Observers of the University of Akron men's basketball are used to watching forward Enrique Freeman dominate the inside and the rebounding.
What came as a surprise in the early moments against Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was Freeman connecting on multiple 3-pointers. Freeman connected on 3 of 4 from deep in the game's first 10 minutes and had already scored in double figures as the Zips went toe-to-toe with Creighton .
What's more, Freeman is doing it against 7-foot-1 Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner , one of the top defenders in college basketball. Kalkbrenner was named the Big East Player of the Year and Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
At halftime, Freeman had 15 points and eight rebounds compared to Kalkbrenner's 11 points and one rebound.
Akron basketball: What to know about Enrique Freeman, leading scorer for No. 14 seed Akron Zips
Considering Freeman connected on 1 of 6 3-point attempts during his first three years with the program, it just shows how much he has developed during his collegiate career.
This season as a senior, Freeman has made 17 of 46 from deep for 37% — which gives Creighton something to consider whenever and wherever Freeman touches the ball offensively.
Freeman averages 18.6 points, 12.9 rebounds 1.8 blocks and 1.6 assists. His 1,391 career rebounds are an Akron record. He is the school's third all-time leading scorer with 1,822 points.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron's Enrique Freeman showing early dominance vs Ryan Kalkbrenner
