Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: 2018-19 Mid-major awards (week 1)

By Logan Butts

BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: CJ Massinburg #5 of the Buffalo Bulls reacts during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: CJ Massinburg #5 of the Buffalo Bulls reacts during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – MARCH 21: A general view before the start of the UCLA Bruins and UAB Blazers during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 21, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – MARCH 21: A general view before the start of the UCLA Bruins and UAB Blazers during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 21, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Best Individual Performance – Chris Clemons

I really, honestly, truly did not intend to pick Clemons this week. I had a whole spiel already thought out about how I couldn’t just pick him and Mike Daum every week.

But then this man came out and dropped 44 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals to lead his team to a 97-93 overtime victory over a strong UNC-Wilmington team in the season opener (this game also could have qualified for a category coming later in the article).

And not only did he score 44 points, but he did it efficiently, shooting 12-24 from the field and 14-16 from the free throw line. His 6-16 mark from three-point range wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either.

Plus, as I said before, UNC-Wilmington is a tough mid-major. It isn’t like Clemons poured in the points on a D-II team. The Seahawks have a star of their own in Devontae Cacok who piled up 19 points and 13 boards, and an up-and-coming star in Ty Taylor II who posted a line of 29-8-3, so Clemons needed all 44 of his points for the four-point win.

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