No one playing on Sunday was better than Duke center Jahlil Okafor. The freshman put up a dominant performance in the Blue Devils' 68-49 demolishing of San Diego State to advance to the Sweet 16 and a date with Utah.
Okafor finished the game with 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting and added six rebounds, three blocks and a pair of assists. It wasn't just what he did, but how he did it, that mattered.
The Aztecs' defense had no answer for the ACC Player of the Year in the first half. He poured in 18 points and made it look easy.
Dunks weren't the only aspect of Okafor's game on display. He showed a crazy amount of talent away from the basket for a 7-footer, looking more like a point-center on this play as he starts out at the 3-point line, crosses up a defender and gets to the hoop.
In the second half San Diego State did a better job of containing Okafor by constantly throwing double-teams on him. The freshman rose to the challenge, though, turning the double-team into easy points for his teammates, including Justise Winslow.
Winslow could easily have taken this spot himself after a stat-stuffing performance of 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks, but this was Okafor's day. NBA scouts were surely watching, and the big man may have put a stamp on his status as the next No. 1 overall pick with his performance.
