March Madness Popular Players

SI Staff | Mar 26, 2013

March Madness Popular Players /

March Madness Popular Players

Tyrone Garland

<bold><italics>Players who've caught our eye in the NCAA Tournament.</italics></bold> <bold>Tyrone Garland ranks third on the Explorers in scoring (13.0) but the junior has been key to their offense in the NCAA tournament, dropping 22 points in La Salle's First Four victory over Boise State and another 17 in its Round of 32 win over Ole Miss on Sunday. Garland's layup against the Rebels with 2.5 seconds left -- which he dubbed the "Southwest Philly Floater" -- punched the Explorers' ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1955.</bold> <bold><italics>(Who would you add to the list? Send comments to siwriters@simail.com)</italics></bold>

Sherwood Brown

<bold>Sherwood Brown is helping make Florida Gulf Coast the tournament's best story, surpassing his season scoring average (15.6) with 24 points against Georgetown and 17 points against San Diego State. The Eagles' guard is finding his stroke from three-point territory, hitting 5-of-9 (.556) from deep in the tournament.</bold>

Shane Larkin

<bold>The Hurricanes are headed to the Sweet 16 for only the second time in school history largely on the shoulders of Larkin (right), Miami's leading scorer (14.5 points per games) and the son of baseball great Barry Larkin. Shane nailed a three-pointer with one minute left to give the 'Canes the lead for good in a Round of 32 matchup with Illinois, setting up a meeting with Marquette in the Sweet 16.</bold>

Aaron Craft

<bold>Aaron Craft bounced back from a sluggish four-point outing in a second-round win against Iona with a clutch performance against Iowa State. The junior broke open a tie game with a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left, holding off the Cyclones' upset bid with a cap on an 18-point night. And Craft is still a key playmaker for Ohio State: He's averaging 6.5 assists in the tournament.</bold>

Victor Oladipo

<bold>Victory Oladipo emerged as a legit player of the year candidate in the second half of the regular season, even in the shadow of star Hoosier teammate Cody Zeller. The junior is proving his worth in the tournament as well, averaging 13.5 points through two games. Oladipo stifled an upset bid by Temple in the Round of 32 by knocking down a three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining on Sunday, pushing Indiana into the Sweet 16.</bold>

Ron Baker

<bold>Despite missing a sizable chunk of the season with a stress fracture, the Wichita State freshman tied for the team lead with 16 points as the Shockers pulled off arguably the biggest upset of their season against top-seeded Gonzaga in the Round of 32. Baker contributed a late three-pointer in a streak that saw the Shockers connect on five straight shots from deep to subdue the Bulldogs.</bold>

Vander Blue

<bold>Vander Blue's left-handed layup with a second left gave Marquette a 59-58 win over Davidson in the first round and threatened to make him a household name. Two days later he scored 19 second-half points (29 overall) in a 74-72 comeback win over Butler. He's trying to lead Marquette to its first Final Four since Dwyane Wade pulled off the feat in 2003.</bold>

Arsalan Kazemi

<bold>The Ducks' 6-7 forward has been a force on the boards in Oregon's early tournament games, which have both been upsets. Kazemi grabbed 17 rebounds in a win over Oklahoma State and hauled in 16 rebounds against Saint Louis. Kazemi's 16.5 boards per game is tops among postseason participants.</bold>

Russ Smith

<bold>Smith leads one of the favorite teams to take home the title and is the Cardinals' main offensive weapon through two tournament games. Smith (18.4 points per game this season) is averaging 25.0 points on 17-of-31 shooting after Louisville's victories against North Carolina A&T and Colorado State.</bold>

Jeff Withey

<bold>Kansas couldn't have advanced to last year's national title game without Withey -- and he's at it again. He had 16 rebounds, 16 points and five rebounds in a win over Carolina, marking the fourth time in tournament history that a player had at least a 15-15-5 line.</bold>

Brett Comer

<bold>Perhaps the headliner of the crew from "Dunk City," Comer reached double-figures in scoring only twice in Florida Gulf Coast's previous 10 games before the tournament. The sophomore is now averaging 11 points per game in tournament play, but it's been his playmaking that has kept the Eagles alive. Comer is averaging 12 assists per game through two tournament contests, tops in the country during postseason play and nearly double his season average of 6.6.</bold>

Peyton Siva

<bold>The veteran Louisville guard was named Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament for the second consecutive year after setting the tournament record for steals (he had seven against Notre Dame alone). Siva is the school's all-time steals leader and the most hellacious part of Louisville's suffocating full-court press. He already has six takeaways in the NCAA Tournament. Siva was also a 2012-13 Academic All-America selection.</bold>

Erik Murphy

<bold>The Gators' big man is one of the more efficient post players through the tournament's early contests. Murphy is hitting at a .684 clip (13-of-19) from the field and averaging 16.5 points per game for Florida. But the senior's contributions don't stop in the paint: He's 4-of-7 on three-pointers in the tournament.</bold>

Mark Lyons

<bold>Lyons has come alive in March with 50 points through two of Arizona's tournament games, including 27 against Harvard in the Round of 32, which matched a career-high. Lyons, a Xavier transfer, averaged only 12.4 points per game in the five games leading up to the tournament.</bold>

Trey Burke

<bold>Trey Burke's performance in Michigan's opening tournament game against South Dakota State (six points on 2-12 shooting) likely left many Wolverines fans worried for Big Blue's title hopes. But the sophomore rebounded with an 18-point effort in getting past VCU and into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1994.</bold>

Deshaun Thomas

<bold>The Buckeyes' leading scorer (19.7) hadn't eclipsed the 20-point mark since mid-February, but Thomas is averaging 23 points on 16-of-26 (.615) shooting through Ohio State's first two tournament wins. Thomas now has 162 career points in the NCAA tournament, tied for 2nd most in Buckeye history.</bold>

Mike Rosario

<bold>The senior guard was white hot against Minnesota, draining six of nine three-point attempts and scoring 25 points in 34 minutes for the Gators. Rosario is banged up -- he's healing from a broken finger, a bad ankle and a hip pointer -- but showed his perimeter prowess against the Gophers. </bold>

Michael Carter-Williams

<bold>Carter-Williams' point production has been erratic in Syracuse's two tournament games, with a four-point effort against Montana followed by a 12-point outing vs. Cal. But the sophomore guard has remained a key cog in the Orange's tournament offense by averaging six assists per game for Sweet 16-bound Syracuse.</bold>

Seth Curry

<bold>Duke battled foul trouble and poor shooting to survive Creighton in the Round of 32, and Seth Curry's 17 points helped the Blue Devils live on to see the Sweet 16. Curry has 43 points through Duke's two tournament contests.</bold>

Derrick Nix

<bold>The burly 270-pound forward is a space eater for the Spartans and has been a consistent scorer in the Spartans' first two games. Nix (who was part of the odd towel slapping fight with Keith Appling), was unstoppable against Valparaiso (23 points, 15 rebounds) and shot 56percent from the field against Memphis.</bold> <bold><italics>(Who would you add to the list? Send comments to siwriters@simail.com)</italics></bold>

Published Mar 26, 2013

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