Finally, we got to see two of the best college basketball players take to the same court to face off, and it was worth the wait. Reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, Buddy Hield, took his Oklahoma Sooners to Baton Rouge to take on standout freshman Ben Simmons and the Louisiana State University Tigers. The Sooners ultimately won the game 77-75 on an Isaiah Cousins 15-footer with six seconds remaining: LSU would have one last shot, but it was blocked by Khadeem Latin.
Despite the entertaining game, the bigger story here was the battle between Hield and Simmons, two of college basketball's biggest stars, and two candidates for the Naismith Award given to the best player at the end of the year.
Both players showed up for this primetime matchup. Hield finished the game with 32 points on 11 for 22 shooting, including eight three-pointers and seven rebounds. Simmons also posted solid all-around numbers with 14 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Both players played great overall games, but there is one major key that separates the two of them: a killer instinct.
When you watch Buddy Hield play, you can see that he plays with tremendous energy and passion. If the Sooners need a basket or just a spark on either end of the court he takes it upon himself to change the momentum and get them going in the right direction. He never strays away from the big moment and welcomes the pressure that comes with being the star of the team. In the last five minutes of their game against LSU he scored nine of the team's final 17 points. Although he did not take the last shot for Oklahoma, he still impacted it heavily. Cousins' defender was so worried about him passing it to Heild on the wing that he gave Cousins the step he needed to get past and pull up for the eventual game winner.
As opposed to Hield, Simmons can almost blend in with the rest of his teammates for long spurts during the game. In the same time that Hield scored his final nine points, Simmons took only one shot and recorded two fouls. Some may say that his teammates aren't getting him the ball enough in that time, which is a valid argument, but if you're the best player on your team, you need to demand the ball, and at least get a touch on every possession in crunch time. Simmons will try and post up, but he won't demand the ball from his teammates. He likes to defer to his teammates and let them try and make plays for themselves. He's too talented of a player to not want the ball in big spots down the stretch.
Simmons is still only a freshman and can learn how to start taking over games, but probably not in his time at LSU. Right now, if I were an NBA executive, I would take Buddy Hield over Ben Simmons in the draft. Yes, Simmons is younger and has a higher ceiling and probably more years in the league, but Hield is ready to step in and make an impact right away. He is a pure scoring guard and can create his own shot for himself. Simmons is a playmaker and needs to start developing a mid-range game if he wants to separate himself at the next level.
When the draft comes around, it really is about team needs. If a team needs a big man, I would obviously take Ben Simmons, but if they need a guard or a capable scorer, I would take Buddy Hield. There really is no wrong choice in this case, and whoever has the luxury to get either player will be content with their selection.
