College Hoops Barometer: Who Fears the Red-Hot Spartans

It was comeback city on the hardwood this past Tuesday night.  Michigan stormed back to end Nebraska's perfect season in an instant classic in Ann Arbor, Arkansas found its mojo late to win over Oklahoma behind another stellar performance from freshman phenom Darius Acuff, and Miami of Ohio remained perfect on the season after outlasting UMass.  Meanwhile, UConn used a late flurry from Tarris Reed to hold off Providence and remain perfect in Big East play.

College Basketball Stock Report: Potential March Madness Impact Players

These were not the only comebacks of the evening, either.  Let's take a look at some other players who have played integral roles for the squads of late in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, roles and overall player performance, head to RotoWire's latest college basketball news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.

UPGRADE - College Basketball Top Players

Thijs De Ridder, F, Virginia – Yet another comeback took place in South Bend, as the Hoos needed two overtimes to vanquish the feisty Irish.  The freshman De Ridder poured in 32 points while also snatching eight rebounds in the triumph.  De Ridder has now scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least eight rebounds in three of the last five contests as the Cavaliers have improved to 17-3 on the season.  Overall, the freshman is averaging 17.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per clash, leading perhaps the best squad Virginia has had in a few years.  Surprisingly, the Hoos have not made the Sweet Sixteen since they won the whole enchilada in 2019.

Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State – Fears has taken the leap into superstardom this season for a terrific Spartan squad.  Fears set a career high with 29 points in Tuesday's OT win at Rutgers.  He also notched nine assists, and has been dynamic as a playmaker for Michigan State.  Just one game prior, he tallied a staggering 17 assists in a blowout victory over Maryland.  He has notched at least 10 assists in even different outings this season and is second in the nation in assists at 8.9 dimes per tilt.  Michigan State's only two losses on the season are to top-five squads in the form of Duke and Nebraska.  With Fears at the helm, the sky's the limit for this group.

Tomislav Buljan, F, New Mexico – Buljan has been a double-double machine for the Lobos recently.  In fact, Buljan has accomplished the feat in four-straight games for UNM.  He has 10 such outputs on the season overall.  The freshman from Croatia has helped push the Lobos to 17-4 on the campaign, including 8-2 in the Mountain West, second only to San Diego State.  Fellow freshman and sharpshooter Jake Hall leads the squad in scoring, providing an inside-outside tandem that has become an immediate force in the conference.  With the steady hand of Utah State transfer Deyton Albury running the point, the new-look Lobos could make some noise in the Mountain West, and perhaps even beyond.

Quadir Copeland, G, NC State – The senior Copeland is enjoying a breakout campaign for the Wolfpack following stops at Syracuse and McNeese State.  He is posting career highs in points and assists this season.  Copeland is managing 14.3 points and 6.3 dimes per contest.  Copeland nearly notched double-doubles in back-to-back games for NC State.  He had 20 points and nine assists in a win at Pitt, then followed that up with 19 points and nine assists in a dismantling of Syracuse.  Copeland never averaged double figures in points prior to this season, and he deserves particular credit for his vast improvement in three-point shooting.  The three-pointer was barely part of his repertoire over his first three collegiate seasons.  This year, he is hitting an impressive 47.6-percent from downtown.  This has opened up his game on the interior even more.  NC State is currently tied for third in the ACC, and the Wolfpack could be ranked soon, in large part due to the ascendance of Copeland.

See how these players stack up among other power conference talent in RotoWire's fantasy college basketball rankings.

CHECK STATUS - College Basketball Injuries to Watch

Trey Green, G, Saint Louis – An under the radar story this season has been the Billikens, who currently sit at 20-1 on the season, including a perfect 8-0 in the Atlantic 10.  Though Robbie Avila, also known as Cream Abdul-Jabbar, has the notoriety, the sophomore Green has been coming on strong of late.  Green is averaging almost 18 points per game over the last three contests.  This included a team-high 23 points Tuesday night in (you guessed it) a comeback victory for Saint Louis over George Washington.  Avila leads the team in scoring and dishing, though Green is second on the squad in scoring, and the Billikens have five players averaging double figures in points.  The surprising Billikens could be a force come tourney time.

Nate Calmese, G, Wake Forest – Calmese suffered an ankle injury in the first half of Tuesday's OT loss to Pitt, and did not return.  The severity of the injury is currently unknown.  Calmese has started every game for the Demon Deacons since coming over from Washington, operating as the floor general for this squad.  In fact, Calmese leads Wake Forest in assists by a wide margin.  He is also one of four players averaging double-digits in points.  Sebastian Akins looks like the next player up in terms of playmaking responsibilities, though leading scorers Juke Harris and Myles Colvin could also step in to help fill the role if Calmese misses additional time.

Lee Dort, C, California – Dort has started every game thus far this season for the Bears, though he'll miss Wednesday's battle with Florida State due to a thigh issue.  The injury is not considered serious, but it remains to be seen how the ailment will affect him the short term.  Dort is finally receiving significant playing time, and has rewarded the Bears with five outings of double-digit rebounds.  He also had 14 points and nine boards in a recent loss to Duke.  Loyola-Maryland transfer Milos Ilic could get the start in place of Dort; Ilic has been a disappointment after averaging 14.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest last season with the Greyhounds.

Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.

DOWNGRADE - College Basketball Players Falling Down Rankings

Duke Miles, G, Vanderbilt – Miles will undergo knee surgery and though the injury is not season-ending, the Commodores will have to operate without his services for the time being.  Miles is currently second on the team in scoring (16.6 points per game) and dishing (4.3 assists per game), so his absence will certainly be felt.  Miles is also a pest on the defensive ends, averaging 2.8 steals per contest.  In fact, he leads the SEC in that category and is sixth overall in the country.  Look for Tyler Harris and Coleson Messer to get extra playing time with Miles on the shelf.

Fletcher Loyer, G, Purdue – The Boilermakers were once viewed among the top teams in the country, but have dropped three-straight contests, including two to unranked opponents.  The experienced Loyer has averaged double-digit points throughout his collegiate career, but he has hit a bit of a rough patch lately. Despite averaging 12.4 points per contest on the season, Loyer has been held to eight points or fewer in each of the last four contests.  He is shooting an abysmal 26.7-percent from the field over that time, including an ugly 22.2 percent from three-point land.  By contrast, Loyer was a marksman in each of the last two seasons from long distance, canning 44.4-percent of his treys.  The struggle is real for Loyer and the rest of the Boilermakers, as they will continue to look to regain their footing in the highly competitive Big Ten.