Soaking Up Spotlight: Which Relatively-Unknown Player Will Rise to Occasion?
One of the special features fans of NCAA Tournament competition appreciate most are games when relatively-unknown players rise to occasion and blossom before our eyes. Among power-conference members and current mid-majors who reached the Final Four at some point in their history, do you know who furnished the finest out-of-nowhere NCAA playoff fireworks? Consider:
- Did Ron Brewer, Todd Day, Ron Huery, Joe Kleine, Sidney Moncrief, Alvin Robertson, Darrell Walker or Corliss Williamson set Arkansas' NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
- Did Elden Campbell, Dale Davis, Horace Grant, Larry Nance or Tree Rollins set Clemson's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
- Did Lewis Lloyd, Willie McCarter, Red Murrell or Willie Wise set Drake's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
- Did William Bedford, Tyreke Evans, Larry Finch, Penny Hardaway, Larry Kenon, Keith Lee, Derrick Rose or David Vaughn III set Memphis' NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
- Did Miles Bridges, Mateen Cleaves, Johnny Green, Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, Shawn Respert, Scott Skiles, Steve Smith or Sam Vincent set Michigan State's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
- Did Chris Cheeks, Calvin Duncan, Melvin Johnson, Eric Maynor, Edmund Sherod, Jamie Skeen or Kenny Stancell set Virginia Commonwealth's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
- Did Don Collins, Craig Ehlo, Isaac Fontaine, Steve Puidokas or Klay Thompson set Washington State's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record? No!
Well, which individuals established tourney scoring marks higher than 25 points for these schools? WSU's Paul Lindemann has the longest-running single-game scoring standard - 80 years - after contributing 26 points against Creighton in 1941 regional semifinal (opening round). Seven years ago, Michigan State's Adreian Payne provided a stunning 32 points more than his career scoring average (8.9) when he erupted for 41 in a victory against Delaware in the first round of 2014 East Regional. Lindemann and Payne are among the following seven players from power-conference members or former F4 participants holding the NCAA playoff single-game scoring records for their respective schools despite averaging fewer than 10 points per game in their careers:
| School | Record Holder (Career Avg.) | HG | NCAA Playoff Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Mario Credit (9.1 ppg) | 34 | Loyola Marymount (First Round) | 3-16-89 |
| Clemson | Gabe DeVoe (7.9) | 31 | Kansas (Regional Semifinal) | 3-23-18 |
| Drake | Jonathan Cox (9.3) | 29 | Western Kentucky (First Round) | 3-21-08 |
| Memphis | Roburt Sallie (8.1) | 35 | Cal State Northridge (First Round) | 3-19-09 |
| Michigan State | Adreian Payne (8.9) | 41 | Delaware (First Round) | 3-20-14 |
| Virginia Commonwealth | Rolando Lamb (9.2) | 30 | Marshall (First Round) | 3-15-85 |
| Washington State | Paul Lindemann (7.1) | 26 | Creighton (Regional Semifinal) | 3-21-41 |