Team abuzz over Markel Brown's dunks

On their way to Thursday's practice, Brian Williams and Le'Bryan Nash were in a heated debate.

It seemed a strange time for the two freshmen to argue, seeing that each had netted career-highs the previous night in a wild upset of the country's No. 2 team.

But that's what happens when you disagree on the hot topic of the day. That's what happens when you can't decide which one of Markel Brown's dunks was better.

"Le'Bryan likes the second one over Pressey; the ‘oop," Williams said. "I liked the first one because it set the tempo. It was one of those helpless ones. There was nothing Kim English could do. Kel put it on him."

It was quite a way to start the game.

Curling off a Michael Cobbins screen, Brown drove the line and nearly leapfrogged over English for an emphatic slam. First play of the game, first SportsCenter Top Play of the game.

"In the game, I thought the first one was better," Brown said. "But then I watched it, and now I think the second one was better."

Other than Williams, that seems to be the consensus.

Trailing 57-51 with seven minutes left, Keiton Page floated a lob that seemed destined for the fourth row.

Rising from the cluster of big bodies was Brown, who had slashed through the lane off a well-designed back screen.

As the ball continued to rise, so did Brown, elevating high enough to snare the line drive and violently sling it through the hoop.

"The lob has to be one of the better dunks, one of the toughest dunks I've ever seen," Travis Ford said. "How he caught it first of all, and then being able to finish it was impressive. He gets off the ground as quickly as anyone I've seen."

Twitter blew up, while ESPN staffers scrambled.

Over the next day, Brown's athleticism, ferocity and post-dunk antics became a main topic in the sports world.

"It's been crazy," Williams said. "I must have watched them Sportscenter clips like six times last night. I was just waiting for that scroll board to come back down."

The only thing that taints Brown's fourth Top 10 highlight dunk of the season is what transpired afterward.

After landing, Brown stared down his victim and immediately received a technical, his second of the game.

Whether it was deserving or not, all that matters is that Brown was in the training room, screaming at the television, but resorted to a mere spectator as his team battled Missouri to an upset win.

"It was very difficult," Brown said. "I actually snuck to the training room and watched it with JP (Olukemi). We were in there screaming at the TV the whole time."

Brown's teammates weren't mad at him (Williams actually said he might have done the same thing). His coach had a stern lesson for him, but knew Brown felt worse than anybody.

"I love him to death and he has come a long way and is going to be a leader for us," Ford said. "At this time next year, I think he will be the leader of our basketball team. I really do. With that said, he has to take the punishment and move on."