Player of the Weekend - Elston Turner, Texas A&M
Scoring a career-high 40 points, Turner carried the Aggies to an 83-71 win at Kentucky. That’s the most points by a Texas A&M player since Don Marbury’s 41 points against Baylor more than 28 years ago. It’s also the fifth most by an Aggie in a road game. But the venue makes this performance particularly unique. According to Kentucky, Turner is the first opposing player to score 40 points in Rupp Arena since LSU's Chris Jackson in 1990.
Stat Sheet Stuffer - Richard Howell, NC State
Howell had 16 points and 18 rebounds, as NC State knocked off No. 1 Duke, 84-76. Over the last 15 seasons, he’s the fourth player with those numbers in a win over the AP No. 1, joining UNLV’s Mike Moser, Pitt’s DeJuan Blair and UNC’s Antawn Jamison. In the second half, Howell alone outrebounded the Blue Devils 14-13.
Freshman of the Weekend - Anthony Bennett, UNLV
Bennett scored 22 points and added a career-high 16 rebounds as UNLV held off Air Force, 76-71, in overtime. He’s just the fourth freshman to reach those totals in a game this season, joining Lipscomb’s Stephen Hurt, Baylor’s Isaiah Austin and High Point’s John Brown. The Rebels improved to 19-1 all-time at home against Air Force.
Bench Player of the Weekend – Kenyon McNeail, Louisiana Tech
McNeail scored a career-high 34 points off the bench in Louisiana Tech’s 73-71 win at UTSA. That’s tied for the second-most points off the bench this season. No WAC player since at least 1996-97 has scored that many as a reserve. McNeail tied Johnny Miller’s 16-year-old school record with nine 3-pointers made.
Ugly Stat Line of the Weekend – Vanderbilt Commodores
Lowlighted by just 11 points in the first half, Vanderbilt scored just 33 points in a 23-point loss to Arkansas. It’s the second time this season that Vanderbilt has scored just 33, having also done so against Marist in November. Prior to that, Vanderbilt’s offense hadn’t produced 33 or fewer points in a game since 1982. The Commodores’ 26 turnovers were their most in almost 11 years.
