I hope everyone has recovered from their holiday hangovers. Because the college basketball party just kicked into higher gear.

The typical season falls into a familiar rhythm. It starts in early November with the excitement of the new chapter, followed by a few ebbs and flows that crest during Thanksgiving week. We get a steady stream of quality non-conference games through December, neutral site affairs at venerated venues like Madison Square Garden and then a quiet couple of weeks for exams and holiday breaks.

Now, however, things are getting hot and heavy. We are in the throes of conference play and every night from here on out will bring heavyweight clashes, frenzied environments, bitter rivalries and stunning upsets. We know there are still some higher gears to reach, but for the time being, let’s relish the energy that the New Year brings.

I’ve celebrated the occasion with part one of my annual Hoop Thoughts Stock Report. I am rating 50 teams this year (25 in each segment) so there’s a good chance that your favorite school has been assigned a rating of Buy, Sell or Hold. That’s just one of the many pieces of great content we have for you at Hoops HQ, including a close look at the nation’s best player, Auburn forward Johni Broome.

I hope this email brings some warmth to this winter Monday. There’s plenty more heat coming our way.

–Seth

Buy, Sell or Hold? The Hoop Thoughts Stock Report Has the Answers

By Seth Davis

Conference play is underway and there is no more hiding behind buy games, multi-team events and antiseptic netural court environments. This sport just got real and now we have launched a two-and-a-half month dead sprint to Selection Sunday. And so we return to a tradition unlike any other: The annual Hoop Thoughts Stock Report. This is the hallowed exercise where I assess the stock price of teams from around the country based on three categories: Records, rankings and buzz. Then I determine whether that price is bound to go up, down or remain steady. Hence, my three ratings: Buy, Sell or Hold.

Overlooked No More, Auburn's Johni Broome Still Plays Like He Has Something to Prove

By Alex Squadron

Not too long ago, there were only a handful of Division I schools interested in Johni Broome.

Even now, as the centerpiece of the No. 2 team in the country and the frontrunner for national player of the year, Broome feels as though he has something to prove. “While the world may see him as one of the more dominant players in college basketball, he still sees himself as that guy that needs to show you,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl says. And show he has, averaging 18.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.6 blocks while shooting 56 percent from the field. Broome ranks first in KenPom’s player of the year standings by a considerable margin, but in his mind, there are still plenty of critics to defy. “My goal every day is to just keep trying to prove everybody wrong,” he says. “That’s all.”

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🏀 If you can't guess that our 2024 Woman of the Year is Caitlin Clark, then you haven't been paying attention

🏀 In case you missed it: Hoops HQ's Editor-in-Chief Seth Davis' tribute to Greg Gumbel. "He was a uniqute talent, a treasured friend and the kindest man I have ever known."

Wisconsin @ Rutgers: Assuming Dylan Harper returns for the Scarlet Knights, this is the game to watch on Monday night. Both Harper and Ace Bailey, two projected top three picks in the 2025 NBA draft, will have to shine in order for Rutgers to defend home court against John Tonje and the Badgers. After a three-game losing streak in early December, Wisconsin has bounced back with three straight wins and is looking to stay hot. 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1.