Jahlil Okafor Cementing Status as College Basketball's Best Player

Jahlil Okafor may not be the most important individual player in college basketball, but there is no one nearly as dominant as the freshman center. 

No. 4 Duke's 90-60 thumping of No. 10 Notre Dame at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon provided the perfect example of that. 

Okafor got into early foul trouble in the first half, heading to the bench at the 11:57 mark. He wouldn't return for the rest of the half, partly because Mike Krzyzewski didn't want to risk his star picking up a third foul, and partly because he didn't need him. The Blue Devils went on a 33-15 run after Okafor's departure, shooting an otherworldly 81.0 percent to build a 50-24 halftime lead.  

Freshmen Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow were unsurprisingly a major part in picking up the slack. But lesser-used players like Matt Jones, Grayson Allen and Marshall Plumlee all provided sparks, showcasing Duke's depth even without Rasheed Sulaimon. 

But while the first half was about flawless execution and practically perfect shooting, the second half was about individual transcendence from the country's most talented player. 

A 6'11", 270-pound monster, Okafor showed off his overwhelming power in the post (this was the first half and an offensive foul, but oh well), via CBS Sports' Matt Norlander: 

And he showed off his agility and quickness, via Fox Sports' Jimmy Spencer: 

Okafor is an imposing force, but we've seen players his size before. What makes him so special is that he combines that frame and strength with unbelievable footwork, polish and versatility. All of that was on display against the Irish, as he finished with a game-high 20 points (on 11 shots), 10 rebounds, two steals and a block despite playing just 23 minutes. 

You know a player is a rare talent when he starts drawing comparisons to arguably the best power forward of all time from one of the best centers of all time: 

As Okafor was pouring in baskets and racking up jaw-dropping highlights, Norlander gave his thoughts on where the big man ranks in recent college basketball history: 

"

Jahlil Okafor is a once-every-20-years type of player at the college level.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 7, 2015"

That undoubtedly sparked a heated—and not at all civil—debate on Twitter, but the truth is, Krzyzewski and his staff don't care how their freshman stacks up against Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis or Greg Oden. 

Because he's better than anyone on a college campus right now—better than Frank Kaminsky, better than D'Angelo Russell, better than Jerian Grant, who had seven points and four assists in the loss—and there's no indication the future No. 1 pick is hitting that freshman wall anytime soon. 

The Blue Devils showed Saturday they can be a really good team with Okafor on the bench. But they'd much rather have him in the paint, where he is proving to be unstoppable and giving this team a boundless ceiling.