The Most Entertaining Players in the 2016-17 College Basketball Season
The basketball venue gives the most talented and athletic college players a perfect stage to display their entertaining skills. But entertainment is in the eye of the beholder. What appeals to one college basketball fan may not be appreciated by another.
Some hard-core observers may enjoy the fundamental simplicity of a technically sound low-post player, while other viewers may only get excited over high-flying acts of athleticism.
We picked out 17 of the most entertaining players, ranking them from one to 15, with the final spot occupied by three similar players. There was an attempt to provide a variety of styles to give a broad range of entertainment. We also decided to have no more than one player from a team on this list, which made the choices difficult for some squads.
15. The Shot Blockers
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A blocked shot, especially if the ball is whacked into the stands, can be as entertaining and memorable as the meanest dunk or the prettiest behind-the-back pass.
With that in mind, we use the No. 15 slot to acknowledge three players who put on a show by swatting away shots while still doing enough on the offensive end to hold our interest.
The Rhode Island Rams' 6'7" Hassan Martin averages 2.82 blocks per game, which ranks ninth in the country. He has blocked six shots or more four times, and his seven blocks in a Nov. 20 game against Duke, which was ranked No. 1 at the time, did not go unnoticed.
“He’s a really good player,” Duke forward Amile Jefferson said of Martin, per Jessika Morgan of the Raleigh News & Observer. “I think the best way we dealt with him was when he sat down. When he was in the game, he had an unbelievable impact. He really can touch the ball, that’s why he had seven blocks.”
Martin also averages 13.6 points on 59.6 percent shooting.
The Arkansas Razorbacks' Moses Kingsley swats away 2.71 shots per game, 11th in the nation. He had 12 blocks after the first two games this season, and he blocked at least four shots nine times this season.
NBADraft.net notes the 6'10" Kingsley "combines length with great awareness and timing to block and change shots in the paint." His swatting skills are illustrated in this YouTube video. Kinsgley was the preseason Southeastern Conference player of the year, although his scoring average of 11.9 points per game this season has slipped from last season's 15.9.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets' Ben Lammers ranks second in the county in blocked shots, averaging 3.43 swats per game. He is also averaging 14.7 points and 9.3 rebounds, making him one of the most improved players in the country after averaging 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds a season ago.
The 6'10" junior's most exciting skill, though, is knocking away opponents' shots. He blocked nine shots against Southern early in the season, but the more meaningful numbers were the eight blocks he had in the one-point loss to Virginia Tech and the seven blocks he collected in the victory over Syracuse.
The latter number represented the most blocks against Syracuse since 2009. Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted Lammers "blocked one out of about every six Syracuse shots attempted inside the 3-point arc, and likely altered several more. That's a game-changing performance."
14. Mike Daum, South Dakota State Jackrabbits
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Sometimes just pouring in points at an astounding rate can provide a big-time show, and South Dakota State forward Mike Daum has done just that on several occasions.
The Jackrabbits are not the Summitt League power they have been in the recent past, sporting just a 14-16 record after reaching the NCAA tournament three of the past five seasons and winning at least 24 games four times in that five-year span.
But they still have one of the country's top scorers in the Daum, a 6'9" sophomore who comes from the small Nebraska town of Kimball (population approximately 2,500). He ranks second in the country in scoring at 24.8 points per game, and he has scored 30 points or more nine times this season.
What elevated him to an entertaining marvel, though, are the two games he had against Fort Wayne, a team that beat Indiana when the Hoosiers were at full strength and ranked No. 3 in the country.
Daum had 42 points in the Jan. 21 win over Fort Wayne on the Jackrabbits' home court in Brookings, South Dakota. But that was a mere warmup for what he did on the Mastodons' home court Feb. 18. That is when he scored 51 points, the most by a Division I player this year. He made seven three-pointers in that game and hit 16 of 17 foul shots.
"It was maybe the best individual performance I've seen out of a player in all my years of college coaching. I'm really proud of him," Jackrabbits coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the game, according to the South Dakota State website.
Fort Wayne coach Jon Coffman could only lament allowing Daum to put up 51 on his team.
"We got beat by the play of, really, one individual that played an unbelievable game," Coffman said, per a postgame video on the Mastodons' website. "Fifty-one points, 42 in the first outing, 93 in two games. I hope we play them in the [conference] tournament. We'll do something different."
13. Markus Howard, Marquette Golden Eagles
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While dunks and behind-the-back passes can stimulate a crowd in a given moment, few things leave a crowd in awe more than sustained accuracy from beyond the three-point line. While dunks create explosions of noise, a series of three-point buckets elicits low-volume oohs and ahs of disbelief.
That brings us to Marquette guard Markus Howard, a freshman who doesn't get as much attention as many of the other talented freshmen.
Howard can shoot. Period. His 91.3 percent free-throw shooting is impressive, but foul shots are not very entertaining.
It's the long-range stuff that is exciting. Howard's 54.1 three-point percentage leads the nation among those with enough made three-pointers to qualify.
But it was his performance in a few games against top-notch competition that made him a player worth watching. Howard made four of five long-range shots in a Jan. 7 road game against then-No. 1 Villanova, and he hit four of six just four days later against Seton Hall.
It wasn't until his Feb. 18 game against Xavier, however, that people really started taking notice. In that game, Howard made nine of 12 three-point shots and scored a career-high 34 points in an 83-61 rout of the Musketeers. His nine three-pointers tied the Marquette record.
Howard hit three three-pointers in a span of 1 minute, 25 seconds in the second half of that game, turning a 10-point lead into a 17-point bulge in a blink. He was fouled on one of his early three-point shots and turned it into a four-point play. Howard was 9-of-11 from beyond the arc until he missed his last attempt in the final two minutes.
"Zone, man, he was a flamethrower and he deserves all the accolades and whatever Marquette record he broke," Xavier coach Chris Mack said, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He was, as I said, as good of a freshman as I've ever coached against in this game."
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12. Josh Hart, Villanova Wildcats
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Villanova swingman Josh Hart is more of an entertainment package than a thrilling item.
The versatility and effort of the 6'5.5" Wildcats senior are what make him fun to watch. In some contests, his long-range game may be the focal point, as it was against Wake Forest, when Hart made six of eight three-point shots while scoring 30 points in 31 minutes in a 19-point victory.
Other times, his inside game of drives and post-ups provides him with buckets and frequent trips to the foul line, as was the case when he shot 10-of-14 from the floor and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line while scoring 37 points in the win over Notre Dame.
In some cases, he does a little bit of everything, as he did in his triple-double performance against Saint Joseph's, collecting 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while making three of his six three-point attempts.
And always there is the work ethic.
After Hart's triple-double, Villanova coach Jay Wright had this to say about Hart, as noted on the Villanova website:
"He’s just so complete in every way. He’s the best competitor out there. Besides Kris [Jenkins], he’s one of the best shooters, and finishers in the country. He’s a great decision maker and has gotten better every year. He’s also our best defensive player. The guy is so complete, I just believe he’s going to be a great player at the next level, because of that. I think this guy is as complete of a player as there is in the country."
Questions remain about whether Hart will be a successful pro, as NBADraft.net and Draft Express both project Hart to be taken early in the second round of the NBA draft.
But if total basketball is your pleasure, Hart is your guy.
11. Miles Bridges, Michigan State Spartans
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Michigan State freshman Miles Bridges is one of those rare athletic players who combines 40.6 percent three-point shooting with acrobatic dunks.
Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News hinted at Bridges' entertainment value when he described him this way back in October:
"Miles Bridges is not a typical freshman. That much is clear when watching the 6-foot-7, 230-pounder play basketball. There’s little he can’t do on the court. He can shoot, handle the ball, attack the basket, defend, distribute the ball – you name it, Bridges can get it done."
Charboneau did not even mention Bridges' most exciting skill: dunking.
Even a Hall of Famer was in awe when Bridges collected 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and several highlight-film dunks in a rout of Mississippi Valley State early in the season.
"Magic Johnson couldn’t help himself from leaping out of his seat," wrote Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press. "That’s how exciting Miles Bridges is. Drive after drive, shot after shot, dunk after dunk."
“Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” Johnson said, per the Solari story.
Part of the appeal is the fact the 6'7", 230-pound Bridges is a stronger, wider version of the classic athletic dunker, who is usually long and lean.
In his first game back after missing seven games with an ankle injury, Bridges had two alley-oop dunks against Rutgers, the second of which was particularly impressive, as seen on these NCAA.com videos.
10. Marcus Keene, Central Michigan Chippewas
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The numbers are exiting just to read: 29.8 points per game, tops in the nation. Fifteen games of 30 points or more. Six games of 40 points or more. And one glorious game of 50 points.
In that 50-point game in the 101-92 victory over Miami-Ohio, Keene made 10 of 15 three-point shots. The fact he had seven turnovers in that game almost adds to the excitement.
Keene has made 108 three-point shots this season, the most in the country, and he has attempted 294 of them, also the most in the country. And the distance of some of those shots is almost mind-boggling.
He scored a mere 35 points in the Feb. 3 victory over Western Michigan, but his tie-breaking, fall-away three-pointer under defensive pressure with five seconds left and the crowd chanting M-V-P is about as exciting as it gets.
Keene's size, or lack of it, makes this 5'9" junior more interesting. Although his shooting range gets most of the attention, his ability to make plays in the paint amid the big men is equally intriguing, as this YouTube montage shows.
He took 36 shots in the Feb. 18 overtime loss to Ball State that dropped the Chippewas' conference record to 6-8. Yes, he takes a lot of shots, and yes, he plays on a team that is going nowhere. That does not mitigate his entertainment value, however.
Could Keene do all this if he were playing in the Big Ten instead of the Mid-American Conference? Probably not, but does it matter?
9. Grayson Allen, Duke Blue Devils
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This was a tough call between Grayson Allen and Jayson Tatum as the most entertaining Duke player. Tatum's offensive variety, skill and athleticism make him fun to watch. You can never tell when he might dunk on some unsuspecting 7-footer.
Allen has a lot of elements in his aggressive game, too, and he is capable of going for 30 points in any game. But what lifts Allen above Tatum as far as entertainment value is the controversy and unpredictability of Allen. You watch him because something interesting might happen at any moment.
Entertainment is not restricted to laudable feats. The possibility that something might go wrong can add to a viewer's anxiety and thrill. Why do daredevils draw crowds? Why are spectacular car crashes at NASCAR races shown on highlight programs?
The player who was suspended one game by his own coach for his third incident of tripping an opponent has developed a reputation. The fact the reputation is attached to a player who was the top vote-getter in the Associated Press preseason All-American team makes Allen that much more interesting, and, by extension, entertaining.
Allen has been a stellar citizen since his suspension, suggesting he might be able to shed his negative reputation at some point if his play overshadows his perceived personality. The past few games, however, have not been productive ones for him. He averaged eight points over the past four game and shot just 9-of-29 (23.1 percent) from the field in the process.
In the last of those four games, against Syracuse, the Orange fans ridiculed Allen about his tripping history, as shown in this video provided by CBSSports.com in a story written by Kyle Boone.
Allen has become a target and an enigma, making him that much more entertaining. He provides enough excitement with his aggressive style. The other stuff provokes curiosity.
8. Markelle Fultz, Washington Huskies
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Just knowing Markelle Fultz may be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, as suggested by DraftExpress, makes him attractive to the typical college basketball viewer. People want to see what all the fuss is about, so the rare occasions on which Washington games are televised, folks tune in, expecting to be impressed.
Anticipation is at the heart of Fultz's entertainment value, and he usually delivers.
Much was made of Fultz's head-to-head encounter with UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball in Seattle on Feb. 4, even though the Bruins were huge favorites.
Fultz said all the right things in advance of that game, telling the Seattle Times' Percy Allen, "It's not me versus him. It never is. That's not how basketball works."
Allen then went on to write, "For the rest of us, Fultz vs. Ball is must-see viewing in college basketball, which explains why the Huskies will attract their first home sellout in five years for the 7:30 p.m. game."
The game went about as expected. Ball was outstanding with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists; Fultz was equally brilliant with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, and UCLA won by 41 points.
Fultz's appeal is not whether he can coax his team to a victory, but rather in the buildup that makes fans anxious to see him. It's similar to the reaction created by trailers to the next Star Wars film. You are excited before you step into the theater.
There is certainly plenty to see when Fultz's skills are on display, as he is averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists while making 41.3 percent of his three-point shots. His 3.2 turnovers per game are a little high, but that is part of the price for being asked to do practically everything.
He has scored 30 points or more five times, has reached double figures in assists three times and had double figures in rebounding twice.
Fultz made his intentions known in a Nov. 3 story by ESPN's C.L. Brown.
"My mindset is different from a lot of people," Fultz told Brown. "You ask people their goal and they'll say to make it to the NBA. My goal isn't just to make it there, it's to be the best that ever played."
You had better catch Fultz's show soon, because the Huskies won't be in any postseason tournaments, and he is expected to head to the NBA after this season.
7. Malik Monk, Kentucky Wildcats
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Malik Monk became an elite entertainer Dec. 17 in Las Vegas, an appropriate venue for showmen.
On that day and place, Monk dropped 47 points on North Carolina in Kentucky's 103-100 victory over the Tar Heels. The Wildcats freshman had already proven himself as an adept shooter and scorer, having collected 23 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting against Michigan State and scoring 24 points while hitting four of eight long-range shots against UCLA.
However, he reached an entirely different plateau against North Carolina. It wasn't just that he hit eight of 12 three-pointers and 10 of 16 two-point shots. It wasn't just the fact he hit many of them from well behind the three-point line, often with defensive pressure. What made his performance an entertainment bonanza was he made those shots when they mattered most.
Five of his three-pointers either tied the game or put Kentucky ahead. His trey with 1:20 left tied the score at 98-98, and he put an exclamation point on his show by nailing a deep three-pointer with 16.7 seconds left to turn a two-point Kentucky deficit into a one-point lead.
"Malik was off the charts," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said, per the Associated Press.
Lexington Herald-Leader columnist John Clay called the performance "The day Malik Monk became a Kentucky basketball legend."
In his postcame comments provided by the Herald-Leader, Monk said it felt "like a pickup game." Ah, that's what fans want to see.
Monk continues to pile up big scoring numbers, collecting 34 points while hitting five of seven three-pointers against Mississippi and making seven of 11 three-point shots while scoring 37 points in an overtime win against Georgia.
Monk has the occasional bad game, such as his 14-point effort against Mississippi State, when he missed all three of his long-range shots and committed five turnovers, or his 4-of-14, 11-point effort in the loss to Florida.
De'Aaron Fox's speed makes him an exciting player as well, but it is the unpredictability of Monk's game that elevates him. You can never tell when he might go off, turning the contest into an organized pickup game, making him a show you want to see.
6. Caleb Swanigan, Purdue Boilermakers
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Caleb Swanigan may not excite viewers with a particular thrilling moment, but watching him over the course of an entire game is an entertaining experience.
Good, old-fashioned hard work and muscle are the key elements of Swanigan's game, and they are best appreciated over the long haul. Time after time, Swanigan outworks and overpowers opponents to pick up rebounds or inside buckets.
Occasionally, perhaps just to prove he is not merely an inside brute, Swanigan will launch a three-point shot. It's not just for show, because he can make them. He has taken 62 three-point shots this season and made 29 of them, an impressive 46.8 percent.
Swanigan's entertainment value is enhanced by the fact he plays his best against the best opposition.
Here is how he did against teams that were ranked at the time Purdue faced them: He had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists while making two of his three three-point attempts in the three-point loss to Villanova. Swanigan recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and had 2-of-3 three-point shooting in the win over Notre Dame. He had 18 points and 13 rebounds and made both his three-point shots in the loss to Wisconsin. He registered 24 points and 16 rebounds and made two of four shots from long range in the win over Northwestern. He had 26 points, 10 boards and was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc against Maryland.
The only ranked team that was able to contain Swanigan somewhat was Louisville, which limited him to 14 points, although he still had 11 rebounds and made two of his three three-point attempts. It would be an excellent game for most players.
Swanigan has been particularly dominant against Michigan State, the school to which he originally committed before switching to Purdue. In two games against the Spartans this season, both of which Purdue won, Swanigan totaled 49 points, 32 rebounds and eight assists while making four of five three-pointers.
“When he keeps things simple and just takes what the defense gives him, they're kind of at his mercy,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said after the Feb. 18 victory over Michigan State, per Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel.
Foul trouble is an issue for Swanigan, who has fouled out of four games, but that is the price he and Purdue pay for his style of basketball.
When a Purdue game is over, you may not recall a single play Swanigan made, but his performance is the one you are likely to remember.
5. Justin Jackson, North Carolina Tar Heels
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Smooth.
You cannot watch North Carolina forward Justin Jackson for more than a few minutes and describe him any other way.
The effortless athleticism in which every body part works in perfect unison to produce breakaway layups, monster dunks and pull-up jumpers is on display whenever Jackson is on the floor.
NBADraft.net describes Jackson as a "long and fluid athlete" and adds he "has a polished and smooth offensive game."
Jackson has added excitement to his game this season by improving his long-range shooting. He made 29.7 percent of his three-point attempts over his first two seasons at North Carolina, but he is making them at a 39.6 percent clip this season.
The video embedded in the middle of Adam Lucas' story on the North Carolina website shows the variety of offensive weapons Jackson used against Louisville. There are driving layups, pull-up jumpers, deft left-handed shots in the lane and long-range shooting. The distance on those three-point shots is particularly impressive, as Jackson is well behind the line on several of them, including a straight-away 24-footer that virtually sealed the Tar Heels' victory over Louisville this week.
Nate Britt told Lucas some of the players practice those deep shots after practice, taking shots from the midcourt logo at the Smith Center.
“We shoot at the tip of the state,” Britt said. “Not the side where the state is longer, but the side where the state is shorter. It’s about two or three steps outside the NBA three-point line. Justin is hard to beat.”
Interestingly, Jackson's best games seem to come immediately after some of his worst games.
After scoring just eight points in a blowout of overmatched Radford, Jackson responded with a 27-point effort against Davidson in which he made seven three-pointers.
After being limited to seven points against Tennessee, Jackson tallied a season-high 34 points and hit four of seven three-pointers in the riveting 103-100 loss to Kentucky. Lucas said Jackson was "sensational" in his report on the North Carolina website.
Jackson had just 12 points while going 1-of-3 on three-pointers in the win over Northern Iowa, but he had 28 points and made six of nine three-pointers in the next game against Monmouth.
4. Josh Jackson, Kansas Jayhawks
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One sequence in the Feb. 18 win over Baylor illustrated the excitement Josh Jackson can generate: With his lightning-quick hands, Jackson deflected a pass, which led to a steal, which led to a Kansas fast break, when led to an alley-oop dunk by Jackson, who had glided down the floor ahead of everyone. The effortlessness of the sequence may be its most impressive aspect.
See what you think in this video provided by CBSSports.com.
His baseline drive and resulting dunk late in the first game against Baylor was a pivotal as well, as you can see in this YouTube example.
The significance of those two plays was they were instrumental to Kansas winning important games. If you want just theatrics, take a look at this dunk against Alabama-Birmingham, as provided by CBSSports.com.
The lithe, 6'8" Jackson has the ability to streak past nearly any defender and get to the basket. And recently he has added an outside threat to his repertoire, having made 15 of 28 three-point shots (53.6 percent) over the past nine games.
His 31-point, 11-rebound, 40-minute performance in a one-point win over Texas Tech was breathtaking stuff. “He was fabulous,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, according to a Topeka Capital-Journal story written by Scott Chasen.
Senior point guard Frank Mason III also got consideration as the most entertaining Kansas player. But Mason's National Player of the Year candidacy is based more on toughness, consistency, smarts and clutch plays than exciting athletic talent. Mason is probably the better college player this season, but few are more exciting that Jackson.
3. Dennis Smith Jr., North Carolina State Wolfpack
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If North Carolina State and UCLA traded their win-loss records and rankings, we might be talking about Dennis Smith Jr. the way we discuss Lonzo Ball.
Smith, the Wolfpack's skilled freshman point guard, can do it all, and often does, making him an individual worth watching on a team that is otherwise dull. The Wolfpack's season has been so disappointing that coach Mark Gottfried was fired in mid-February, although he gets the honor of coaching Smith for the rest of this season, which presumably will be Smith's last in college basketball.
The fact Smith has scored 30 points or more four times this season, including a 32-point effort in a two-point win at Duke, shows he is a top-flight player. But the excitement comes from his ability to do so many things well.
With triple-doubles being the hot stat these days, thanks to Russell Westbrook and James Harden, Smith has built a reputation as college basketball's top triple threat. Smith has produced two triple-doubles this season, becoming just the first Atlantic Coast Conference player to accomplish that feat since the 1992-93 season and the first ever to do it against two ACC opponents.
The perfect example of Smith's skills came in that game against Duke. The Wolfpack trailed by nine points in the second half and were still down by five when Smith took over. He either scored or assisted on the Wolfpack's next 16 points and then sealed the two-point victory with a steal with two seconds remaining. And he did it at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, not exactly a friendly site for visitors.
"Dennis is scary," Duke freshman Frank Jackson said, per the Associated Press report. "We knew that he was capable of and he did it."
Scary is entertaining.
2. Dillon Brooks, Oregon Ducks
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Priceless moments make Oregon forward Dillon Brooks a master entertainer. At any moment, Brooks could do something that leaves the crowd in awe.
His most memorable moments this season came while he was posterizing opposing Pac-12 big men.
The 6'7" Brooks went up and over Utah's 6'10" David Collette for a dunk that is described and shown via video in Julius L Lasin's report in the Salem (Oregon) Statesman Journal. The finished product is pictured above. Collette has blocked 19 shots in his 17 games, but he was more of a victim than a defender in this case.
More impressive was Dillon's dunk against UCLA on the Bruins' home court. In that show-stopper, Dillon dunked over two giants, 6'10" Ike Anigbogu and 6'11" Gyorgy Goloman. Those two UCLA big men have combined for 47 blocks this season, but they were mere spectators on this power play. Anthony Chiusano of NCAA.com provided the video and commentary for this moment.
Dillon took the term "entertainer" beyond its sporting limits when he performed an unconvincing and somewhat embarrassing bit of overacting hoping to draw a foul. This egregious flop in a Jan. 26 game against Utah was captured in a YouTube video. At the next level that would draw at least an official warning from the NBA office.
Brooks provides more entertainment than just those isolated moments. Over the past seven games, he averaged 21.4 points while making 24 of 43 three-pointers (55.8 percent).
Brooks also has a flair for the dramatic, hitting three critical late-game long-range shots this season. His three-pointer with 22 seconds left in overtime against Tennessee broke a tie in a game the Ducks eventually won by four points. His three-point shot with 0.8 of a second remaining gave Oregon a two-point win over UCLA. Brooks' three-point shot with 0.2 of a second left provided the Ducks with a 68-65 win over California after the Ducks had trailed by 10 with 4:15 to go.
1. Lonzo Ball, UCLA Bruins
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UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball came onto the college basketball scene in a flurry of jaw-dropping plays.
Not many players can produce a magnificent pass for a layup one play, outjump a 7-footer for a defensive rebound on the next, throw down an alley-oop dunk on the following possession and nail a pivotal 28-foot three-pointer with a weird-looking shot on the next, all while pushing the pace for the most entertaining team in the country.
The variety of things he can do at breakneck speed sets him apart as far as an entertainment machine.
The Bruins lead the nation in scoring at 93.2 points per game, which is an increase of nearly 16 points per game over last season, when UCLA averaged 77.5 points. UCLA did not reach 90 points in regulation time in a single game last season. The Bruins have already done it 13 times this season and reached triple digits nine times.
The difference is Ball.
It became obvious in the season opener, when Ball scored 19 points, hit three of four three-point shots, pulled down eight rebounds and handed out 11 assists with just one turnover in a 119-80 victory over Pacific, that he was a different animal.
Bryce Alford was the prime piece of entertainment in the Bruins' 102-70 victory over rival USC on Feb. 18. “We just wanted to make sure our fans got a good show,” Alford said after scoring 26 points, according to Kyle Boone of CBSSports.com.
But Ball is a show-stopper nearly every game.
The Bruins' defensive deficiencies may hurt their won-loss record, but they tend to increase their excitement quotient. And Ball is the headliner. He leads the nation in assists, at 7.6 per game, and gets them done in a variety of creative ways.
"He figures out how to win games," coach Steve Alford said after the Bruins 82-79 comeback victory over Oregon, according to Chip Patterson of CBSSports.com. "That's what makes him a special point guard. He has size and athleticism, but people don't talk enough about his basketball IQ. That's a feel for him, and I've never told him no."
Yeah, that mental approach is all well and good, but what people remember from that Oregon game was Ball's 30-foot three-pointer with 34 seconds left that turned a two-point UCLA lead into a five-point lead, as shown in this video.
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