NCAA Tournament 2012: Top Standout Players in the Round of 64
NCAA Tournament 2012: Top Standout Players in the Round of 64
With blowout wins, upsets and even missed calls, the Round of 64 was a thrilling one. After two days of great basketball, the Round of 64 is over in the NCAA tournament.
Every year there are torn up brackets, but with those come the standout players who thrive in the March spotlight.
Here, we have some of the top standout players of the Round of 64 to watch going into the Round of 32.
Rodney McGruder: Kansas St.
In their first game against No. 9 Southern Miss, the Kansas St. offense was all Rodney McGruder.
The junior guard was the reason that the Wildcats were able to advance. While the rest of the team took some time to get into the flow of the game, McGruder took no time and attacked. Every time the Wildcats needed a big basket, McGruder was there, scoring 30 points.
Syracuse is going to have a lot on their plate trying to guard this kid.
John Jenkins: Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt might be the most dangerous team in the tournament after winning the SEC tournament. With a full head of steam, Vanderbilt kept the momentum going against Harvard in the First Round.
Standout junior John Jenkins did not disappoint, either. Jenkins was the spark plug of this team, giving them everything they need with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
If Wisconsin wants to move on to the Sweet 16, this is one player they are going to have to stop first.
Andre Roberson: Colorado
Only a sophomore, Andre Roberson is playing like a senior on a mission. In his first NCAA tournament appearance, Roberson did not disappoint, by putting Colorado on the map.
Averaging a double-double in the regular season, Roberson continued his ways by scoring 12 points and grabbing 16 rebounds against the favored UNLV.
The next round against Baylor should be a good matchup of length between Roberson and Perry Jones III.
Royce White: Iowa St.
Going up against the defending champs, Royce White and Iowa St. came out aggressive in the first half, which made it hard for UConn to even come back from the first punch.
White not only attacked the boards (13 rebounds), but also added 15 points in the win. He also played great defense on the Huskies bigs, making Andre Drummond a non-factor in this game.
VCU Rams
VCU does it again: ranked as the No.12 seed, they upset another team. You really can't find one standout on this team, because as a whole, this team feeds off each other.
The one person that does standout is coach Shaka Smart. Being an underdog again didn't phase the coach, who has shocked the world and busted some brackets across the country.
Watch out for the Rams again this year—another Final Four appearance could be on the horizon.
D.J. Cooper: Ohio
D.J. Cooper was the best guard on the night, while going against Tim Hardaway Jr. This was supposed to be an easy win for Michigan's tournament hopes, but Cooper had other plans.
Scoring 21 points, Cooper was not going to be denied a win on this night. Making all the right plays asked of him was all Ohio needed to get past No. 5 Michigan.
C.J. McCollum: Lehigh
C.J. McCollum saved one of his best games for the right time, against No. 2 Duke. McCollum had an offensive explosion against the Blue Devils, scoring 30 points.
Coach K and his team could not stop the kid who propelled his team to another one of the biggest wins in NCAA tournament history.
Hopefully McCollum still has some left in the tank for Xavier in the next round.
Kyle O'Quinn: Norfolk St.
Kyle O'Quinn and the Norfolk St. Spartans pulled off one of the biggest upsets by beating No. 2 Missouri yesterday.
After four years at NSU, O'Quinn was awarded with a NCAA tournament win and national attention. Missouri had no answer for the big man who had 26 points and 14 rebounds, looking unstoppable on the block.
This could be a fairy tale in the making if NSU can keep winning. Next up is No. 7 Florida.