This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
The Madness is nearly upon us. We will have two more editions of "regular" Barometers, including this week. Prior to Selection Sunday, this article will shift to a more team-centric approach, as we highlight and analyze the various bubble teams. Finally, prior to the beginning of tournament action, we will revisit my annual NCAA Tournament Gospel, which will not only preview this year's tourney but also give tips and strategies for picking a winning bracket. Of course, in addition to all the other glorious NCAA Tournament content that will be rolled out on RotoWire.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, though. Here are some players in the headlines as we march towards March.
UPGRADE
Selton Miguel, G, South Florida – Last year's Final Four included two surprise schools from the state of Florida: the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University. Could the South Florida Bulls provide the next shock next month? USF is a stout 14-1 in American Athletic Conference play. That includes a three-game lead over the aforementioned FAU Owls. The Bulls have ripped off 13-straight wins. In an odd twist, the winning-streak has directly coincided with Miguel's shift from the starting five to the bench. Nevertheless, he is still playing nearly 30 minutes per game en route to averages of 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists over that span. In fact, Miguel remains the leading scorer on a deep roster. With fellow upperclassmen Chris Youngblood and Kasean Pryor leading the charge, the Bulls
The Madness is nearly upon us. We will have two more editions of "regular" Barometers, including this week. Prior to Selection Sunday, this article will shift to a more team-centric approach, as we highlight and analyze the various bubble teams. Finally, prior to the beginning of tournament action, we will revisit my annual NCAA Tournament Gospel, which will not only preview this year's tourney but also give tips and strategies for picking a winning bracket. Of course, in addition to all the other glorious NCAA Tournament content that will be rolled out on RotoWire.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, though. Here are some players in the headlines as we march towards March.
UPGRADE
Selton Miguel, G, South Florida – Last year's Final Four included two surprise schools from the state of Florida: the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University. Could the South Florida Bulls provide the next shock next month? USF is a stout 14-1 in American Athletic Conference play. That includes a three-game lead over the aforementioned FAU Owls. The Bulls have ripped off 13-straight wins. In an odd twist, the winning-streak has directly coincided with Miguel's shift from the starting five to the bench. Nevertheless, he is still playing nearly 30 minutes per game en route to averages of 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists over that span. In fact, Miguel remains the leading scorer on a deep roster. With fellow upperclassmen Chris Youngblood and Kasean Pryor leading the charge, the Bulls could make some serious noise come tourney time.
Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State – Not a lot has gone right for the Buckeyes on the hardwood this season, culminating in the recent firing of head coach Chris Holtmann. However, the struggling Buckeyes found their silver lining two weekends ago in a stunning 73-69 triumph over vaunted Purdue. The sophomore Thornton led the way with 22 points for the game, as he and forward Jamison Battle were the only two members of the Ohio State squad to score in double figures. Thornton leads the team in both scoring and dishing; in fact, he is 10th in the Big Ten conference in scoring and eighth in assists. The Buckeyes likely will not make the big dance come March, but Thornton and company can certainly play the role of spoiler down the stretch. Look no further than this past Sunday's upset win at Michigan State.
Darius Brown II, G, Utah State – Brown's teammate, Great Osobor, has previously been highlighted, but it is time for Brown to get his due for the ranked Aggies. Brown began his collegiate career way back in 2018, playing parts of four seasons with Cal State-Northridge. Last year he started 33 of 34 games at Montana State. Now in his first season at Utah State, Brown is having his best collegiate campaign. He is averaging career-bests of 12.0 points and 6.3 assists per contest. Brown set a season-high with 25 points in last week's win over another ranked squad in the form of the San Diego State Aztecs. He followed up that contest with an all-around performance in an overtime win over Fresno State. The 6-2 senior tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while also dishing out six assists in the 77-73 triumph. Brown also has NCAA Tournament experience, having gone to the big dance last year as a member of the Montana State Grizzlies. The bright lights of March Madness will not faze him, and the Aggies could be dangerous as a result.
Josh Hubbard, G, Mississippi State – Hubbard and the Bulldogs were out-dueled by Reed Sheppard and the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday, but Hubbard continues to show that he can really fill it up. He posted his second consecutive 30-point outing, hitting seven treys en route to a game-high 34 points. That broke his previous career high set just one game earlier. In a win at LSU, Hubbard canned six three-pointers, totaling 32 points in the 87-67 thrashing of the Tigers. While Hubbard is still working on finding his consistency (he has also been held in single digits in five contests this season), it is clear the freshman sensation has been carrying the Bulldogs of late.
CHECK STATUS
Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke – The big story coming out of Wake Forest's upset win over Duke last weekend was not the result of the actual game itself, but instead Filipowski suffering an injury after the Demon Deacon fans stormed the court. Filipowski was seen being helped off the court by teammates during the mayhem. It appears as though he has avoided major injury in what would have been a nightmare scenario for the Blue Devils. Still, Filipowski is battling ankle/knee soreness, so expect Duke to be cautious with its star big man. The Blue Devils have a soft matchup with Louisville before ending the regular season with more difficult matchups versus Virginia, NC State and North Carolina.
Rivaldo Soares, G, Oklahoma – Soares recently missed his first game for the season for the Sooners due to an ankle injury, though managed to return over the weekend and respond with a 20-point effort in a narrow 84-82 triumph over in-state rival Oklahoma State. The senior had been surging prior to the injury, hitting double-figures in points in five of six outings. That stretch included a double-double in a narrow loss to Texas Tech with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Rivaldo is an above-average rebounder for his height as well, grabbing at least five boards in seven of his last nine games played for the Sooners. Oklahoma is painfully thin without its top option off the bench. As long as Soares stays healthy, he should continue to provide instant offense as a reserve.
Jaylin Williams, F, Auburn – Williams appears to have avoided a potentially serious, or at least potentially season-ending knee injury for the Tigers. He left a recent loss to Kentucky midway through the second half, and while the initial prognosis did not seem promising, Williams now should avoid surgery and return to Auburn before the end of the season. This is great news for both Williams and the Tigers, as Auburn is currently ranked in the top-25, and Williams is second on the squad in both scoring and rebounding behind Johni Broome. Still, Auburn will need to fill a sizeable void in the absence of Williams. Look for big man Dylan Cardwell as well as junior Chad Baker-Mazara to vie for the empty slot in the lineup; Baker-Mazara started and responded with 25 points in a subsequent rout of Georgia.
Rob Whaley, F/C, UNLV – The Rebels have had their share of injuries this season, including the season-ending variety to Jalen Hill. Whaley has stepped into the starting lineup of late and responded with an increase in production. Over those last nine outings, he is averaging 10.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per tilt. However, Boone suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday's win over Wyoming, leaving his status in the short term up in the air. The timing is not ideal, as UNLV has won nine of its last 10 games to turn its season around in an extremely competitive Mountain West. The Rebels do have some backup in the form of Kalib Boone and Keylan Boone, but Whaley's added size has boosted UNLV to new heights. Hopefully, he can get back on the court sooner rather than later.
DOWNGRADE
Jalen Cook, G, LSU – Cook has missed the last four games for the Tigers due to a leg injury. Somehow, the Tigers have still won three of those four contests without their leading scorer and second-leading assist man. LSU has certainly been playing with fire over that span, though, miraculously winning each of those games by a single point. Cook was unavailable for the first 10 games of the season due to an NCAA ruling, but hit the ground running immediately upon his premiere on the court for the Tigers. Cook is averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 13 outings for the Tigers. LSU is on the outside looking in as of right now in terms of an NCAA Tournament berth, so Cook's eventual return to the hardwood cannot come soon enough.
Malcolm Dandridge, C, Memphis – Dandridge has been suspended indefinitely due to a potential issue concerning his eligibility. Dandridge had been enjoying his best season at Memphis prior to the suspension. Dandridge had started 19 of 27 contests, averaging 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. The Tigers overcame the loss of Dandridge in Sunday's impressive win over FAU; David Jones had a mammoth double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Nae'Qwan Tomlin tallied 21 points and eight boards in the 78-74 victory. Jaykwon Walton entered the starting lineup in Dandridge's place and had 11 points and five rebounds. Memphis is incredibly thin following the suspension, though, so if Dandridge continues to miss time, the Tigers could struggle against deeper opponents.
