March Madness Scores 2012: Most Underrated Team Performances from Second Round

Norfolk State and Lehigh obviously stick out, but there are many more fantastic performances from the second round's second day that are going largely unnoticed.

Here's a look at some teams whose Friday performances are being underrated.

Creighton Bluejays

For the whole season, Creighton has had the ability to score at will. The Bluejays shoot 50.7 percent from the field (first in the country), score 1.17 points per possession (second in the country), and pour in 79.4 points per game (ninth in the country). They also rank in the top 10 in a bunch of other offensive categories.

But against Alabama, Creighton couldn't get comfortable. The Crimson Tide pride themselves on slowing down the pace and playing hard-nosed defense, and they did just that.

Because of its defense, Alabama led for most of the game, and it seemed impossible for Creighton to make a comeback.

Yet Creighton still overcame a second-half deficit of 11 points. Considering they only scored 58 points on the night, that's incredibly impressive.

We all know Creighton can score and run with anyone (Sunday's game with UNC is going to be thrilling). But now that they've proved they can win a defensive-battle, it's clear the Bluejays are very dangerous.  

Florida Gators

Much like Alabama, Virginia enjoys slowing the pace and playing a lot of defense.

Unlike Creighton, however, Florida refused to play along. The Gators imposed their superiority over the Cavaliers by dominating them on the 'boards and putting up 71 points in a huge 26-point victory.

That's all the more impressive considering the Gators, who usually live by the three, hit just 4-of-23 shots from deep. If they actually start hitting some of those shots, watch out.

Georgetown Hoyas

The Hoyas' win over Belmont, a 14-seed, doesn't look overly-impressive on the surface, but there are many factors in play here.

First, the Bruins are much better than most people think. They played both Duke and Memphis close earlier this season, and they would have given most three-seeds a lot of problems.

Second, Georgetown was a popular upset pick. They haven't won a tournament game in a few years, and that has included some ugly upsets. It seemed like no one trusted them in this game.

Third, the Hoyas looked fantastic on the court. This game was an all-out domination. On defense, Georgetown is incredibly long, and no shot came easy against them.

On offense, they looked comfortable in the half-court and on the fast-break. Now that they have that early-exit hump off their back, look for the Hoyas to make a deep run if they continue to play like this.