College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

Although Kentucky has had plenty of impressive wins this season, its domination of Tennessee on Saturday felt like a statement by coach John Calipari and his players. The Wildcats roughed up the Volunteers, who had prided themselves on toughness. It will be interesting to see how things work out when the teams play against in two weeks in Knoxville. Coach Rick Barnes will have his troops ready and they likely will hit better than 28.0 percent of their 3-pointers. Guards Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden were 0-of-11 on Saturday. There probably aren't too many Wildcats or Volunteers on your waiver wire, but some of these players could be worthy of a late-season pickup.

ACC

Garrison Brooks, forward, North Carolina Tar Heels

As if the Tar Heel frontcourt wasn't stocked enough with Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson, Brooks is starting to produce some pleasant numbers. The 6-foot-9 sophomore is not a primary option on offense with so many talented teammates, but he has scored 12 points twice in the last five games. He is a more consistent factor on the boards with 7.8 rebounds in his last four games. In the win over NC State, Brooks tallied eight points on 4-of-4 from the field, 10 rebounds and six assists. North Carolina plays at Duke before returning home for Florida State.

Abdoulaye Gueye, forward, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Not much has gone right for the Yellow Jackets in ACC play. Coach Josh Pastner's team is generally overmatched by some of the deepest teams in the country. Gueye has been a good source of frontcourt play for Georgia Tech. After missing two games with a leg injury in mid-January, the 6-9 senior provided double-digit scoring in four of five games, including 15 of his team's 49 points in the loss to Florida State on Feb. 2. Pastner benched Gueye on Feb. 13 and he only played four minutes in the loss to Virginia Tech. Maybe he'll get back in the starting lineup against Pittsburgh and/or Miami.

BIG TEN

Giorgi Bezhanishvili, forward, Illinois Fighting Illini

Check out the Illini! The team has won four straight conference games, including a home win against Michigan State and a road win at Ohio State on Thursday. Bezhanishvili has been a main man in the streak and scored a career-high 35 points in the overtime win against Rutgers on Feb. 9. The 6-10 freshman gives the perimeter-oriented team a presence in the paint. He is converting 54.8 percent of his field goals for 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. After having the weekend off, the Illini get back to work on Monday against Wisconsin before playing Penn State.

Brad Davison, guard, Wisconsin Badgers

There are plenty of people that do not care for Buzzcut Brad's aggressive style of play. Davison is willing to do the things that push the line of legality to help the Badgers win. He is also a decent scorer. Although his 3-point shot has not been falling lately (just 4-of-15 in his last three games, 26.7 percent), he is hitting 41.7 percent of his long-range shots on the season. He was held to nine points in the back-to-back losses against the Michigan teams last week. He had 10 points before fouling out against Illinois in the win on Jan. 23. After the Badgers play Illinois, they head to Northwestern.

BIG 12
Kamau Stokes, guard, Kansas State Wildcats

If Dean Wade is forced to miss any more games with a foot injury that cropped up in the Saturday loss to Iowa State, the Wildcats are going to need Stokes to add some scoring to the lineup. The 6-0 senior is capable of putting up points on the board and had 20 points in the Feb. 9 win over Baylor. He was held to seven points in the loss to the Cyclones. Stokes is hitting 35.7 percent of his 3-pointers and has hit at least one triple in his last 13 games. Kansas State has winnable games against West Virginia and Oklahoma State for Stokes to show off his range.

Yor Anei, forward, Oklahoma State Cowboys

With a depleted roster, coach Mike Boynton has had to look down his bench and play whoever is remaining. Anei is a 6-10 freshman who has shown some potential. He had 20 points in the loss to TCU on Feb. 6 and was 7-of-7 from the field. Last Wednesday, he fouled out without scoring, so there is plenty of bust potential as well. Anei has scored in double digits four times and grabbed at least 10 rebounds twice. He is converting 62.7 percent of his field goals on a healthy diet of dunks and put backs. The Cowboys have a rematch with the Horned Frogs before taking on Kansas State.

BIG EAST

Tyrique Jones, forward, Xavier Musketeers

Coach Travis Steele has done experimenting with his lineup in his first year with the Musketeers. Prior to the season, he said his two best players were Jones and Zach Hankins. The problem was that they played the same position. Of late, Steele has put both big men in the starting lineup. The team has had modest success with two straight wins. Jones has put up 31 points and 18 rebounds in the wins over Creighton and Providence. He dominated the Friars for his seventh double-double with 19 points and 12 boards. The middle of the Big East is a mess and there is still time for Xavier to make a move. They play Seton Hall and Villanova to take the first steps.

Theo John, forward, Marquette Golden Eagles

In Markus Howard and the Hauser brothers, the Golden Eagles have plenty of offensive power. They need someone to do the dirty work and John applies himself enthusiastically to rebounding and rim protection. The burly 6-9 sophomore helped Marquette beat DePaul last Tuesday despite scoring just two points. He had six rebounds and six blocks. He leads the Big East in blocked shots with 2.4 per game, despite playing only 19.8 minutes. Fouls have curbed his playing time and he has accrued at least four fouls in seven of his last eight games. Marquette plays Butler and Providence.

PAC-12

Kenny Wooten, center, Oregon Ducks

Wooten could have been a forgotten man after he missed four games with a broken jaw. The 6-9 sophomore missed the beginning of Pac-12 play, but returned in the win over Arizona on Jan. 17. He has since moved back into the starting lineup and has guarded the tin like his life depended on it. Prior to his poor game against Oregon State on Saturday, Wooten had blocked at least three shots in five straight games. He had seven blocks to go with six points and six rebounds in the win over Stanford on Feb. 10. The Ducks head to southern California to take on USC and UCLA.

David Crisp, guard, Washington Huskies

The loss against Arizona State caused some concern for Husky fans. The team still has a three-game lead in the Pac-12 and Crisp has been a solidifying factor from the perimeter. The 6-0 senior who has played next to Dejounte Murray and Markelle Fultz is hitting 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers. Before being held to eight points in the win over Washington State on Saturday, Crisp has scored at least 14 points in six straight games. He adds 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals to his 12.2 points. Washington can lower its magic number at home against Utah and Colorado, two teams they beat in mid-January on the road.

SEC

Devontae Shuler, guard, Mississippi Rebels

The Rebels have one of the best one-two scoring punches in the SEC with guards Breein Tyree and Terence Davis. Of late, the 6-2 Shuler has horned his way into the act. The sophomore has scored a combined 29 points in the wins over a pair of Tiger teams, Auburn and Missouri. Shuler is converting 38.5 percent from the perimeter. He is also an excellent ball hawk and has 1.9 steals to go along with 9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Shuler is prone to slumps, but seems on the upward swing at present. The Rebels have won four straight and take on South Carolina and Georgia.

Xavier Pinson, guard, Missouri Tigers

Pinson, a freshman, is the likely point guard of the future for the Tigers. Since the present does not seem to be positive for coach Cuonzo Martin's team, it is time to give Pinson a look. In his last four games, the 6-0 guard has played 28.5 minutes and provided 9.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The Tigers beat Arkansas on Feb. 12 and Pinson contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists. He is nailing 40.8 percent of his long-range shots. He will get some significant challenges from fellow freshman guards this week against Kentucky and Florida.

MID-MAJORS

Marlon Hunter, guard, Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Belmont and Murray State make the most noise out of the Ohio Valley, but the Gamecocks are just one game behind those two power squads. They played both the Bruins and Racers once and beat them both. The 6-3 Hunter had 24 points in the win over Murray State, which was the first of three 20-points games in a five-game span. The guard was held to eight points in the win over Tennessee State on Saturday to snap the streak. On the season, Hunter is averaging 13.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. Jacksonville State takes on Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky and will need to win to keep pace.

Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey, guard, Tennessee State Tigers

Fitzpatrick-Dorsey transferred to the Tigers from Ole Miss and he is putting some of the lessons he learned in two seasons in the SEC to work. The 6-4 junior helped TSU win three straight games in conference by averaging 18.3 points with 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He has slowed down in the team's current three-game losing streak with just 9.3 points and was held scoreless in the loss to Hunter and the Gamecocks on Saturday. Fitzpatrick-Dorsey is averaging 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. The Tigers will look to snap their losing streak against SIU-Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois.

Dylan Frye, guard, Bowling Green Falcons

There is talk of the MAC getting two NCAA Tournament bids. The down year for the Pac-12 has to have an advantage for someone. The Falcons could be angling for a bid to the Big Dance with their win over Buffalo to open the month and just two losses in conference. Frye has been on a shooting tear. In his last five games, the 6-5 junior has provided 19.6 points and 3.2 3-pointers. Bowling Green has won four of those games. Against the Bulls, Frye had a season-high 25 points. The guard has scored in double digits in 11 of his last 12 games. There is some danger this week with a home game against Akron and a road trip to Ohio.

Jordan Roland, guard, Northeastern Huskies

The year off that Roland took after transferring from George Washington did not affect his sweet 3-point shot. He was second in the A10 with the Colonials in hitting 41.7 percent of his long-range shots. He is hitting that same rate at a larger volume in the Colonial Athletic. The 6-1 guard has doubled his attempted shots and is providing 15.0 points and 3.0 3-pointers per game. Before being held to seven points in the overtime loss to Charleston on Saturday, Roland had helped the Huskies win five straight games by scoring 18.2 points. Northeastern will look to start a new winning streak against James Madison and Towson at home.

Jeriah Horne, forward, Tulsa Golden Hurricane

We finish this week's roundup by going out with a hurricane, a Golden Hurricane. Horne, a transfer from Nebraska, has bumped up his production in Conference USA play. He has helped Tulsa win three straight games by averaging 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds. The team beat Temple at home before getting road wins against the dregs of the conference, Tulane and East Carolina. Horne has scored in double digits in nine of his last 12 games after putting up 10 points or more just four times in the first two and a half months of the season. Tulsa hosts Wichita State before playing a return game at Temple.