In an ever-changing landscape filled with transfers and "one and done" phenoms, Braden Smith is the rare exception. The floor general for the Purdue Boilermakers is a four-year starter; in fact, Smith has never come off the bench in 114 collegiate games (and counting). His role has gone from complementary to catalyst. The preseason favorite for the Wooden Award is currently third in the country in assists. He is averaging a career-best 17.8 points as well, shooting 40-percent from three-point land. Despite standing at just 6-feet tall, Smith has averaged at least four rebounds per game in every collegiate season. The leader of the No. 1 team in the country, Smith's journey shows the grass is not always greener on the other side.
College Basketball Early Season Stock Report
Let's take a look at some other players making waves in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford – A four-star recruit from New Hampshire, Okorie made the journey westward from New England to the Golden State and won the starting point guard job for the Cardinal. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his first four collegiate games. In fact, Okorie currently leads the ACC in scoring. He is shooting a blistering 56.9 percent from the floor, including 42.1 percent from three-point land. Okorie is also managing 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per tilt, as Stanford has started the season 4-0. Granted, the competition has been less than stellar, and Okorie
In an ever-changing landscape filled with transfers and "one and done" phenoms, Braden Smith is the rare exception. The floor general for the Purdue Boilermakers is a four-year starter; in fact, Smith has never come off the bench in 114 collegiate games (and counting). His role has gone from complementary to catalyst. The preseason favorite for the Wooden Award is currently third in the country in assists. He is averaging a career-best 17.8 points as well, shooting 40-percent from three-point land. Despite standing at just 6-feet tall, Smith has averaged at least four rebounds per game in every collegiate season. The leader of the No. 1 team in the country, Smith's journey shows the grass is not always greener on the other side.
College Basketball Early Season Stock Report
Let's take a look at some other players making waves in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford – A four-star recruit from New Hampshire, Okorie made the journey westward from New England to the Golden State and won the starting point guard job for the Cardinal. He has scored at least 20 points in each of his first four collegiate games. In fact, Okorie currently leads the ACC in scoring. He is shooting a blistering 56.9 percent from the floor, including 42.1 percent from three-point land. Okorie is also managing 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per tilt, as Stanford has started the season 4-0. Granted, the competition has been less than stellar, and Okorie is bound to cool off a bit as the season progresses. Regardless, Okorie has undoubtedly shined in the early part of the campaign.
Terrence Brown, G, Utah – The transfer from Fairleigh Dickinson has not missed a beat since coming to Utah. Brown is averaging 24.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals through five contests with the Utes. He poured in 36 points earlier this season in an OT win over Weber State, then added 27 points and four steals in Tuesday's win over Purdue Fort Wayne. Like Okorie above, it will be interesting to see how Brown adjusts to conference action, but the results thus far have been superb.
Duke Brennan, F, Villanova – The best rebounder in the country might be Brennan, who started 65 games the last two seasons at Grand Canyon. Brennan leads the nation at a staggering 14.8 board per tilt thus far. Brennan has an absurd 29 offensive rebounds alone through the first four appearances of the season for the Wildcats. With an entirely new starting five from a season ago, as well as the well-traveled Devin Askew coming off the bench, the revamped Wildcats will look to make some noise in the Big East and recapture some of the glory from the not-so-distant past.
Michael Nwoko, F/C, LSU – Nwoko has been incredibly efficient against a soft non-conference slate thus far this season for the Tigers. Nwoko is averaging 20.3 points and six rebounds in just 18.8 minutes per game. The 6-10 junior is hitting an outrageous 78-percent of his shots from the floor. He scored a career-high 29 points in LSU's most recent blowout win against Alcorn State. The Tigers have a plethora of rebounding bigs in the fold this season, which could limit Nwoko's rebounding figures. However, Nwoko is clearly a matchup nightmare on the offensive end, and if he can stay out of foul trouble, his numbers could get even better with increased minutes.
CHECK STATUS
Tarris Reed, C, Connecticut – The leading scorer and rebounder for the Huskies will miss at least one game due to an ankle injury. Reed actually missed UConn's season opener as well as two exhibition games with a hamstring issue. However, when healthy, Reed has been a beast for the Huskies, averaging 20 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per tilt. Reed led the Huskies in rebounding and also tied for the team lead in points in the showdown victory over freshman sensation A.J. Dybantsa and BYU over the weekend. The injury is not considered serious, but 7-1 freshman Eric Reibe could pick up some extra minutes in Reed's absence.
Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington – The freshman from Germany has been a revelation for the Huskies. Steinbach has notched a double-double in each of his last three games played for Washington. That includes 16 rebounds in a win over Denver, and 15 boards in a loss to Baylor. However, Steinbach picked up an ankle injury recently, and did not play in the Double OT win over Southern. Franck Kepnang is the most likely candidate for extra minutes if Steinbach misses additional time, though the two are different players. Kepnang collected six points, 12 rebounds, six blocks and three steals in place of Steinbach against Southern.
Amani Hansberry, F, Virginia Tech – Hansberry had started the first four contests of the season for the Hokies, managing 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 dimes per tilt. However, Hansberry picked up a minor, undisclosed injury in the process, causing him to miss Wednesday's clash with Bryant. The Hokies were picked to finish in the bottom half of the ACC prior to the season, so Virginia Tech will almost certainly need Hansberry active and healthy if it hopes for any chance to make a push for the NCAA Tournament this season.
Frankie Collins, G, Vanderbilt – Collins is at his fourth school in five years, having played just nine games at TCU in 2024 before suffering a broken foot which prematurely ended his only season there. Before that, he started 66 games in two seasons at Arizona State. Collins can stuff the stat sheet but has struggled to develop a consistent shot from long range, which has hindered his growth in today's game. Collins has also been nursing a lower leg issue, which caused him to sit out Saturday's win over Arkansas Pine Bluff. Collins has come off the bench in three outings for the Commodores, averaging 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.7 steals per tilt. Collins can still contribute in a variety of ways when healthy, but his days in a starring role may be over.
DOWNGRADE
Pharrel Payne, F/C, Maryland – Payne suffered a gruesome viral injury when his foot slipped on the court following a ferocious dunk. Payne was off to a scintillating start to the season prior to the injury, averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per tilt, far exceeding his averages from the last two seasons at Texas A&M and Minnesota. The Terps have been fairly quiet in terms of the nature and extent of his injury, though perhaps that means the news has been positive as opposed to serious and/or season-ending. Nevertheless, it is a safe bet that Payne will be out for at least a few games. Fellow transfer Elijah Saunders will be asked to pick up the frontcourt load while Payne is sidelined.
Mouhamed Dioubate, F, Kentucky – The Alabama transfer has started each of the first five games for the Wildcats, averaging 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per clash. Unfortunately, Dioubate left Tuesday's loss to Michigan State with an apparent leg injury. The severity of the ailment is currently unknown. Any length absence for Dioubate would only further disrupt Kentucky's already shaky chemistry, as the Wildcats have dropped two of the last three contests. With upcoming contests versus North Carolina and Gonzaga on the slate, coach Mark Pope is hoping to get Dioubate back sooner rather than later. The vertically-challenged Wildcats will need to rely even more on reserve freshman Malachi Moreno if Dioubate misses additional time.
