LAS VEGAS – The second annual Gamers Period Pageant is being held on the Strip this “Feast Week” and it’s even larger and higher than it was final season. The 2025 area doubled to 16 groups from 8 groups final season, and the sector incorporates a handful of groups you would probably see make a deep run in addition to a handful of gamers you’ll quickly see on an NBA flooring.
The primary day of the occasion already introduced a couple of action-packed finishes, some assertion performances and loads of different intriguing outcomes. So with out additional ado, listed here are the scores, high performers and extra from Day 1.
Prime Performer: Jakobi Gillespie (TENN) | 32 factors, 4 assists, three rebounds
It didn’t take lengthy for a staff to make a press release at this yr’s match. Within the opening recreation of the day, Tennessee’s Jakobi Gillespie recorded the best scoring complete of the day as he and the Volunteers clocked what was arguably essentially the most spectacular staff efficiency of the complete day.
Gillespie made 11-of-21 makes an attempt from the sector total and 6-of-10 from 3-point vary, as Tennessee led by as many as 36 factors en path to the 25-point win. Along with Gillespie’s sizzling hand, freshman Nate Ament added 20 factors for the Vols within the win.
Prime Performer: Cameron Carr (BAY) | 21 factors, 9 rebounds, three assists, two blocks
Cameron Carr and the Baylor Bears continued their unbeaten begin with their most spectacular win of the season up to now, downing a Creighton squad that has made six consecutive NCAA tournaments enjoying in an at all times aggressive Large East. Carr made 7-of-16 makes an attempt from the sector and hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Baylor’s win was the primary of 4 for the Large 12 on the primary day of the Gamers Period festivities, making fairly a compelling case that it might supercede the SEC because the premier convention within the sport this yr.
Prime Performer: Flory Bidunga (KAN) | 18 factors, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks
Flory Bidunga could not have put up a 32-piece like Gillespie did for Tennessee a couple of hours earlier, however the Jayhawks’ rising sophomore large man arguably registered the perfect all-around efficiency of the day. Bidunga stuffed the stat sheet on each ends of the ground in a decisive win for the No. 24 staff within the nation with out their high NBA draft prospect, Darryn Peterson.
Bidunga made 8-of-15 area targets for the sport and went 2-of-3 from the charity stripe to push Kansas to a 4-2 file total after early losses to UNC and Duke.
Kansas is about to tackle Syracuse in a rematch of the 2003 Nationwide Championship recreation on Tuesday. If Monday was any indication, Carmelo Anthony shall be in attendance to look at his son, Kiyan, try to do the Jayhawks the way in which his father did over 20 years in the past at this level.
Sport 4: No. 16 Iowa State 83, No. 14 St. John’s 82
Prime Performer: Milan Momcilovic (ISU) | 23 factors, three rebounds, one help
St. John’s don Rick Pitino is the one coach within the area you’ll assume to know his manner round Las Vegas. And I’m not speaking about following a map. Sadly for him, Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic registered a efficiency that made any previous expertise Pitino has on this metropolis moot.
The Wisconsin-born junior Momcilovic made 7-of-13 makes an attempt from the sector, together with 5-of-9 from 3-point vary, as he tallied his second 20-plus level recreation of the season. An underrated storyline on this recreation was the return of former UNLV coach TJ Otzelberger to Las Vegas after he left a bitter style within the metropolis’s mouth upon his departure to Iowa State in 2021.
Since someway parlaying a fairly disappointing stint at UNLV right into a legitimately engaging Energy 5 job, Otzelberger has emerged as among the finest coaches in school basketball and the Cyclones are among the many extra constant applications within the nation since he’s been capable of implement his system.
Prime Performer: Milos Uzan and Emmanuel Sharp | 26 factors every
There received’t be many collegiate basketball video games on any stage this season the place a pair of scorers carry the load for a staff the way in which Las Vegas native Milos Uzan and Emmanuel Sharp carried the scoring load on Monday.
In entrance of one of many best scorers to ever grace the sport in Carmelo Anthony, the duo made a mixed 14-of-36 area objective makes an attempt and scored 67% of the Cougs’ factors in a recreation that surprisingly ended up going to time beyond regulation.
On the Syracuse aspect of issues, Carmelo was fairly actually teaching and giving defensive alerts to the gamers forward of the sport’s pivotal possessions that allowed Syracuse to power time beyond regulation on the finish of regulation. It was to the purpose the place Syracuse’s gamers had been seeking to Melo for alerts and phrases of recommendation earlier than seeking to coach Adrian Autry on the sideline.
Both manner, Monday was pretty much as good as Syracuse has appeared in a very long time, so possibly they need to simply maintain listening to Melo.
Prime Performer: Tahaad Pettiford (AUB) | 24 factors, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
In an odd accident or maybe an avoidance of an curiosity battle, Bruce Pearl was caught watching Gonzaga vs. Alabama at MGM Grand whereas his son Steven and his former Auburn Tigers staff had been down the highway at Michelob Extremely Enviornment taking up Dana Altman’s at all times harmful Oregon Geese.
Returning sixth-man-turned-starter Tahaad Pettiford was the Tigers’ greatest performer on Monday, making 9-of-18 makes an attempt from the sector to steer all scorers within the win. It’s the primary time Pettiford has reached the 20-point mark this season after a begin that’s been a bit slower than anticipated.
Prime Performer: Graham Ike (GONZ) | 21 factors, 11 rebounds, three assists
Upfront of Monday’s opening night time, the matchup between Gonzaga and Alabama was the proverbial foremost occasion, so to talk, whereas the opposite top-tier matchups fell secondary. The sport actually received’t be the topic of any documentaries, but it surely was an entertaining contest that noticed Gonzaga draw back late as a consequence of their measurement and shot-making benefits.
Gonzaga obtained 21 factors apiece from seniors Graham Ike and Tyon Grant-Foster, however Ike will get the Prime Performer honor as a consequence of the truth that he registered a double-double, and since he was extra constant all through everything of the sport.
Prime Performer: Yaxel Lendeborg (MICH) | 15 factors, six rebounds, 4 assists
Michigan’s beginning lineup delivered a efficiency so environment friendly and so balanced that there wasn’t actually a house run choose for the highest performer. Six Wolverines scored in double-figures and 10 totally different gamers scored in any respect within the 40-point thrashing of a San Diego State program that’s just a few seasons faraway from making it to the Last 4.
The Mountain West continues to get its tooth kicked on this yr, towards each the nation’s greatest groups like Michigan and a number of the nation’s worst.
Prime Performer: Pharrell Payne (UMD) | 20 factors, eight rebounds
Just some weeks faraway from taking an extremely scary fall after a slam dunk towards Marquette, Pharrell Payne continued to look similar to his normal self with essentially the most environment friendly 20-plus level efficiency of the night time.
Payne made 7-of-8 makes an attempt from the sector to push Maryland to a 10-point second-half benefit that allowed them to beat a three-point halftime deficit after UNLV had their quantity defensively within the first half.
Payne additionally reached a major milestone on Monday, scoring his 1,000th profession level early within the second half.
