NCAA Tournament Day Two: Stars Of The Day

The NCAA Tournament is underway and day one did not disappoint.

The theme of the week so far: you can’t just bring your name, you have to bring your game.

We’ll be tracking Friday’s best all day long and updating you throughout. If you missed some of today’s action and want to see which players helped their teams advance to the next round or pull off the major upset, be sure to check back throughout the night.

Sherwood Brown, Florida Gulf Coast University: In the biggest upset of the tournament so far, Sherwood Brown helped Florida Gulf Coast shock the world. The No. 15 FGCU Eagles upset No. 2 Georgetown — a popular Final Four pick — 78-68, and quite frankly, it wasn’t that close. Behind Brown’s 24 points, nine rebounds and clutch free throw shooting, the Eagles dominated the Hoyas for the majority of 40 minutes. With the victory, FGCU became the seventh 15th seed all time to upset a No. 2 seed in the first round.

Andre Hollins, Minnesota: The Golden Gophers came into Friday nights game against No. 6 UCLA an underdog by seed, but were actually a two-point favorite to win the game. Andre Hollins helped the Gophers keep many brackets in tact, as Minnesota took down UCLA 83-63 behind 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Hollins. Hollins will lead Minnesota against No. 3 Florida Sunday afternoon.

Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State: Thomas picked up right where he left off during the regular season – scoring 20 points at will. Thomas recored 24 points with ease Friday, leading Ohio State to a second round high of 95 points in a win over Iona. Thomas was 8-of-12 from the field including 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, Indiana: The freshman point guard came out firing for Indiana, he totaled the games first nine points and scored or assisted on the teams first 18 points as No. 1 Indiana defeated No. 16 James Madison 83-62. Yogi stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, six assists and eight rebounds, nearly becoming the second player in Indiana’s storied history to record a triple-double (the first was Steve Downing in 1971). The Hoosiers will face Temple in the Round of 32 Sunday afternoon.

Doug McDermott, Creighton: Creighton’s all-time leading scorer carried the No. 7 Bluejays to a last second 67-63 over No. 10 Cincinnati. It was a classic McDermott line of 27 points and 11 rebounds while knocking down all 11 of his free throws.

Khalif Wyatt, Temple: Despite playing with an injured left hand, Temple point guard Khalif Wyatt helped the No. 9 Owls withstand a furious run by No. 8 North Carolina State to upset the Wolfpack 76-72. Wyatt led the Owls with 31 points (12-of-14 FT’s), five assists and three steals, helping them to avoid blowing an 18-point lead with 15 minutes to play. Wyatt’s 31 points are a tournament high (so far). Wyatt will continue his competition with Marquette’s Vander Blue and Junior Cadougan for the best name remaining in the tournament.

Jordan Henriquez, Kansas State: Things weren’t looking good for the No. 4 Wildcats early on. Trailing by 18 points at halftime, Henriquez was a monster in the second half, stuffing the stat sheet with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks, which helped K-State overcome an 20 point deficit before falling to No. 13 La Salle in the final seconds 63-61.

Jerrell Wright, La Salle: Behind Wright’s 21 points and eight rebounds, La Salle continues to ride their wave of momentum started in the 1st round with a win over Boise State. The No. 13 Explorers became the latest double-digit seed to advance in the first round, upsetting No. 4 Kansas State 63-61 Friday afternoon. Of the seven players that saw action for La Salle, Wright is the only one listed as a forward, but “held is own,” as he said in his postgame interview, against the intimidating front line of K-State. La Salle has a chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen when they meet No. 12 Ole Miss on Sunday.

Seth Curry, Duke: Curry, who has been playing injured and often not practicing since September, stepped up large in No. 2 Duke’s opening round game against pesky No. 15 Albany. Duke held off a late Albany run to defeat the Great Danes 73-61 behind 26 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals from Curry. Curry was highly efficient in the effort, shooting 10-of-14 from the field including 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Could this be the start of a run similar to his brother, Steph Curry, in 2008?

Marshall Henderson/Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss: After shooting a dreadful 1-for-11 in the first half, Marshall Henderson put his money where his mouth is in the second half. Trailing 36-30 with 11 minutes to play, Henderson drained a fadeaway 3-pointer in the corner to spark the Rebels. No. 12 Ole Miss closed the game on a 27-10 run, with Henderson scoring 16 points over that stretch to help the his team upset No. 5 Wisconsin 57-46. Henderson didn’t beat the Badgers himself, though. Reginald Buckner chipped in with nine points, but was a monster on the glass and defensive end. Buckner finished with 12 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. It is the Rebels first tournament victory since 2001, and they became third No. 12 seed to advance in this tournament.

Durand Scott, Miami: “The U” dispatched of No. 15 Pacific rather easily Friday, cruising to a 78-49 win behind guard Durand Scott’s 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting behind the arc. The ACC champs will look to continue their hot streak against the winner of No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado later this afternoon.

Play of the day