Player of the Week:
Jalen Wilson, F, Kansas Jayhawks
One of the few returning standouts from last year’s national championship team Jalen Wilson is off to an incredible start. The redshirt junior dominated in the first two rounds of the Battle 4 Atlantis putting up 19 points and 11 rebounds against NC State and then exploding for 29 points and 14 rebounds in the semi-final game against Wisconsin. Even in a loss to Tennessee in the finals Wilson still put up a solid stat line going for 14 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Wilson was a key player for Kansas in previous years but seems to have taken a massive step forward and has been the star for this team early on this season.
Who’s Hot
Jaren Holmes, G, Iowa State Cyclones
Holmes and the Cyclones came out of nowhere this week and played their way into the AP top 25 poll after their performance at the PK Invitational. Iowa State lost two of their best players from last year in Izaiah Brockington and Tyrese Hunter so head coach TJ Otzelberger hit the transfer portal and was able to bring Holmes to Ames after two strong years at St. Bonaventure and it has worked out really well so far. Holmes leads the team in scoring and in assists and played a massive role in upsetting two of the biggest names in college basketball Villanova and North Carolina, the former number one team in the country. Iowa State have shown they can be a factor in the Big 12 and will count on Holmes to keep them there.
Keyontae Johnson, F, Kansas State Wildcats
It’s been about 2 years since Keyonte Johnson collapsed on the floor against Florida State in one of the scariest incidents college basketball or any sport really has ever seen. Johnson was diagnosed with heart inflammation which left many aspects of his health in doubt including his basketball future. Over the summer Johnson transferred from Florida to Kansas State and he is having an incredible comeback with him. Averaging 17.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game Johnson is playing a huge role for this Wildcats team. Before his incident Johnson was considered one of the best players in the SEC and a potential NBA player so him showing this level of talent isn’t a surprise but after what he has gone through it’s incredible to see him back at the top of his game after so long.
Who’s Not
TCU Horned Frogs
While a win against Iowa will help fans relax a little bit TCU has had an awful start to the season. TCU was expected to be a dark horse to win the Big 12 but they have not shown that so far. They barely beat Arkansas Pine Bluff by one and then lost at home to Northwestern State who are ranked 320th by kenpom. Defensively TCU has been solid allowing just under 63 points per game, but the offense just has not been there so far for the Horned Frogs. They rank 355th in three-point shooting percentage and 150th in points per game. Something is going to need to change for the Horned Frogs offense if they are going to live up to their pre-season expectations.
Elijah Fisher, SF, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Fisher was one of the top high school recruits in the country last year and is expected to be a key player for the Red Raiders this season. His college career is off to a slow start so far. He’s been getting solid playing time averaging around 14 minutes a game but hasn’t really shown up much on the stat sheet averaging just 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds. He’s a freshman and is probably just adjusting to the next level but it has not been the ideal start for Fisher.
Top 5 most important games this week
1. Texas vs Creighton 12/1
Texas moved up to number 2 in the AP Poll this week but mostly due to Kansas and UNC taking steep drops from their spots. Since their win against Gonzaga, Texas has not faced much tough competition. This prime time matchup will be a chance for the Longhorns to prove that they are one of the best teams in the country against a Creighton team that is absolutely loaded. It will be a matchup of styles in this one with Creighton’s high octane offense squaring off against the Longhorns stifling defense. This one will tell us a lot about both teams and should be fun to watch.
2. Baylor vs Gonzaga 12/2 (Neutral Court, South Dakota)
This rematch of the 2021 national championship game will mean a lot for both teams. Baylor will look to move into the level of elite contenders with a win against the Zags. For the Zags this game may be a must win if they want to be able to secure a one seed come selection Sunday. The Bulldogs have already lost twice this season. While the two losses did come against two very strong teams a third might be enough to keep them of the number one line come March. This should be a high scoring battle between the Bears and the Bulldogs and a fun one to watch.
3. Texas vs Illinois 12/6 (Neutral Court, NYC)
Another chance will come for Texas to prove themselves against Illinois at Madison Square Garden. The Longhorns will have their hands full with the size of Illinois who are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Wins against Creighton and Illinois would almost certainly bump the Longhorns up to number one in the AP Poll and make them one of the favorites to cut the nets down in March.
4. Iowa State vs St. Johns 12/4
Iowa State has surprised everyone to start the season, but it is still a small sample size. The Cyclones will have a good chance to prove themselves even further against a very strong St. Johns team. Cyclones big man Osun Osunniyi will have to find a way to keep the country’s leading rebounder Joel Soriano off the glass if Iowa State wants to come away with a win in this one.
5. Oklahoma State @ UConn 12/1
This game might not get the headlines that the others will, but it may have the best individual matchup out of any of them. Last year’s Big 12 defensive player of the year Moussa Cisse will go up against one of the best big men in the country Adama Sanogo. Sanogo is the heart and soul of this UConn team and on paper UConn is much better than Oklahoma State. However, if Cisse is able to slow Sanogo down the Cowboys might be able to give UConn a scare.