Buddy Hield's Top 11 Scoring Games of 2015-16

Coming into the 2015-16 season, Buddy Hield was already a well-accomplished college basketball player with a successful career.

As a junior, Hield was Big 12 player of the year, a third-team All-American, and one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award. In his three years at Oklahoma, the Freeport, Bahamas native had already built a prestigious resumé that included two 30-point games.

As a senior, Hield has already accumulated 11 30+ point outings.

SoonerScoop.com counts down those 11 games from 30 to 46, when the charismatic Caribbean captivated audiences and confounded defenses.

December 12, 2015 - Lloyd Noble Center, Norman (Okla.)

96-73 win vs Oral Roberts

30 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, block, 5 steals

Just five days following Oklahoma's momentous 78-55 victory over No. 9 Villanova in Hawaii, there was some concern that the Sooners would have a let-down game returning across the Pacific Ocean to face a dangerous 8-2 Oral Roberts team.

All doubts were quickly squelched as Hield and OU controlled the game from the tip. The preseason All-American shot 60% from the field and buried all eight of his free throw attempts to secure his second 30-point output on the season.

January 26, 2016 - Lloyd Noble Center, Norman (Okla.)

91-67 win vs Texas Tech

30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, steal

In Oklahoma's first game at the Lloyd Noble Center as the nation's No. 1 team since February 22, 1989, the Sooners and Hield did not disappoint in front of the home crowd.

Hield added a balanced output of 16 first half, and 14 second half points, as the comparisons of Buddy Hield and OU to Steph Curry and the Warriors ratcheted up:

"...we perfect Oklahoma Basketball. Those guys are on another level than us, but we share the ball very well and Warriors share the ball well too. I watch them a lot, but we just do what coach wants us to do. Sharing the ball helps our team go, and a lot of guys are making shots." - Buddy Hield on Golden State Warriors comparisons.

November 17, 2015 - FedEx Forum, Memphis (Tenn.)

84-78 win at Memphis

30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 3 steals

Buddy Hield wasted no time in announcing his presence with authority for the 2015-16 basketball season. Oklahoma's first regular season game was an unenviable trip to the always-dangerous FedEx Forum and Josh Pastner's Memphis Tigers.

It was a litmus test for the Sooners and Hield right out of the gate and both responded in a resounding way. Hield scored the first of his 11 30-point games (and still counting?), while filling up the entire stat sheet, in leading OU to a win that would propel them to a 12-0 start to the season.

January 9, 2016 - Lloyd Noble Center, Norman (Okla.)

86-76 win vs Kansas State

31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals

It was an exhibition in efficiency for Buddy Hield, who scored 31 points on just 14 field goal attempts.

Hield hit 11 of those 14 shots, including six of eight from three, just five days after dropping 46 in three overtimes at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

Buddy Hield following the game: "Everything I shoot now, I just feel like it's going in."

January 30, 2016 - Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge (La.)

77-75 win at LSU

32 points, 7 rebounds, steal

The lead-up to the game was defined by the battle between LSU's freshman phenom and likely number one overall pick, Ben Simmons, and Oklahoma's scoring superstar, Buddy Hield. At halftime, it appeared as if Simmons was getting the better of newly No. 1 OU and Hield - who hit just one three-point attempt in the first half.

However, a barrage of seven three-pointers in the second half by the Bahamian native was just enough to surge the Sooners past a 14-point deficit and to steal a huge road win on a national stage.

December 19, 2015 - Lloyd Noble Center, Norman (Okla.)

87-74 win vs Creighton

33 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

Buddy Hield extended his career-high to 33 points as Oklahoma avenged its loss in Omaha from the year before.

Creighton Head Coach Greg McDermott on Hield's performance:

"It's demoralizing. You know what he's capable of, and he certainly showed that late against some challenged shots. Last year, he was a shooter. This year, he's a basketball player. There's so much more to his game. He's going to be wearing an NBA uniform next year."

February 27, 2016 - Frank Erwin Center, Austin (Texas)

63-76 loss at 25 Texas

33 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, steal

Buddy Hield had 30 points over the game's first 33 minutes, but managed just three in what was probably the worst seven minutes of Oklahoma's season.

The Sooners held a 58-51 lead after the penultimate media timeout and appeared to be in prime position to sweep their rival Longhorns before Texas surged with a 25-5 run to end the game.

Still, Hield hit 50% of his shots from the field and poured in six makes from behind-the-arc in an otherwise disappointing loss.

December 25, 2015 - Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu (Hawaii)

83-71 win vs Harvard

34 points, 7 rebounds

In the championship game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, Hield's 34 points capped off a tournament record 86 points in three games, passing the previous mark set by former Washington State and current Golden State Warrior guard Klay Thompson in 2010.

March 20, 2016 - Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City (Okla.)

85-81 win vs VCU

36 points, 7 rebounds

In Buddy Hield's final performance in the Sooner State, he put on a show for the ages. It was almost a mirror image from the Texas loss just a few weeks prior.

VCU held Hield to a respectable 17 points in the game's first 32 minutes, including a 10-minutes scoring drought from the tip. Then, the National Player of the Year front-runner exploded for 19 points over the final eight minutes of play, leading his team to a second-consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance.

VCU head coach Will Wade on Buddy Hield:

"Best player I've seen in college basketball."

March 10, 2016 - Sprint Center, Kansas City (Mo.)

79-76 win vs 21 Iowa State

39 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, steal

Hield's 39 points were not only his second highest career total, but also the No. 2 scoring game in Big 12 Tournament history. Iowa State's Georges Niang added 30 points of his own, as the two seniors did not disappoint in their final show for heartland basketball fans.

It was a classic clash between two of the best in the conference's history and both paid their respects to the other following the game.

Hield on Niang:

"It was fun competing against him. He's such a good competitor. He's a tough matchup to guard. He uses his body so well. Going against guys like Niang is fun."

Niang on Hield:

"From a friendship standpoint, I'm happy to say he's my friend and I'm proud of him, but from a competitive standpoint, I wish he would have missed a couple more shots."

January 4, 2016 - Phog Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence (Kan.)

106-109 (3OT) loss at 1 Kansas

46 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists

'The Phight at the Phog' will go down as one of the greatest games in not only Buddy Hield's career, but in the history of college basketball's regular season. Although the Sooners ultimately fell, those who watched the second most viewed Monday college basketball game ever knew that all involved had shared in something special. Hield was even asked to do a postgame interview with SportsCenter, a rare honor for a player from the losing team.

It was only the second game ever between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams to go three overtimes, and Hield's 46 points nearly matched the winning total of 54 by North Carolina in the previous contest in the 1957 championship game. And it was this moment that cemented Buddy Love in the national consciousness and atop the all of the Player of the Year races.

"We beat a team that could win a national championship." - Bill Self