NCAA Basketball: Keegan Murray, UVA struggles among key takeaways

Big performances equal wins

Basketball is still a player’s game and the best thing a coach can do is handle his players properly and get the right player the ball in the right position for the best chance to score. To accentuate this point, every team that had the player who had scored the most points from every player playing that night, won.

Starting with the 34 points Fardaws Aimaq dropped on Pepperdine to lead Utah Valley to an 86-74 victory. Then Christian Ings shot 12 for 15 from the field to score 31 points in a Norfolk win over William & Mary while Ryan Allen scored 35 as Delaware pulled out a three-point victory from La Salle in overtime

Michael Devoe’s performance was also one to remember as Baylor did not need all 37 of his points, but the seven rebounds and five assists sure helped the Yellow Jackets to their 88-78 win over Georgia. A lot of basketball games are a result of matchups and while that has an aura of a team aspect, it is the individual players that create these mismatches on the floor.

When one team has a player – even if it is just for that one night- who cannot be guarded or will not miss a shot, the game ultimately comes down to if that player will continue, or will another individual player stop him.