Ranking the 10 Best Performances So Far in the 2016-17 CBB Season

It has been a pretty good start to the 2016-17 college basketball season. That starts with some tremendous individual performances.

We've had big-time plays in big-time games, and we've had offensive explosions in contests where the lights weren't as bright. Sometimes a great game means a gaudy number or two; other times it's a quieter performance.

With the big early-season tournaments behind us and the holiday cupcakes rising lazily in the oven, it's a good time to take stock of what we've witnessed thus far. These are the top 10 individual efforts of the season to date. They are ranked here based on the stats accumulated and the strength of the opposition.

10. Nigel Hayes, Forward, Wisconsin

Andy Manis/Associated Press

The Game: vs. Syracuse, Nov. 29
The Stats: Nine points, 4-of-11 FG, 11 rebounds, 10 assists

One measly free throw.

That's all Nigel Hayes needed at the end of UW's 77-60 win over the Orange to record just the second triple-double by a Wisconsin Badger.

But the front end of the one-and-one went begging, and so did Hayes' bid. He has put up shinier stats at various points in the season—including Saturday's 28-point outburst against Oklahoma—but his balanced brush with the history books takes the cake.

9. OG Anunoby, Forward, Indiana

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Game: vs. North Carolina, Nov. 30
The Stats: 16 points, 6-of-8 FG, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks

Indiana's 76-67 win in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge over the then-third-ranked Tar Heels may have been one of the biggest in recent school history. If you don't believe me, believe the frenzied churn of Assembly Hall as the Hoosiers battled and then pulled away. Make no mistake: After their humiliating loss to Fort Wayne eight days prior, Indiana needed this one.

Leading IU's charge, on both ends of the floor, was OG Anunoby.

He's one of those guys who seems to be everywhere on the court. The student section (not to mention Dick Vitale) nearly lost its mind in the first half when Anunoby skied to throw down a Josh Newkirk transition lob. He helped hold UNC senior forwards Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks to a combined 17 points—10 below their collective season average of 27. And hey, will you look at that margin of victory!

"The way he played is something we want to count on him doing on a consistent basis," guard Robert Johnson said of Anunoby, per Pete DiPrimio of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. "The way he played, the energy he came out with, establishing that he was going to get on the glass and lock down defensively, I think that really got him going."

It seemed to get the rest of the Hoosiers going as well. Fans have to hope Anunoby doesn't show any ill effects from the ankle sprain he suffered at the end of the game once he returns to action.

8. Jock Landale, Center, Saint Mary's

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Game: vs. San Jose State, Nov. 22
The Stats: 24 points, 9-of-10 FG, 6-of-7 FT, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, one steal

The Saint Mary's Australian pipeline continues to run strong, and this year, that begins and ends with Jock Landale.

The big guy is, so far, pretty much tearing everybody else apart. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Landale leads the nation with an astronomical 41 player efficiency rating, a 14.4 offensive box plus/minus and .362 win shares per 40 minutes.

So there are a few great performances to choose from, but this ultra-streamlined stat-stuffing in a 81-64 pounding of in-state rival San Jose State is the high-water mark to date.

7. Amile Jefferson, Forward, Duke

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The Game: vs. Rhode Island, Nov. 20
The Stats: 17 points, 8-of-13 FG, 15 rebounds

It was Amile Jefferson's second straight 15-rebound game, and the Duke Blue Devils needed every board to knock off then-No. 21 Rhode Island.

Grayson Allen gets most of the hype, but Jefferson is the kind of steady senior presence that can take a roster from good to great.

"We have unbelievable toughness," Jefferson told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "When (coach Mike Krzyzewski) tells us he needs us and it's next man up, we believe that."

Jefferson could have been talking about himself. He's a gritty competitor on defense as well as offense, and he does all the dirty work the Dukies need.

6. Lonzo Ball, Guard, UCLA

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

The Game: vs. Texas A&M, Nov. 27
The Stats: 16 points, 6-of-14 FG, 4-of-9 3FG, 10 assists, five rebounds, three blocks, one steal

Fittingly, the nation's assist leader had his best game of the season in the championship round of the Wooden Legacy tournament.

No point guard is playing better ball right now than Lonzo Ball. He's got the passing and floor leadership, yes, but he also has defense and a three-point shot that keeps defenders honest. He hits his free throws, too. Putting it all together, he's 16th in the nation with a 70.4 effective field-goal percentage, per Basketball- Reference.com.

Then again, how about that passing and floor generalship? Ball sees all the angles and always appears to make the right decision. It's why he has hit double figures in assists more times than he hasn't by a 5-3 margin.

His performance against the Aggies, which netted the tourney title for the Bruins and the tourney MVP trophy for Ball, wasn't his highest point or assist total of the season. It was, however, a complete game on a pretty big stage, and it reinforced why he's on everyone's short list for a certain award that also carries John Wooden's name.

5. Malcolm Hill, Guard, Illinois

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Game: vs. Northern Kentucky, Nov. 13
The Stats: 40 points, 13-of-23 FG, 5-of-8 3FG, 9-of-12 FT, 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal

Malcolm Hill is the prime reason Illinois has picked up a bit of early-season buzz. Now, losing three straight to Winthrop, West Virginia and Florida State by an average of 16 points isn't the best way to build on that buzz, but let's focus on the positive here. Why so negative, bro?

The most positive point of Hill's individual season was this offensive clinic against the mighty Norse of Northern Kentucky. Yeah, it was a cupcake, but what did I just say about being negative? Forty points is 40 points, and he did it relatively efficiently and while chipping in 12 rebounds to boot.

The Illini righted their ship with two straight wins, in which Hill averaged 19 points per game after averaging 13 during the losing streak. Hopefully for UI fans, he's rounding back into Northern Kentucky form.

4. Marcus Keene, Guard, Central Michigan

The Game: vs. Pepperdine, Nov. 21
The Stats: 36 points, 14-of-22 FG, 2-of-3 3FG, 6-of-9 FT, seven assists, four rebounds, one steal

As of now, Marcus Keene is the nation's leading scorer, and it's not particularly close. The lead Chippewa is pouring in 30.4 points per game, five points higher than the second-leading scorer. 

This game was Keene's crown jewel. It was his second 36-point game of the season but stands alone for its efficiency and for the assists and boards he was able to toss on top. The Youngstown State transfer has a silky shooting stroke and plays with an uptempo style that fits well with run-and-gun Central Michigan.

A few more games like this and Keene may have the inside track to be this season's cult hero, not to mention the MAC Player of the Year.

3. Keon Johnson, Guard, Winthrop

Rick Danzl/Associated Press

The Game: at Illinois, Nov. 21
The Stats: 38 points, 15-of-21 FG, 4-of-7 3FG, 4-of-4 FT, six rebounds, three assists

Remember what I said in the last slide about Marcus Keene having the inside track to be this season's cult hero? Scratch that. It's Keon Johnson.

The 5'7" Johnson is as streaky as the sliding glass door at a fertilizer plant, but when he's on, look out. Hitting 15 shots to topple Illinois 84-80 in overtime certainly qualifies. 

Let's forget about games like the one that came right after this, when Johnson shot 3-of-13 from the floor in 38 minutes of play as the Eagles lost to New Hampshire. Forget about those! The good times are good enough to drown them out, especially if Johnson can find just a modicum of consistency.

2. De'Aaron Fox, Guard, Kentucky

James Crisp/Associated Press

The Game: vs. Arizona State, Nov. 28
The Stats: 14 points, 6-of-9 FG, 10 assists, 11 rebounds

Another season, another freshman-laden squad of doom in Lexington, Kentucky.

The leader of this particular pack is De'Aaron Fox. Along with the aforementioned Ball, Fox is one of the nation's best point guards. He's a blur on the court, as is the ball when he has it in his hands. 

And where Hayes fell a free throw short in Wisconsin, Fox succeeded. Somehow, only one Kentucky Wildcat—Chris Mills—had ever recorded a triple double. Fox made it two with this gem against Arizona State.

1. Frank Mason III, Guard, Kansas

Lance King/Getty Images

The Game: vs. Duke, Nov. 15
The Stats: 21 points, 8-of-13 FG, 5-of-7 FT, five assists, two steals, three rebounds

Playing top-ranked Duke and with the game on the line, Kansas coach Bill Self turned to his senior.

"The play was to [isolate] me, and my teammates did a good job of spacing the floor," Frank Mason III told the AP (h/t ESPN). "It felt good when it left my hand." 

I'll say. With 1.8 seconds left on the clock, Mason's jumper swished the net and sent seventh-ranked Kansas to its biggest win of the young season. Mason's game-winner made all the highlight packages, and understandably so, but it overshadowed the well-rounded effort he turned in over 35 minutes of floor time.

These are the kinds of victories you can build a season on. At a minimum, it's clear the Jayhawks aren't building anything in 2016-17 without their best player and floor leader in Mason.

All stats from ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.