NCAA Basketball: 5 key storylines to watch for the rest of December

2. Can Trae Young continue his dominance?

One of the most exciting developments of the college basketball season has been the play of Oklahoma freshman Trae Young. While other freshmen such as Marvin Bagley III and DeAndre Ayton have been great, Young has been the next level.

As of Dec. 14, Young leads the NCAA in points (28.8 ppg) and is third in assists (8.8 apg). No player in college basketball is more exciting than Young is right now.

The comparisons to fellow Sooners great Buddy Hield don’t stop coming.

All of it will be for naught if the Sooners don’t make the NCAA Tournament, though. There’s precedent for star players failing to single-handedly guide their teams to March Madness, with LSU’s Ben Simmons and Washington’s Markelle Fultz proving to be obvious examples in recent years.

Oklahoma sports a 7-1 record including a win over a ranked USC team, but has largely gone untested so far this season. A game at Wichita State over the weekend will change that and allow Young to play under the brightest spotlight yet.

If Young can guide his Sooners to the NCAA Tournament, there should be a Wooden Award waiting for him at the end of the rainbow.