NCAA Tournament: 50 biggest individual game performances from 2010-19
By Logan Butts
2010 – Jimmer Fredette, 7 BYU vs 10 Florida, 1st Round
The first of two appearances on this list, this was Jimmer’s introduction to the mainstream sports audience. The sniper went for 37 points to lead BYU over Florida. He only hit three 3’s, a low number for Jimmer, but made 13 of his 26 shots and eight of 10 free throws.
2010 – Jacob Pullen, 2 Kansas State vs 6 Xavier, Sweet 16
In one of my all-time favorite NCAA Tournament duels, Jacob Pullen (28 points, 6-12 from three) and Denis Clemente (25 points, five rebounds, five assists) traded fireballs with Jordan Crawford (32 points) and Tu Holloway (26-4-6-2-1) in an instant classic in the Sweet 16.
2010 – Jordan Crawford, 6 Xavier vs 11 Minnesota, 1st Round
Speaking of Crawford, he turned in another top-level performance in the first round, putting together a line of 28 points (on 11-21 shooting and 5-11 from three), six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. That 2010 Xavier team was fun.
2010 – Kyle Singler, 1 Duke vs 2 West Virginia, Final Four
The eventual national champions were built around a three-pronged star attack of Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and Jon Scheyer, so there weren’t a lot of dominant solo performances. Singler in the Final Four was the exception. He had an efficient 21 points (8-16 from the field, 3-5 from three) to go along with nine rebounds and five assists in the blowout win.
2011 – Jimmer Fredette, 3 BYU vs 11 Gonzaga, 2nd Round
The return of Jimmer. Following his national player of the year campaign, the sharpshooter dropped 34 points, dished out six assists, and hit a very Jimmer-like 7 of his 12 three’s, a number of which were from way downtown.