College Hoops Barometer: Lampkin, Coleman on the Rise

The resurgence for the Red Storm is in full swing, as the Johnnies have entered the top 10 for the first time since 1999.  Led by one of the greatest coaches of all time, Rick Pitino has St. John's on a 10-game winning streak, with a 21-3 record overall.  This squad has been built through the transfer portal, with RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor joining last season, while Deivon Smith came in for this campaign along with Kadary Richmond, who made the short move from New Jersey (Seton Hall) to Queens.  Perhaps the most intriguing part for St. John's is that the aforementioned Smith, who was supposed to be the floor general for the Johnnies, has been in and out of the lineup nursing a variety of injuries during this current winning streak.  St. John's is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, plays a physical brand of defense, and can keep pace in the scoring column with the likes of Luis and Richmond in the fold.  St. John's has not been to the Sweet 16 since 1999, and the Final Four since 1985.  Perhaps the stars have finally aligned for the Johnnies to return to relevance.

Let's take a gander at some recent notable player performances in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Henry Coleman, F, Texas A&M – Coleman has started 101 games during his time with the Aggies, producing at a fairly consistent yet modest clip.  His overall numbers are actually the lowest of his career, though still far from pedestrian.  Coleman is averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.  He has also played a crucial role in A&M's current four-game winning streak.  Coleman has scored in double-figures in three of those contests.  In the one game where he failed to reach double-digits, he snatched 16 rebounds.  Coleman is shooting a career-best 58.1 -percent from the floor this season, making a living in the paint on both ends of the floor.  The Aggies have crept into the top 10 of the rankings, and the recent stellar play of Coleman has provided a big boost.

Eddie Lampkin, C, Syracuse – Lampkin has been a double-double machine for the Orange this season, and his stat lines of late have been even more impressive.  Lampkin has racked up 10 double-doubles in his first season at 'Cuse.  He grabbed a staggering 23 rebounds in late-February versus Pittsburgh.  He played 49 minutes in a triple-OT thriller against BC over the weekend, tallying 14 points and 18 boards.  Most recently, he accumulated 22 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in Tuesday's loss to Miami.  Though Syracuse is unlikely to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Lampkin is certainly making his mark on the ACC as one of the top big men in the conference.

Dug McDaniel, G, Kansas State – McDaniel started the season slow but the Wildcats have been surging of late, and his improved outputs are a chief reason for Kansas State's current six-game winning streak.  The Wildcats have dispatched of four ranked opponents over that span, with McDaniel scoring at least 15 points in all those contests.  He scored a season-high 24 points Tuesday against Arizona, while also notching five steals.  Meanwhile, he dished out 11 assists in an 81-73 win over Kansas over the weekend, and came close to a triple-double at Arizona State last week.  McDaniel is averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.2 steals for the victorious time period.  McDaniel averaged 16.3 points per tilt last season at Michigan, so perhaps he is finally finding his footing with the Wildcats.

Augustas Marciulionis, G, Saint Mary's – The last name should sound familiar, as Augustas is the son of the legendary Sarunas Marciulionis.  The younger Marciulionis is making a name for himself, though, as he is the reigning WCC Player of the Year and has led the Gaels to a 22-4 start, including 12-1 in conference action.  They've already dispatched of rival Gonzaga once this season as well.  Augustas has been on fire of late, averaging 21 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.7 steals over the last three games. His shot efficiency continues to climb, while Augustas remains the catalyst for the offense as the main ball distributor as well.  The transfer in of fellow Lithuanian Paulius Murauskas along with the returns of both center Mitchell Saxen and forward Luke Barrett have the Gaels looking primed for a deep run in March.

CHECK STATUS

Devin Royal, F, Ohio State – Royal is dealing with an ankle that threatens to keep him sidelined, at least in the short term.  The sophomore has gone from a complementary role last season to being a more central figure for the Buckeyes, leading OSU in rebounding while placing second in scoring behind guard Bruce Thornton.  Royal's three-point shooting remains a work in progress, but he has proven an impressive scorer inside the arc.  He also has three double-doubles on the season, including a mammoth 31-point, 15-rebound output in December against Valpo.  If Royal misses additional time, look for a combination of Evan Mahaffey, Aaron Bradshaw and Sean Stewart to see extra minutes.

Alex Condon, F, Florida – Condon suffered an ankle injury of his own in the first minute of Tuesday's win at Mississippi State, and did not return.  Though x-rays came back negative, Condon's status for Saturday's clash with South Carolina is in doubt, and a lengthier absence is not out of the question.  The Gators are already playing short-handed without FAU transfer Alijah Martin, who is nursing a hip ailment.  Condon was averaging 10.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per tilt for the Gators.  The 6-11 sophomore leads the squad in rebounding.  Fellow sophomore Thomas Haugh had a monstrous performance with Condon sidelined, nearly tallying a triple-double with 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.  He would appear to be the chief beneficiary if Condon remains shelved.

DOWNGRADE

Javian McCollum, G, Georgia Tech – McCollum, who missed four games earlier this season with a concussion, was the unfortunate recipient of yet another head injury last week in the thrilling victory over Clemson.  He was sidelined for the subsequent contest at Virginia, and his status remains up in the air.  Certainly, head injuries require extra caution always, but especially when occurring more than once and in a rather short span of time.  McCollum had recently re-entered the starting lineup for the Yellow Jackets.  On the season, he is averaging 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.4 dimes per tilt.  Duncan Powell started in place of McCollum against the Cavaliers and scored 18 points; in fact, Powell is averaging 18.2 points over his last six outings.

Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Arizona State – Quaintance tweaked an already gimpy ankle over the weekend at Oklahoma State, and the freshman is likely to miss some time for the Sun Devils.  Quaintance has started every game he has appeared in for Arizona State during his inaugural campaign, though first missed action on January 28th at Colorado.  He was able to return to the court thereafter, but injured the same ankle against the Cowboys.  Quaintance led the Sun Devils in rebounding by a wide margin.  Expect Shawn Phillips and Basheer Jihad to attempt to fill the void left by Quaintance.

Damian Dunn, G, Pittsburgh – Dunn broke his elbow during Saturday's narrow defeat to North Carolina, and will likely be sidelined for the remainder of the season.  Dunn began his college career at Temple, where he averaged at least 13.5 points per game for three-straight years.  He provided mostly bench depth on an extremely talented Houston squad last season, but had been receiving more minutes as a member of the Panthers.  Dunn averaged 9.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists prior to the injury.  Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe should continue to shoulder most of the backcourt load with Dunn done for the campaign, though seven-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham actually entered the starting lineup in Dunn's place and managed 15 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's loss to SMU.