NCAA Basketball: Most interesting single-game stats of 2020-21 season

Statistical anomalies are fun. They make for great trivia and sometimes break records – both good and bad records. So, what are the most interesting stat lines of the 2020-21 NCAA Basketball season?

Zion Young (Oakland)

Jan. 22, 2021: Oakland almost surrendered a 25-point halftime advantage. This would have been a bigger talking point if the Bears’ Zion Young hadn’t lit the nets on fire. The Oakland guard played 22 minutes off the bench and went 9 for 9 from three-point range. His only misses were a two-pointer and a free throw. Go figure!

Mitchell Sueker (North Dakota)

Jan. 2, 2021: Somebody has to do the dirty work, even if it means you’re getting mauled under the basket. North Dakota’s Mitchell Sueker didn’t score a single basket, but he made 11 free throws. 11 points, 7 rebounds, no field goals. North Dakota won, 52-45, in an absolute rock fight.

Anthony Tarke (Coppin State)

Jan. 5, 2021: The most complete box score of the year belongs to Anthony Tarke of Coppin State. I don’t think I’ve watched a Coppin State game since 2008, but based on the stats I’m assuming Tarke was involved in EVERY play. Final stat line: 13 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST, 6 STL, 5 BLK (plus 7 turnovers and 4 fouls). So far, this is the only 5-by-5 of the college basketball season.**

**A 5-by-5 happens when a player records at least 5 of each of the 5 main stat categories in a single game.

Andre Kelly (California)

Jan. 30, 2021: 15 minutes, 6 fouls (Usually you foul out after five). The junior forward has been playing starters’ minutes for three years and will likely end his career with 1000+ points and 600+ rebounds. But January 30, 2021, just wasn’t his day.

Murray State (whole team)

Nov. 29, 2020: Greenville (NCAA Division III) will play anybody, even Division I teams if they can swing it. In conference games, Greenville scores 100 points per game. They never play defense. Just ask Murray State’s K.J. Williams, who scored 22 points in 12 minutes, on 11/12 shooting. Want more box score bliss? Nine Murray State players scored in double figures. Two Murray State starters had near-triple-doubles despite playing less than half the game.** The Racers won, 173-93. They shot 78% from the field.

**Tevin Brown: 10 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST (18 minutes)

**Justice Hill: 7 PTS, 10 REB, 11 AST (18 minutes)

D.J. Mitchell (Hartford)

Jan. 31, 2021: The Hartford guard put up the infamous Tony Snell stat line in a loss to Stony Brook: 28 minutes, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 BLK, 0 STL, 0 BLK. On the plus side, Mitchell also didn’t record a turnover.

Rashad Williams (Oakland)

Dec. 13, 2020: Williams joins his teammate, Zion Young, on this list. Unfortunately, it was also in a losing effort. In a shootout against #4 Michigan State, Williams took the “pure scorer” archetype to the extreme: 36 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST. In the last decade, only one other player has scored 36+ points without a single rebound or assist (Hofstra’s Justin Wright-Foreman scored 48 in a 2019 game).

With thousands of games taking place this year, this list is bound to miss other interesting stat lines. Drop your favorites in the comments section!