BY MATT CRAIG | NCAA EXTERN | BALL STATE SPORTS LINK
This piece was originally published on NCAA.com
Conference play is underway, and the intensity of each game seems to have racheted up. As you’d expect, the Internet has responded accordingly. For all of the strange, amazing, unique moments in college basketball, social media was there to observe and report. And mostly laugh.
Here are the five best social media moments from the past week.
5) USC has enjoyed a remarkable season, on pace for their most wins in a decade. The success has drawn the attention of the city of stars, and this week during their home contest against Arizona on Thursday, Nick Young of the Los Angeles Lakers gave the Trojans a visit. Young played his college ball at USC, where he made two All-Pac-12 first teams and led the 2007 team to the Sweet Sixteen. Oh, and what a shirt.
https://twitter.com/USC_Hoops/status/822276592063787008/photo/1
4) It’s unclear how many people stayed up to watch Wednesday night’s contest between Hawaii and Cal State Northridge, considering it tipped off around midnight ET. But those that stayed up late were treated to a tight game, capped off by a dramatic game-winner. Noah Allen may have scored a career high 30 points, but it was Leland Green who will be remembered as the hero in this one after this dagger from the corner.
LELAND GREEN FOR THE WIN!!!! #HawaiiMBB #GoBows #FTW 🙌💪🌈🏀🏀🏀 pic.twitter.com/8MU667datl
— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) January 19, 2017
3) Marcus Keene of Central Michigan is going to get all of the headlines after dropping the first 50-point game since 2013 on Saturday. But there was another scoring outburst that deserves some recognition. Mike Daum, of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, dropped 42 points in a 77-67 victory over Fort Wayne. He showed why they call him “the dauminator” after hitting 10 of 15 3-pointers and adding in 10 rebounds. It was no fluke for Daum, who averages 22.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.
2) The play of the week in the ACC, according to Mike Rutherford of SBNation, was not your traditional dunk or 3-pointer. Instead, it was Seth Allen of Virginia Tech temporarily transforming into Spiderman after diving into the stands. Or maybe diving isn’t the right word, but rather leaping and landing amazingly on a crossbar. Considering how plays like this usually go, I agree that this has to be the best the conference had to offer.
Seth Allen with the most impressive play of the night in the ACC pic.twitter.com/b0DDGXFA4U
— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) January 19, 2017
1) The best of social media this week comes from the Instagram account of Isaac Haas, a 7-foot center for Purdue. In it he describes the love he has for his sister, who struggles with Epilepsy. The gesture, and the video it promotes, are equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring. NCAA student-athletes truly are incredible.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPgwlquDcPg/?taken-by=theoriginalhaas&hl=en
