Updated Rankings for College Basketball's Best Small Forwards in 2014-15

When I put together player rankings in the preseason, ranking the small forwards was difficult. The depth at that position in college basketball just doesn't compare to the other four spots on the floor.

Several months later, it's gotten easier.

The small forward position has been better than originally thought. The top 20 is a nice mix of young guys and some crafty veteran scorers. You've got some lockdown defenders, most notably the No. 1 player on the list and then several point forwards who do a little of everything.

As always, the criteria is team value, team success and the eye test.

Just missed the cut: Jordan Loveridge, Utah; Kelly Oubre, Kansas; Zak Irvin, Michigan; Trey Lyles, Kentucky; Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa

All stats, unless otherwise noted, are through Tuesday's games.

20-16: Jackson-Wells

Associated Press

Justin Jackson, North Carolina

20 

Preseason rank: 13

Jackson is going to be a star down the road. As a freshman, he's given the Tar Heels some much-needed jump shooting. He's struggled from beyond the arc, but he's been one of the best mid-range shooters in the country, knocking down 51 percent of his two-point jumpers, per Hoop-Math.com. 

Byron Wesley, Gonzaga

19 

Preseason rank: Unranked

Wesley has proven he can be a valuable player on a good team after leading a lousy USC squad in scoring last year. He's shooting a career-best 50 percent from the field and has been the slasher the Zags lacked. 

Jonathan Holmes, Texas

18 

Preseason rank: No. 9 power forward

Holmes is playing out of position—he's better suited as a stretch 4—but he's still been UT's most consistent performer, averaging 11.5 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game.

Bryce Dejean-Jones, Iowa State

17 

Preseason rank: No. 18 shooting guard

Yet again Fred Hoiberg has worked wonders for a transfer. Dejean-Jones is a much more efficient scorer than he was at UNLV—his effective field goal percentage is up 10 percent—and he's also turned into a good rebounder (5.8 per game).

Dez Wells, Maryland

16 

Preseason rank: 7

It says a lot that Wells has developed into a starring role as Maryland's secondary scorer, and the Terps are in the middle of their best season of his career. Wells has been unselfish, averaging 3.0 assists per game. He still has plenty of ability as a one-on-one scorer when Maryland needs him to get a bucket.

15-11: Walkup-Brown

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Thomas Walkup, Stephen F. Austin

15 

Preseason rank: Unranked

Stephen F. Austin is 20-3 and hasn't lost since Nov. 24. It's time to give this team and its best player some props. Walkup does everything for the Lumberjacks, averaging 14.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Danuel House, Texas A&M

14 

Preseason rank: Unranked

The Houston transfer has had an instant impact at A&M, averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game. He's a big reason why the Aggies (16-6 overall, 7-3 SEC) could return to the tourney for the first time since 2011.

Justise Winslow, Duke

13 

Preseason rank: 14

Winslow hit a freshman wall recently—averaging 3.0 points over a four-game stretch—but he's since recovered, averaging 14.4 points over his last five games. He's been Duke's best defender, and when he's shooting well, he's a tough matchup because of his ability to attack the rim.

Terran Petteway, Nebraska

12 

Preseason rank: 1

The Cornhuskers (13-11) have underachieved this year, and Petteway probably deserves part of the blame. His numbers, however, have not suffered. He's averaging 18.8 points per game, but his efficiency, which was never great, has not improved. 

Anthony Brown, Stanford

11 

Preseason rank: 17

Brown is the perfect three-and-D wing, which is a valuable commodity in the NBA and not all that common in college. He's putting up a career-best 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and he shoots 46.4 percent from beyond the arc.

10. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona

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Preseason rank: 2

If Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had a jumper, he'd already be making millions. Heck, he's still gifted enough that he could have left after last season and likely been a first-round pick in the NBA draft.

The Wildcats have had the good fortune of getting at least two seasons out of him, and he's been a dominant force even without the ability to shoot outside the arc. He's a beast around the basket and gets to the free-throw line often, drawing 3.5 fouls per 40 minutes. He also shoots a respectable 70.5 percent at the line.

Hollis-Jefferson's greatest value is as a defender. Some guys can guard multiple spots, but he can guard all five. The 'Cats don't need him checking centers, but if they did, he'd be plenty capable.

9. Kyle Collinsworth, Brigham Young

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Preseason rank: Unranked

No one has ever gotten triple-doubles in college basketball like Kyle Collinsworth. That's not hyperbole. The guy now has the single-season record after recording his fifth triple-double of the season on Saturday—four players, most notably Jason Kidd, had four in a season. The record for a career is six, so as just a junior, chances are Collinsworth will hold that record as well.

It's hard to identify Collinsworth's position. I'd call him a point forward. No matter what you want to label him, the guy does everything for his team. He's averaging 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals.

8. Roosevelt Jones, Butler

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Preseason rank: 10

To understand how valuable Jones is to Butler, all you have to do is look at win-loss records.

Last year, when Jones had to miss the entire season with a wrist injury, Butler went 14-17. This season, the Bulldogs are 18-6 and on pace to get back to the NCAA tournament.

Jones can't shoot from outside and has kind of an unorthodox game, but there's no doubt he makes guys around him better. A good example is Butler leading scorer Kellen Dunham. Last season without Jones around to create, Dunham shot 35.5 percent from three-point range. This year with Jones, he's shooting a career-best 42 percent.

None of those numbers are coincidences.

7. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State

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Preseason rank: 9

You could say that Denzel Valentine is putting up numbers—14.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 4.2 APG—because the Michigan State Spartans aren't nearly as talented as they were a year ago. That's partly true. But there's a good chance that Valentine, who is a gifted passer and playmaker, would only be better with more talent around him.

Valentine has definitely matured this season, and even with more pressure to produce, he's been more efficient than ever before. He's shooting a career best 42.1 percent from deep and 83.3 percent at the free-throw line, and his assist numbers have gone up.

6. Tyler Haws, Brigham Young

USA TODAY Sports

Preseason rank: 3

Most coaches in today's game have figured out that the mid-range jumper is not a good shot. A shot at the basket or from the three should be the goal. You hear the mid-range jumper is a lost art, but really, it's just that few coaches encourage it.

Well, Tyler Haws is the exception to the rule. The nation's second-leading scorer does most of his damage in the mid-range. He's a decent three-point shooter (36.6 percent), but he's much more accurate at a few feet in.

The ability to score from so many places has made Haws incredibly consistent. He has an impressive streak going of 10 straight games with 20 or more points, and he's scored in double figures in all but three games over the last three seasons.

5. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin

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Preseason rank: No. 3 power forward

Sam Dekker grew two inches in the offseason, and Wisconsin now lists him at 6'9". So that kind of growth spurt would usually lead to a position change—say, from small forward to power forward. Nope. Dekker moved the other way and went from playing inside last year to mostly on the perimeter this year.

The switch hasn't been entirely seamless because he's struggled with his outside shot—33.3 percent from deep—but Dekker has thrived as a slasher. Going into Tuesday, he was shooting 46.2 percent of his shots at the rim—higher than any player in Wisconsin's rotation—and he's making 72.4 percent of those attempts, according to Hoop-Math.com.

Dekker has also improved over the course of the season, averaging 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in conference play—bumps from his season averages of 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds. Part of that has to do with being healthy after an ankle injury slowed him earlier this year.

4. Pat Connaughton, Notre Dame

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Preseason rank: Unranked

Pat Connaughton is a pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization and will likely rejoin them after this season. But if it wasn't for baseball, an NBA scout told me recently that he believes Connaughton could play in the league.

Connaughton's body of work supports that endorsement. 

He is a small forward, but he's spent a majority of this year playing a small-ball 4 for the Irish. He's held his own defensively against big men and is a great rebounder for his size (6'5")—he averages a team-best 8.0 boards per game and also has the most blocks (22).

But he's at his best as a knockdown shooter. Connaughton is shooting 45.2 percent from deep, and he's made at least two treys in 21 out of 26 games.

3. LaDontae Henton, Providence

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Preseason rank: 11

LaDontae Henton has seamlessly taken over the go-to role from Bryce Cotton this season and has Providence in position to make a second straight NCAA tournament.

The Big East's leading scorer at 20.4 points per game has been a machine. He's scored 20-plus points in 12 games this year and has scored in double figures in 16 straight games. His signature game of the season was a 38-point effort in a win over current No. 10 Notre Dame.

2. Treveon Graham, VCU

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Preseason rank: 5

Treveon Graham has always been a good scorer but not a great shooter. He wasn't a poor shooter. He was adequate.

Well, this season, Graham is more efficient and even harder to guard because he's drastically improved as a shooter. Last year, he shot 33.7 percent from deep; this year he's at 41.1 percent. Last year, he made a respectable 37.7 percent of his two-point jumpers, according to Hoop-Math.com; this year he's up to 45.6 percent. 

He's been hobbled lately by an ankle injury, but before that, Graham had been very consistent, scoring in double figures in 16 of VCU's first 17 games. He's averaging a career-best 16.2 points per game.

1. Justin Anderson, Virginia

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Preseason rank: Unranked

We're about to see how valuable Justin Anderson was to Virginia now that he'll be out for the next four to six weeks with a fractured finger. My guess is the Virginia Cavaliers will be able to compensate—a weak upcoming schedule should help—but no matter how well they do without him, it should not diminish the impact he's made.

Anderson has transformed from a solid sixth man into Virginia's star, and it's safe to assume a lot of hard work went into that. He is shooting an ACC-best 48.4 percent from deep after shooting just 29.4 percent a year ago. His shooting has been a key to Virginia's offense ranking ninth in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com, the highest rank ever under Tony Bennett.

Anderson has also been an integral piece to the second-best defense in the country. The key to Bennett's pack-line D is keeping opponents out of the paint and forcing tough shots. Anderson is really good at keeping his man in front of him, and he can challenge with his length. He's arguably Virginia's best defender, and a case could be made that he's been the best wing defender in the country. 

His scoring numbers (13.4 points per game) may not compare to some of the other top 3-men, but no one else on this list can match his all-around game.

C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @CJMooreBR.