Player of the Night - Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota
Among the oldest players in college basketball, Mbakwe was 2 days old when the Gophers last beat a No. 1 team in 1989. On Tuesday, he made it happen again with a season-high 21 points to go with 12 rebounds in a 77-73 win over Indiana. He’s the first Big Ten player with a 20-10 game in a win over No. 1 since Indiana’s Jared Jeffries in 2002. Meanwhile, star Hoosiers center Cody Zeller was held to just nine points before fouling out.
Scorer of the Night - Jordan McRae, Tennessee
McRae went for a game-high 27 points in the Volunteers' 64-58 win over Florida. That’s the most points for a Tennessee player against Florida since Chris Lofton in 2006. McRae is now averaging 28.0 PPG in his past three games. Tennessee has won six straight and now finds itself squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble.
Stat Sheet Stuffer - Jerrelle Benimon, Towson
Towson has gone from 1-28 last season to 17-13 this season, and Benimon is a key reason. On Tuesday, he had 31 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in an 85-81 overtime win over George Mason. That snapped a 20-game losing streak against the Patriots. Benimon and Bucknell’s Mike Muscala are the only players averaging at least 17 PPG and 11 RPG this season.
Bench Player of the Night - Kamryn Williams, Air Force
Williams came into Tuesday averaging 2.7 PPG, but there must have been something in the thin air. He scored a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds in Air Force’s 72-66 win over Wyoming. It’s the most points for a Falcon off the bench since Michael Lyons also had 25 in 2009.
Freshman of the Night – Semaj Christon, Xavier
Coming off a 10-turnover performance against VCU, Christon's ball-handling skills were understandably under scrutiny on Tuesday. But he only turned the ball over once in Xavier’s 64-62 win over Memphis. Christon finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
