audi-crooks-iowa-state.png
Getty Images

Iowa State center Audi Crooks is putting up some impressive stats this season, and her performance in the 74-69 win over Iowa on Wednesday was yet another resume booster for the national Player of the Year candidate.

Crooks got her first field goal just 13 seconds into the game and eventually finished the night with 30 points and 10 rebounds. That was her third double-double of the season, and it helped her earn her first career win against the in-state rivals. It was also the fourth 30-point game of her junior year and the 12th of her career.

"It's not something I've seen, really, maybe ever," Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said earlier this month.

Iowa State fell short of expectations last season with a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament, but Crooks has them right back in the mix this season. Here's a look at some of her remarkable feats so far.

She has scored in double digits 78 straight times

Crooks has the longest active Division I streak of 10+ point performances, and Wednesday marked her 78th consecutive game reaching double-figures. The only game in which she didn't score at least 10 points was her college debut in 2023.

Crooks is a reliable rebounder, but her efficiency on offense is what stands out the most. Crooks is leading the nation with 27.6 points per game, and she is doing that while shooting a little over 73% from the field, which is the second best shooting percentage in the nation. Her size and strength certainly help, but Crooks' shot selection and footwork also deserve credit. She can get easy layups but also has the ability to hit opponents with a turnaround fadeaway. 

"Audi's touch is just really, really incredible. Always has been," Iowa coach Jan Jensen said earlier this week. "Even back in the recruiting process. When you let her get it, she's pretty accurate.... Ever since I've been watching Audi in college, she doesn't really have a bad game. I don't think anybody has really shut her down."

Sometimes stopping her does seem nearly impossible. In November, Crooks set an Iowa State single-game scoring record with 43 points in 20 minutes in her own version of the "Jordan flu game." That record didn't last long because on Nov. 30 she scored 47 points against Indiana while shooting 19 of 25 from the field.

"It's kind of like you reach peak flow state. Nothing else really matters," Crooks said in an ESPN interview. "You are just in the game, you are in the moment. I feel really connected with my teammates when we are able to make those connections, they are able to get those assists. It's just kind of a really natural flow state for me, and basketball is really, really like easy and you don't have to think about it."

She is averaging a historic 1.08 points per minute

On Wednesday, Crooks became the first Division I player to reach 300 points this season. She has scored a total of 306 points in 283 minutes, which means she is averaging 1.08 points per minute. It is no small accomplishment because there are not many basketball players who can do this. 

In fact, when you look at Division I men's and women's college basketball, the NBA and the WNBA, the only player in this century to average at least one point per minute in a single season was Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during the 2023-2024 season. That year, Embiid was scoring 34.7 points per contest while shooting 52.9% from the field and playing an average of 33.6 minutes.

Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player to officially have this level of productivity show up on a stat sheet. During his legendary 1961-62 season with the Philadelphia Warriors, Chamberlain scored a total of 4,029 points in 3,882 minutes, which is about 1.04 points per minute.

Other top POY candidates

Player of the Year comes down to many different factors and this is not a decision that can be made in December. It is usually a combination of personal stats and their overall impact on the team's results. Although Iowa State making its way into the AP Top 10 certainly helps Crooks' case, the award is still very much up for grabs.

UConn sophomore Sarah Strong is probably Crooks' biggest competition. She is leading the No. 1 Huskies in nearly every major category and could be the key piece to defending their national title. There is also her teammate Azzi Fudd, whose jump shot is admired even by basketball elite such as Stephen Curry. 

No. 2 Texas looks like UConn's biggest challenger at this point in the season. The team is led by Madison Booker, whose versatile skills and high basketball IQ have already helped the Longhorns take down strong teams like UCLA and South Carolina.

UCLA center Lauren Betts might not be scoring as much as Crooks, but she is one of the Bruins' leading scorers as well as their top rebounder and shot blocker. Meanwhile, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo is an undersize guard who plays with incredible energy and is often described as "a dawg." She is averaging 25.7 points per game while also leading the Fighting Irish in assists and steals.