Hottest hand in the land: Kiss leads Bryant into First Four

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Peter Kiss might be the most exciting basketball player that hardly anyone has heard of.

Not to be confused with Peter Criss — the former drummer for the shock and awe rock band Kiss — despite the obvious similarities in the names, the guard from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, is leading the nation in scoring with 25.1 points per game and has his team in the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The 6-foot-5 Kiss likes to show off his personality on the court. He's animated and fun-loving and has been known to drop to the floor for some in-game pushups. No doubt the TV cameras will know where he is every minute when the Bulldogs (22-9) take on hometown favorite Wright State (21-13) in the early game of Wednesday's First Four.

"I love playing," Kiss said. "I have so much joy out there. I don’t think anybody in the country has more fun playing basketball than I do, honestly."

Kiss has been around the game for a while, thanks to the transfer portal. He started at Quinnipiac, spent three seasons at Rutgers, two of them as a redshirt, before landing at Bryant for the 2020-21 season.

He leans into the Kiss references, too, sometimes warming up in a Kiss concert T-shirt.

Bryant guard Peter Kiss celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer during the first half of the Northeast Conference men's NCAA college basketball championship game against Wagner, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Smithfield, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

"I’ve heard a few of their songs obviously, but I love the shirt," he said. "It’s obviously my last name, and it fits me well. I want to rock and roll all night."

Bryant