College Hoops Barometer: Toppin, Yessoufou & Vanderbilt Soaring

The Vanderbilt football program has been dominating the headlines in Nashville with a standout 10-2 season, a near-berth in the College Football Playoff and a Heisman Trophy hopeful in the form of quarterback Diego Pavia.  However, lost in the shuffle is an undefeated 9-0 start by the men's basketball squad.  Though the Commodores have not played the most difficult non-conference slate, they have won eight of nine games by double-digits.  That includes recent destructions of VCU, Saint Mary's and SMU.  

This stretch is not exactly as impressive as Michigan, but still leaves the Commodores as the only remaining undefeated team left in the SEC.  More difficult matchups on the road against Memphis and Wake Forest, followed by conference play starting at the beginning of January, will obviously be a better indicator of the future path for the Commodores this season.  However, they have won all the games on their schedule thus far behind experienced upperclassmen in the form of the well-travelled Duke Miles, sharpshooter Tyler Nickel and big man Devin McGlockton down low, along with much-improved sophomore Tyler Tanner.  Time will tell if the Commodores are for real, though.

College Basketball Top Players After One Month

Here are some other ballers and squads making headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.

UPGRADE

JT Toppin, F, Texas Tech – Toppin has somehow improved on terrific numbers from a season ago.  The 6-9 junior is averaging 20.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest, all career highs.  Toppin can affect the game in a variety of ways.  He began the season with back-to-back 30-point outputs.  Meanwhile, he has snatched at least 15 rebounds in two of the last three outings.  He was dominant on the defensive end overall in Sunday's dismantling of LSU, which included three blocks.  With Christian Anderson running the point, the Red Raiders have a potent inside-outside combo and rank amongst the elite teams in the nation.

Baba Miller, F, Cincinnati – Miller has been a double-double machine for the Bearcats.  The transfer from FAU actually began his collegiate career at Florida State.  While he was stellar for the Owls last season, a move outside the sunshine state has proven favorable for the 6-11 big man.  Miller has notched a double-double in six of seven games played for Cincy thus far this season.  He snatched a career-best 17 rebounds last week versus Xavier.  Though he missed a couple of tilts earlier this season with an unspecified lower body injury, Miller has otherwise been beastly during his brief time with the Bearcats.  He is also shooting a career-high 56.7-percent from the floor. As long as Miller can stay out of foul trouble, he can almost always make his presence felt.

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

B.J. Edwards, G, SMU – Edwards is a stat sheet stuffer for the Mustangs.  Earlier this season he posted an unconventional triple double with 24 points, 13 assists and 10 steals in a triumph over Arkansas State.  He nearly posted a more traditional triple-double this past weekend in a win over Texas A&M with nine points, nine rebounds and 11 dimes.  Overall this season, Edwards is averaging 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.4 steals per contest.  He is fifth in the ACC in dishing and tied for second in the conference in steals with teammate Boopie Miller.  An argument can be made that the Mustangs possess one of the most productive backcourts in the country.

Tounde Yessoufou, F, Baylor – The freshman has picked up where VJ Edgecombe left off for the Bears.  Yessoufou is averaging 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest through his first eight collegiate games.  That included back-to-back 20-plus point outings to begin the month of December.  He has freakish athleticism, strength and explosiveness, along with a surprisingly deft touch around the basket.  His outside shooting remains a work in progress, but Yessoufou's other gifts more than compensate for that deficiency at this time.  Plus, he is still hitting 46.8-percent of his shots from the field as well as 73.5-percent from the charity stripe.  Yessoufou may only be scratching the surface of his potential.

CHECK STATUS

Graham Ike, F, Gonzaga – Ike missed Sunday's thrashing of North Florida due to an ankle issue.  The injury is not considered serious, though, and perhaps the rest had just as much to do with the caliber of opponent as it did with any serious ailment.  Ike is averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per tilt in his third season as a starter with the 'Zags.  He has five double-doubles in nine contests.  Other than the dismal loss to Michigan (who has not been bulldozed by the Wolverines these days), Ike has been a consistent, upper-tier contributor for the Bulldogs.  Look for a return for Ike to the floor once conference play begins in earnest, if not sooner.

Josh Hubbard, G, Mississippi State – Hubbard left Saturday's loss to San Francisco are just two minutes due to an ankle injury of his own and did not return.  The nature, extent and severity of the issue is currently unknown.  Hubbard led the SEC in scoring coming into the contest, having hit for at least 23 points in six of eight tilts prior to the early exit against the Dons.  While Hubbard's production will be extremely difficult to replace if the injury lingers, senior Jayden Epps would be the likely candidate for more scoring opportunities alongside Ja'Borri McGhee.

Alex Steen, F, Florida State – A groin injury shelved Steen for Saturday's loss to Houston, and apparently he has been battling this issue for the entire season.  Steen transferred from Division II Florida Southern College, having won Defensive Player of the Year twice.  He is averaging 8.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest this season for the Seminoles.  The 6-9 forward still appears to be adjusting to the step up in competition, and nursing a groin injury at the same time is far from ideal.  The hope is that the injury is minor, and Steen can make his presence felt during ACC conference play, particularly on the glass and the defensive end of the floor.

Aden Holloway, F, Alabama – Holloway made the unique transfer between rivals about two years ago, flipping from Auburn to Alabama.  He played exclusively off the bench for the Tide last season, though still averaged 11.4 points per contest on an extremely talented squad.  With Mark Sears now in the NBA, Holloway joined the starting lineup and had become one of the focal points of the Alabama offense, at least prior to injuring his wrist.  Holloway has posted averages of 18.2 point, 2.8 rebounds and 4.3 dimes per tilt, though has missed the last two outings for the Tide due to the ailment.  Amari Allen was inserted into the starting lineup and posted back-to-back impressive double-double in his absence.  Alabama is deep and can likely weather the storm of missing Holloway in the short term, but the squad is certainly better with Holloway healthy and on the hardwood.

DOWNGRADE

Markus Burton, G, Notre Dame – As if the news from the gridiron was not bad enough for the Irish, Notre Dame's star guard Burton injured his left ankle last week versus TCU, and will now require surgery sidelining him indefinitely.  Burton has been one of the top producing guards in the country over the last two-plus seasons, never averaging below 17.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per contest.  He had been even more efficient from the floor as well as the charity stripe as a junior.  In fact, Burton was shooting a staggering 91.7-percent from the charity stripe prior to the injury.  The loss is borderline catastrophic for the Irish, though Sir Mohammed and Logan Imes will do their best to cobble together minutes and numbers in place of Burton, who may or may no be able to return this season.

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

Seth Trimble, G, North Carolina – The Tar Heels have managed to more than hold their own in the absence of Trimble, who has missed six games in a row and still does not have a timetable for a return due to a wrist injury.  The senior played two games for UNC before being sidelined, averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per outing.  North Carolina has gone 5-1 without the services of Trimble, with the only loss coming to another ranked squad in the form of Michigan State.  The next power conference clash takes place on December 20th against Ohio State, followed by the ACC opener versus Florida State on December 30th.  The Tar Heels are hopeful of Trimble's return before the start of 2026, or shortly thereafter.  While freshman sensation Caleb Wilson has gotten a lot of pub, and rightly so, this looks like one of the deeper teams that North Carolina has fielded in a few years.  Once Trimble is added back to the fold, the Tar Heels could prove dangerous  on the national stage.