College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

Generally, when I watch college hoops, I do so silently. I watch by myself, sometimes on my computer, and don't have much of a rooting interest. It would also be rather sad if I chanted -- "Defense! [Clap clap clap] Defense!" -- on my own. While watching basketball yesterday, I saw a play that made me chortle. It was this:

The Cavalier players were swarming around the ball, but were unable to get it away from Zion Willliamson. That dunk was amazing! For someone so huge, he plays with excellent skill. He also has plenty of power. You won't find Zion on any waiver wires, but you might find one of the following players.

ACC

Prentis Hubb, guard, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

It remains to be seen whether Hubb taking a bigger piece of the Fighting Irish is a good thing. The 6-foot-3 freshman has struggled to knock down shots all season. He is converting just 29.5 percent of his field goals and 25.2 percent of his 3-pointers. The upside is that Hubb has hit 10 3-pointers in his last three games and averaged 14.0 points (nearly double his season average of 7.4 points). The Irish are in a rebuilding year, so all of the experience that Hubb can get could help in the future. The immediate future has a game at Georgia Tech and a home contest against Virginia.

Marcus Bolden, center, Duke Blue Devils

The early returns on the Tre Jones are in and it appears that Bolden is going to be the biggest beneficiary in terms of minutes. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has decided to go big with R.J. Barrett doing the majority of the ball handling. This makes sense. Bolden made the most of his opportunity in the loss to Syracuse with 12 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. He played 33 minutes against Virginia, but was not nearly as effective. The Cavaliers targeted Bolden on defense. Bolden could see major playing time in games against Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.

Big 10

Matt McQuaid, guard, Michigan State Spartans

Before going quiet on Thursday in the win over Nebraska, McQuaid had been on a nice shooting run. With Josh Langford continuing to rehab due to an ankle injury, the 6-4 senior has taken a larger role. He had hit 11 3-pointers and averaged 11.5 points in his previous four games. The Spartans are rolling along as the lone undefeated team in the Big 10 and Langford will be back eventually. McQuaid, who is hitting 45.8 percent of his 3-pointers, may see a downturn in minutes when that happens, but he will still get plenty of court time against Maryland and Iowa.

Nojel Eastern, guard, Purdue Boilermarkers

When a player decides to look at his draft stock, even if he doesn't really have a chance at the NBA, people pay attention. Eastern had a quiet freshman season but decided to test his place at the next level. He decided to come back to Purdue and bigger things were expected from the 6-6 sophomore. Eastern started the season slowly, but has been perking up lately. In the Boilermakers' three-game win streak, he has averaged 9.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. He does not have a 3-point shot and is terrible from the free-throw line (48.6 percent), but Eastern is coming along. Purdue plays Ohio State and Michigan State this week.

Big 12

King McClure, guard, Baylor Bears

The Tristan Clark injury is still reverberating through the Baylor roster. McClure helped the Bears beat Oklahoma State last Monday with a season-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers. The senior is hitting 39.5 percent of his 3-pointers, but does not put up a ton of shots. Prior to the game against the Cowboys, McClure was just 1-of-9 from lone range in three games. To have much success in the Big 12, the team is going to need McClure to fill it up. Baylor has a pair of winnable games against West Virginia and Alabama.

Marcus Garrett, guard, Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks have a wealth of offensive options. Dedric Lawson is the alpha and omega of the team, but players have been filling in nicely around him. Garrett, the 6-5 sophomore, looks like yet another Kansas wing who will grow into a meaningful role. He has provided more offense of late with 35 points in his last two games. Garrett is only hitting 25.0 percent of his 3-pointers, but went 3-of-4 in the win over Texas last Monday. He is particularly good at crashing toward the basket and it is just a shame that he is making only 62.3 percent of his free throws. Kansas has a big week with games against Iowa State and Kentucky.

Big East

Sacar Anim, guard, Marquette Golden Eagles

If Markus Howard is forced to miss any more time this season, we know who takes his spot in creating offense. Anim has been in a complementary role for the most part, but has scored in double digits in three of his last five games. He had a season-high 20 points in the win over Xavier on Jan. 6. He had 10 points in relief of Howard in the win over Georgetown last Tuesday. The junior has topped 10 points five times, despite hitting just 27.3 percent of his 3-pointers. Marquette is 5-1 in Big East play and take on DePaul and Xavier.

Davion Mintz, guard, Creighton Bluejays

It looked like Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock were going to be the twin poles of the perimeter offense for the Bluejays. Of late, Mintz and freshman Marcus Zegarowski have taken bigger roles. Creighton has lost its last four games, but Mintz has averaged 14.0 points in that span. He hit five 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 21 points in the overtime loss to Marquette on Jan. 9. Mintz is playing off the ball more with Zegarowski in the lineup. He has hit 40.0 percent of his 3-pointers. Creighton takes on Georgetown and Butler.

Pac-12

D'Shawn Schwartz, guard, Colorado Buffaloes

With McKinley Wright going down with a separated shoulder, the Buffaloes may be in trouble. They do have other guards on the roster, but none are quite as talented as Wright. Even before the point guard got hurt, the 6-7 Schwartz had started to score more. He had a season-high 22 points in the loss against Washington last Saturday. He hit four 3-pointers to improve his long-distance conversion rate to 32.6 percent. Schwartz has scored in double digits in four straight games. Colorado heads to northern California for games against California and Stanford.

Shane Gatling, guard, Colorado Buffaloes

Wright's place in the starting lineup has been given to Gatling. The 6-2 junior struggled in his first game without Wright and was just 1-of-10 from the field in the loss to the Huskies on his way to eight points. He looked better on Sunday against Utah. The result was the same -- a loss -- but Gatling put up a season-high 21 points with four rebounds and three assists. Gatling is not an efficient shooter and is making just 33.6 percent of his field goals and 32.0 percent of his 3-pointers, but he will be given a green light while Wright is out.

SEC

John Petty, guard, Alabama Crimson Tide

Early last season, it looked like the Crimson Tide would have their backcourt of the future in Petty and Colin Sexton. The point guard left after a season and is now on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Petty has not been able to find consistency through two seasons. This past week has been indicative of his career. He had 22 points in the loss to Texas A&M, then fell off to five points in the win at Missouri. On Saturday, he burned the Tennessee defense for a season-high 30 points. Petty is hitting 37.4 percent of his 3-pointers. The Tide host Ole Miss before heading to Baylor for the Big 12-SEC challenge.

Wendell Mitchell, guard, Texas A&M Aggies

This has been a disappointing season for coach Billy Kennedy and his Aggies. The team simply has no consistent 3-point threats. Mitchell could be described as a below average long-distance shooter and is making just 32.3 percent of his treys. He perked up for a combined 40 points in the games against Alabama and Auburn last week, but fell off to four points in the loss to Missouri on Saturday. On the season, the 6-3 junior is averaging 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Texas A&M takes on Florida and Kansas State, so Mitchell will have to be at his best against those excellent defenses.

Smaller Conferences

Nico Carvacho, forward, Colorado State Rams

This may be something of a lost season for the Rams, but they have one of the most productive centers in the country in Carvacho. Per KenPom, the 6-10 junior is seventh in the country in defensive rebounding rate and No. 27 in offensive rebounding. He has grabbed 20 rebounds twice, most recently on Jan. 2 in the loss to UNLV. He has added an offensive repertoire as a junior and is providing 15.9 points on 60.4 percent from the field. The Rams face the ultimate challenge in the Mountain West in Nevada and Fresno State.

Nick Muszynski, center, Belmont Bruins

In Dylan Windler, the Bruins knew they had a good foundational piece coming into the season. He has been complemented nicely in the Belmont frontcourt by the 6-11 Muszynski. The freshman opened the season well, then slowed down in December. Conference play has been good for the center, where he has averaged 18.4 points over his last five games. Belmont has won four of those games with a road loss in overtime to Jacksonville State as the only blemish. Muszynski will try to keep Ja Morant from dunking on his head on Thursday, followed by a road game at Austin Peay.

Jacob Gilyard, guard, Richmond Spiders

Don't judge Gilyard by his size. The 5-9 sophomore has improved across the board from a quality freshman season. He is averaging 16.1 points on 47.1 percent from the field and has improved his passing rate for 5.6 assists. The Spiders have lost four of their last five games in the A10, but Gilyard has continued to produce. In that span, Gilyard has averaged 18.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals. Richmond plays Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure.

Matt Lewis, guard, James Madison Dukes

In general, players that get at least 35 minutes per game are going to be productive. Lewis, a 6-5 sophomore, does not hit the bench much and has been scoring productively. He played all 50 minutes in the double-overtime loss to UNC-Wilmington on Jan. 3 and put up 22 points. Lewis has scored at least 20 points three times in his last five contests and is averaging 15.9 points with 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists on the season. The guard has only been held to single-digit scoring once in his last 14 games. JMU has a two-game homestand against Hofstra and Northeastern.

Vance Jackson, forward, New Mexico Lobos

The Lobo frontcourt is built around two transfers: Jackson from Connecticut and Carlton Bragg via Kansas and Arizona State. Jackson has three double-doubles in his last five games. The versatile 6-9 sophomore is hitting 37.1 percent of his 3-pointers and grabbing 7.3 rebounds. He helped the Lobos pull the upset on Nevada in the Pit on Jan. 5 with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jackson moved into the go-to role for the Lobos next season after Anthony Mathis moves on. The Lobos play UNLV and Utah State.