College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 4, 2012
After three straight losses - at Arizona State, at Wisconsin and home to Syracuse - the Arkansas Razorbacks were reeling at 3-3, but at home, hosting the Oklahoma Sooners where junior forward
Marshawn Powell took matters into his own hands, lighting up the Sooners with a career-high 33 points in a turbulent,
81-78 victory.
Powell hit on 11 of 17 of his shots, including four of six from three-point range, canning seven of eight from the foul line. As the Sooners cut into Arkansas' 11-point second half lead, eventually taking the advantage at 78-77, the Razorbacks were again in danger of losing, but BJ Young's runner in the lane put Arkansas ahead for good as Oklahoma failed to score on their final possessions.
Young's late basket culminated a 10-point, eight assist night for the sophomore guard, but it was Powell's sharpshooting that carried the Razorbacks most of the night. He also added six rebounds and five assists in an all-round superior effort, scoring just more than a point per minute in his 32 minutes of floor time.
NOTABLE: Just a few days ago - Saturday, to be exact - the Baylor Bears
upset the then 8th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, but on Tuesday night, it was a different bunch of Wildcats - from Northwestern - that turned the tables on the Bears with a 74-70 win on the road.
Baylor's point guard, Pierre Jackson, had his usual double figure game (he's scored in double figures in each of Baylor's eight games this season) with 18 points, but shot just 33%, making 5 of 15 shots as the Northwestern defense scratched and contested every Baylor possession.
While Baylor clicked at just 44%, the Wildcats hit a cool 51% from the field while holding the Bears to just 25% (5-for-20) from the three point line and outrebounding their hosts, 37-24. Northwestern improved to 7-2, dropping the Bears to 5-3.
