A traditional big has won the John R. Wooden Award each of the past four seasons -- first Iowa's Luka Garza in 2021 and then Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe in 2022 before Purdue's Zach Edey took the trophy in both 2023 and 2024.
Just three days into the season, another center has emerged as an undeniable candidate for the award. His name is Ryan Kalkbrenner — and he was incredible Wednesday night in Creighton's 99-86 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley.
The 7-foot-1 fifth-year senior took 22 shots, made 20 of them and finished with 49 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in 36 minutes. He set the school record for most made field goals in a game, scored more points in a game than any Creighton player since Bob Portman got 51 against Milwaukee in 1967 and became the first Division I player with 20 made field goals in a game on at least 90% shooting since UCLA's Bill Walton went 21 of 22 from the field against Memphis State in the championship game of the 1973 NCAA Tournament.
"To go to work like he did in the offseason, and then the first time you're under the lights for real, to do something superhuman, it's pretty special," said Creighton coach Greg McDermott. "And he deserves it. There's not a person on the planet that deserves success more than Ryan Kalkbrenner because of the way he's approached everything on a daily basis."
Kalkbrenner was voted a CBS Sports First Team All-American in the preseason after averaging 17.3 ponts, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks last season for a Creighton team that won 25 times while advancing to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He's the main reason the Bluejays are No. 20 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Creighton's next game is Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bluejays' first contest against a power-conference school will come Nov. 22 against Nebraska. After that, they're off to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where they'll open against San Diego State on Nov. 26 and then play Texas A&M the following day,
Top 25 And 1 rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 5-0 | |
Hunter Dickinson finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Monday's 87-57 win over Howard. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday against North Carolina.
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| 2 | -- | 3-1 | |
Mark Sears finished with 20 points and three rebounds in Monday's 110-54 win over UNC Asheville. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday against Arkansas State.
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| 3 | -- | 2-1 | |
L.J. Cryer finished with 16 points and three assists in Monday's 97-40 win over Jackson State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Auburn.
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| 4 | -- | 2-1 | |
RJ Davis finished with 24 points and seven assists in Monday's 90-76 win over Elon. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday at Kansas.
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| 5 | -- | 4-0 | |
Alex Karaban finished with 20 points and seven assists in Wednesday's 92-56 win over Sacred Heart. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against New Hampshire.
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| 6 | -- | 3-0 | |
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.
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| 7 | -- | 4-0 | |
Nolan Hickman finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Monday's 101-63 win over Baylor. The Zags' next game is Sunday against Arizona State.
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| 8 | -- | 3-1 | |
Kon Knueppel finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Monday's 96-62 win over Maine. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Army.
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| 9 | -- | 4-0 | |
Denver Jones finished with 16 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 94-43 win over Vermont. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Houston.
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| 10 | -- | 4-1 | |
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 90-73 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Northern Kentucky.
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| 11 | -- | 3-1 | |
Boogie Fland finished with 17 points and three assists in Wednesday's 76-60 win over Lipscomb. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Baylor.
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| 12 | -- | 4-0 | |
Jordan Gainey finished with 16 points and three steals in Monday's 80-64 win over Gardner Webb. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Louisville.
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| 13 | -- | 3-1 | |
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.
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| 14 | -- | 2-1 | |
Caleb Love finished with 17 points and six assists in Monday's 93-64 win over Canisius. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Old Dominion.
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| 15 | -- | 5-0 | |
Kam Jones finished with 32 points and three assists in Monday's 102-62 win over Stony Brook. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against George Mason.
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| 16 | -- | 3-0 | |
Mackenzie Mgbako finished with 31 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 80-61 win over SIU Edwardsville. The Hoosiers' next game is Sunday against Eastern Illinois.
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| 17 | -- | 3-1 | |
VJ Edgecombe finished 2 of 11 from the field in Monday's 101-63 loss to Gonzaga. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Arkansas.
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| 18 | -- | 3-1 | |
Tyler Bilodeau finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Monday's 85-50 win over Rider. The Bruins' next game is Friday against New Mexico.
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| 19 | 1 | 3-1 | |
Chendall Weaver finished 3 of 10 from the field in Monday's 80-72 loss to Texas. The Longhorns' next game is Friday against Houston Christian.
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| 20 | 1 | 4-0 | |
Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 49 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 99-86 win over Rio Grande Valley. The Bluejays' next game is Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson.
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| 21 | -- | 3-1 | |
Wade Taylor IV finished 4 of 15 from the field in Monday's 64-61 loss at UCF. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Texas A&M Commerce.
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| 22 | -- | 5-0 | |
Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 29 points and two assists in Monday's 98-83 win over USF. The Gators' next game is Thursday against Jacksonville.
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| 23 | -- | 3-0 | |
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.
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| 24 | -- | 4-0 | |
Simas Lukosius finished with 20 points and two rebounds in Monday's 109-54 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Bearcats' next game is Friday against Morehead State.
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| 25 | -- | 4-0 | |
Jaylen Murray finished with 24 points and three rebounds in Monday's 90-60 win over Long Island. The Rebels' next game is Friday against Grambling State.
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| 26 | -- | 4-0 | |
Kadary Richmond finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 92-60 win over Fordham. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday vs. Quinnipiac.
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