Harrison Barnes and College Basketball Players Who Need to Get Tougher ASAP

At this point in the 2011-2012 college basketball season, nearly every team has taken a few hits during the mayhem of conference play. Some of these squads have talented players who need to toughen up as we head into the brutal months of February and March.

Loaded teams such as Baylor, Michigan and Connecticut have been rocked by league opponents and left wondering whether they have the fortitude to be championship contenders. Will their top athletes rise to the occasion and play tough?

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas wrote an excellent piece on toughness, noting that it's much more than physical durability. It involves being a great teammate and having the intangibles that help your team win.

Let's take a look at a few college hoops players who need to get tougher in a hurry.

Joe Jackson, Memphis Tigers

The Memphis Tigers sit in third place in Conference USA, and if they want to move up and solidify their NCAA Tournament placement, Joe Jackson will need to step it up.

The sophomore guard has come up small in a few of Memphis' recent losses, and he's been minimally productive in recent weeks. The main problem is that he's inconsistent when the Tigers come up against legitimate powerhouse opponents.

In his last eight games, Jackson is averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 assists per game

Right now, Memphis is a bubble team, and if they want to get into the March party, they'll need Jackson to buckle down and give them more quality possessions each game.

Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh Panthers

As the senior leader of the Pittsburgh Panthers, Ashton Gibbs is responsible for getting his troops to turn in the right direction. Gibbs will need to be tougher on and off the court for the Panthers to have a chance at salvaging their season.

This isn't an attack on his character. It's rather a call for him to help his team work through adversity and stop the bleeding.

When Gibbs goes up against physical, athletic opponents, his game becomes somewhat one-dimensional, as he doesn't have the skills and strength to create his own shot.

He must avoid outings like his eight-point, three-assist showing against Rutgers or his 10-point, one-assist game at Syracuse.

Perry Jones III, Baylor Bears

Perry Jones III is a lock to be a lottery pick in this summer's NBA Draft, but if he wants to gain NCAA glory before he goes pro, the Baylor Bears' forward must become tougher.

He has more than enough athleticism and skills to dominate in the Big 12, and he has the potential to lead Baylor to the Final Four. But he has plenty of room for improvement when it comes to physicality and intangibles.

His relatively unimposing frame makes it hard for him to battle with bruising power forwards and centers (five rebounds against Kansas, four against Missouri), but that's something he will deal with.

I'm more concerned with him improving in the area of leading his team against stiff competition. The Bears can't afford another repeat of the Kansas blowout.

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina Tar Heels

In North Carolina's win over Virginia Tech, Harrison Barnes took the Tar Heels offense into his own hands and showed some of the toughness that Roy Williams' squad desperately needs.

Barnes' lengthy body build and weak left-handed drive hampers his ability to make "tough" plays. It takes a strong, skilled player to be consistently effective in the ACC, and Barnes still needs some improvement in those areas.

Two ways that Barnes could show more toughness are with better rebounding and more outward intensity.

The Tar Heels aren't going to run away with the ACC like we thought at the beginning of the year, so UNC needs every ounce of Barnes' toughness down the stretch.

Sammy Zeglinski, Virginia Cavaliers

The Virgina Cavaliers started off the season 14-1 but recently have lost two of its last three ACC tilts.

Part of the Cavaliers' struggles are linked to the downturn in production from 6'1" senior point guard Sammy Zeglinski.

In Virginia's losses to Duke and Virginia Tech, Zeglinski had a combined five points and six assists.

The veteran guard needs to dig deep and play a greater role in the offense if the Cavaliers want to contend for the ACC title. He's averaging more than 30 minutes per game, so big things are expected of him.

Dion Waiters, Syracuse Orange

Syracuse Orange super-sub Dion Waiters is definitely tough enough and strong enough on the defensive side of the ball. He plays hard and creates turnovers every game.

On the offensive end, he has a lot of maturing to do. Waiters needs to realize the importance of quality possessions and facilitating as a combo guard. He has a bad habit of driving in the lane and jumping to pass at the last minute, which frequently leads to deflections or turnovers.

Against some of the Orange's most athletic opponents, Waiters has been inconsistent and sometimes detrimental to the team's success.

When foes can match his athleticism, he lacks the intangibles to overcome it. Case in point: two points against a solid Florida team, and two points against an athletic Cincinnati club.

Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines have enjoyed a resurgence toward the top of the Big Ten, and Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a major factor in this revival.

But if John Beilein's squad wants to take the next step and contend for a national championship, Hardaway Jr. will need to raise his game and assert himself in low-scoring, physical games.

In last week's losses to Iowa and Arkansas, Hardaway settled for outside jumpers far too often. He needs to use his physical gifts to get high percentage looks in the paint and draw fouls.

Settling for jump shots is what his opponents want. It would help the Wolverines tremendously for him to get aggressive and mix it up inside the arc.

Khris Middleton, Texas A&M Aggies

Once Khris Middleton returns from his ankle injury, the Texas A&M Aggies will need him to produce more throughout Big 12 contests.

The Aggies have suffered a slew of losses in conference play, and Middleton has been largely underwhelming in all but one of them.

His offensive efficiency needs improvement, and his team needs him to crash the boards even more the rest of the season.

Middleton has turned in some low-percentage shooting nights when the fans of College Station counted on him to knock down shots. They would love to see him have more performances like his 19-point, 10-rebound effort at Texas.