Continuing coverage of College Basketball

November POTD | December POTD

January 7, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

Richie Saunders scored a career-high 31 points, leading BYU past Arizona State, 104-76, Wednesday night at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

The #9 Cougars improved to 14-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12, powered by Saunders, 23 points from AJ Dybantsa and 27 from Robert Wright III. Saunders made 10 of 13 shots from the field, including six 3-pointers. A perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line, along with eight boards, and three assists.

Saunders broke an early 6-6 tie with a three-pointer and Dybantsa scored seven straight points in a 10-0 spurt that put the Cougars in the lead for good. They led by 15 at the break and expanded their lead to as many as 38 in the second session.

Saunders, a senior from Riverton, Utah, is averaging 19.1 points per game. The Cougars hit the road for a test at Utah Saturday, January 10.

January 6, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 22 of his career-high 34 points in the first half as Tennessee bombed Texas, 85-71, Tuesday night in Knoxville. The win evened the 21st-ranked Volunteers at 1-1 in SEC play. They are 11-4 overall.

With the game tied early in the first half at 14-all, the Volunteers opened up a lead with a 14-3 run and never looked back. Gillespie scored seven points during the spurt with a pair of layups and a 3-pointer, one of five that he canned on eight attempts for the game. Overall, Gillespie was 12-for-18 and 5-for-5 from the foul line. In 38 minutes of playing time, the 6’1” senior from Greeneville, TN, added four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

A transfer from Maryland, Gillespie leads the Vols in scoring, averaging 18.7 per game, and assists, at 5.7 per outing, and field goal percentage (44.3%).

The Vols next game is Saturday, January 10, when they head south to play the Florida Gators.

January 5, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

Rutgers’ Tariq Francis came off the bench to score a game-high 30 points, leading the Scarlet Knights to their first Big Ten win of the season, 88-85 over Oregon in Piscataway, NJ, Monday night.

Francis scored four of Rutgers’ last five points in regulation before Oregon’s Wei Lin sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer with four seconds left.

Rutgers outscored the Ducks, 12-8, in overtime. Francis scored six points in the extra period. The 6’1” junior transfer from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) transfer made 10 of 16 shots from the field and was 10-for-11 at the foul line, contributing four rebounds and four assists.

The result left Rutgers and Oregon with identical 1-3 records in the Big Ten. 8-5 overall, the Scarlet Knights travel to Champagne, IL, on Thursday to meet the #16 Fighting Illini.

January 4, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

Kobi Williams was on target Sunday in Springfield as the Missouri State Bears improved to 3-0 in Conference USA with an 89-82 victory over visiting New Mexico State.

Williams, a 6’4” junior guard from St. Louis, scored a career-high 32 points, going 8-for-11 from the field, including seven of nine from beyond the arc. He was also money from the foul line, hitting nine of 10 free throws.

Williams played just one game for Truman State in 2023-24, missed the entire 2024-25 season, but has sparkled this season for Missouri State, averaging 14.1 points per game.

The 9-5 Bears are tied with Liberty and Middle Tennessee atop the conference standings, each with a 3-0 record. Riding a five-game winning streak, Missouri State next visits Kennesaw State on Wednesday, January 7.

January 3, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

Braden Smith set a new Big Ten standard for career assists Saturday night in Madison, Wisconsin, as the #5 Boilermakers downed the Badgers, 89-73.

Smith dished 12 assists in the win, increasing his career total to 893, breaking the conference record of 890 held by Cassius Winston, point guard for Michigan State from 2017-2020.

Smith leads the nation in assists at 9.6 per game and is averaging close to a double-double with 12.6 points per outing. He scored his customary 14 on 6-for-11 shooting, as Purdue won its fifth straight. The Boilermakers are 13-1 and 3-0 in conference play, currently tied with Nebraska and Michigan in the Big Ten.

With a full slate of conference games, the Big Ten tournament and a probable deep run in the NCAA tourney, Smith has a legitimate opportunity to become the leading assist provider in NCAA History. Purdue has 17 conference games remaining. Smith needs 183 assists to match all-time leader Bobby Hurley’s 1,076, set in Hurley’s playing days for Duke from 1989 to 1993.

Barring injury, Smith is within range for at least the top five all-time:
#2. Chris Corchiani (NC State, 1989-93), 1,038
#3. Ed Cota (North Carolina, 1995-99), 1,030
#4. Jason Bickman (LIU Brooklyn, 2010-14), 1.009
#5. Sherman Douglas (Syracuse, 1986-90), 960

Next up for Smith and the Boilermakers is a Wednesday, January 7 home game with Washington.

January 2, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

#2 Michigan remained undefeated and tied 14-0 Nebraska - 58-56 upset winners over Michigan State - for the top spot in the Big Ten at 3-0 as Morez Johnson Jr. led the Wolverines to a 96-66 rout of USC, improving to 3-0 in the conference and 13-0 overall.

Johnson scored 17 of his career-high 29 in the first half as Michigan raced out to an 11-0 lead were never challenged after that, taking a 49-31 lead into halftime finishing with their largest lead of the game. Johnson sizzled, making 10 of 12 shots from the field, 8-for-10 from the foul line, adding six rebounds and a pair of steals.

A 6’9” sophomore from Riverdale, Illinois, Johnson is averaging 14.8 points and 6.7 boards per outing this season. His 68.2% field goal percentage leads the team. Johnson has upped his game recently, registering his second double-double on Monday, December 29, with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 112-71 win over McNeese. Johnson played a full season at Illinois before going through the portal to Michigan for the 2025-26 season.

The Wolverines will look to keep their winning streak going when they travel to Penn State on Tuesday, January 6, for a tip with the Nittany Lions.

January 1, 2026 College Hoops Player of the Day

Portland State started the new year right, opening conference play in the Big Sky with a 95-90 overtime win at Weber State..

Jaylin Henderson scored on a twisting layup with two seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime and scored 10 points in the extra frame to lead the Vikings with a career-high 34 points.

Henderson, a 6’3” senior guard from Wichita, Kansas, went 11-for-24 from he field with three 3-pointers. He was 9-for-16 from the charity stripe and added six rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals. Teammate Terri Miller Jr. poured in 29 for the Vikings.

Henderson began his collegiate career with one season Louisiana State prior to transferring to Portland State for the 2024-25 season. He’s scored in double figures in every game this season for the 7-5 Vikings. He’s second on the team in scoring, with 18.4 points per game and leads in assists at 6.2 per outing.

The Vikings continue conference play Saturday, January 3rd, at Idaho State.

December 31, 2025 College Hoops Player of the Day

Ben Hammond came off the bench to score a career-high 30 points, including eight in the third overtime, to lead Virginia Tech over #21 Virginia, 95-85, in triple overtime, Wednesday in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Hammond played 42 minutes largely because the Hokies were down two starters due to injury. He was just 7-for-16 from the field, but kept picking up fouls, keying a 16-for-18 effort from the free throw line. The 5’11” sophomore from Manassas, Virginia also had five boards, five assists, and a pair of steals.

The Hokies, now 12-2 and 1-0 in the ACC, have played four overtime games already this season, winning all of them. Next stop for the Hokies is at Wake Forest, Saturday, January 3rd.

December 30, 2025 College Hoops Player of the Day

Florida State proved to be no match for the Tar Heels, especially in the post, where Caleb Wilson dominated with 22 points and 16 rebounds, leading North Carolina past the Seminoles, 79-66 Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, NC.

Wilson, the 6’10” freshman forward that is one of the stars of the collegiate freshman class, added six assists, recording his third straight double-double and 10th of the season. Wilson has scored in double figures in every game this season and leads the Tar Hells in scoring and rebounding, at 19.8 and 11.2, respectively.

Wilson hit nine of 15 shots from the field and made four of five from the foul line. #12 North Carolina opened ACC play with a win and is 13-1 overall. Next up for the Tar Heels is a trip to SMU against the Mustangs on Saturday, January 3.

December 29, 2025 College Hoops Player of the Day

Arizona put six players in double figures and Koa Peat threw down a double-double with 19 points and 14 boards, as the top-ranked Wildcats cruised to a 99-71 win over South Dakota State Monday in Tucson, Arizona.

Peat made seven of 12 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer. He was 4-for-7 from the foul line and added three assists. Peat leads the Wildcats in scoring (14.2 ppg) and in field goal percentage, at 56.3%.

Peat, a 6’8” freshman from nearby Chandler, Arizona, had a breakout game, his second double-double and a career high in rebounding. Peat’s career-high scoring was 30 in his debut appearance, a 93-87 win over Florida back on November 3rd.

Arizona kept its record free from losses at 13-0. The Wildcats open Big 12 play on Saturday, January 3rd, when they travel to Utah.

December 28, 2025 College Hoops Player of the Day

Fresh off a game-high 27 points in an 82-81 win over Duke, Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson dropped in 29 Sunday in an 87-57 Red Raider blowout of Winthrop, wrapping up heir non-conference schedule with a 10-3 mark and a #15 ranking in the most recent AP Poll.

Anderson, playing on Tech’s home court in Lubbock, Texas, was 8-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-9 from 3-point range and a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line, adding six rebounds and five assists.

Averaging 20.6 points and 7.1 assists per game, the 6’3” sophomore from Atlanta leads the team in assists and is second in scoring behind J.T. Toppin.

Texas Tech begins Big 12 play on Saturday, January 3rd when they host Oklahoma State.

AP Top 25 (1/5) (1st place votes)

1. Arizona 14-0 (32)
2. Michigan 13-0 (29)
3. Iowa State 14-0
4. UConn 14-1
5. Purdue 13-1
6. Duke 13-1
7. Houston 13-1
8. Gonzaga 16-1
9. BYU 13-1
10. Nebraska 14-0
11. Vanderbilt 14-0
12. Michigan State 12-1
13. Alabama 11-3
14. Texas Tech 11-3
15. Arkansas 11-3
16. Illinois 11-3
17. North Carolina 13-2
18. Georgia 13-1
19. Iowa 12-2
20. Louisville 11-3
21. Tennessee 10-4
22. Kansas 10-4
23. Virginia 12-2
24. SMU 12-2
25. UCF 12-1