NCAA Basketball: San Francisco, Nick Norton top mid-major performers of the week

By Logan Butts | Dec 27, 2018

RALEIGH, NC - DECEMBER 31: Wes Miller of the UNC Greensboro Spartans coaches his team against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during play at PNC Arena on December 31, 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina State won 89-68. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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BOISE, ID – MARCH 15: James Dickey #21 of the UNC-Greensboro Spartans dunks the ball in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The holidays have provided for some exciting NCAA Basketball action. Which mid-major performers earned gifts from Santa over the last week?

Best Performance, Individual – Nick Norton, Drake Bulldogs

The Drake Bulldogs continued their hot nonconference season with a pair of wins over strong mid-major teams this week thanks to Nick Norton’s top-notch outings.

The fifth-year senior, a transfer from UAB, helped lead the Bulldogs past New Mexico State and San Diego in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday to win the Las Vegas Classic.

Norton put up a solid, if not spectacular, 11-2-6-4 in a 66-63 semifinal win over the Aggies before dropping 31-6-7 in the championship game in a 110-103 double overtime win over the Toreros to give Drake the title.

Norton is second on the Bulldogs in points (15.5) and rebounds (4.3) and leads the team with 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Missouri Valley leaders.

Honorable mention goes to another outstanding week for Ja Morant, who had 27-8-10-2-1 in a three-point win for Murray State over Evansville and 25-8-7-1-1 in a near-upset of Auburn.

Others include Terry Taylor’s 32 in a Austin Peay win over Liberty, TJ Shorts with 25-7-2-2 in UC Davis’s almost-win against Arizona, and Anthony Lamb’s 42 in an overtime Vermont win vs the Bonnies.

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