Updated daily - January Players of the Day

February 3, 2025 Player of the Day - Zeke Mayo, Kansas Jayhawks

There was only one significant game on Monday, but it was a big one, as the Kansas Jayhawks took on the visiting Iowa State Cyclones in a Big 12 showdown between ranked opponents.

While the game offered star power and an intriguing story line - both teams were coming off losses and were dropped lower in the Top 25 rankings released earlier in the day - it quickly became apparent that the Jayhawks had Iowa State's number, racing out to an early double-digit lead and taking a 35-19 advantage into the half, eventually cruising to a 69-52 victory.

Kansas kept Iowa State on the perimeter, switching on defense, holding the Cyclones to just 30% shooting for the full 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Zeke Mayo was knocking down shots, leading all scorers with 17 points. Mayo was 6-for-13 overall, but a deadly 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Mayo scored in double figures for the sixth time in his last seven games.

The 6'4" transfer from San Diego State is averaging 15.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season, making 45% of his shots overall and 39.4% from outside the 3-point line.

Mayo was also busy on the defensive end, crashing the boards for eight rebounds.

The loss was the third straight for Iowa State, following last week's defeats at Arizona, 86-75, and a humbling, 80-61, setback against Kansas State.

The Cyclones will try to get back on the winning track when they host TCU on Saturday, Feb. 8. Kansas also plays Saturday, at Kansas State.

Both teams are 7-4 in Big 12 standings, chasing co-leaders, Houston and Arizona, each at 8-1. Texas Tech is in third place, with an 8-2 record.

February 2, 2025 Player of the Day - Brice Williams, Nebraska Cornhuskers

Brice Williams scored 28 points Sunday, helping lift Nebraska to a 77-71 upset win at #16 Oregon.

Williams, a 6'7" senior out of Huntersville, North Carolina, made 10 of 18 shots from the field, including a pair of three-pointers. Going 6-for-7 from the foul line, Williams also grabbed seven rebounds and doled out six assists.

Averaging 19 points per outing, Williams is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring, behind Rutgers' Ace Bailey (20.2), Minnesota's Dawson Garcia (20.1), and Nick Marinelli (19.4) of Northwestern. Williams has scored in double figures in all but two games this season. He is in his second season with Nebraska after transferring from Charlotte, where he played three seasons and was named second team All-Conference USA in the 2022-23 season. Earlier this season, he was named Diamond Head Classic MVP and is a three-time National Player of the Week.

The Cornhuskers, who lost six straight Big Ten match-ups, notched their second straight conference victory. They defeated Illinois, 80-74, on Thursday, Jan. 30. and are now 4-7 in conference play, and 14-8 overall.

Nebraska looks for three in a row when they host 11-10 Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 5th.

Oregon fell to 5-6 in the conference and 16-6 overall. The loss was their third straight after falling to Minnesota, 77-69, and UCLA, 78-52. Next up for the Ducks are road games at Michigan (Feb. 5) and Michigan State (Saturday, Feb. 8).

February 1, 2025 Player of the Day - Kadary Richmond, St. John's Red Storm

Kadary Richmond nailed a six-foot jumper in the lane with three seconds left to lift #15 St. John's over the visiting Providence Friars, 68-66, sending the Red Storm to its eighth straight win and a gaudy 19-3 record.

Richmond was 10-for-14 from the field and 2-for-2 beyond the arc, adding two free throws for a team-high 24 points. He also dished out 8 assists, grabbed 8 rebounds and made three steals. R.J. Lewis Jr. added 19 points and eight boards for St. John's.

Averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists, Richmond, a 6'6" grad student who arrived at St. John's this season after three years at Seton Hall, is one of the players that has guided the Red Storm to the pinnacle of the Big East conference under head coach Rick Pitino. Richmond, from Brooklyn, NY, began his collegiate career at Syracuse in 2020-21.

Other than Richmond and Lewis, who were a combined 17-for-28 from the field, the rest of the Red Storm squad suffered, going 9-for-40 overall against a swarming Providence defensive effort that clawed back from a 19-point deficit at the midpoint of the second half. St. John's shot just 38% (26-68) for the game.

Providence had fewer field goal attempts (24-56), and shot 43%, led by Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who made eight 3-pointers and led all scorers with 27 points.

St John's improved to 10-1 in conference play. Providence dropped to 11-11 and 5-6 in the Big East. The Red Storm hosts Marquette on Tuesday, Feb. 4. UConn upended the 9th-ranked Golden Eagles, 77-69, Saturday.

Creighton (19-6, 9-2) visits the Friars on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The Blue Jays are coming off a 62-60 road win at Villanova.

January 31, 2025 Player of the Day - Kino Lilly Jr., Brown Bears

Brown University won its second straight Ivy League road game, downing Penn Friday night, 88-79, as Kino Lilly Jr. lit it up from outside, banging home 8 of 9 3-pointers to lead all scorers with a career-high 34 points.

Overall, the Bears were better off shooting from beyond the arc, going 15-24 from outside (62.5%) and 14-32 within. Alexander Lesburt Jr. knocked down five of seven from 3-point range and scored 19 points, helping Brown pull away late.

Lilly Jr., a 6-foot senior guard from Glen Dale, Maryland, leads the 10-8 Bears in scoring and is on track to be named First Team All-Ivy for a third straight season. In his freshman year, 2021-22, he was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. He's scored in double figures in all but two games this season, as he did in 2023-24, putting down double digits in 28 of 30 contests.

Earlier this season, Lilly became the career leader in 3-pointers at Brown. With Friday's tally, he has 402 and counting. He led the Ivy league in scoring in 2023-24, and is leading it again in 2024-25.

The Bears improved to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in the Ivy League. They play at Princeton Saturday, Feb. 1. Yale leads the Ivy league with a 5-0 mark.