In the history of the Big 12, there has only been two other basketball games comparable to the one Iowa State's Melvin Ejim had Saturday against TCU.
Ejim set a Big 12 record with 48 points, breaking the 44-point mark set by Kansas State's Denis Clemente in Jan. 2009. Ejim was also the third player to ever register at least 40 points and 15 rebounds in one game, joining Oklahoma's Blake Griffin (Feb. 2009) and Kansas State's Michael Beasley (Feb. 2008).
Ejim's teammate Georges Niang said he caught the senior forward looking at the scoreboard with nine minutes left to play in the game, according to the Associated Press.
"I'm like, what's he looking at?" Niang said. "I looked up and he had 35 (points) and I was like, holy smoke, this could be a crazy night."
Ejim shot 20 of 24, a field goal percentage of 83, and made both three-point attempts he took. He also sunk all six free throws he attempted. Most of his scoring came in or around the paint, dunking six times on a handful of lobs from teammates and other seemingly effortless layups.
"It was teamwork," Ejim said. "These guys just did a great job finding me in transition and getting me the ball in places where I could score. They made really selfless plays. We were just giving up the ball and luckily, I was on the receiving end."
At six-foot-sox Ejim is a good size for a small forward in the NBA because he could move over to play as the second guard to allow for more flexible lineups. As a senior, he is likely to be headed to the NBA draft, where games like this help a player stand out.
One of the most competitive conferences in the nations, the Big 12 has produced NBA stars like Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant and now Ejim's night is separated above them all.
Ejim was pulled from the game with about 20 seconds to play. He walked off the court to a long standing ovation from the home crowd.
"We were just playing," he said. "I wasn't really looking up to see how much I had. These guys just kept telling me to be aggressive, keep playing. I think I figured it out when they started chanting my name."