College Basketball Players Who Create Matchup Nightmares

Rule changes in college basketball have led to increased scoring in the 2015-16 season, making it even harder to stop most players and next to impossible to slow down the best in the country. That includes the game's top matchup nightmares—players who no amount of game-planning can effect.

It's the goal of teams to create mismatches on the court, usually by shifting players around so they're being guarded by someone too small or too slow. Then there are the players who can do this on their own with their unique combination of size and skill.

We've identified a lineup of matchup nightmares who always seem to find themselves in a favorable situation and have made the most of this in 2015-16.

Chris Boucher, Oregon

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Year: Senior

Height, weight: 6'10”, 200 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.2 BPG, 55.2% FG, 35.0% 3-pt FG

It's a humbling experience when a player stops you from scoring on one end and then puts points on the board at the other basket. Chris Boucher has taken this to the extreme this season, swatting away opposing shots and then draining jumpers or making layups a few seconds later.

The junior college transfer has been a huge part of Oregon's rise to the top of the Pac-12 standings, both with his dominance as a rim protector and his diverse offensive game. He leads the nation in blocks per game, his 84 just 10 shy of the school record, and earlier this season he set the single-game mark with nine blocks against Arkansas State.

That would be enough on its own, but offensively Boucher is even more of a nightmare. His 68.3 percent two-point shooting rate is among the tops in the country, but he's also drained 28 threes. When his defender comes out to guard him on the perimeter, either he's too small to affect the shot or creates a big hole in the paint that other Ducks can drive into.

Brandon Ingram, Duke

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Year: Freshman

Height, weight: 6'9", 190 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 17.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 46.6% FG, 40.9% 3-pt FG

Brandon Ingram could end up playing several positions next year at the NBA level, assuming all the predictions that he's going pro after one season are true. Considering the way few college teams have managed to slow him down, there's no reason for him to stick around at that level any longer.

Despite lacking the body to play the 4 from a defensive standpoint, Ingram has held his own on that end since having to replace Amile Jefferson in the frontcourt. He's had double-doubles in five of the last eight games, including 20 points and 10 rebounds in Duke's win at North Carolina on Wednesday.

Four of those boards were on the offensive end, adding that to an arsenal that includes being able to hit a shot from any spot on the court as well as the ability to run the floor and set up the offense.

Jalen Jones, Texas A&M

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Year: Senior

Height, weight: 6'7", 220 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 15.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 42.8% FG, 35.4% 3-pt FG

Not only do opponents not know how to deal with Jalen Jones, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame can't even figure out which position to honor him for.

Jones is a finalist for the Jerry West Award, given annually to the nation's top shooting guard, even though that's not a position he's played at any point this season. Instead, Texas A&M has used him at power forward where he's wreaking havoc on bigger defenders who try to stick with him.

Tied for the scoring leader with Danuel House, another swingman who could play in the frontcourt or backcourt, Jones, the Aggies' leading rebounder, has hit at least two three-pointers in six games but also has the moves to get to the rim with ease. He can also dunk with the best of them, finding himself free near the basket quite often thanks to his maneuverability.

Georges Niang, Iowa State

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Year: Senior

Height, weight: 6'8", 230 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 19.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 52.7% FG, 38.7% 3-pt FG, 83.1% FT

Georges Niang isn't particularly athletic, with a vertical that can be measured in centimeters rather than inches and a handle that would probably fit better at the local rec center than on a ranked college basketball team. But that doesn't explain how he recently reached the 2,000-point mark for his career, moving past Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg for third on the school's scoring list.

Try as we might to define Niang's game, it's probably best to just watch it and enjoy rather than figure it out. Opponents have managed to do so, putting a litany of different types of players on him to little success.

This season he's been at his very best, benefitting from a change in his diet after a sophomore season that ended with a foot injury in the NCAA tournament.

"My body couldn't handle all that pounding on it," Niang told ESPN's Jeff Goodman.

Ben Simmons, LSU

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Year: Freshman

Height, weight: 6'10", 225 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 19.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 56.1% FG

Ben Simmons is the ultimate pick-your-poison player—no matter the choice the result is the same.

Some games the electric Australian—who is a virtual lock for freshman of the year honors and probably will go No. 1 in the NBA draft—is an unstoppable scorer, one that is almost automatic near the basket but who can also hit the mid-range jumper. Other times he's a facilitator, evidenced by his 16 games with at least five assists.

And then there are the games where he's both, which is usually the norm, while also being the best rebounder on the court who cleans up the boards on defense and also keeps possessions alive after missed shots.

The most difficult part of dealing with Simmons is not knowing what approach he's going to take each game. That's because he takes what opponents give him, or in many cases just decides for them.

Tyler Ulis, Kentucky

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Year: Sophomore

Height, weight: 5'9", 155 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 16.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 43.4% FG, 32.2% 3-pt FG, 86.6% FT

Size plays a big role in players becoming matchup nightmares, but usually this refers to length and girth and how a player can make the most of this. In Tyler Ulis' case, it's his lack of these things that makes him so difficult to deal with.

Almost always the smallest guy on the court, Ulis uses this to his advantage by being too fast and flexible to be contained. Defenders can't take their eyes off him for a second or he's gone, and if they give him too much space the shot is up and likely going in.

Ulis is also a terror on the defensive end, able to reach in and poke the ball away without having to worry about getting whistled. Opponents try to switch to get him on a bigger man, but that actually makes it easier for Ulis to get the steal or just generally disrupt their ball-handling.

Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa

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Year: Senior

Height, weight: 6'9", 210 pounds

2015-16 statistics: 18.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.8 BPG, 45.7% FG, 41.6% 3-pt FG, 81.7% FT

Jarrod Uthoff is Iowa's leading scorer, its top shot-blocker and the second-best rebounder behind Adam Woodbury. He's also one of the Hawkeyes' top three-point shooting threats and has shown an amazing knack for taking care of the ball for as often as it's in his hands.

With just 29 turnovers in 797 minutes of action, Uthoff only gives the ball away 6.3 percent of the time he has it. That's not just the best on the team but 12th-best in Division I, with most of the other top performers in this statistic guys who just catch and shoot or don't hang onto the ball very long.

That's not the case with Uthoff, who is often the person the offense runs through when Iowa is clicking.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.