{"id":610286,"date":"2026-02-18T20:16:33","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/610286\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T20:16:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:16:33","slug":"college-basketball-stock-report-bennett-stirtz-acaden-lewis-catching-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/610286\/","title":{"rendered":"College Basketball Stock Report: Bennett Stirtz, Acaden Lewis Catching Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get your popcorn ready for this weekend’s college basketball slate, most notably the Edward Jones Capital Showcase, which features a clash of the titans in the form of No. 1 Michigan versus No. 3 Duke.\u00a0 The Blue Devils have perhaps the best player in the country in Cameron Boozer<\/a>, while the Wolverines look like the top team overall, thus far dominating an extremely competitive and daunting Big Ten conference slate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a rare non-conference matchup this late in the regular season, this could be a potential future Final Four matchup.\u00a0 While the Wolverines will likely throw an assortment of bodies at Boozer in an effort to slow down the sensational freshman, the clash with UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a>, another possible first-round pick in this June’s NBA Draft, will be particularly intriguing.<\/p>\n

College Basketball Stock Report: March Madness Impact Players<\/p>\n

Here are some other players in the headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.<\/p>\n

College Basketball Stock Rising – Late-Season Emerging Stars<\/p>\n

\"Texas\"\/ Matas Vokietaitis<\/a>, C, Texas \u2013 The Longhorns have won five-straight contests, and Vokietaitis has been at the center of that streak.\u00a0 He has notched double-doubles in back-to-back games, and had 27 points in a win over Ole Miss.\u00a0 The transfer from Florida Atlantic has started every game for UT en route to career-bests of 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per clash.\u00a0 With Dailyn Swain<\/a> stuffing the stat sheet and an experienced backcourt led by Tramon Mark<\/a> and Jordan Pope<\/a>, the Longhorns are putting<\/p>\n

Get your popcorn ready for this weekend’s college basketball slate, most notably the Edward Jones Capital Showcase, which features a clash of the titans in the form of No. 1 Michigan versus No. 3 Duke.\u00a0 The Blue Devils have perhaps the best player in the country in Cameron Boozer<\/a>, while the Wolverines look like the top team overall, thus far dominating an extremely competitive and daunting Big Ten conference slate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a rare non-conference matchup this late in the regular season, this could be a potential future Final Four matchup.\u00a0 While the Wolverines will likely throw an assortment of bodies at Boozer in an effort to slow down the sensational freshman, the clash with UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg<\/a>, another possible first-round pick in this June’s NBA Draft, will be particularly intriguing.<\/p>\n

College Basketball Stock Report: March Madness Impact Players<\/p>\n

Here are some other players in the headlines in this edition of the College Hoops Barometer.<\/p>\n

College Basketball Stock Rising – Late-Season Emerging Stars<\/p>\n

\"Texas\"\/ Matas Vokietaitis<\/a>, C, Texas \u2013 The Longhorns have won five-straight contests, and Vokietaitis has been at the center of that streak.\u00a0 He has notched double-doubles in back-to-back games, and had 27 points in a win over Ole Miss.\u00a0 The transfer from Florida Atlantic has started every game for UT en route to career-bests of 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per clash.\u00a0 With Dailyn Swain<\/a> stuffing the stat sheet and an experienced backcourt led by Tramon Mark<\/a> and Jordan Pope<\/a>, the Longhorns are putting themselves in position to make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth.<\/p>\n

\"Villanova\"\/ Acaden Lewis<\/a>, G, Villanova \u2013 It was only a matter of time, but the Villanova resurgence is upon us.\u00a0 The freshman Lewis had arguably his best game as a Wildcat in Tuesday’s OT triumph at Xavier.\u00a0 He tallied 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.\u00a0 Currently riding a six-game winning streak, Lewis is averaging 15.5 points and 5.8 dimes over that span.\u00a0 A crucial rematch with Connecticut looms this weekend, and Lewis will be looking for a measure of redemption.\u00a0 The freshman shot just 1-for-13 from the field in the 75-67 loss to the Huskies on January 28th.<\/p>\n

\"Iowa\"\/ Bennett Stirtz<\/a>, G, Iowa \u2013 Stirtz has been on a tear of late for the Hawkeyes.\u00a0 Stirtz dropped 25 points in Tuesday’s 57-52 win over Nebraska, dealing the ‘Huskers just their fourth loss of the season.\u00a0 Stirtz has scored at least 25 points in four of the last six contests.\u00a0 That span includes three 30-plus point barrages.\u00a0 Ove those last sox outings, Stirtz is averaging 27.7 points per contest, shooting 58.5-percent from the field and 45.5-percent from three-point range.\u00a0 Stirtz is far from just a scorer as well, though, managing 4.6 assists per tilt to lead the squad as well.\u00a0 The transfer from Drake has barely missed a beat despite the step up in competition.\u00a0 While Iowa overall has been a tad inconsistent, Stirtz has been continually productive for the Hawkeyes.<\/p>\n

See how these players stack up among other power conference talent in RotoWire’s fantasy college basketball rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

CHECK STATUS – Players With Expanding Roles<\/p>\n

\"North Zayden High<\/a>, F, North Carolina \u2013 The wheels may be coming off for the Tar Heels, who have dropped two of their last three contests while battling major injury concerns.\u00a0 First, freshman sensation Caleb Downs broke his hand against Miami.\u00a0 Then dominating center Henri Veesar has missed the last two games with an ankle injury.\u00a0 While it remains to be seen just how long Veesar will be sidelined, UNC is going to need some players to step up in order to avoid a lengthy late-season swoon.\u00a0 High has started the last two games for the Heels and has played exceptionally well.\u00a0 He has combined for 28 points and 17 rebounds over that span, giving the depleted frontcourt a much-needed boost.\u00a0 Veesar could return soon, but Downs could miss the next month.\u00a0 The uptick in playing time for High could be temporary, but he has certainly made his presence felt in the short term.<\/p>\n

\"Tennessee\"\/ J.P. Estrella<\/a>, F, Tennessee \u2013 A redshirt sophomore, Estrella missed the majority of last season with a foot injury.\u00a0 He played a reserve role as a freshman, and appeared to be pigeon-holed into the same role until recently, when he was inserted into the starting lineup.\u00a0 In seven subsequent starts, Estrella has averaged 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, playing over 26 minutes per game.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Estrella is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s clash with Oklahoma, which could put an end to his hot streak. It remains to be seen just what is ailing Estrella at this time.\u00a0 He had been incredibly productive in his newfound role, so hopefully Estrella’s absence is a short one.<\/p>\n

For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, roles and overall player performance, head to RotoWire’s latest college basketball news<\/a> page or follow @RotoWireCBB<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n

College Basketball Stock Falling – Key Injuries This Week<\/p>\n

\"BYU\"\/ Richie Saunders<\/a>, G, BYU \u2013 A devastating blow for the Cougars as Saunders tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.\u00a0 The senior was having his best collegiate season alongside freshman sensation A.J. Dybantsa<\/a>.\u00a0 Saunders was averaging 18.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per contest prior to sustaining the injury.\u00a0 Kennard Davis<\/a> and Aleksej Kostic<\/a> will be asked to pick up the slack in place of Saunders.\u00a0 The Cougars went 2-6 in their previous eight games with Saunders still in the lineup, so the loss of Saunders for the year will make a potential turnaround even more difficult.<\/p>\n

Check out how key injuries are affecting March Madness contenders on RotoWire’s college basketball injury report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Texas JT Toppin<\/a>, F, Texas Tech \u2013 One of the top player sin the entire country, Toppin left Tuesday’s loss to Arizona State with about six minutes to play after landing awkwardly on his right leg.\u00a0 The current severity of the injury is unknown, but Toppin was in legitimate pain and holding his right knee before exiting.\u00a0 The reigning Big 12 Player of the Year was actually putting up even better numbers than a season ago, averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per tilt.\u00a0 Toppin had just come off a virtuoso performance of 31 points and 13 rebounds in a thrilling win on Valentine’s Day over formerly No. 1 Arizona.\u00a0 Should Toppin’s injury prove serious, the impact is catastrophic for a squad that had aspirations of making the Final Four.\u00a0 Luke Bamgboye<\/a> and Josiah Moseley<\/a> would likely see extra minutes if Toppin misses time.<\/p>\n

\"Arizona\"\/ Koa Peat<\/a>, F, Arizona \u2013 Speaking of the Wildcats, they are battling some adversity of their own.\u00a0 Their first two losses of the season could be compounded by the future absence of Peat, suffered a lower leg strain and will be reevaluated in one week.\u00a0 The talented freshman has started every game for Arizona this season, doing a little bit of everything en route to averages of 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest.\u00a0 Tobe Awaka<\/a> is the most likely candidate to start in place of Peat.\u00a0 Despite coming off the bench this season, Awaka is still nearly averaging a double-double, and started all but one game for the Wildcats just a season ago.\u00a0 Awaka had 16 points and 12 rebounds in last weekend’s narrow loss to Texas Tech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get your popcorn ready for this weekend’s college basketball slate, most notably the Edward Jones Capital Showcase, which…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":610287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3723],"tags":[7,217,80042,231,772,1544],"class_list":{"0":"post-610286","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-minor-league-stats","11":"tag-ncaa","12":"tag-ncaa-basketball","13":"tag-ncaab"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116093480989019651","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}