College Basketball Players Who Need to Step It Up to Salvage 2014-15 Season

College basketball teams across the country are building toward conference tournaments, and the Big Dance in March, but there are a number of players who must step up to save the season from either an individual or team level.

Some players have been pure disappointments all year, while others must play better down the stretch because they are vitally important to their team’s success.

With that in mind, here is a look at some players who need to pick up their play to save the 2014-15 campaign.

Amir Williams, Ohio State

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Amir Williams has never been a favorite among Ohio State fans, and it appears now that he is no longer a favorite among Ohio State coaches.

Williams was a senior starter at the beginning of the year for the Buckeyes, but he played a combined three minutes off the bench in the past two games. Not only did he lose his starting job, but he also appears to be an afterthought in the rotation.

It has been quite the fall from his status as a highly touted recruit arriving on campus four years ago. Alex Gleitman of 247Sports didn’t exactly paint a pretty picture for the center: “Amir Williams might be one of the worst defenders and rebounders at around 7-foot I have ever seen.”

Williams will get an opportunity to play moving forward when Ohio State faces opponents with more size in the paint. A strong finish wouldn’t just salvage the season from an individual standpoint, it would also salvage a disappointing career.

Marcus Paige, North Carolina

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The discussion about Marcus Paige takes us in a completely different direction than the one regarding Williams.

Paige is still a superstar in his own right and is a much more important player than Williams on both his team and a national level. He has played very well as of late (22 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the victory over Syracuse), but his overall numbers are down across the board.

In order to salvage North Carolina’s Final Four hopes, Paige has to play at an all-star level on a nightly basis down the stretch. Considering his per-game totals in points, assists, rebounds, free-throw percentage, three-point percentage, field-goal percentage and steals are all down from a season ago, that would be a major step in the right direction.

Paige has been excellent at times this season. Now he has to be excellent every night to give the Tar Heels a chance at a title.

Derrick Walton Jr., Michigan

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Michigan had Big Ten title hopes and even Final Four aspirations heading into the season, but an abysmal nonconference schedule has the Wolverines gunning for just a spot in the Big Dance altogether.

That will be even more difficult with Caris LeVert, who leads the team in scoring, assists and rebounds per game, out for the season. Other guards such as Derrick Walton Jr. have to step up in LeVert’s absence in order for the team to reach the NCAA tournament after losing to the likes of NJIT in the nonconference portion of the schedule.

Although his field-goal percentage of 34.6 leaves much to be desired, Walton has picked up his level of play and scored in double figures in five of his last six games. He discussed the need for everyone to step it up without LeVert, via Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press:

"It basically said, go out there and play your hearts out, no matter what. Guys are writing us off, but you've still got to go out there and play. That was his message to us, and we wanted to go out and get this done for him."

Walton can help salvage Michigan's season with a strong finish to get the Wolverines into the NCAA tournament.

D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s

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D’Angelo Harrison makes this list because he has mirrored his team in recent games.

St. John’s was nationally ranked and appeared to be a force in mid-December. Rather than capitalize on that fast start, the Red Storm have lost five of seven and are nowhere near the rankings anymore. Instead, they are fighting for their tournament lives.

Harrison is the squad’s superstar who is still averaging 19.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, but he has been a nonfactor the past three contests. In fact, Harrison shot 10-of-42 during that stretch for a whopping 23.8 percent.

Granted, Harrison is dealing with a lingering injury, but he needs to return to superstar form to salvage St. John’s season. When healthy, he makes the Red Storm dangerous on the national level.

Chris Walker, Florida

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Much like Williams at Ohio State, Chris Walker arrived on Florida’s campus as a highly toured recruit who was expected to contribute right away. Instead, Walker still hasn’t found his footing.

Granted, he is only a sophomore this season, but he has scored in the single digits in 10 straight games and is a virtual nonfactor in the offense. Considering he missed the first 12 games of his career after receiving improper benefits and the first two games of this season because of academic concerns, that is not the best way for Walker to play himself back into the rotation.

He has the physical skill set to be an NBA player but not the production. Florida fans would be justified feeling a bit disappointed.

The Gators had to replace four of five starters and have an uphill fight ahead of them just to make the NCAA tournament. If Walker finally starts to live up to his potential down the stretch, he could help salvage the season for himself and the team.