College Basketball: Revisiting big performances of the last 10 years
By J.P. Scott
For college basketball fans, these autumn months seem to drag along. Football is great, but there is nothing like the sound of the ball on the hardwood and the squeaks of rubber soles moving around the court. Toss in the bands, the cheerleaders and the thought of filling out that bracket in March and the wait becomes almost unbearable.
All we can do now is sit, wait and think about some of the best college basketball we’ve seen recently. Over the past ten years, we’ve seen some pretty electric individual performances from some of the best players who have ever played the game.
Let’s go back in time and check out some of the top individual performances over the last ten years.
Doug McDermott, Creighton
March 8, 2014 vs. Providence
In the last home game of his legendary college basketball career, Doug McDermott put on a show we won’t soon forget. He dropped 45 points on the Providence Friars and in the process, became only the eighth player in Division I history to score 3000 points in his career. He went ahead and added seven rebounds for good measure. It was a perfect ending to a storybook season that saw him take home every major play of the year award.
Anthony Davis, Kentucky
January 17, 2012 vs. Arkansas
Everyone knew about Davis’ potential, but it wasn’t until this game against the Razorback that we saw exactly what Davis was capable of. He was almost a one man show for the Wildcats on this night. Davis dropped 27 points, pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked seven shots in an 86-63 win. It was a glimpse of what was to come for Kentucky during that championship season and indicative of what we’d eventually see from Davis as a pro.
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
February 26, 2011 at San Diego State
Jimmer Fredette scored a lot more points in a lot more college basketball games than he did on this night, but no overall performance of his may have been better. In one of the biggest games of the 2010-2011 season, Fredette stepped up and carried BYU to a 80-67 win over the Aztecs in a battle of two top ten teams. As usual, Fredette had no problem scoring, logging 25 points. More impressive and perhaps more valuable to his team that night were his nine assists. It was one of the few times in his career that we saw Jimmer play the role of a true point guard.
Kevin Durant, Texas
February 12, 2007 vs. Oklahoma State
Unfortunately, we only got to watch Kevin Durant play one season of college basketball, so we don’t have a whole lot of great memories of him. One game that does stand out in his college career was the night he helped his Longhorns upset a tough Oklahoma State squad at home. Durant led his team with 21 points, but it was his domination on the boards that turned this game into a blowout. Durant logged 12 rebounds to help his team post a 83-54 win.
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
December 29, 2007 at West Virginia
When we think about Blake Griffin, most of us picture highlight-reel dunks over people and cars. What we saw on this night in Charleston, West Virginia was something else entirely. It was one of the few nights in Griffin’s college basketball career that he didn’t lead his Oklahoma Sooners in scoring. Though he did put up 18 points, his toughness inside and on the boards was what helped his team leave hostile territory with an overtime win. He pulled down 16 rebounds that night — nine more than any West Virginia player.
These are just a few of the great individual performances we’ve seen recently. What are some that stick out in your memory? Let us know in the comments below!
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