Second Round Recap

Best Game: Gotta go with the Michigan State/Maryland finish. The game itself was led by Michigan State most of the way, even while losing both Chris Allen and Kalin Lucas to injuries. Durrell Summers was on fire, scoring 26 points on 6 of 8 shooting from three. Maryland began to chip away at the 5 point Michigan State lead with 8 minutes left, eventually taking the lead with 40 seconds left. A Draymond Green jumper made it 82-81 with 22 seconds to play. Greivis Vazquez did what he does best, driving to his right and hitting a teardrop layup with 6 seconds remaining. Green brought the ball up the court and threw it to Korie Lucious, almost hitting Delvon Roe in the head in the process. Lucious put up a three as time expired and connected, sending Sparty Nation into a frenzy. Easily the best finish of the tournament thus far.

Best Upset: Cornell looked awfully impressive in a win over Wisconsin, but I can't go against the Panthers of Northern Iowa taking out the overall #1 seed Kansas. It was one of those games where you just kept waiting for Kansas to snap out of it and take over, but it never happened. UNI led handedly most of the way until the late minutes when the KU pressure forced several UNI turnovers. Kansas worked the defecit to 1 with 40 seconds left and looked poised to take the game, until a quick UNI break of the press left Ali Farokhmanesh with the ball at the 3 point line. Despite there being around 25 seconds left on the shot clock and 35 on the game clock, Ali put up the three anyway... and hit it! After some free throws to seal the deal, the Panthers had shocked the college basketball world. Kansas, usually a strong outside shooting team, only made 6 threes in 23 attempts. Sherron Collins ended up 4 for 15 from the field and 0 of 6 from three. Farokhmanesh led UNI with 16 points on 4 of 10 from three. UNI takes on Michigan State in the Midwest Regional Semis.

Best Performance: Several guys share this award. In the first 2nd round game of the tournament, Omar Samhan manhandled the small Villanova frontcourt with 32 points and 7 rebounds, leading St. Mary's into the Sweet 16. Many thought it would be Jimmer Time in Oklahoma City for a 2nd straight game, but it was Jacob Time instead, as in Jacob Pullen. Pullen had 7 threes and was 11 for 11 at the line for 34 total points, as Kansas State won handedly over BYU 84-72. And Wesley Johnson scored from all over the floor and showcased his athleticism, scoring 31 and grabbing 14 boards as Syracuse steamrolled Gonzaga.

Upset that didn't happen: In a battle of mid-majors, Murray State was unable to keep Cinderella alive (at least for them), coming up two points short against Butler 54-52. The game was close the entire way, and a Gordon Hayward deflection prevented the Racers from getting a game tying or game winning shot off before time expired. The Bulldogs had good balance, with four guys in double figures doing most of the scoring work. Butler takes on Syracuse in the Sweet 16.

Game that got lost in the mix: Last year, Pitt took out Xavier in the Sweet 16. This year, Xavier returned the favor in the 2nd round, beating the Panthers 71-68. Jordan Crawford had 27 points to lead the Musketeers, who reached the Sweet 16 for the third straight time. Xavier, along with Michigan State, are the only two teams to reach this level for each of the past three seasons.

Picks: Coming this week!