by David Cassilo / @dcassilo
His accomplishments are hidden because of his team’s season, but Marshon Brooks just might be the best pure scorer in the country. On Wednesday night, Brooks scored a Big East record 52 points, but as has been the case for most of the year, his performance could not keep Providence away from defeat, as the Friars fell 94-93 to Notre Dame.
Brooks was on another level in the game. He hit 20-of-28 shots, including 6-of-10 from deep. In the second half alone, Brooks scored 35 points. To put that in some perspective, Rutgers scored 37 points in the entire game against Louisville on Tuesday.
Continuing with the Brooks’ performance, the previous Big East record was 48 points scored by fellow Friar Eric Murdock in 1998. Brooks’ previous career-high was 43 points in a loss to Georgetown earlier this year.
Despite being down because of the loss, Brooks recognized what an amazing feat he had accomplished.
From The Providence Journal:
And when did he know he had something special going on?
“I looked up when I had 49 and it said I had just broken the Big East record,” he said.
“And what went through your mind?” he was asked.
“I’m hot,” he said.
As for the victors, Notre Dame was able to survive the Marshon Brooks show, partly because of the stellar performance from one of their own. Ben Hansbrough scored a career-high 32 points, keeping the Fighting Irish in front with several big shots. Like Brooks, he is making a strong case for the Player of the Year in the Big East.
