Player of the Night – Kyle Wiltjer, Kentucky
Wiltjer scored a career-high 26 points off the bench, as Kentucky topped Ole Miss 87-74 in Oxford. He also added seven rebounds and three assists. The last two major conference players to do that off the bench were Sean May and Al Thornton, both in 2005.
Freshman of the Night – Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
Noel set a Kentucky record with 12 blocked shots, also matching the most in a Division I game this season. That also equaled the career highs of notable swatters Dikembe Mutombo and Shaquille O’Neal. Perhaps most impressively, six of Noel’s 12 blocks came after he picked up his fourth foul.
Scorer of the Night – Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State
Thomas once again carried the scoring load, pouring in 25 points in the Buckeyes’ 58-49 win over Wisconsin. On the season, he’s scoring 28 percent of Ohio State’s points, the 20th-highest percentage in the nation. Strange fact from this one: For the first time in school history, Wisconsin did not attempt a free throw.
Stat Sheet Stuffer - Colt Ryan, Evansville
Ryan either scored or assisted on 43 of Evansville’s 54 points. He finished with 23 points and matched a career-high nine assists in the Aces’ 54-51 overtime win over Northern Iowa. Ryan’s now 57 points shy of becoming the 14th 2,000-point scorer in Missouri Valley Conference history.
Ugly Stat of the Night – Wichita State Shockers
The Shockers lost out on a chance to be the nation’s first 20-win team, losing to Indiana State 68-55. Wichita State shot just 27.1 percent from the field, its lowest in a game in almost 12 years. Even worse, the Shockers were 22.6 percent from two-point range, their lowest in at least 15 years.
