LSU Tigers star guard Cameron Thomas joined an elite group of scorers after his 30-point performance against Michigan Wolverines in the second round of March Madness on Monday. The impressive outing came off the back of a 27-point display against St. Bonaventure in the first round.
Thomas is just the third freshman ever to drop 57 points through his first two games in the tournament. The only other two players that reached that number before the LSU guard were NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Zion Williamson.
Cameron Thomas finished with 57 pts in 2 career NCAA Tournament games.
That's tied with Kevin Durant & Zion Williamson for the most pts ever by a freshman through their first 2 NCAA tournament games (freshman eligibility began in 1973). pic.twitter.com/E3rBeT7IP3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 23, 2021
Durant and Williamson were top draft selections after scintillating freshmen campaigns. Durant averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during his time at Texas, while Williamson put up 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while at Duke.
Cameron Thomas has been scoring in bunches all year, boasting per game numbers of 22.8 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Tigers. He might not have the same hype as the aforementioned pair, but the LSU guard is still getting draft buzz after his first year playing college ball. He likely won’t be drafted anywhere near as high as Durant or Williamson, but is still projected to be taken at some point in the first round.
Thomas’ regular season performance was critical to LSU's success and ability to make it into the tournament, helping the Tigers to a 19-10 overall record and 11-6 in conference play.
LSU took down St. Bonaventure in the first round of the tournament, winning 76-61, but were knocked out of the competition by Michigan, falling 86-78. While it wasn’t the way Thomas wanted to end the season, he can hang his hat on such a magnificent demonstration of his scoring prowess.
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