Round 2 - Top Performers (2008 NCAA Tournament)


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2008 March Madness Coverage Top Performers - Round 2 By: Patrick Crawley Best Performances from Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament Is it just me or does March Madness 2008 get more exciting with each day? Think about it. First we had the Davidson-Gonzaga upset -- and the birth of Stephen "The Switch" Curry -- on Day 1. Not to mention Western Kentucky's buzzer-beating victory over Drake. Then came the Villanova-Clemson and Siena-Vanderbilt upsets on Friday night. Saturday gave us West Virginia's second-half demolition of Duke and thrilling wins by Stanford (in overtime, on a Brook Lopez buzzer-beater) and UCLA (who staged a second-half resurrgence to overcome Texas A&M). Finally, Day 4 brought us two incredible bracket-busting loses, as Davidson beat Georgetown ("Switch" Curry again!) and Michigan St. took down Pitt (who everyone and their mother had going to the Final Four thanks to Bob Knight). After a slow start (opening day was lame, other than Davidson & Western Kentucky) the tournament has recently been re-ignited. Suddenly non-Kentucky Wildcats are beating Hoyas, classy coaches are getting booted from games (Trent Johnson, what happened buddy?) and a 12 seed is knocking on the door of the Elite Eight. In the midst of all this excitement, there have been some incredible individual acheivements. Let's take a look at the top performers from a blistering Round 2. Stephen Curry - Sophomore, Guard (Davidson) 30 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 8-21 FG, 5-15 3PT, 9-10 FT, 36 minutes The Switch once again lived up to his nickname. Though a determined Hoyas' defense hounded Curry in the first half, limiting him to only 5 points, he flicked the lights on in the second half, earning 25 points and 4 threes as Davidson sprinted to a 74-70 win over Georgetown. Curry also sealed the game with his expert free-throw shooting (making nine out of ten foul shots on the game, most of them in the second half) and by collecting 3 steals. With the win, Davidson extended their winning streak to 24 consecutive games. 24 games! (Why don't we hear about this more often?). If Curry can stay hot, there's a good chance the Wildcats will continue on with their legendary streak. Brook Lopez - Sophomore, Forward (Stanford) 30 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 10-20 FG, 10-11 FT, 28 minutes After Trent Johnson was ejected, it looked like the Cardinal were finished. Marquette immediately whipped out a 9-0 run. The defense fell apart. And Stanford's lead assistant, face buried in his hands, did his best impression of Owen Wilson in Old School after he finds out his wife is messing around with pigs and blind-folded strangers. To make a long story short, things didn't look good. Fortunately, Tiger Woods had time to call in a pep talk to Brook Lopez at halftime and the 7'0" sophomore came out with both guns blazing. By the time the game was over, Brook had accumulated 30 points, including the game-winner from the right baseline with 1.8 seconds left in overtime, on 50% field goal shooting. It's a performance that would have made his idol Walt Disney proud. By the way, I was completely joking about the Tiger Woods pep talk. Seems feasible though, right? Jerel McNeal - Junior, Guard (Marquette) 30 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 13-25 FG, 4-12 3PT, 34 minutes Despite a tough loss for Marquette, I was left in complete awe of Jerel McNeal's performance. I have Stanford reaching the Final Four in my bracket and McNeal nearly gave me a heartattack down the stretch. He was a frenzied maniac; a shock of lightning; an absolute force of nature. The box score does not begin to do justice to the havoc he caused. Throughout the second half he flustered the Stanford guards, grabbed crucial rebounds and hit key shots from every spot on the court imaginable. McNeal is the ultimate late-game performer. I can't wait to see him again next season in Big East play. Scottie Reynolds - Sophomore, Guard (Villanova) 25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 7-15 FG, 4-7 3PT, 37 minutes Who the hell expected Villanova to do this well? Not me, that's for sure. I haven't seen them play yet in the tournament, but apparently Scottie Reynolds is playing like a man possessed. Before the tournament began many experts predicted that Nova would go as Scottie did. I guess that's why they call them experts. Ty Lawson - Sophomore, Guard (UNC) 19 points, 7 assists, 0 turnovers, 4 rebounds, 6-9 FG, 5-5 FT, 2-4 3PT, 24 minutes Have you noticed that North Carolina, Kansas and Louisville haven't had many standout performances, despite blowout wins in both Round 1 and Round 2? Each gets solid production from key starters, each gets steady contributions from its bench and each wins with efficiency. It's a terrific balance of team and individual; exemplified perfectly by Ty Lawson. 7 assists and 0 turnovers, 66.7% field goal shooting and a perfect attendance at the free throw line. It sounds simple, but it's hard to get that kind of balance from your players night-in and night-out. Lawson brings it to the table every night and that's what makes him such a special player; UNC isn't a legit title contender without him. Derrick Rose - Freshman, Guard (Memphis) 17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 6-14 FG, 4-9 FT, 39 minutes The race between Rose and Texas' D.J. Augustin for best college PG in the nation has reached dizzying speeds. Both of these players just keep getting better and better. On Sunday, Rose had 7 assists, 1 turnover and 9 rebounds while Augustin racked up 8 assists, 3 turnovers and 3 steals. Each of them is intelligent and fearless. And both will do whatever it takes for his team to win. The main difference is that Rose is considerably larger (at 6'3", 205 lbs). This gives him a significant edge in my book because of the defensive and rebounding implications. We'll soon see if Rose's bulk makes a difference; these two floor generals seem to be on a collision course for the Elite Eight. A.J. Abrams - Sophomore, Guard (Texas) 26 points, 4 rebounds, 7-13 FG, 6-10 FG, 6-6 FT, 40 minutes Abrams has been an absolute assassin in the Big Dance. In Texas' two victories, he has shot a combined 58.6% from field goal range, including 60% from three-point land. Abrams was also a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line in a close 75-72 win over Miami on Sunday; each of those makes coming with under three minutes left in the game. Abrams is off to quite a start, and I'd hate to be the team that faces him right now, but it is a bit disconcerting that his tournament field goal percentage is nearly 14% higher than his season average. Considering the law of averages, look for a slew of missed shots from Abrams against Stanford on Friday, leading to an early exit for the Longhorns. Courtney Lee - Senior, Guard (Western Kentucky) 29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 9-15 FG, 7-8 FT, 4-5 3PT, 35 minutes Heading into the first round of games, Lee was the player I hadn't seen yet that I was most excited to watch (if that makes any sense). I watched him play an integral role for Western Kentucky in the first half of their win over Drake; but in crunch time he all but disappeared and I got disappointed. What kind of player dominates a game, then disappears when his team needs him the most? I felt like I was watching a younger, slightly less explosive version of Vince Carter. With that said, I was really happy to see Lee's excellent showing in the second round against San Diego. He has a terrific first step, can create his own shot from anywhere on the court and rises above defenders to establish his jumper. As much as I like Lee, there's a definite possibility that he will disappear completely against a better opponent like UCLA. We'll see on Thursday, I guess. Drew Neitzel - Senior, Guard (Michigan St.) 21 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 6-13 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-4 FT, 38 minutes Drew Neitzel is tough as nails. His limiting defense was one of the main factors in MSU's gigantic win over Pitt on Saturday night. Freshman Derrick Rose has yet to face an opposing guard as ferocious as Neitzel, so Friday night's Memphis-Michigan St. matchup could be a lot closer than people seem to be anticipating. PG Levance Fields, Neitzel's draw in the Pitt game, is one of the better court generals in the college ranks, but Neitzel tore him apart en route to an 11-point victory. Fields had just 2 assists and 4 turnovers when faced with Drew's withering defense. Not to mention the fact that he was prodded into a 1-5 three point shooting performance. Will Memphis, at the hands of Neitzel, be the first of the four Monster #1 Seeds to fall in the tournament? Kevin Love - Freshman, Center (UCLA) 19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks, 7-12 FG, 4-5 FT, 34 minutes Ok, you can officially save me a seat on the Kevin Love Bandwagon now. After watching Love step up the defensive intensity down the stretch against Texas A&M, I'm convinced that he can compete against any opponent, no matter the size. The Aggies led by as many as 10 in the early second half and momentum was squarely in their favor. But Love took his game to another level, hitting outrageous turnaround jumpers and knocking shot after shot back into the faces of A&M shooters. Along with teammate Darren Collison, Love forced open the jaws of death and led the Bruins to a 51-49 victory. Now that I've seen his desire to win, I'd take him in a heartbeat over seven-footers Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan in the upcoming draft.

Best Performances from Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament

Is it just me or does March Madness 2008 get more exciting with each day?

Think about it. First we had the Davidson-Gonzaga upset -- and the birth of Stephen "The Switch" Curry -- on Day 1. Not to mention Western Kentucky's buzzer-beating victory over Drake. Then came the Villanova-Clemson and Siena-Vanderbilt upsets on Friday night. Saturday gave us West Virginia's second-half demolition of Duke and thrilling wins by Stanford (in overtime, on a Brook Lopez buzzer-beater) and UCLA (who staged a second-half resurrgence to overcome Texas A&M). Finally, Day 4 brought us two incredible bracket-busting loses, as Davidson beat Georgetown ("Switch" Curry again!) and Michigan St. took down Pitt (who everyone and their mother had going to the Final Four thanks to Bob Knight).

After a slow start (opening day was lame, other than Davidson & Western Kentucky) the tournament has recently been re-ignited. Suddenly non-Kentucky Wildcats are beating Hoyas, classy coaches are getting booted from games (Trent Johnson, what happened buddy?) and a 12 seed is knocking on the door of the Elite Eight.

In the midst of all this excitement, there have been some incredible individual acheivements. Let's take a look at the top performers from a blistering Round 2.

Stephen Curry - Sophomore, Guard (Davidson)
30 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 8-21 FG, 5-15 3PT, 9-10 FT, 36 minutes

The Switch once again lived up to his nickname. Though a determined Hoyas' defense hounded Curry in the first half, limiting him to only 5 points, he flicked the lights on in the second half, earning 25 points and 4 threes as Davidson sprinted to a 74-70 win over Georgetown. Curry also sealed the game with his expert free-throw shooting (making nine out of ten foul shots on the game, most of them in the second half) and by collecting 3 steals. With the win, Davidson extended their winning streak to 24 consecutive games. 24 games! (Why don't we hear about this more often?). If Curry can stay hot, there's a good chance the Wildcats will continue on with their legendary streak.

Brook Lopez - Sophomore, Forward (Stanford)
30 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 10-20 FG, 10-11 FT, 28 minutes

After Trent Johnson was ejected, it looked like the Cardinal were finished. Marquette immediately whipped out a 9-0 run. The defense fell apart. And Stanford's lead assistant, face buried in his hands, did his best impression of Owen Wilson in Old School after he finds out his wife is messing around with pigs and blind-folded strangers. To make a long story short, things didn't look good. Fortunately, Tiger Woods had time to call in a pep talk to Brook Lopez at halftime and the 7'0" sophomore came out with both guns blazing. By the time the game was over, Brook had accumulated 30 points, including the game-winner from the right baseline with 1.8 seconds left in overtime, on 50% field goal shooting. It's a performance that would have made his idol Walt Disney proud. By the way, I was completely joking about the Tiger Woods pep talk. Seems feasible though, right?

Jerel McNeal - Junior, Guard (Marquette)
30 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 13-25 FG, 4-12 3PT, 34 minutes

Despite a tough loss for Marquette, I was left in complete awe of Jerel McNeal's performance. I have Stanford reaching the Final Four in my bracket and McNeal nearly gave me a heartattack down the stretch. He was a frenzied maniac; a shock of lightning; an absolute force of nature. The box score does not begin to do justice to the havoc he caused. Throughout the second half he flustered the Stanford guards, grabbed crucial rebounds and hit key shots from every spot on the court imaginable. McNeal is the ultimate late-game performer. I can't wait to see him again next season in Big East play.

Scottie Reynolds - Sophomore, Guard (Villanova)
25 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 7-15 FG, 4-7 3PT, 37 minutes

Who the hell expected Villanova to do this well? Not me, that's for sure. I haven't seen them play yet in the tournament, but apparently Scottie Reynolds is playing like a man possessed. Before the tournament began many experts predicted that Nova would go as Scottie did. I guess that's why they call them experts.

Ty Lawson - Sophomore, Guard (UNC)
19 points, 7 assists, 0 turnovers, 4 rebounds, 6-9 FG, 5-5 FT, 2-4 3PT, 24 minutes

Have you noticed that North Carolina, Kansas and Louisville haven't had many standout performances, despite blowout wins in both Round 1 and Round 2? Each gets solid production from key starters, each gets steady contributions from its bench and each wins with efficiency. It's a terrific balance of team and individual; exemplified perfectly by Ty Lawson. 7 assists and 0 turnovers, 66.7% field goal shooting and a perfect attendance at the free throw line. It sounds simple, but it's hard to get that kind of balance from your players night-in and night-out. Lawson brings it to the table every night and that's what makes him such a special player; UNC isn't a legit title contender without him.

Derrick Rose - Freshman, Guard (Memphis)
17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 6-14 FG, 4-9 FT, 39 minutes

The race between Rose and Texas' D.J. Augustin for best college PG in the nation has reached dizzying speeds. Both of these players just keep getting better and better. On Sunday, Rose had 7 assists, 1 turnover and 9 rebounds while Augustin racked up 8 assists, 3 turnovers and 3 steals. Each of them is intelligent and fearless. And both will do whatever it takes for his team to win. The main difference is that Rose is considerably larger (at 6'3", 205 lbs). This gives him a significant edge in my book because of the defensive and rebounding implications. We'll soon see if Rose's bulk makes a difference; these two floor generals seem to be on a collision course for the Elite Eight.

A.J. Abrams - Sophomore, Guard (Texas)
26 points, 4 rebounds, 7-13 FG, 6-10 FG, 6-6 FT, 40 minutes

Abrams has been an absolute assassin in the Big Dance. In Texas' two victories, he has shot a combined 58.6% from field goal range, including 60% from three-point land. Abrams was also a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line in a close 75-72 win over Miami on Sunday; each of those makes coming with under three minutes left in the game. Abrams is off to quite a start, and I'd hate to be the team that faces him right now, but it is a bit disconcerting that his tournament field goal percentage is nearly 14% higher than his season average. Considering the law of averages, look for a slew of missed shots from Abrams against Stanford on Friday, leading to an early exit for the Longhorns.

Courtney Lee - Senior, Guard (Western Kentucky)
29 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 9-15 FG, 7-8 FT, 4-5 3PT, 35 minutes

Heading into the first round of games, Lee was the player I hadn't seen yet that I was most excited to watch (if that makes any sense). I watched him play an integral role for Western Kentucky in the first half of their win over Drake; but in crunch time he all but disappeared and I got disappointed. What kind of player dominates a game, then disappears when his team needs him the most? I felt like I was watching a younger, slightly less explosive version of Vince Carter. With that said, I was really happy to see Lee's excellent showing in the second round against San Diego. He has a terrific first step, can create his own shot from anywhere on the court and rises above defenders to establish his jumper. As much as I like Lee, there's a definite possibility that he will disappear completely against a better opponent like UCLA. We'll see on Thursday, I guess.

Drew Neitzel - Senior, Guard (Michigan St.)
21 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 6-13 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-4 FT, 38 minutes

Drew Neitzel is tough as nails. His limiting defense was one of the main factors in MSU's gigantic win over Pitt on Saturday night. Freshman Derrick Rose has yet to face an opposing guard as ferocious as Neitzel, so Friday night's Memphis-Michigan St. matchup could be a lot closer than people seem to be anticipating. PG Levance Fields, Neitzel's draw in the Pitt game, is one of the better court generals in the college ranks, but Neitzel tore him apart en route to an 11-point victory. Fields had just 2 assists and 4 turnovers when faced with Drew's withering defense. Not to mention the fact that he was prodded into a 1-5 three point shooting performance. Will Memphis, at the hands of Neitzel, be the first of the four Monster #1 Seeds to fall in the tournament?

Kevin Love - Freshman, Center (UCLA)
19 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks, 7-12 FG, 4-5 FT, 34 minutes

Ok, you can officially save me a seat on the Kevin Love Bandwagon now. After watching Love step up the defensive intensity down the stretch against Texas A&M, I'm convinced that he can compete against any opponent, no matter the size. The Aggies led by as many as 10 in the early second half and momentum was squarely in their favor. But Love took his game to another level, hitting outrageous turnaround jumpers and knocking shot after shot back into the faces of A&M shooters. Along with teammate Darren Collison, Love forced open the jaws of death and led the Bruins to a 51-49 victory. Now that I've seen his desire to win, I'd take him in a heartbeat over seven-footers Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan in the upcoming draft.