The Real March Madness: Day 1

Everyone loves the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Four straight days jam-packed with 12 hours of do-or-die college hoops is more than most people can handle.

But for junkies like us, the next 13 days are just as good, for it is when the true Madness takes place. Over the course of these two weeks, we whittle some 347 teams down to 30 conference champions (the Ivy doesn't have a tournament). Auto-bids will be won. Bubbles will be burst. Buzzers will be beaten. And most importantly, a 65 team bracket will be made.

Here is what happened on Tuesday


Game of the Day: Tennessee Tech 68, Austin Peay 65

You could call this one the "upset of the day" as well. The 6-seed Golden Eagles won on a game-winning 3-pointer by Kevin Murphy with six seconds left to edge out the 3-seed Governors. Murphy also led all scorers with 18 points, as he rallied his team back from eight down in midway thru second half. Austin Peay's Anthony Campbell hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game before Murphy sank the dagger. Both teams shot very well in the second half. Tennessee Tech remains the only sub-.500 team left in the OVC tournament with a 15-16 (8-10) record.

They were good too

• Radford 64, Charleston Southern 61 OT: Charleston Southern very nearly made us look, well, very dumb for saying the Highlanders could win a game in the tournament. Down 16 at the half, the Buccaneers got 11 of Jeremy Sexton's 18 points in the second half and forced overtime on a layup by Kelvin Martin. But Radford would score the first six points of OT and hang on despite missing four of five free throws late, three of which were front-ends.
  

Player of the Day: Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford

The "Belarusian Beast" scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Radford past Charleston Southern 64-61 in overtime in the Big South conference tournament. The big man was 9-11 from the field and committed only two fouls in his 43 minutes of action. The 6'11 beast will be the difference-maker for Radford this post-season (he has to be). No other Big South roster has a player big enough or skilled enough to stop Parakhouski, who was the Big South Player of the Year for the second year in a row. The OVC's third-seeded Winthrop Eagles will be the next team to try and stop him.

They were good too

• JP Primm, UNC-Asheville: Primm very nearly went all triple-double on High Point. He finished with 23 points, 11 assists, and a measley 7 boards from the point guard spot as he led the Bulldogs to an 84-73 win.
  

Team of the Day: Detroit Titans

The 6-seed Titans out-hustled and out-played the 7-seed Crusaders of Valparaiso 89-82 in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament. Chase Simon led the Titans with 24 points but center Eli Holdman had an even better night, scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Detroit held Valparaiso to 39.7% from the field and out-rebounded the crusaders 44-27. The teams had split home wins during the season, but Detroit was able to get the road win when it mattered most. They advance to play 3-seed Green Bay.

They were good too

• Morehead State Eagles: Morehead State wants to make it back to the tournament. I think thats pretty obvious. The Eagles blasted Jacksonville State in the opening round of the OVC tourney, jumping out to a 37-9 lead before heading into halftime with the score 45-14. Kenneth Faried, who figured he didn't impress enough NBA scouts with his play last March, had 24 points and 19 boards, with 8 coming on the offensive end.
  

Tournament Results

Big South Conference Tournament
First Round (at higher seeds)
#4 UNC-Ashville 84, #5 High Point 73
#3 Winthrop 80, #6 Liberty 72
#2 Radford 64, #7 Charleston Southern 61 OT
#1 Coastal Carolina 82, #8 VMI 73

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
First Round (at higher seeds)
#4 Eastern Illinois 68, #5 Eastern Kentucky 61
#6 Tennessee Tech 68, #3 Austin Peay 65
#2 Morehead State 87, #7 Jacksonville State 54
#1 Murray State 84, #8 Tennessee State 51

Horizon League Tournament
First Round (at higher seeds)
#7 Detroit 89, #6 Valparaiso 82
#5 Cleveland State 80, #8 Loyola 66
#4 UW-Milwaukee 73, #9 Illinois-Chicago 67
#3 UW-Green Bay 81, #10 Youngstown State 67


Wednesday's Slate of Tournament Games

Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
First Round (Macon, GA)
2:30PM - #8 Kennesaw State vs. #1 Lipscomb
9:00PM - #7 North Florida vs. #2 Jacksonville

Patriot League Tournament
First Round (at higher seed)
7:00PM - #8 Army at #1 Lehigh
7:00PM - #7 Holy Cross at #2 Bucknell
7:00PM - #6 Colgate at #3 Lafayette
7:30PM - #5 Navy at #4 American

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The seven best players you don't know about

It is not that difficult for the casual college hoops fan to rattle off an all-american team. Luke Harangody, Evan Turner, the three-headed monster at Kansas, the Great Wall of Kentucky. But when you strictly talk about the all-american teams, you only begin to scratch the surface of the wealth of talent spread across the college basketball landscape. Seldom does the nation's leading scorer come from a power conference, and while this likely speaks volumes about the level of competition said player faces, it does nothing to diminish how good that player actually is.

Here is our list of seven guys currently flying under the national radar. It is far from a comprehensive list, and we would love to hear your input as to who we missed:


Ekpe Udoh, Baylor: 13.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 4.1 bpg, 56% FG

We consider ourselves firmly implanted on the Udoh bandwagon. Udoh is an athletic, face-up four who took one look at John Beilein and his, for lack of a better term, Beilein offense before bolting Michigan for Baylor. After sitting out a season, Udoh has clearly significantly improved. His production is up across the board. While his shot-blocking and rebounding numbers are quite impressive, what makes Udoh so good is his ability on the offensive end. He has been used quite a bit by Scott Drew as a face-up post in the 15 foot range, with excellent results. While his ball-handling and footwork could still use some polish, Udoh's quickness and length has allowed him to be an effective weapon. Whether that continues in Big XII play is another question, but based on what we've seen, Udoh is by far the best interior player on both ends for a team currently sitting at 11-1.

Ekpe Udoh has been a pleasant surprise for Baylor this season.
(photo credit: Draft Express)

Darington Hobson, New Mexico: 16.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.5 apg

Hobson was a highly touted recruit in high school, but grade problems forced him to spend two seasons at a JuCo. Now that he is finally at New Mexico, Hobson is making his presence felt. The 6'7" Hobson is as versatile player as you are going to find at this level. His height, length, and athleticism makes him most suitable for playing the three, but he plays almost like a point guard. He is at his best when he puts the ball on the floor, getting to the basket or drawing a defender and finding an open teammate. Given his size, athleticism, and skill set, Hobson can play three positions on the floor, and can even provide some help at the four if need be. Think a left-handed poor man's version of Evan Turner.


Elijah Millsap, UAB: 16.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg

Rebounding must run in the family. The younger brother of Paul Millsap, the former Louisiana Tech star now on the Utah Jazz, has been great this year after sitting out a season transferring to the Blazers from Louisiana-Lafayette. Elijah is shorter than Paul, and also a bit more slender and athletic, which allows him to play on the perimeter. But that lack of size doesn't keep Elijah from attacking the glass, as evidenced by the 9.7 rpg he averages or the 15 boards he grabbed against Cincinnati.

Elijah Millsap has been UAB's best player this season.
(photo credit: Birmingham News)

Jeremy Lin, Harvard: 17.4 ppg, 4.7 apg, 5.0 rpg, 2.8 spg

More than likely, you've heard the name Jeremy Lin before at least in passing as he has been featured by the WWL twice this season. If you haven't, shame on you, because Lin has been one of the best not just in the Ivy, but in the country. He is the only low-major player on the Wooden Top 30 list, and has done enough to draw the attention of the NBA. Lin isn't an overwhelming athlete. He's not particularly strong, he isn't a great shooter, and he's not going break many ankles. But there isn't a facet of the game that he struggles in, and he's proven to be an incredibly efficient player. The numbers he posts don't come as a result of being isolated and allowed to beat his man. He gets his buckets within the flow of the offense, and while playing off the ball he has essentially become the main facilitator for Harvard offensively. Oh, and he performs against top tier competition - he put 30 on UConn in a six point loss and dropped 25 when Harvard won at Boston College.


Aubrey Coleman, Houston: 25.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg

Coleman is the nation's leading scorer this season, and with every 30 point game, it is becoming harder and harder to ignore what this kid is doing on the hardwood. While he isn't all that big (6'3") and is far from the nation's best athlete, Coleman has a chiseled frame and an old school game. Coleman does the majority of his damage in the mid-range. He isn't dunking on opponents, and he isn't going to hit 28 footers all game. But he will make contested pull-up and step-back jumpers all day long, and has shown great instincts as a scorer. Its too bad that he will probably always be known as the guy that stepped on Chase Budinger.


Jimmer Fredette, BYU: 21.6 ppg, 5.6 apg, 44% 3's

Fredette burst on the national scene with a 49 points, 7 board, 9 assist performance at Arizona. Well, he "burst on the scene" as much as you can when you go off in a game that ends around midnight on the east coast and isn't televised nationally. Fredette is about as pure of a shooter as you are going to find, but his biggest strength is his ball-handling ability. Don't be surprised if you see some of his crossovers end up of Sportscenter's top 10. While he isn't the best athlete in the world, he is crafty around the rim and has a great touch which allows him to make some very difficult shots in the lane. Fredette is the leader for a BYU team that is sitting at 14-1. Don't be surprised if you see this kid taking, and making, a lot of big shots in March.

Jimmer Fredette has led BYU to a spot in Kenpom's top 10.
(photo credit: Wikimedia)

Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford: 23.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg

Parakhouski is young in basketball terms. Yes, he is 22 years old, but the 7'0" Belarusian is in just his sixth season of organized basketball. It is easy to assume that a seven-footer playing in the Big South puts up numbers simply because he's the biggest guy on the floor, which is usually a safe assumption. But Radford has played some good competition this season, and Parakhouski has performed very well against them: 23 and 14 against Duke, 26 and 20 at Duquesne, 21 and 13 at Kansas, 24 and 6 against William & Mary, and 34 and 12 against George Mason. Parakhouski's skills look pretty good at this point in his career - he has an above average back-to-the-basket game - and once his awareness and understanding of the game catches up, he may just end up being an NBA player. Those don't grow on trees at schools like Radford.


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