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Leading up to the NBA Draft, we're going to take a look at Alex Len's best games as a Terrapin. At number one is a the game that put him on the map.
#1: Kentucky 72, Maryland 69
November 9, 2012
You knew this was coming.
I'm sure there wasn't a single person waiting on pins and needles to find out what I believe Alex Len's best game as a Terp is, because we all know what it is.
His 23 point, 12 rebound, four block performance against Kentucky.
The Terps might have lost that game, but boy, did Len gain a lot. This game is where Len made the money he's going to receive in his first contract after being drafted tonight. This game is one of the biggest reasons why he might go No. 1 overall.
I remember standing in the Barclay's Center as Maryland was making its second-half run, screaming after Len made one of his ten buckets on the night, and turning to my mom.
"Do you know how much money he's making tonight?!"
I also told her he was good as gone after the season. That game was all I needed to see. He put all the question marks about just how much he improved over the off-season to rest right from the get-go, on the national stage, with an abundance of NBA scouts in attendance.
He also set up extremely high expectations for his season in the minds of Terp fans everywhere. Unfortunately, he would never quite live up to them. The Len that dominated Nerlens Noel and had everyone buzzing would show up in flashes for the rest of the season, but never consistently to that level again. However it should be noted, of course, that he was playing through injury for much of the second half.
Yet for Len, the damage was done. It was only one game, but he had validated his potential. He showed the nation how good he could be, going toe-to-toe with the former No. 1 high school senior and coming out affirmatively on top, which has surely been noted in Cleveland draft rooms. Granted, it was Noel's first collegiate game, but with neither available for pre-draft workouts it's the only direct comparison available.
Alex Len may not have delivered the season we all dreamed of after that November night in Brooklyn, but he did give us some lasting memories and was a great Terp. Testudo Times wishes him the best of luck at the next level.
Check out some of Len's best moves from that game: