Will Johnston weaves three-ball web for Spiders

• ‍Anthony Dell’Orso’s Arizona role proves he’s NBA-ready as a shooting-driven rotation guard prospect‍
• David Patrick’s Aussie pipeline keeps delivering at LSU‍
• Every Australian in NCAAM basketball in 2025-26
  

Australians featured across eight NCAA men’s games on January 1, 2026 (AEDT) with Ben Tweedy’s all-around impact, Will Johnston’s 20-point outburst, and Noah Pagotto’s defensive presence standing out.

🇦🇺 Colgate Raiders 85, Lafayette Leopards 77 (Final)

Sophomore guard Ben Tweedy, from Rockhampton, QLD, played a key all-around role in Colgate’s road win, logging 29 minutes and contributing beyond the box score. Tweedy finished with seven points, but his biggest impact came on the glass and as a secondary playmaker, pulling down a seven rebounds and handing out four assists as the Raiders closed strongly late.

Ben Tweedy — Sophomore | Guard | 1.93 m | Rockhampton, QLD

• ‍Minutes: 29 │ Points: 7 │ Rebounds: 7 │ Assists: 4 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 2–7 (28.6%) │ 3PT: 0–3 (0.0%) │ FT: 3–5 (60.0%) │ Turnovers: 1 │ Fouls: 5

🇦🇺 UConn Huskies 90, Xavier Musketeers 67 (Final)

Freshman guard Jacob Furphy, from Smithton, TAS, made a brief but efficient contribution in UConn’s dominant road win, playing four minutes off the bench and scoring two points on a perfect shooting night. Furphy converted his lone field-goal attempt, stayed disciplined defensively, and avoided mistakes as the Huskies controlled the game from start to finish.

Jacob Furphy — Freshman | Guard | 1.98 m | Smithton, TAS

• ‍Minutes: 4 │ Points: 2 │ Rebounds: 0 │ Assists: 0 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 1–1 (100.0%) │ 3PT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ FT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ Turnovers: 0 │ Fouls: 0

🇦🇺 Tulane Green Wave 79, East Carolina Pirates 70 (Final)

Freshman guard Paddy D’Arcy, from Adelaide, SA, provided efficient perimeter scoring in East Carolina’s home loss, playing nine minutes off the bench and finishing with three points. D’Arcy knocked down a three-pointer, shot 50 percent from the field, and stayed composed in limited run as the Pirates struggled to slow Tulane late.

Paddy D’Arcy — Freshman | Guard | 1.98 m | Adelaide, SA

• ‍Minutes: 9 │ Points: 3 │ Rebounds: 0 │ Assists: 0 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 1–2 (50.0%) │ 3PT: 1–2 (50.0%) │ FT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ Turnovers: 0 │ Fouls: 1

🇦🇺 Lamar Cardinals 69, East Texas A&M Lions 62 (Final)

Junior forward Noah Pagotto, from Wollongong, NSW, delivered a high-effort all-around performance in East Texas A&M’s home loss, playing 26 minutes and impacting the game beyond the box score. While his shooting touch didn’t fall, Pagotto was active on the glass and disruptive defensively, finishing with eight rebounds, two assists, and a team-high four steals as the Lions battled Lamar deep into the second half.

Noah Pagotto — Junior | Forward | 2.03 m | Wollongong, NSW

• ‍Minutes: 26 │ Points: 4 │ Rebounds: 8 │ Assists: 2 │ Steals: 4 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 1–5 (20.0%) │ 3PT: 0–2 (0.0%) │ FT: 2–2 (100.0%) │ Turnovers: 0 │ Fouls: 3

🇦🇺 Dayton Flyers 63, Fordham Rams 56 (Final)

Sophomore centre Jack Whitbourn, from Melbourne, VIC, anchored Fordham’s interior in the road loss, playing 29 minutes and delivering a strong presence on the glass. Whitbourn finished with six points and a game-high 12 rebounds, battling physically inside and giving the Rams multiple second-chance opportunities despite Fordham struggling to convert late.

Freshman forward Roor Akhuar, from Canberra, ACT, provided efficient scoring off the bench, logging 12 minutes and finishing with six points on 2-of-3 shooting. Akhuar knocked down two three-pointers, added three rebounds, and showed confidence stretching the floor as Fordham attempted to close the gap in the second half.

Jack Whitbourn — Sophomore | Center | 2.11 m | Melbourne, VIC

• ‍Minutes: 29 │ Points: 6 │ Rebounds: 12 │ Assists: 1 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 3–6 (50.0%) │ 3PT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ FT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ Turnovers: 0 │ Fouls: 3

Roor Akhuar — Freshman | Forward | 2.01 m | Canberra, ACT

• ‍Minutes: 12 │ Points: 6 │ Rebounds: 3 │ Assists: 0 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 2–3 (66.7%) │ 3PT: 2–3 (66.7%) │ FT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ Turnovers: 2 │ Fouls: 1

Australian junior Abass Bodija is yet to play for Fordham this season.

🇦🇺 George Washington Revolutionaries 99, Richmond Spiders 85 (Final)

Senior guard Will Johnston, from Sydney, NSW, delivered a standout offensive performance in Richmond’s home loss, playing 27 minutes and pouring in a game-high 20 points. Johnston was lethal from deep, knocking down five three-pointers on 10 attempts, and finished with a highly efficient scoring line while keeping Richmond competitive through the middle stages of the contest. He added four rebounds and three assists, stretching the floor and punishing defensive coverage despite the Spiders being outgunned late.

Will Johnston — Senior | Guard | 1.91 m | Sydney, NSW

• ‍Minutes: 27 │ Points: 20 │ Rebounds: 4 │ Assists: 3 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 6–13 (46.2%) │ 3PT: 5–10 (50.0%) │ FT: 3–3 (100.0%) │ Turnovers: 0 │ Fouls: 1

🇦🇺 New Orleans Privateers 85, UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros 69 (Final)

Junior forward Marshal Destremau, from Perth, WA, saw limited action in UT Rio Grande Valley’s home loss, logging just two minutes as the Vaqueros shortened their rotation. Destremau pulled down two rebounds in his brief stint on the floor but was unable to convert on his lone field-goal attempt as New Orleans controlled the game and pulled away in the second half.

Marshal Destremau — Junior | Forward | 2.06 m | Perth, WA

• ‍Minutes: 2 │ Points: 0 │ Rebounds: 2 │ Assists: 0 │ Steals: 0 │ Blocks: 0 │ FG: 0–1 (0.0%) │ 3PT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ FT: 0–0 (0.0%) │ Turnovers: 1 │ Fouls: 0

Friday, January 2, 2026

• 🇦🇺 Cal State Fullerton vs UC Santa Barbara (2:00 PM) — Bailey Nunn (Jr)
• 🇦🇺 Central Arkansas vs Florida Gulf Coast (6:00 AM) — Harry Beauchamp (Fr), Truman Byrne (Fr)
• 🇦🇺 Evansville @ Illinois State (Jan 2 – 7:00 AM) — Riley Parker (Sr), Joshua Hughes (Jr), James O'Donnell (So), James Dyson Merwe (Fr)
• 🇦🇺 Hawai‘i @ 🇦🇺 UC Riverside (12:00 PM) — Harry Rouhliadeff (Sr), Ben Waller (Fr)
• 🇦🇺 Idaho State vs Sacramento State (1:00 PM)– Caleb Van De Griend (Sr), Lachlan Brewer (So)
• 🇦🇺 Milwaukee @ Wright State (6:00 AM) — Ned Renfree (Fr)
• IU Indianapolis vs 🇦🇺 Northern Kentucky (Jan 2 – 6:00 AM) — Ethan Elliott (Fr)
• 🇦🇺 Oakland @ Youngstown State (5:00 AM) — Nate Deer (Sr), Tuburu Naivalurua (Sr)
• 🇦🇺 UC San Diego @ Cal Poly (2:00 PM) — Bol Dengdit (Jr)