duke's first seven contests this season. Averaging just 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds, it is unclear whether Lively is overmatched, if he needs time to adjust to the college game, or if new coach Jon Scheyer is still working on his philosophy and rotations as he attempts to fill the incredibly huge shoes left by Coach K.
