College Basketball: Busting Brackets Midseason Awards
Best Individual Performance
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
LaDontae Henton (Providence) vs Notre Dame
On November 23rd, the Providence Friars met Notre Dame on a neutral court at the Mohegan Sun Casino (which is in Connecticut, so a bit of an advantage probably went to the Friars). The Fighting Irish were untested and unranked at the time, but clearly had the look of a tournament team. The Friars were viewed similarly, but were still a decided underdog against the Irish, mostly due to the presence of the returning Jerian Grant.
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On this particular day, Henton had the look of one of the best players in the country. Pitted against Grant, he responded with a 38 point performance on 14-19 shooting (including 4-8 3PT% and 6-7FT%) while leading his Friars to a 75-74 profile-building win. After Grant put the Irish ahead with a layup in the final minute, Henton drew a foul before nailing two free throws to retake the lead. The Friars held on to pick up a win that has steadily gained significance as the season has gone forward.
Since then, Notre Dame has risen into the top 10 of the national rankings, giving Providence one of the best non-conference wins of any team expecting to be on the bubble. More importantly, the game revealed that Henton has the ability to ascend to a different level on a big stage, a trait that could be vital in March.
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