Joseph Yesufu Set A High Bar For The Best Dunk Of The 2021 NCAA Tournament Against Wichita State

The 2021 NCAA Tournament began in earnest on Thursday evening with a quadruple-header of First Four games. The first game pitting at-large teams featured the Drake Bulldogs and the Wichita State Shockers and, while the early going was a bit sluggish for Drake, the upstart squad from the Missouri Valley Conference provided the first major highlight of this year’s tournament. Sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu grabbed the ball after a steal and, despite some resistance, the 6’0 guard rose up and dunked to the delight of basketball fans and Turnerplay-by-play man Brian Anderson.

Anderson’s reaction on the call spoke for everyone, as this was quite a play from a relatively diminutive guard. Yesufu has been a key piece for Drake this season, especially in recent days. Incumbent starting point Roman Penn is out for the season due to a foot injury and, in his stead, Yesufu has scored 20 points or more in five of the last seven games.

It is probably accurate to say that Yesufu has never made a play in front of a larger television audience than this one. For good measure, his play was also part of an 11-0 run for Drake to close the first half and, fittingly, it was Yesufu that also capped the spurt with a three-point connection on the final possession of the half.

Yesufu’s play may be surpassed at some point in the next few weeks. However, this was an example of setting the bar high in the competition for “dunk of the tournament” honors, especially when accounting for his size and the defensive attention he drew.