Player of the Round: Texas took what was a close game with Minnesota in the first half and made it theirs. A.J. Abrams led the way for the Longhorns, leading all scorers with 26 points, and shooting 8 of 15 from downtown. In what was a relatively even game in non-scoring categories, Abrams proved to be the difference, as he took Texas on his back and carried them to the second round.
The Unexpected: The only lower seed to win a game in this bracket was Wisconsin, but that was less of a surprise than American University's performance against Villanova. The Eagles kept the score close throughout the first half and built a 10 point lead by halftime. A 19-2 run by Villanova in the latter part of the second half secured the win for the Wildcats. American senior guards Garrison Carr and Derrick Mercer combined for 39 points in the losing effort.
Honorable Mention: East Tennessee State had the best performance by a 16 seed in recent memory, giving Pittsburgh quite a scare.
Best Team Performance: Wisconsin trailed Florida State by 12 at halftime, only scoring 19 points in the first half. The Badgers came out strong defensively in the final 25 minutes, holding Florida State to fewer combined points in the second half and overtime than in the first half. Wisconsin did a great job of sharing the basketball, as four Badgers ended the day with double figures, despite the team only scoring 61 points.
Looking Ahead: Each of the second round matchups features a higher seeded team east of the St. Louis arch against a team west of the arch (I'm counting Wisconsin in the west, they are very close in terms of east-west to the arch). Will the underdog west step up its game and overcome the higher seeded east? Can Pittsburgh, Villanova, and UCLA shake off poor first round performances and continue their run for an NCAA title?
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