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NCAA Basketball: 68 defining moments of the 2019-20 season

By Lukas Harkins

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 07: Rodney Chatman #0, Obi Toppin #1 and Jalen Crutcher #10 of the Dayton Flyers celebrate during a game against the George Washington Colonials at UD Arena on March 7, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH - MARCH 07: Rodney Chatman #0, Obi Toppin #1 and Jalen Crutcher #10 of the Dayton Flyers celebrate during a game against the George Washington Colonials at UD Arena on March 7, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – NOVEMBER 08: Maxey of the Wildcats dribbles. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – NOVEMBER 08: Maxey of the Wildcats dribbles. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

1. Tyrese Maxey starts the year with a bang. (Nov. 5th)

The opening night of college basketball was an eventful one. The ACC immediately began conference play and some thrilling high vs. mid-major games (SMC-Wisconsin, Utah-Nevada, etc.) were also worth monitoring. At the core of the night, though, were the two top-tier matchups at the Champions Classic and it was Kentucky freshman Tyrese Maxey that immediately torched the nets from the first minutes of his career while playing against Michigan State.

The Wildcats and Spartans were both projected to be national title contenders and that theory still applied after the final buzzer sounded in Madison Square Garden. While Cassius Winston put forth 21 points for MSU as the well-known star, Maxey stole the show as he posted 26 points off the bench for the Wildcats. He hit several crucial shots along the way but none were as important as the go-ahead deep trifecta with a minute left to play.

“Mr. Calipari, you have a star. S-T-A-R.”

2. James Wiseman ruled ineligible, plays anyway. (Nov. 8th)

James Wiseman entered this season ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country and was gearing up to lead Memphis to an NCAA Tournament berth before embarking on his professional career. Well…let’s just say that that didn’t go according to plan. The 7-footer immediately began dominating at the collegiate level from the opening tip as he posted 28 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in the Tigers’ season-opening win over South Carolina State.

On November 8th, though, the NCAA deemed him ineligible. Due to the fact that a judge ruled to put a hold on the NCAA decision, Wiseman was able to play in Memphis’ game that night and he put up 23 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks in a win over Illinois-Chicago. The highly-touted freshman then only played one more game (14pts/12r/1b in a loss to Oregon) before ending his collegiate career.

Wiseman is still expected to be one of the top picks at the 2020 NBA Draft but his time at Memphis lasted just three games played.

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