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January Notes:

Freshman SG Jaykwon Owens, seems to be upset with how Florida State is running their offensive sets and not utilizing him as much as he would like. To make matters worse, Owens seems to be upset with the recent commitment from #11 ranked recruit SG Avery Qualls. Sources close to Owens believe he may end up sitting out next season and transferring to another school.

The Florida Gators who were ranked #8 in the preseason polls have fallen all the way down to #22. They’ve lost 3 of 5, and can’t seem to find their identity. Throughout all of this, they’ve been getting pretty consistent play out of Junior PF Leroy Williams-King, who is 6th in the nation in scoring (19.6 ppg). There was a ton of hype for Freshman SF Clarence Shaw coming into the season, and early on he lived up to the hype, scoring 20 points in the home opener, but after that it’s been a struggle to figure out which Shaw was going to show up on a nightly basis. In their last 3 losses Shaw is averaging 6.5 ppg, in their last 2 wins he’s at 16.5. The Gators need him to show up on a nightly basis to have any chance at a deep run in March Madness.

Texas Tech moved into the #1 spot in the nation with a record of 20-2. Coming off of impressive back to back road wins over Kansas (78-71) and Texas (83-73). Sophomore SF Keshaun Fields has definitely positioned himself atop most team’s draft boards, and most scouts believe there is no way he goes lower than #4 overall. Freshman PG Jamal Outlaw is having himself quite the year as well, and it’s rumored he too will be entering this year’s draft.

Wichita State has climbed up to the #2 spot with a 20-2 record and a 6 game winning streak. They have strong senior leadership provided by PG Tyrell Blount and C Perry Hardaway, while Freshman SG Elias Kidd has provided a spark off the bench. Blount leads the nation in scoring and is 8th in assists per game. He’s also shooting a respectable .35% from 3pt range.

FIU has to be the surprise of the year so far; they’re 19-3 and ranked #10 in the nation. They don’t have any “household names,” and are led by their senior PF Omar Toole. Most analysts contribute their record to the lack of quality opponents.

UCLA’s system of starting both PG’s continues to work and the tweak they made by bringing SG Jaykwon Owens off the bench has given him more touches while he’s in the game and that’s carried over to his stats. As a starter alongside both PG’s Owens was only averaging 7.5 ppg, but in games where he’s come off the bench he’s averaging 15.4 ppg. Owens was hesitant of the move at first but it’s working out so far for everyone.

Michigan dropped a few spots to #5 after losing 2 of their last 4 games. They’re still in good position heading into February to lock down a #1 seed in the tournament. Sophomore SG Davis Johnston has been on fire from deep lately. He’s made 12 of his last 21 3pt attempts and is currently 4th in the nation in 3pt%. Freshman SG Latrelle Quarus continues to display is defensive abilities; he leads the nation in steals, and leads all guards in blocks per game. His offensive has shown a little growth, but he still needs lots of work to develop into more than just a lock-down defender.