College Hoops Barometer: Risers and Fallers

Is this the season the Virginia Cavaliers finally come crashing back down to earth?  For schools not named, say, Duke or Kansas, the college basketball cycle is largely cyclical.  Even in many of the Power 5 conferences, programs have their ups and downs.  Sustained success is rare.  Yet the Hoos have had just that under coach Tony Bennett over almost the last decade.  Virginia has won at least 22 games in nine-straight seasons.  They've had at least a share of the regular season conference title four times over that span.  Virginia made the NCAA Tournament six-straight times until last year's tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic.  That includes the magical National Championship run in 2019, which came just one year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in an NCAA Tournament.  Bennett has overcome any obstacles thrown in his way into building one of the powerhouse programs over the 2010's.

It's nearly 2021, though, and Virginia -- the ACC Preseason favorite -- has lost two of its first six games this season.  That includes a recent 98-75 shellacking at the hands of No. 1 Gonzaga.  Certainly losing to this mammoth 'Zags squad is nothing to scoff at, but the Cavaliers don't seem to have the horses this season to be a top-tier unit.  Top-ranked recruit Jabri Abdur-Rahim has had an extremely slow start to the year, and fellow freshman Reece Beekman has only been adequate.  Transfer Sam Hauser has not been able to match his numbers from his time at Marquette.  A school like Virginia does not have the luxury of additional five-star recruits to fall back on if a couple fail or take longer to develop.

The sample size is small, plenty can change, and of course no one is calling for Bennett's job at this early juncture.  That would be silly.  In fact, quite the opposite; if anyone has earned rope, perhaps unlimited rope for what he has done with this program, it is Bennett.  Rather, this is merely to point out that the Hoos may be due for a regression, and Bennett will have to adjust.  While most other coaches are catering to fast-paced, high-scoring affairs, Bennett has always prided himself on defensive strength, maximizing efficiency and decreasing possessions.  If the Cavaliers come out slow in ACC play, Bennett may have to tweak his game plan.  Then there's also the pandemic to contend with.  This could just be a blip on the radar for Virginia, or it could be a sign of things to come.

Here are some players making headlines in this week's edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

Scotty Pippen, G, Vanderbilt

Like father, like son?  Junior is a different player than his famous Dad.  The Hall of Famer was a silky-smooth 6-foot-8 small forward who was a menace on the defensive end, an underrated scorer and a superior passer for his size.  The younger Pippen did inherit plenty of good genes, except for standing 6-foot-1 and barely weighing 170 pounds.  Still, Junior has shown exceptional scoring prowess through six games as a sophomore, averaging a robust 23.3 points per contest to lead the SEC in scoring.  Junior has hit 11 three-pointers in his last two contests alone.  By contrast, his father never relied much on the long distance shot, though obviously the game has changed in that regard over the last 30 years.  However, the younger Pippen remains plenty athletic, and is also a capable passer, managing 4.3 dimes per contest.  His father played at an NAIA school and was a late bloomer himself, so Junior could still could have a few inches left to grow as well.  The breakout for the next great Pippen could be just getting started.

Jared Rhoden, G, Seton Hall

The vacuum left by Myles Powell has been at least partially filled by Rhoden.  The junior guard is a physical rebounder despite standing at just 6-foot-6; he has already notched three double-doubles this season.  That includes his most recent outing, a mammoth performance versus Georgetown in which he accumulated 26 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with four assists and two steals.  Rhoden is averaging 15.7 points per tilt thus far this season, which is good enough for 12th in the Big East.  With Sandro Mamukelashvili taking the next step in his development along with several others upperclassmen, the Hall have a tough experienced roster even with Powell having moved on, and have shaken off a slow start to win five of their last six games.

Liam Robbins, C, Minnesota

Robbins was at the center, both literally and figuratively, of Minnesota's thrashing of Michigan State on Monday.  The transfer from Drake tallied 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists and three blocks in the 81-56 dismantling of the Spartans.  The win pushed the Golden Gophers to 9-1 on the young season.  Robbins has scored in double-figures in six-straight contests, including an impressive 27-point, nine-rebound, five-block performance against lowly UMKC.  Robbins has been a force in the paint on both ends of the floor, as he currently leads the Big Ten in blocks with 2.6 swats per tilt.  He even went toe-to-toe with Luka Garza and Iowa on Christmas Day, compiling 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks in an Overtime triumph.  The seven-footer is certainly a force to be reckoned with and an excellent complement to star guard Marcus Carr.

David Johnson, G, Louisville

Johnson has helped fill the void left by Jordan Nwora.  In fact, Johnson was recently named ACC Player of the Week.  The sophomore posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds at Pitt last Tuesday, then subsequently tallied 17 points, seven boards and four assists Saturday in a win over Kentucky.  Johnson has gone from complementary piece to focal point of the Louisville offense, averaging 13.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest.  If he can keep his turnover totals under control, Johnson should emerge as one of the top guards in the conference, if not the nation.

CHECK STATUS

Brandon Rachal, F, Tulsa

Rachal was the hero for the Golden Hurricane on Tuesday, hitting two free-throws with a tenth of a second left on the clock to lead Tulsa to a stunning 65-54 triumph over fifth-ranked Houston.  Rachal was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe en route to a game-high 20 points.  The senior has been a fairly consistent producer for the Golden Hurricane over the last two seasons.  While he had four double-doubles as a junior, he already has two such outputs through the first eight games of the season.  In total, Rachal is averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per tilt.  Voted first-team all-conference in the preseason, Rachal has not disappointed thus far.

Boo Buie, G, Northwestern

The Wildcats were off to their best conference start in over 50 years, and Buie deserved a lot of the credit.  Northwestern started 3-0 in the Big Ten. In the conference opener against Michigan State, Buie poured in 30 points in a 79-65 triumph.  He followed that up with 11 points and four dimes in a win at Indiana, then tallied 14 points and five assists in a narrow win versus Ohio State.  Two of those three victories came against ranked opponents as well.  As a result, the Wildcats themselves have climbed into the Top 25.  The only question was whether Buie the Wildcats could keep this up.  They started a brutal stretch Tuesday with five-straight games against ranked opponents, including Luka Garza and Iowa twice.  In the first matchup with Iowa on Tuesday, Buie scored just two points en route to an 87-72 loss.  He did collect six rebounds and eight assists for the game, though.  Nevertheless, this current span of difficult contests will go a long ways towards determining just how good Buie and the Wildcats can be.

Isaiah Wong, G, Miami

The loss of Chris Lykes to a bothersome ankle injury, as well as Kameron McGusty to a leg ailment, have been Wong's gain, as the sophomore has been surging of late.  Wong is averaging 20.5 points over the four three contests.  That has pushed him to second in the entire ACC in scoring behind only Moses Wright of Georgia Tech.  He is also a superb rebounder for his 6-foot-3 size, as Wong is managing 6.0 rebounds per tilt thus far this season as well.  That includes a double-double versus Stetson at the beginning of December.  Wong does not contribute much in the assist category, but he did have three dimes Tuesday at Virginia Tech, and he is feisty on the defensive end.  He is averaging 1.4 steals per contest.  Once Lykes and McGusty return, Wong's scoring numbers could take a hit, but he remains a key component for the 'Canes this season.

DaJuan Gordon, G, Kansas State

The Wildcats aren't going to be very good this year, as evidenced by the loss to Fort Hays State earlier this season, as well as Tuesday's narrow victory over Omaha.  However, Gordon is an intriguing stat sheet stuffer who can affect the game in a variety of ways.  Despite standing at just 6-foot-4, Gordon is averaging an impressive 6.8 boards per tilt.  In fact, he has reached double-digits in rebounds in three of the last four games.  He also has at least two steals in five contests, including in each of the last three outings for K-State.  While Gordon has struggled shooting the ball from the field, he did hit all 11 of his free-throws in the 74-65 win at Iowa State earlier in December.  Wagner has two double-doubles in his last four games, and against Omaha he accumulated six points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.  Gordon's versatility makes him a valuable commodity, even on a rather bad team.

DOWNGRADE

Nate Reuvers, G, Wisconsin

Reuvers was named Preseason All-Big Ten, but the 6-foot-11 senior hasn't quite been impactful of late for the Badgers.  In his last six outings, Reuvers is averaging just 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.  Reuvers has had double-figures in scoring just once over that span.  By contrast, Reuvers had just seven games all of last season in which he was held in single digits in scoring.  In addition, there is a direct correlation between the uptick in level of competition and the downturn in Reuvers' production.  With the Big Ten currently placing nine teams in the Top 25, there won't be much of a reprieve for Reuvers in terms of competition for the remainder of the season.  The Badgers are extremely well-rounded but would certainly like Reuvers to pick up the slack.

Terrence Clarke, G, Kentucky

The opening to the season has been downright dreadful for the Wildcats, who have limped to a 1-6 start.  Clarke was a five-star recruit along with BJ Boston, Devin Askew and Isaiah Jackson in yet another heralded class by coach John Calipari, but all four have had their share of troubles to begin the 2020-2021 campaign.  Clarke in particular has looked lost at times, shuffling between the bench and the starting lineup, as well as between the shooting guard and point guard positions.  Clarke played just 16 minutes Saturday in a loss to Louisville, and the only statistic he recorded was a turnover.  He apparently was nursing an ankle injury which also may have limited his impact.  He's seen his playing time plummet over the last two games as well.  It is clear Clarke, along with the rest of the Wildcats, is going to have some growing pains this season.

Fatts Russell, G, Rhode Island

Russell hasn't necessarily played poorly to begin the 2020-2021 campaign, rather the expectations were just so high for him coming into the season.  His numbers are down across the board from his junior year.  In particular, he has been dreadful from three-point range, hitting a putrid 21.2-percent from long range.  Russell also tweaked his ankle recently which has also affected his production.  Over the last three contests, Russell is averaging just 9.0 points per game.  By contrast, Russell averaged 18.8 points per tilt last year.  He's had a few extra days to rest, though, so perhaps Russell will be able to revert to his all-conference form as expected.

Josiah-Jordan James, G, Tennessee

James left last week's clash with USC Upstate due to a non-contact knee injury.  He returned to the bench later, though, and was seen walking around as well.  While the injury is not considered serious, it remains to be seen if or how the sophomore will be affected, even if he is able to return to the court without missing any games.  James has been something of a jack-of-all-trades for the undefeated Vols, managing 10.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals through the first six games.  Oregon transfer Victor Bailey as well as freshman Jaden Springer could be asked to shoulder more of the scoring load if James ends up missing any time.