Ranking the Top 10 Performances of the 2022-23 Men's CBB Season so Far
College basketball is a team sport, but an incredible game sometimes makes it impossible to not focus on individual players.
Throughout the men's basketball season, a handful of potential All-Americans have put together enormous stat lines. But as they regularly take a place in the spotlight, a couple of mid-major standouts also deserve a nod in this list.
Even if, occasionally, a huge night occurred in a loss.
Competition level is a factor. As much as I'd love to dig into Nelson Phillips tallying 22 points, 13 steals, eight rebounds and eight assists for Troy, it happened against NAIA school Southern-New Orleans.
10-9. Stephens and Bates
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10. Jake Stephens, Chattanooga
Solely from a numbers view, Jake Stephens might have the single gaudiest performance of the year. In a mid-December clash with Belmont, he racked up 32 points, 20 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and three steals. Stephens knocked down five of eight threes and shot 11-of-18 overall. He had a stellar game despite Chattanooga falling 83-79.
9. Emoni Bates, Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan traveled to MAC-leading Toledo in late January and fell narrowly shy of an upset. Emoni Bates, the former top prospect who transferred from Memphis, put together a brilliant day in an 84-79 defeat. Bates scorched the Rockets for 29 consecutive points in the first half, ending with a career-high 43 while burying nine of 14 triples.
8-7. Ellis and Brown
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8. Boogie Ellis, USC
USC pulled off an upset against rival UCLA thanks to a late eruption from Boogie Ellis. He netted 15 points in the final three minutes and 33 seconds of the second half to secure a 77-64 triumph, tallying a career-best 31 on the night. Ellis also matched a season-high six assists.
7. Kobe Brown, Missouri
Late in December, Kobe Brown exploded for 30-plus points in consecutive games. The fourth-year player's peak showing happened first as part of a victory over Illinois. Brown hit 10 of 15 shots—including three of four threes—to register a career-high 31 points. Additionally, he tallied eight assists, five rebounds and four steals to propel the 93-71 smackdown.
6. Kris Murray, Iowa
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Kris Murray endured a frustrating stretch near Thanksgiving, combining for just 21 points on 8-of-31 shooting in games against Clemson and TCU on consecutive nights.
Three days later, he responded in a major way.
Georgia Tech traveled to Iowa and could not contain Murray, who connected on 11 of his 18 attempts with a 4-of-8 three-point mark. He pulled in 20 rebounds—destroying his previous high of 12—dished four assists and blocked two shots, spearheading a comfortable 81-65 win.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Murray became the first major-conference player to notch 30 points, 20 rebounds and four threes in a game since Kevin Durant in 2007.
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5. Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
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Oregon dropped the hammer on Arizona in mid-January, wrecking the ninth-ranked visitors by 19 points.
Azuolas Tubelis ensured that would not happen again.
About two weeks later, Arizona rolled to a 91-76 win over the Ducks behind a 40-point showing from Tubelis. The junior dropped in 16 of his 21 shots and corralled nine rebounds with three assists and three steals.
"He's just a really good player," Oregon guard Will Richardson told reporters after the game. "When you're a really good player, some nights, the ball just falls for you. If you watch him play, he produces like that every night, so he just did his job."
4. Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
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The reigning National Player of the Year has struggled more than anticipated this season, but Oscar Tshiebwe's peak is still incredible.
Tshiebwe took control of a mid-January matchup with Georgia, overpowering the SEC opponent for 37 points and 24 rebounds. He went 12-of-20 from the floor and 13-of-18 at the free-throw line. Tshiebwe chipped in three steals, an assist and a block in the 85-71 victory.
Unfortunately for Kentucky, he averaged a modest 10.8 points in the following six games, and the team is teetering on the bubble.
Still, a player of Tshiebwe's caliber will command respect for the remainder of the season.
3. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
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I mean, honestly, which Trayce Jackson-Davis game do you want?
Our choice is when he posted a season-high 35 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks in an 80-65 victory at Illinois. Jackson-Davis converted 15 of his 19 shots.
The next game, TJD gathered 31 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists to lift IU past Michigan State 82-69. And then, he went for 25 points, 21 rebounds and six blocks in a 61-57 triumph at Minnesota.
On his way to a fourth straight All-Big Ten honor, Jackson-Davis' season is loaded with impressive stat lines.
2. Markquis Nowell, Kansas State
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On a night all five Kansas State starters hit double figures, Markquis Nowell shined the brightest.
The fifth-year guard poured in a career-high 36 points, accounting for half of them in a 6-of-10 long-range clip. Nowell also tallied nine assists and three steals in the 116-103 upset of sixth-ranked Texas.
Kansas State, which improved to 13-1 with the victory, soon ascended into the AP poll for the first time all season—debuting at 11th before climbing as high as No. 5 two weeks later.
Oh, and he torched Baylor for 32 points and 14 assists in the next game.
1. Zach Edey, Purdue
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If you want a single outing that encapsulates Zach Edey's appeal for National Player of the Year, look no further than his obliteration of Michigan State in late January.
Edey shredded the Spartans for 38 points on 15-of-24 shooting with 13 rebounds, including eight offensive boards. As if that's not enough, the 7'4" center provided three assists, three steals and one block to leave the visitors at a loss for answers.
"Nothing was working today," MSU center Mady Sissoko said after Purdue's 77-61 victory.
Edey racked up 70 points and 30 rebounds in two matchups with the Spartans this season.
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