This article is part of our College Hoops Barometer series.
No Johni Broome? No problem for Auburn. Even without the services of the frontrunner for National Player of the Year, the Tigers are off to a 4-0 start in the SEC and currently ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Tigers toppled a Mississippi State squad Tuesday that had started the season 14-1. In fact, Auburn dominated the contest even without Broome, dismantling the Bulldogs by 22 points. Chad Baker-Mazara led all scorers with 20 points, while senior Chaney Johnson tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in his first start of the season. The Tigers are talented, deep and more than capable of running the table this season, especially if the aforementioned Broome can return to form quickly.
Let's take a look at some players making headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Keyshawn Hall, F, UCF – Hall dropped a 40-spot on Arizona State on Tuesday. The George Mason transfer was on fire, shooting 13-of-18 from the field as well as a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Hall also tallied seven rebounds and six assists in the 95-89 triumph over the Sun Devils. The Knights have more than held their own thus far in their first season in the Big 12 with a 3-2 start in conference play. The backcourt trio of Martin, Darius Johnson and Jordan Ivy-Curry is averaging a combined 47 points per clash. Hall not only leads the squad in scoring, but also tops the list in rebounding
No Johni Broome? No problem for Auburn. Even without the services of the frontrunner for National Player of the Year, the Tigers are off to a 4-0 start in the SEC and currently ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Tigers toppled a Mississippi State squad Tuesday that had started the season 14-1. In fact, Auburn dominated the contest even without Broome, dismantling the Bulldogs by 22 points. Chad Baker-Mazara led all scorers with 20 points, while senior Chaney Johnson tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in his first start of the season. The Tigers are talented, deep and more than capable of running the table this season, especially if the aforementioned Broome can return to form quickly.
Let's take a look at some players making headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.
UPGRADE
Keyshawn Hall, F, UCF – Hall dropped a 40-spot on Arizona State on Tuesday. The George Mason transfer was on fire, shooting 13-of-18 from the field as well as a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Hall also tallied seven rebounds and six assists in the 95-89 triumph over the Sun Devils. The Knights have more than held their own thus far in their first season in the Big 12 with a 3-2 start in conference play. The backcourt trio of Martin, Darius Johnson and Jordan Ivy-Curry is averaging a combined 47 points per clash. Hall not only leads the squad in scoring, but also tops the list in rebounding and is tied for second in assists on the season.
Malik Dia, F, Mississippi – The Belmont transfer has come on strong of late for the Rebels. Over the last three outings, all wins against tough SEC conference opponents, Dia is averaging 21 points and 11.3 rebounds. He put forth a mammoth performance in Tuesday's triumph at Alabama, securing season-highs of 23 points and 19 boards in the 74-64 victory over the Tide. Dia had scored in double figures only twice in 14 games prior to this recent outburst, so the added scoring has been a more than welcome sign for the Rebels. Dia averaged 16.9 points last season with Belmont, so he certainly does have the scoring pedigree. Dia's ascendance has catapulted Ole Miss to a perfect 4-0 start in the conference; above-referenced Auburn is currently the only other program that remains undefeated in SEC play.
David Joplin, F, Marquette – The catalyst for the Golden Eagles is Kam Jones, but Joplin can be a dominating force in his own right. The senior poured in 30 points Tuesday in a thrilling OT victory over DePaul. Joplin connected on an impressive seven three-pointers for the game. Joplin is far from a one-trick pony, though, as he also tallied four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals in the win. Joplin has started 54 games over the past two seasons for Marquette, and with expectations soaring for this squad, Joplin will need shine alongside Jones if the Golden Eagles wish to make noise come tourney time.
Joe Bamisile, G, VCU – The well-travelled Bamisile nearly went pro after last season, but decided to return to the Rams for a second campaign. Bamisile had been to four schools in four years prior to that, with his best season previously coming in 2021 with George Washington. Once again a starter, Bamisile has been surging. He is averaging 16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per tilt for the Rams. He has hit the 20-point scoring mark on seven different occasions, including Tuesday's 78-62 thrashing of the Billikens. VCU is a force to be reckoned with in the A-10 this season, and Bamisile is the chief reason, along with point guard Max Shulga.
See how these rising players stack up among other power conference talent in RotoWire's fantasy college basketball rankings.
CHECK STATUS
Desmond Claude, G, USC – The Trojans nearly had two players record triple-doubles in Tuesday's win against Iowa. Claude accumulated 25 points, eight rebounds and nine assists versus the Hawkeyes, while senior forward Saint Thomas managed 24 points, nine rebounds and seven dimes for the game. While Thomas has been solid in his first season at USC following a transfer from Northern Colorado, Claude has been even better since coming over from Xavier. He leads USC in scoring and assists. He has scored a combined 56 points in his last two outings alone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both contests resulted in wins for the Trojans. Claude does most of his damage from inside the three-point arc, and should continue to be the focal point for the USC offense as long as he can cut down on his turnovers.
Ryan Conwell, G, Xavier – Speaking of the Musketeers, Conwell hung 34 points on Villanova on Tuesday in a 69-63 victory. The junior beat the Wildcats in a variety of ways, hitting six three-pointers while also connecting on 12-of-14 foul shots. Conwell has been deadly from long range this season, canning a career-best 41-.6-percent of his shots form long range. His rebounding figures have been depressed since his transfer from Indiana State, though his scoring and dishing averages have otherwise remained largely the same as last year. Conwell is the leading scorer for the Musketeers and has provided an exceptional outside presence to complement the interior exploits of Zach Freemantle.
LeJuan Watts, F, Washington State – Watts survived an injury scare last game for the Cougars versus Gonzaga, but thankfully appears to be fine. The transfer has gone from a reserve role at Eastern Washington as a freshman to a featured starter at Wazzu. The sophomore is averaging 13.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. Watts leads the squad in rebounding and is second in both scoring and dishing amongst active players. The Cougars' season has been marred by injury so far, including former leading scorer Cedric Coward and Isaiah Watts (unrelated). If Washington State is to make a run at the NCAA Tournament coming out of the West Coast Conference, LeJuan is going to have to continue taking his game to new heights.
Vyctorius Miller, G, LSU – The freshman guard has played a reserve role this season for the Tigers, coming off the bench in each of the first 15 games of the season. Despite the lack of starts, Miller is third amongst active LSU players in points per game this season behind Cam Carter and Jordan Sears. Unfortunately, Miller missed LSU's last game due to an undisclosed issue. Fortunately, the Tigers were still victorious. However, Miller had scored a combined six points over the previous three contests played, so it was not as though he was playing lights out even prior to being sidelined. By contrast, Miller scored in double-figures in nine of his first 13 collegiate contests. Miller's current status is unknown, but hopefully he can get back on the court soon and get back to his scoring ways.
Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.
DOWNGRADE
Joson Sanon, G, Arizona State – A troublesome ankle has sidelined Sanon for three of the last four games for the Sun Devils. In the one contest he did manage to play versus Baylor over the weekend, he managed only five points in 17 minutes of action. Sanon had previously established himself as one of the team's leading scorers prior to the ailment. In fact, after the starting the first three games of the season, he was moved to the bench, where he shined as instant offense off the bench. Sanon averaged 19.7 points over those six subsequent contests. However, since that time he has seen his numbers dip, ultimately succumbing to the ankle injury and remaining on the shelf. It remains to be seen when Sanon can return to the court, but even if he does, this appears like it will be a continuous issue.
Liam McNeeley, F, Connecticut – It is safe to say that this season has already been more of a struggle for coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies than either of the last two campaigns in which they won the National Championship. McNeeley has become the latest member of the squad to be sidelined, as the freshman suffered a high ankle sprain and has missed the last three contests. McNeeley is no longer wearing a walking boot, but there is still no timetable for his return. Prior to the injury, the talented neophyte was averaging 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per tilt. McNeeley is a likely first-round pick in this June's NBA Draft if he chooses to go that route; as such, both the player as well as the squad will likely be cautious in recovery and an ultimate return to the hardwood.
