Senior Matt Coleman (Texas)
It was a balanced attack for Texas and they needed every point they could get. Six players finished in double figures, all of which were between 14-10 points. Matt Coleman III played well overall on the court, even though it wasn't his best shooting day. He finished one assist shy of a double-double, notching 10 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in the game.
Freshman Sam Mennenga (Davidson)
It was the first time getting to watch the 6'9 forward from New Zealand and he looked/played really well. Coming off a win vs. High Point in which he finished one rebound shy of a double-double, he backed it up with a 17-point, 5-rebound performance vs. Texas. The big man has quickly made himself a name to watch this year for Davidson.
Redshirt Junior Race Thompson (Indiana)
Thompson was terrific all throughout the game for Indiana. He led the charge scoring with 22 points and also led the team in rebounding with 13, giving him his first career double-double. He finished the game 8-for-12 from the floor, including several strong finishes and was active on the boards in both halves as well.
Freshman RJ Davis (North Carolina)
Caleb Love gets a lot of attention and he deserves it but RJ Davis is one that really needs more attention with what he can bring to the floor. Tonight, he provided another ball-handler, is quick on both ends, and really showed that he can be a big-time scorer for this team. Really helped and showed a balanced attack, scoring 18 points, providing a threat from outside (3-for-4 from three), and tallied six rebounds as well. All this in 28 minutes.
Freshman Ziaire Williams (Stanford)
A highly-touted freshman coming into the season, he certainly showed why early. He led the charge in the first half to give Stanford a double-digit lead, scoring 13 points and going 3-for-4 from three. In the end, he finished the game with a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. The only thing that you can say he could look at is six turnovers.
Key Stat Watch:
Texas vs. Davidson: It was a close game and one stat line that helped Texas was the 13-5 offensive rebound advantage, which helped lead to 13 second-chance points. Overall though, pretty even matchup statistically.
Indiana vs. Providence: The biggest stat line in this battle was the turnover battle, as Indiana was able to hold a 17-3 points off turnover advantage vs. Providence. Indiana was able to capitalize off 13 turnovers while only having nine turnovers themselves.
North Carolina vs. UNLV: North Carolina got back to what they do best, using their bigs and dominating the boards. The Tar Heels outrebounded UNLV 54-35, which inlcuded 19 offensive rebounds that led to 21 second-chance points. They also outscored UNLV 32-18 in the paint.
Stanford vs. Alabama: Stanford shot the ball very well all throughout the game and was the determining factor. They finished the game shooting 52 percent from the floor and 53 percent from three, compared to Alabama’s 36 percent from the floor.
