Indiana Hoosiers star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. Mar 11, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) brings the ball up court against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
College BasketballFeaturedBy Matt Clapp on

An incredible first round of the 2023 men’s NCAA Tournament concluded with 4-seed Indiana taking down 13-seed Kent State 71-60 in the Midwest Region on Friday night in Albany, NY.

As has been the case for most Indiana opponents in the 2022-23 college basketball season, the Golden Flashes had no answer for Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The consensus first-team All-American scored 24 points (on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe), pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out five assists, and blocked five shots.

The eye test certainly matched the box score, with Jackson-Davis making some incredible plays.

But back to the box score, because Jackson-Davis did something literally no player in NCAA Tournament history has done.

Jackson-Davis became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to score at least 20 points, record at least five assists, and block at least five shots in a single game.

And that’s not even recognizing the 11 rebounds Jackson-Davis had in the game.

While it’s certainly most impressive on the NCAA Tournament stage, Jackson-Davis has been putting together stat lines like this all season. The 6’9″ power forward entered play on Friday averaging 20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game.

Jackson-Davis is in the conversation for best player in the NCAA Tournament, and if he keeps playing like that, the Hoosiers will be a very difficult team to eliminate.

A trip to the Sweet 16 will be on the line when Indiana plays 5-seed Miami on Sunday night in the second round.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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