Transfer Portal Deep Cuts: Miles Byrd and Arrinten Page Go for Career Highs Early in the Season

See Byrd sink a game-tying halfcourt shot at the buzzer and Page go to work versus DePaul. Plus, the latest episode of The Friar Podcast.

Miles Byrd’s most explosive offensive night of the season came in one of San Diego State’s most painful losses.

In just the third game of the season, the Aztecs and Troy played into double overtime before the Trojans escaped with a 108-107 victory on the road.

They survived some late-game heroics from Byrd — namely this halfcourt shot at the buzzer that sent the game into overtime:

Byrd had a season-high in points (24) and made 3-pointers (4) on a night in which he shot 7-12 from the field, 4-8 beyond the arc, 6-7 at the free throw line, and added three boards and three assists.

San Diego State was down 12 with under five minutes to play, and a lot went their way to send this game to OT. Down four points with two seconds left, Byrd forced contact on a 3-pointer. He made the first two free throws, then missed the third intentionally. When Troy followed by making just 1-2 at the line on the other end, it paved the way for Byrd’s halfcourt heave that tied it.

He helped push the game into double overtime by drawing a late charge in OT, and Byrd also buried a three with 1:30 left in 2OT with his team trailing by a point.

Byrd had a chance to win it late, but missed an open look with three seconds left that would have given San Diego State a two-point lead. He also served as a primary ball handler at times in this one.

“We need to work on everything,” Byrd said following the loss. “It’s early in the season, and we still have a lot of gelling to do as a team. We are super talented, but we had a lot of mental slippage tonight. We went away from our identity of defensive rebounding. We need to hone in on who we are as a team. We are a defensive rebounding culture team, and we did not show that.”

Here’s a deep cut of Byrd — his makes, misses, free throws, turnovers, and more from a thriller:

Arrinten Page Starts the Season Strong vs. DePaul

Just days prior to San Diego State and Troy’s thriller, Arrinten Page and Northwestern had their first high major test of the season in a tight one at DePaul.

Page’s strongest stretch of the season came over the first two months, and he was at his peak offensively versus the Demons with 22 points on 10-11 shooting from the field and 2-4 at the free throw line. His 22 points were a career-high.

This one was played to a virtual standstill throughout the night with 14 ties and 17 lead changes. The game was tied at 79 when DePaul was called for a somewhat questionable foul that led to two free throws — and ultimately the final score of 81-79 as DePaul missed a desperation three at the horn.

“I think the thing with Arrinten is he feels needed. He knows we need him and this is a great opportunity. He’s a very talented player, and in basketball you can always turn things around. For him to come into our culture and really buy in, the way he’s been playing — he’s been huge for us so far,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said after the game.

This was Page showing a bit of everything in his offensive game, scoring when posting up, grabbing offensive boards, rolling, and as a trailer. He also flashed some good passing ability, twice hitting Nick Martinelli for layups.

Here’s a look back at one of Page’s best games of the 2025-26 season:

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Finally, in the latest episode of The Friar Podcast, Billy, Tom, and I cover several topics, including PC’s addition of UNLV transfer Jacob Bannarbie, Big East winners and losers at the combine, and expanding our coverage to all of the Big East.