NCAA Tournament 2012: Winners, Losers, Heroes and Goats of Day 5

It was another fantastic day of madness at the tournament in the first day of the Round of 32. It was all chalk today, but that doesn't mean there was a lack of excitement. 

Almost every game was in doubt into the closing minutes. In the end, the favorites all won, and this sets up for some powerhouse matchups in the Sweet 16. 

Check out this slideshow for a recap of all of the day's excitement. 

No. 1 Syracuse vs. No. 8 Kansas State

Final Score: Syracuse 75, Kansas State 59

Hero: Scoop Jardine

If Syracuse is going to succeed in this tournament despite the absence of Fab Melo, then senior guard Scoop Jardine is going to have to be on top of his game. And he was. 

Had 16 points, eight assists and even pitched in five rebounds. He was the table-setter all game as he drove the lane to break down the defense and give easy looks to his teammates. 

He was also efficient with his own offense, as he finished 5-9 from the field. 

Goat: Angel Rodriguez 

Rodriguez is just a freshman. So the fact that he struggled on the big stage is not unexpected or a huge indictment of him as a player, but it does not change his lackluster results. 

Rodriguez bettered his season average by scoring 11 points, but it took him going 3-11 from the field to do so. 

This isn't what really marred his performance, though. He had four turnovers and just one assist. A performance like this from the primary distributor is something that is almost impossible for any team to overcome. 

What's Next for Syracuse? 

The Orange will take on No. 4 Wisconsin in their next game. Syracuse will have to bring their offense as the Badgers feature the nation's stingiest defense. 

No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Gonzaga

Final Score: Ohio State 73, Gonzaga 66

Hero: Deshaun Thomas 

Jared Sullinger was forced to the bench with early foul trouble, and Thomas elevated his game in his absence. 

He had 18 points and pitched in seven key rebounds. Thomas finished 7-15 from the field and was 3-7 from beyond the arc. 

The sophomore forward's production was above his season averages of 15.5 points and five rebounds per game. Sullinger was around to score some big buckets late, but the Buckeyes never would have been in that position were it not for Thomas' stellar play. 

Goat: Kevin Pangos 

Freshman guard Pangos could not get it going today. He had 10 points and was 3-13 from the field and 2-8 from distance. 

This comes after a fabulous season where he averaged 13.8 points on 43.9 percent shooting and 40.7 percent from three-point land. 

Pangos faced tough defensive pressure all game, but he has the ability to shoot over that defense and couldn't get it done today.

What's Next for Ohio State? 

The Buckeyes await the winner of the No. 3 Florida St. vs. No. 6 Cincinnati matchup. They have not played either team yet this year.  

No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 6 Murray State

Final Score: Marquette 62, Murray State 53

Hero: Jae Crowder

Senior forward Crowder was everywhere in this game, which is no surprise. He has been fantastic all season. 

Often when a player makes as big an impact in a game in as many ways as Crowder does, it doesn't always translate in the stat line. That is not the case with Crowder for this game.

Check out this stat line: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists

Time and again he was coming up with big plays, and he is the obvious choice for the hero.  

Goat: Donte Pool 

Pool's shot was off at the start of the game. It was off at the end of the game, and it was off at all points in between. 

He finished with seven points and was just 3-13 from the field. He was especially off from beyond the arc, where he finished 1-9. 

At some point, Pool should have just stopped shooting. 

What's Next for Marquette? 

Marquette awaits the winner of the Florida vs. Norfolk State. Florida will be big favorites in this game, but Norfolk State doesn't care about being underdogs. 

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt

Final Score: Wisconsin 60, Vanderbilt 57

Hero: Ryan Evans

Evans played a solid game of both ends of the floor and made the biggest play of the night for Wisconsin. 

That came in the closing seconds as Vanderbilt's John Jenkins' three-point go-ahead shot was just long. There was a fierce battle under the hoop and the 6'6" Jenkins came down with the board with just 2.1 seconds remaining. 

He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. 

Goat: John Jenkins

Jenkins came into this game averaging 19.9 points per game. He got 13 in this one on just 3-13 shooting. 

The shooting woes were not entirely Jenkins' fault. He was under intense defensive pressure all game. He didn't have one open look until the final one that Evans rebounded. And that is where the goat status comes in. Jenkins has to drill that open look. 

What's Next for Wisconsin? 

Up next for Wisconsin is No. 1 seed Syracuse. The Badgers have to like their chances in this game knowing that Syracuse will be without their stud defensive center, Fab Melo. 

No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 12 VCU

Final Score: Indiana 63, VCU 61

Hero: Cody Zeller

The freshman forward was not going to let Indiana be denied. They had to come from behind to pull this one out and Zeller was at the center of these comeback efforts. 

He grabbed several big rebounds and did a nice job of taking the ball to the hoop late, which resulted in a crucial late and-one. 

He finished with 16 points on 5-9 shooting and had a whopping 13 rebounds. 

Goat: Shaka Smart

Smart is an amazing coach. It is a testament to his ability that his team was even in this position. However, VCU was up late in this game and they continued to chuck up threes...and brick them. 

He needed to put a halt to that, call a timeout and come up with a play that resulted in a good high percentage shot. 

VCU missed six of their last seven shots and five of those six misses were on three-pointers. 

What's Next for Indiana?

The Hoosiers now face the No. 1 overall seed Kentucky Wildcats. This is a daunting task, but Indiana is one of only two teams to beat Kentucky this year. 

No. 1 Kentucky vs. No. 8 Iowa State

Final Score: Kentucky 87, Iowa State 71

Hero: Marquis Teague

The freshman guard set a career high by going for 24 points. His previous high was 17 points. 

He was simply outstanding in this game going 10-14 from the field. He also pitched in seven assists, four rebounds and had just two turnovers. 

Kentucky couldn't have asked for anything more. 

Goat: Chris Allen

It's hard to pinpoint a goat for the Cyclones. They were simply outplayed. Allen gets the nod here because despite scoring 16 points he was just 6-19 from the field, and that included a putrid performance from distance, where he was just 1-10 from behind the arc. 

What's Next for Kentucky? 

Kentucky will now try to avenge one of their two losses of the season as they take on Indiana. The Wildcats fell to the Hoosiers 73-72 back on December 10th. 

No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 11 Colorado

Final Score: Baylor 80, Colorado 63

Hero: Brady Heslip 

Heslip was outstanding. He played 39 minutes and dumped in 27 points. He did this largely on the strength of his three-point shooting. 

Heslip was an amazing 9-12 from beyond the arc. He had just one shot that was not from three-point land and that was a miss. 

He shattered his season average with this performance as he scored just 9.6 points a game this year. 

Goat: Carlon Brown

Heslip must have stolen Brown's three-point shots because the usually reliable Brown was 0-5 from distance. 

Brown ended with 13 points on 6-14 shooting, but had he been able to make a few from downtown this would have been a different game. Colorado had a lead late in this game and then went ice cold. 

What's Next for Baylor? 

Baylor is in a nice position. They will await the winner of No. 15 Lehigh and No. 10 Xavier. 

No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 New Mexico

Final Score: Louisville 59, New Mexico 56

Hero: Russ Smith

This sophomore guard offered a huge spark for the Cardinals off the bench. He had 17 points in just 23 minutes on 5-12 shooting. He was also 3-3 from three-point land. He also pitched in two assists and had three big steals. 

Goat: Tony Snell

At 10.7 points per game, Snell is the Lobos' third leading scorer. He was essentially non-existent in this game. 

He had just three points on 1-5 shooting. All of his shots came from beyond the arc. He also had two assists to two turnovers. 

What's Next for Louisville? 

Louisville now awaits the winner of No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 9 St. Louis. They have not faced either team this season.