I do not think Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner is going to average 36.5 points per game this season while shooting above 90% from the field.
But that's what he's doing right now!
So who knows?
The fifth-year senior backed his season-opening performance of 49 points on 20-of-22 shooting in Wednesday's 99-86 victory over UT-Rio Grande Valley with a 24-point effort on 9-of-10 shooting in Sunday's 96-70 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. Triumphs over UConn and Marquette, these are not. The Big East should provide stiffer competition. Still, a college player averaging 36.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks on 90.6% shooting through two games is crazy, regardless of the competition. It's still early, obviously. But, so far, Kalkbrenner has the look of an undeniable Wooden Award candidate.
According to Creighton sports information director Rob Anderson, Kalkbrenner on Sunday became just the second Division I player to score at least 24 points and shoot at least 90% from the field in back-to-back games since the 2005-06 season. His incredible start has Creighton 2-0 and ranked 19th in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Kansas remains No. 1 for the eighth consecutive day.
KU is, like Creighton, also 2-0.
The Jayhawks opened with an 87-57 win over Howard and backed it with a 92-89 victory over North Carolina. Up next for KU is Tuesday's Champions Classic inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Kansas will play Michigan State in the first game of the doubleheader. The second game is Duke-Kentucky.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 92-89 win over North Carolina. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Michigan State. | -- | 9-2 |
| 2 |  | Mark Sears finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Friday's 88-79 win over Arkansas State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Monday against McNeese. | -- | 10-2 |
| 3 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 21 points and three assists in Saturday's 74-69 win over Houston. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Kent State. | -- | 11-1 |
| 4 |  | RJ Davis missed 12 of the 15 shots he attempted in Friday's 92-89 loss at Kansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against American. | -- | 7-5 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 92-53 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Le Moyne. | -- | 10-3 |
| 6 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 16 points and four assists in Monday's 83-44 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against Kansas City. | -- | 10-1 |
| 7 |  | Braden Huff finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Sunday's 88-80 win over Arizona State. The Zags' next game is Friday against UMass Lowell. | -- | 9-3 |
| 8 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 100-58 win over Army. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 10-2 |
| 9 |  | L.J. Cryer missed nine of the 14 shots he attempted in Saturday's 74-69 loss to Auburn. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana. | -- | 8-3 |
| 10 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 16 points and four assists in Friday's 72-50 win over Northern Kentucky. The Boilermakers' next game is Monday against Yale. | -- | 8-4 |
| 11 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 77-55 win at Louisville. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Montana. | -- | 12-0 |
| 12 |  | Bruce Thornton finished with 20 points and five assists in Monday's 80-72 win over Texas. The Buckeyes' next game is Monday against Youngstown State. | -- | 8-4 |
| 13 |  | Tobe Awaka finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 102-44 win over Old Dominion. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Wisconsin. | -- | 6-5 |
| 14 |  | David Joplin finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 82-63 win over George Mason. The Golden Eagles' next game is Monday against Central Michigan. | -- | 11-2 |
| 15 |  | Mackenzie Mgbako finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 90-55 win over Eastern Illinois. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against South Carolina. | -- | 9-3 |
| 16 |  | Jayden Nunn finished with 16 points and two rebounds in Saturday's 72-67 win over Arkansas. The Bears' next game is Tuesday against Sam Houston State. | -- | 7-3 |
| 17 |  | Johnell Davis was 0-of-5 from 3-point range in Saturday's 72-67 loss to Baylor. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against Troy. | -- | 10-2 |
| 18 |  | Tre Johnson finished with 28 points and three assists in Friday's 90-59 win over Houston Christian. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Chicago State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 19 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 96-70 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bluejays' next game is Wednesday against Houston Christian. | -- | 8-5 |
| 20 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Friday's 87-55 win over East Texas A&M. The Aggies' next game is Monday against Lamar. | -- | 10-2 |
| 21 |  | Alex Condon finished with 23 points and two assists in Thursday's 81-60 win over Jacksonville. The Gators' next game is Monday against Grambling State. | -- | 12-0 |
| 22 |  | Dylan Harper finished with 20 points and four assists in Wednesday's 75-52 win over Wagner. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Monday against Saint Peter's. | -- | 7-5 |
| 23 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 83-56 win over Morehead State. The Bearcats' next game is Friday against Nicholls. | -- | 10-1 |
| 24 |  | Dre Davis finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Friday's 66-64 win over Grambling. The Rebels' next game is Tuesday against South Alabama. | -- | 11-1 |
| 25 |  | RJ Luis Jr. finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 96-73 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Wagner. | -- | 10-2 |
| 26 |  | Philip Russell finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Friday's 80-55 win over Boston College. The Rams' next game is Wednesday against Merrimack. | -- | 10-3 |
