March Madness 2013 Bracket: Teams with Rising Stocks After Day 3 Action

March Madness is only beginning in Thursday's Round 2 action, as several shocking developments have already occurred. Several teams stood out from Day 3's early play, though, and are seeing their stocks rise entering the Round of 32.

The Butler Bulldogs got down to business, as usual, with a 68-56 win over trendy upset pick Bucknell. Wichita State was the lower seed in a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup but destroyed the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second half. Meanwhile Michigan State looked as dominant as ever in a sharp opener to its tournament by thrashing Valparaiso.

Here is a breakdown of how each team got it done, and what their prospects are in the NCAA tournament moving forward.

Butler Bulldogs

Not sold on Butler this time around? The Bulldogs were a trendy pick to be upset by Bucknell on Thursday, but Brad Stevens' squad won in the all-too-familiar fashion that has made them such a captivating story.

Butler simply refuses to beat itself. No one had more than two fouls for the Bulldogs, who also turned it over just five times.

It's amazing what Butler is able to overcome thanks to sound fundamentals, suffocating defense and sensational poise on the March Madness stage, especially now that the Bulldogs aren't considered a mid-major upstart anymore.

Even 36 percent shooting, including sinking just three of 17 three-point attempts, didn't stop the Bulldogs from rolling through the second round.

Check out this tidbit from ESPN Stats & Info following the victory:

The Bison had the best player on the court in Mike Muscala and were arguably the better defensive team this season, but the senior center was completely neutralized for much of the afternoon.

Bulldogs center Andrew Smith had an absolute monster game, pulling down 16 rebounds and allowing Muscala to hit just four of his 17 field-goal attempts. Smith's play helped offset the impact of Bucknell forward Joe Willman, who led all scorers with 20 points.

As would be expected, Rotnei Clarke led Butler with 17 but needed 14 shots to get there. Opposing defenses can't get much tougher than that of Bucknell's.

It wouldn't be a shock to see the Bulldogs wind up in the Sweet 16, since Marquette barely slipped by its Round 2 matchup with Davidson and isn't nearly the defensive squad that the Bison are.

Wichita State Shockers

Speaking of defensive struggles, that was the case when the Shockers faced the Panthers and clung to a 26-21 halftime lead. After the break, though, Wichita State exploded for 47 points in the final 20 minutes to emerge with a decisive 73-55 triumph.

ESPN's Andy Katz described the bigger picture, and how the Shockers' win was even more important in the context of the Big East conference realignment.

Pittsburgh simply got into too much foul trouble, which let Wichita State relentlessly attack the rim. PG Malcolm Armstead was the catalyst, sinking all nine of his free-throw attempts en route to a game-high 22 points.

The Shockers shot a whopping 41 free throws on the day and represented the Missouri Valley Conference very well. There is reason to be optimistic about a trip to the Sweet 16, too.

In the third round, Gregg Marshall's bunch takes on No. 1 seed Gonzaga, who nearly made history but narrowly escaped its encounter with 16th-seeded Southern University.

Look for the Shockers to possibly pull off the big shocker in the impending round. They have the size, rebounding and outstanding depth to give the Bulldogs another big scare and possibly end the AP No. 1-ranked team's season earlier than expected.

Michigan State Spartans

As the only team in action from the nation's best conference, the Spartans refortified the notion that the Big Ten is indeed the premier league in college basketball this year.

It also helps that Tom Izzo is the coach, but Michigan State responded after a somewhat flat start to overwhelm Valparaiso 65-54—and it wasn't even that close.

Thanks to the beastliness of Derrick Nix, Sparty absolutely dominated. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com made a keen observation during the game of just how bad the Horizon League champion Crusaders were getting pummeled on the glass.

The Spartans wound up with 32 misses and stuck on 17 offensive rebounds due to a slight letdown at the end. Nine of those offensive boards were snagged by Nix, who finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds overall.

If Nix continues to assert himself like that in the paint and Michigan State gets solid production from the dynamic backcourt of Keith Appling and freshman stud Gary Harris, the Spartans have all the tools to make it to Atlanta.

The road doesn't seem too arduous in the near future, either.

Sparty will face Conference USA's only presence in the field in sixth-seeded Memphis while once again having a significant home-court advantage in the Palace of Auburn Hills.