Rutzick’s Red-Hots is a weekly column dedicated to analyzing the top talent in college basketball. Every Sunday, I’ll highlight five players who had the most impactful individual performances in college basketball over the past week—players who turned heads, shifted momentum, and made a difference for their team.
This week of college basketball did not disappoint. With loads of ranked matchups and top-end talent on display, there were a lot of stars that shone bright. The brightest of the bunch carried the weight on their shoulders in order to lead their team to victory. Without further ado, here are this week’s ‘Red-Hot’ performers in college basketball.
#24 Zuby Ejiofor, senior forward, No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm (18-5)
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor had quite the week. On Wednesday night, he scored 16 points with nine rebounds and four assists, helping the St. John’s Red Storm to a 68–56 victory in a tough road battle against the DePaul Blue Demons. He followed that performance later in the week with an even more impressive 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 60% from the field in an 81-72 win against the No. 3 ranked UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
Head coach Rick Pitino joked in his postgame press conference to Ejiofor, saying, “You know you’re gonna make me retire,” after listing off Ejiofor’s stats from that night. Simply put by coach Pitino, Ejiofor is the most crucial piece in this St. John’s puzzle this year. He leads his team in every statistic except steals and has been the reason the Red Storm can pull away in big games like this.
Standing at 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, Ejiofor is a defender’s worst nightmare in the paint; he uses his size to either draw defenders for a kickout pass or bury it himself. He’s a constant threat at all times on the court—not just because of his scoring ability, but his massive frame that allows him to easily find the open man when pursued by multiple defenders.
Ejiofor is the heartbeat of this Red Storm team and the main reason they will remain a threat going into March.
#0 Alijah Arenas, freshman guard, University of Southern California Trojans (18-6)
Arenas showed the college basketball world what he was capable of this week. With critics noting his struggles in his debut against Northwestern on Wednesday, January 21, he rose to the occasion this week and completely proved them wrong. On Tuesday night against the Indiana Hoosiers, Arenas tallied 29 points with six rebounds and one assist, lifting the Trojans to an 81-75 win. The victory was crucial in bumping the Trojans into the projected NCAA Tournament field. He continued his success later in the week by scoring 24 points, including the game-winning drive and lay-in against the Penn State Nittany Lions on the road with a 77-75 win this morning.
At 6-foot-6, Alijah is extremely shifty for his size, which helps him be a dominant three-level scorer. Defenders have to respect him beyond the arc, in the midrange, and at the cup. We saw this on display in his final bucket against the Nittany Lions, where he backed his defender down and found his spot for a tough lay-in to seal the win.
Being the son of NBA legend Gilbert Arenas comes with a lot of pressure and hype, especially when you were one of the top 15 high school recruits in the country last year. Returning from his torn meniscus injury, Arenas is slowly finding his footing at the NCAA level. When we see him at his full potential, there is no doubt he’ll be one of the most dominant players in college basketball.
#8 Caleb Wilson, freshman forward, No. 14 University of North Carolina Tar Heels (19-4)
When you hear the names of the top freshmen in this year’s college basketball class, Wilson’s name usually doesn’t come up until after Daryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer. I’m not saying he’s flying under the radar, but he’s been putting on superstar performances for this Tar Heel team this year—especially this week. On Monday, in an 87–77 win against Syracuse, he had 22 points, nine rebounds, and one assist. On Saturday, he added 23 points with four rebounds and two assists in a massive 71-68 win against the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.
Wilson’s presence is felt all over the floor. At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he moves like a guard on offense and defends relentlessly when the other team has the ball. On top of this, he’s an extremely efficient bucket-getter—shooting 66.7% from the field against Duke and has averaged 58.5% from the field this year.
The Tar Heels seem to be finally catching their stride in the second half of the season, and Wilson is the main reason for their recent success. With the win over Duke, UNC will stay hot as long as Wilson keeps producing at the high level he is now.
#1 Jeremy Fears Jr., junior guard, No. 10 Michigan State University Spartans (20-4)
After a rocky game for Jeremy Fears and the Spartans in what was a 76-73 loss to Minnesota on the road, it’s safe to say the junior guard redeemed himself on Saturday against No. 5 Illinois. He dropped a stellar 26 points with 15 assists and three rebounds in a crucial 85–82 overtime win against one of the best teams in the country.
Fears was criticized heavily after his game against Minnesota—especially by Spartans Head coach Tom Izzo, who even discussed benching him in the Illinois game in a postgame press conference. Not only did Fears fail to reach his top production levels against the Gophers last Wednesday, but he also had a series of “dirty” foul-baiting plays that drew plenty of heat on social media. He even received a technical foul on one specific play where he attempted to draw a foul and instead ended up kicking Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin.
This criticism seemed to spark a fire in Fears, as his game against Illinois was arguably his best outing statistically. All season, Fears has been one of the primary production leaders for the Spartans, and although he’s had some questionable stints, there’s no denying the impact he brings to the Michigan State Spartans.
#4 Kingston Flemings, freshman guard, No. 8 University of Houston Cougars (21-2)
It’s no surprise that Flemings made his way onto the list this week; he’s been outstanding all year for the Cougars. On Wednesday, he continued to impress with 18 points, six assists, and three rebounds in a 79–55 victory over the University of Central Florida Knights. He followed that up on Saturday with a stellar performance in the team’s 77–66 win on the road against the No. 16 BYU, tallying 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Flemings’ athleticism makes him the ultimate threat from all areas of the floor. He’s extremely quick off the dribble and can also get hot from beyond the arc. His best trait, without a doubt, is his ability to perform under the bright lights in Houston’s biggest games. A week ago, he dropped 42 points in a 90–86 loss to Texas Tech, then followed that up with a 27-point performance in a 79–70 win over TCU last Wednesday.
Running the point for the Cougars this year, Flemings is the reason this team has found so much success at 21–2. The Cougars will continue to be a serious threat to win the Big 12 Conference this year, as well as a menace in March.
Final Takeaway
These players all left a lasting impact on the floor this week, and it goes without saying that these are names you’ll hear in March because of how much they contribute to their team’s overall success.