Like a tornado that tears through the countryside, with shattered dreams of an existence that could have been being the only thing left in its wake, so too did the first four days of the Men’s NCAA Tournament— ravaging brackets until the carnage left behind looked like a scene out of I Am Legend. With most brackets having been destroyed (we still have three Final Four teams left) it’s time for an examination of what went right, what went wrong and what surprised us after the first weekend of play.
Let’s start by acknowledging those who brought their A game to the big dance.
Hoopers- Guys who have been flat out ballin. Period.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (Michigan)— The killer crossover doesn’t fall too far from the tree. We had the Wolverines bowing out of the tournament early, not because they’re short on talent, but because it appeared they had peaked too soon. But John Beilein has managed to right the ship (for at least one weekend anyway) as the Maize & Blue went through South Dakota State (more on that later) and Virginia Commonwealth buzz saw style. The VCU game was particularly impressive.
Michigan took both teams apart and Hardaway Jr. was arguably the best player on the floor, averaging 17.5 ppg and .666 shooting from three-point range. He, along with Glenn Robinson III (who has also been stellar) and Trey Burke are like the new collegiate version of Run T.M.C.
For those unaware, Run T.M.C. was the nickname bestowed upon Tim Hardaway Sr., Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin when they all donned blue and gold for the run-&-gun Golden State Warriors some 20+ years ago (an obvious play on one of the greatest rap groups of all-time). If only these Michigan men had they’re own nickname that was a play on the name of a musical trio…
Let’s see…hmm…uh….
Wait, I’ve got it!
TGT! (Tim, Glenn & Trey! It works!!!)
Nothing says “ferocious competitors that are an unstoppable force of domination when engaged in battle” like TGT!
Khalif Wyatt (Temple)— This guy was a one-man wrecking crew in the first two rounds of the tournament. Philly hasn’t seen a guy carry a team like that since Iverson in 2001. His 62 points in two games were memorable, especially since half of those came against Victor Oladipo, one of the premiere perimeter defenders in the nation.
Ramon Galloway (La Salle)— The Explorers from La Salle are the only 3-0 team in the tournament, this due to the fact that they won a play-in game last Wednesday. In those three games, Galloway has averaged 21.3 ppg on .537 shooting, 4.0 rebounds and a shade under 4.0 assists per game. If FGCU is the “Cinderella” of the dance, then La Salle has to be…the Keyshia Cole of the tournament. Right?
Aaron Craft (Ohio State)— With apologies to scoring machine Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft has to rep the Buckeyes on this list. While his numbers haven’t been dazzling, Craft’s true value to his team has never been more evident than in Sunday’s game against Iowa State. He was able to shake off some late game struggles to complete a driving three-point play, draw a heroic — albeit controversial — charge call, and with the game tied and the clock winding down, Craft provided us with the single most memorable moment of the tournament to date…
Sidebar: The only thing this shot was missing was Gus Johnson.
Russ Smith (Louisville)— He’s been the best player on the most dominant team through two games. While Smith’s idiosyncrasies on the court are still a bit disconcerting, he’s been able to harness that energy and instead used it to fuel his defensive intensity— hence his 5.0 steals per game. However, his 25.0 ppg average would indicate he’s left plenty in the tank for offense as well.
The only question now is whether or not Smith will be able to continue this against tougher competition. Louisville has basically made their first two opponents look like church league teams.
Brett Comer (FGCU)— No story has been better than that of the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles. This is a college that is less than 20 years old and nobody had really heard of as recently as two weeks ago. They even had open tryouts before the start of the season!
Now, they’ve knocked of Big East powerhouse Georgetown, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen and captivated the nation all in one weekend! And their games have more exciting to watch than anyone’s. Everybody on this team has springs! They caught so many lobs, they earned the nickname “Dunk City”, which has even inspired multiple YouTube videos.
Sidebar: Dunk City 1 and Dunk City 2. Fake Mustard on the beat, hoe!
HHSR has vehemently rejected this name in favor of the much better “Lob University” — as in Lob (Univer)City, get it? — and we REFUSE to let it die!
While Sherwood Brown has received most of the attention, it is the point guard Comer that is averaging a double-double (11.0 ppg and 12.0 apg). He’s looked like Ricky Rubio the way he’s controlling the tempo and setting up his high-flying teammates. The dunks are the catalyst for FGCU’s backbreaking scoring runs and Comer is the catalyst for the dunks. So yeah, the catalyst of the catalyst deserves some love. No doubt.
Jeff Withey (Kansas)— There has been no better center in the tournament than the senior from San Diego. He is (by far) the biggest reason why Kansas survived — let me say that again — survived the opening weekend of the tournament. The Jayhawks were sleepwalking through the first 3 halves of the tournament; it wasn’t until the second half against North Carolina on Sunday that they looked like anything resembling a #1 seed.
But it was Withey’s ability to utterly consume all activity in the paint that led to Kansas pulling out two victories. They held Western Kentucky and Carolina to a nightmarish .318 and .301 shooting respectively, mainly because teams cannot score at the rim on the Jayhawks.
Just watch the games. Not only is Withey (16.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 5.0 bpg) blocking shots, he’s also changing about 5-10 shots per game at the cup, and basically everybody that looks at him while going into their shot tosses up a brick, regardless of their location on the floor.
Defense matters. And Withey is on the short list for MOP so far.
Sleepers- Guys that might be slept on, but shouldn’t be.
Mitch McGary (Michigan)— While very solid in his first game, McGary was unbelievable against VCU. 21 points on 10-11 from the field and 14 rebounds? Those are SlamBall numbers! Between McGary and TGT, the Wolverines have looked as good as any team to this point.
Andre Hollins (Minnesota)— Not to be confused with teammate Austin Hollins (no relation), Andre was ballin on the low for the Golden Gophers. Still, his 26.5 ppg average in the tournament was not enough to get his team to the round of 16, nor was it enough to salvage his coach’s job.
Sidebar: Are we really firing Tubby Smith and Ben Howland? Just firing coaches with Final Four appearances and National Championships on their resumé? Is that what’s hot in the streets? Do these colleges realize just one team can win it all each year? Who are they gonna get that’s better?
Mark Lyons (Arizona)— The senior guard has been awesome for the Wildcats. He’s upped his scoring average by 10 ppg so far in the tournament. However, he was kept off the Hoopers list because he’s torched inferior competition (Belmont & Harvard) in the first two rounds. Put up another 25 on .450 shooting or better against Aaron Craft and the Buckeyes and then we’ll talk.
Damyean Dotson (Oregon)— The Oregon Ducks are in a weird spot. They were a popular upset pick after the general public felt they were jobbed on their seeding. But then they knocked off a five seed and a four seed in consecutive games, which ordinarily would garner them some national exposure. But with La Salle and Lob University running around, they’re impressive run has taken a back seat. Only FGCU’s combined opponent’s seeding (defeated a two seed and a seven seed) are on par with Oregon’s.
Dotson has quietly been terrific. His 23 point performance against Saint Louis — who spent this entire game running in slow motion compared to the Ducks— was a teaser for what we can expect when he takes on Russ Smith, Peyton Siva and the Louisville Cardinals. That should be one of the more exciting Sweet Sixteen contests.
Cleanthony Early (Wichita State)— After games of 21 points and 16 points, one could easily argue that Early has been the best sixth man in the tournament. The Shockers seem to be one of those teams where a different guy steps up each night. But the community college transfer has been consistent enough to get his team through the first weekend. Wichita State also knocked off #1 seed Gonzaga, whom we said last week was an unproven group susceptible to an upset.
Still gotta earn those stripes, Gonzaga.
Marshall Henderson. Funny? Yes. Entertaining? Definitely. Annoying? Probably. Hooper? Not in this tournament.
Scrubs- Guys that have taken sucking in the tournament to new heights.
Ben McLemore (Kansas)—The most high-profile of all the slumpers; the lights might be a little too big for the Kansas swingman. Though he has #1 overall draft pick talent, McLemore has done nothing through two games. His nothing weekend was highlighted by his 0-9, 2 point performance against Carolina (Is it possible to highlight nothing?).
McLemore’s assertiveness has been wildly inconsistent this year, but Kansas cannot survive without his production. He needs to figure it out soon or his team will be watching the Final Four from the crib.
Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)— Much was made about his early round matchup with Michigan’s Trey Burke. But as it turned out, Wolters (and Burke too, for that matter) delivered a colossal shitshow of a performance. He was 3-14 for just 10 points. In related news, South Dakota State was eliminated in their first NCAA tournament game.
Tray Woodall (Pitt)— The Panthers leading scorer was so bad against Wichita State, he made Nate Wolters look like Playoff Jordan. He finished with 2 points on 1-12 shooting, 0-5 from three-point range, one assist, five turnovers and five fouls! Two completely speculative words suddenly come to mind…
POINT SHAVING! Woodall took the dough. He just had to!
I’m just gonna toss that out there and see what happens.
Marshall Henderson (Ole Miss)— The “incredible douchebag” who won me over was far more bark than bite in the tournament. Despite pulling a first round upset, Henderson shot just 6-21 against Wisconsin. Knowing his team needed him to step up to reach the Sweet Sixteen, Henderson bounced back with an 8-21 performance in a loss to La Salle. That’s .333 on 42 shots in two games if you’re scoring at home. His NCAA tournament definitely would’ve made Yo Gotti and Gucci Mane proud.
The tournament resumes tomorrow. With any hope, we will see a few more buzzer-beaters and a few less referee controversies this weekend. But something tells me we haven’t finished sifting through the debris of March Madness.
See you next week— and bring your hard hat.