NCAA Tournament: Day 2 Recap
Red hot Bearcats build on Big East run: Cincinnati won for the fourth time in five tries, advancing to the round of 32 against Florida State. Yancy Gates was the dominant force down low that coach Mick Cronin had always expected from the senior forward as he logged a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds). The Bearcats never trailed and led by as much as 19.
Prospect rising: Yancy Gates, F, Cincinnati
Prospect falling: Myck Kabongo, G, Texas
N.C. State dominates inside shooting 59 percent in the win: Forward Richard Howell doubled his season scoring average, scoring 22 points on 10-of-12 shots, leading four Wolfpack players in double-figures. Point guard Lorenzo Brown filled up the stat sheet per usual, scoring 17 points, grabbing a team-high of 9 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. For the Aztecs, MWC Player of the Year Jamal Franklin had a game-high 23 points.
Prospect rising: Richard Howell, F, NC State
Prospect falling: None
Creighton flies back in second-half for first NCAA victory in ten years: After trailing by as many as 11 points in the last period, the Bluejays ran their offense as efficiently as they could, getting forward Doug McDermott (16 points, 10 rebounds) open looks around the rim. But the big threat was Josh Jones who had all 7 of his points, two assists and the crucial block to seal the game, all in the second-half.
Prospect rising: Doug McDermott, F, Creighton
Prospect falling: Greg Echenique, C, Creighton
Virginia's D holds Florida in the first-half but skipped the second-half… UVA held the Gators in check for the most part during the opening period, making just 1-of-15 3-point attempts, but the Gators were 3-of-8 after halftime. Center Patric Young (13 points, 7 rebounds) didn't miss a shot all game long, while Bradley Beal was just as efficient inside the arc (14 points, 11 rebounds).
Prospect rising: Patric Young, C, Florida
Prospect falling: Kenny Boynton, G, Florida
St. Bonaventure had the game in hand, but FSU finished the game on a 16-2 run to pull past the Bonnies: The 2011-12 A-10 Player of the Year Andrew Nicholson (20 points, 7 rebounds) was an all-world talent in the first half and just good enough in second half to keep his Bonnies alive, but Bernard James (19 points, 9 rebounds) and the Seminoles were a little bit better. FSU's offense came alive late, taking it first lead at the five minute mark in the second-half and never looking back.
Prospect rising: Andrew Nicholson, F, St. Bonaventure
Prospect falling: Michael Snaer, G, Florida State
Georgetown's D suffocates Belmont's offense: In a classic battle of firepowers, Georgetown's defense won out against Belmont's high-octane offense. The Hoyas used their defensive stops and rebounds to get out in transition to shoot 61.2 percent from the floor and 74 points in the game. Jason Clark led the break most times, scoring a game-high 21 points, while freshman Otto Porter was just as impressive, scoring 16 with 8 rebounds.
Prospect rising: Otto Porter, F, Georgetown
Prospect falling: Hollis Thompson, F, Georgetown
North Carolina out-runs and out-guns Vermont: The Tar Heels were outrebounded and barely shot better than the Catamounts, but ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller was 9-of-10 from the foul line and secured 15 rebounds and John Henson's injury replace James Michael McAdoo had a career-high 17 points.
Prospect rising: James Michael McAdoo, F, North Carolina
Prospect falling: PJ Hairston, G, North Carolina
15-seed Norfolk State stuns 2-seed Missouri: Norfolk State shot a red-hot 54.2 percent from the field with 10 made 3-pointers out-doing the offense of Missouri who became the first team in tournament history to lose despite shooting 50+ percent from the field (52.7 percent), make 10+ 3s (13-of-29) and have less than 10 turnovers (8).
Prospect rising: Kyle O'Quinn, C, Norfolk State
Prospect falling: Kim English, F, Missouri
Saint Louis fires from deep to send Memphis home: Memphis was the hottest team entering the NCAA Tournament, winning seven straight by an average of 20 points, but the Billikens hit deep 3s to pull ahead in the second-half and never look back. Guard Kwamain Mitchell had a game-high 22 points with four of SLU's five made 3-pointers.
Prospect rising: Will Barton, G, Memphis
Prospect falling: Joe Jackson, G, Memphis
Lehigh becomes the second 15-seed to upset 2-seed on the day: The Mountain Hawks played the role of "David" and took down the day's second "Goliath" in their win over Duke. Two-time Patriot League Player of the Year CJ McCollum was fantastic from the tip to the final whistle, scoring a game-high 30 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Lehigh was just the sixth 15-seed ever to defeat a 2-seed.
Prospect rising: CJ McCollum, G, Lehgih
Prospect falling: Seth Curry, G, Duke
The Ohio upset that slid under the radar: Shortly after Norfolk State upended Missouri and during the course of Lehigh closing out its win over Duke, MAC representative Ohio, a 13-seed seed, had an upset of their own over 4-seed Michigan. DJ Cooper sparked the Bobcats, but Michigan's lack of an inside game eventually did them in.
Prospect rising: DJ Cooper, G, Ohio
Prospect falling: Tim Hardaway Jr., G, Michigan
Purdue clamps down on trigger-happy Gales: At least for most of the game, Purdue remained in control, holding the higher-ranked Gaels of Saint Mary's to 4-of-25 shooting from 3-point range; its top two shooters, Rob Jones and Matthew Dellavedova shot a combined 3-for-16.
Prospect rising: Terone Johnson, G, Purdue
Prospect falling: Matthew Dellavedova, G, Saint Mary's
Michigan State runs with LIU: The Spartans played the game that LIU wanted to, only they did it better, scorching the nets for near-60 percent shooting from the field. Draymond Green racked up a triple-double, while center Adreiain Payne was impressive in his own right showcasing his athleticism.
Prospect rising: Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
Prospect falling: None
Kansas lone 2-seed to advance on the day: Detroit held with the Jayhawks for a bit, but eventually Kansas' supreme talent took over. Thomas Robinson stated his case for National Player of the Year with an impressive, efficient double-double. Point guard Tyshawn Taylor controlled the floor over opposing guard Ray McCallum.
Prospect rising: Tyshawn Taylor, G, Kansas
Prospect falling: Eli Holamn, F, Detroit
USF can't find offense, then can't miss: In the first-half, USF seemed to leave their offense in Dayton at the play-in game, shooting 11 percent as a team. The second-half was a different story as the Bulls seemingly couldn't miss the bucket, scoring 43 points. Victor Rudd Jr. came up with big 3 after clutch 3-pointer to end Temple's runs.
Prospect rising: Anthony Collins, G, USF
Prospect falling: Ramone Moore, G, Temple
Holloway comes through in the clutch, Xavier advances: Tu Holloway came up with 25 points, including the soft jumper over Jack Cooley to give them the lead with under 13 seconds to go. Xavier wing Dez Wells came up with some huge plays all game long, including a Notre Dame miss with eight seconds left and a free-throw to seal it. There was a lane violation that negated a potential tie for the Fighting Irish.
Prospect rising: Tu Holloway, G, Xavier
Prospect falling: Jerian Grant, G, Notre Dame
By President Corey Ruff - 3 - 17 - 12
