The college basketball season has been under way for just over a week and it is already clear that this will be a special year.  There have already been great match-ups, exciting finishes and dominating performances from the game’s great young stars.

Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Andrew Gordon and many others have shown us their enormous gifts on the court that already have NBA scouts and general managers drooling.

A few new players have impressed enough with their play to earn added attention moving forward.

New to the list this week are Michigan State stars Adreian Payne and Gary Harris, Michigan stand out Glenn Robinson III, and the other big weapon for the Duke Blue Devils Rodney Hood.

Jabari Parker- Parker and the Blue Devils had a marques match-up with the Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday night and suffered a 94-83 loss in a game which Parker fouled out.  Even in the loss, Parker was dominant once again.  He was able to score all over the floor and show that even in the biggest games, that he is ready to be a star.  Against the Jayhawks, Parker hit from the field and ended up with 27 points, nine rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes of play.

The Blue Devils were back on the floor on Friday night and came away with an easy 97-64 win over Florida Atlantic.  In the victory, Parker played 28 minutes and scored 21 points while shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range.  Parker also added ten rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

Parker and the Blue Devils played again last night and came away with a 91-55 win over UNC-Asheville.  In only 19 minutes of play, Parker put up 21 points to go along with ten rebounds and four assists.  He did struggle to hold onto the ball however and turned the ball over six times.

Rodney Hood- Hood is a sophomore guard who is playing his first season at Duke after sitting out a year ago as a transfer student.  He has been unbelievable as a shooter so far this year playing next to Parker.  In three games Hood is shooting 69 percent from the field including 60 percent from the three-point line.

Against the Jayhawks, Hood put made only 3-of-8 shots and had five turnovers but still finished the game with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds.

Hood was much more successful against Florida Atlantic.  In just 26 minutes of play, Hood finished with 28 points while shooting 8-of 11 from the field.

In their match-up last night, Hood once again showed his ability to shoot the rock.  He was 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the three-point line on his way to 18 points.  Hood also registered four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 27 minutes on the floor.

Andrew Wiggins- Wiggins and Kansas only played one game last week but it was a good one.  In their 94-83 victory over Duke, Wiggins showed off his impressive athleticism on the way to 22 points and eight rebounds in just 25 minutes of play because of early foul trouble.

Wiggins also showed off some really nice moves as the Jayhawks closed out the Blue Devils.  He was able to face up after catching the ball on the block and made a pretty step back move to hit a midrange jumper to ice the game.

Wayne Selden- Selden also had a big role in the Kansas win over Duke.  He played almost the entire game and showed his ability to score the ball, and get to the free-throw line.

On the night, Selden finished with 15 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and also added six rebounds and four assists.

Joel Embiid- Embiid played 20 minutes against the Blue Devils coming off the bench.  Embiid didn’t look to score much but did show nice ability as a passer and rebounder.  Embiid caught the ball on the block numerous times and had the awareness to step away from the double team and find his team mates for easy open looks.

Embiid finished the game with two points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block.

Aaron Gordon- Gordon continued to show his ability as an efficient scorer and good rebounder as the Arizona Wildcats won two games on the week.

On Monday, Gordon shot 6-for-8 from the field and made his only three-point attempt on his way to 14 points as Arizona beat up on Long Beach State 91-57.  Against the 49ers, Gordon also grabbed ten rebounds for his second double-double in as many games.

Gordon was back on the floor and for the first time he struggled a bit as a college player.  Not with the game itself but with his shot.  Gordon made just 3-of-11 shots and 4-of-8 free throws as the Wildcats pounded Fairleigh Dickinson 100-50.  Gordon still did work on the glass to finish with 10 rebounds for another double-double.

On Thursday, Arizona was able to come away with a hard-fought 69-60 win over San Diego State as Gordon had another solid showing.  This time, Gordon shot 7-for-12 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep and finished the night 16 points.  He also added eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals in his 31 minutes of work.

Marcus Smart- Smart hasn’t shot the ball well to start this season, but that doesn’t seem to matter much since the Cowboys have had such an easy time with their first three games of the season.  In fact, Oklahoma State has won each of their games by no fewer than 34 points, with two victories by more than 50.

His most impressive showing on the year came on Tuesday night when the Cowboys smoked Utah Valley 93-40.  In that contest, Smart scored 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-10 from the three-point line.  He also added five rebounds, four assists and nine steals.

Smart was also in action on Friday night and had a rough outing in the Cowboys’ 97-63 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  Smart played 28 minutes, but shot just 3-for-9 from the field and 0-for-4 from three-point range.  He did finish the game with a season high 16 points thanks to hitting 10-of-14 free-throws.  He also recorded five turnovers with only assists.

Julius Randle- Randle struggled early as the Kentucky Wildcats dug themselves a big hole in the first half of their match-up with Michigan State, but the second half was a different story.  After managing four points, and four rebounds in the first, Randle owned the paint in the second half.  He finished the night with 27 points and 13 rebounds in the 78-74 loss at the hands of the Spartans.

In the Wildcats match-up with Robert Morris, Randle had his lowest scoring output of the season but still managed a double-double with ten points and 15 rebounds.

Randle has quick feet and a soft touch around the rim that makes him very effective.  Although he was flustered early against the size of Michigan State he figured out a way to overcome it and show why he is so highly regarded.

James Young- Young was the only Kentucky freshman that played well in the first half against the Spartans.  He showed decent range and the ability to score the ball in big spots.  Young struggled a bit in the second half but still finished the game with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.

In the game against Robert Morris, Young only played 24 minutes and struggled with his outside shot.  He made just 1-of-6 threes on his way to 11 points.

Young has a nice stroke but hasn’t shot a good percentage from anywhere on the floor yet this year.

Andrew Harrison- Harrison has played solidly in every game so far this year with the exception of the first half against the Spartans.  He let the pressure get to him a little bit and turned the ball over for some easy buckets.  He has nice touch but doesn’t look to score the ball very often.  In four games he has only attempted 20 shots.  He has shown great range and his hitting better than 50 percent of his three-point attempts and is a willing passer.

So far on the year, Harrison is averaging ten points, 2.8 rebounds and three assists. Not bad when you consider all the talent he has to share the ball with.

Aaron Harrison- Harrison really struggled with his shot against Michigan State only hitting 1-of-7 shots, but bounced back nicely against Robert Morris.  Against the Colonials, Harrison had his best game of the season by far.  In 27 minutes of play, Harrison had 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

He looked much more confident against Robert Morris and it showed by how he shot the ball.  Harrison was 7-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-7 from the three-point line and made all ten of his free throws.

Glenn Robinson III- Robinson is a sophomore wing who many thought would make the jump to the NBA after last season.  He hasn’t quite got into the flow of the Michigan offense so far this year and it has shown in his production.  He has shot the ball very poorly making only 2-of-12 three-points shots in three games.

Even with his shooting woes, Robinson is a special player.  He rebounds the ball very well and gets a ridiculous amount of steals.

So far this season, Robinson is averaging 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, two assists and 3.3 steals a contest.

Gary Harris- Harris is a sophomore guard who is big and strong, and can really score the ball.  After playing really well in his first two games for Michigan State, Harris has struggled a bit with his shot.  That is one of the main reasons why the Spartans struggled against the likes of Columbia and Portland. In those two contests, Harris shot 9-for-24 from the field, including 3-for-13 from distance.

Harris is still averaging 16.5 points to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the number-1 ranked Spartans.

Adreian Payne- Payne is a senior big man who has gotten better every year as a Spartan and this year is no exception.  After four games, Payne is leading Michigan State in scoring at 17.5 points a game.  Payne is also a bull around the rim and on the defensive boards averaging 7.8 a contest.

One of the things that is so impressive about Payne is his work ethic.  He has developed a really nice outside shot that will suit him well at the next level.  So far this year he is shooting 40 percent from the three-point line and 51 percent overall.

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