NCAA Tournament 2013: Breaking Down Day 6's Best Performances

Hyperbolic claims aside, Day 6 of the NCAA tournament may have been the best one yet. We had upsets, legendary achievements and individual performances that exceeded any of our expectations.

The question is, what were Day 6's best performances?

We had it all, from individual scoring outbursts to defensive clinics. We even saw history made, as a No. 15 seed made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in NCAA history.

So how did it all transpire?

Florida Gulf Coast

Final Score: 81-71, Win

Opponent: No. 7 San Diego State, South Region

How do you pick out one player from a team that became the first No. 15 seed in NCAA history to make the Sweet 16?

Florida Gulf Coast made history on Sunday, defeating the San Diego State Aztecs by a score of 81-71. Five different players scored in double figures and Eric McKnight added nine points.

Bernard Thompson contributed 23 points, four rebounds, two assists and five steals. Sherwood Brown added 17 points.

Point guard Brett Comer tallied 10 points and 14 assists.

From start to finish, the Eagles played as a cohesive unit and transcended the notion of possessing a star player. Instead, every player on the floor played an equal role as they ran to their second consecutive upset.

What more can you say about one of the greatest Cinderella stories ever?

Rion Brown, Miami Hurricanes

Final Score: 63-59, Win

Opponent: No. 7 Illinois, East Region

Stat Line

21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-of-10 3PT

On a night in which Brandon Paul led Illinois to a near-upset, the Miami Hurricanes were in need of scoring. With Shane Larkin, Durand Scott and Kenny Kadji all struggling, an unfamiliar face stepped up.

Rion Brown, who averaged 6.0 points per game during the regular season, dropped 21 on 5-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.

Brown scored eight points during the final 10 minutes, including the game-sealing free throws. He also converted five three-point field goals, which was more than Paul and D.J. Richardson combined.

With Miami's stars struggling, it was Brown who led Miami to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2000.

Aaron Craft, Ohio State Buckeyes

Final Score: 78-75, Win

Opponent: No. 10 Iowa State, West Region

Stat Line

18 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound, 2 steals

During the first 39 minutes of Ohio State's victory over Iowa State, Aaron Craft mixed extreme highs and devastating lows. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, those highs were so beneficial that they led to victory.

Just check Craft's game-winner with 0.5 seconds remaining.

Craft struggled early, turning the ball over often and missing four important free throws. With that being said, he also scored 18 points, dished out six assists and came up with two steals.

That includes a handful of key defensive stops and the game-winning three-pointer.

Craft may have committed mistakes, but like any great player, he righted those wrongs. That includes contributions on both ends of the floor.

The next time you'll be commenting on Craft's abilities will be in the Sweet 16.

Ramon Galloway, La Salle Explorers

Final Score: 76-74, Win

Opponent: No. 12 Ole Miss, West Region

Stat Line

24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 6-of-10 3PT

Florida Gulf Coast isn't the only magical story, as the La Salle Explorers have gone from a play-in game to a berth in the Sweet 16. A major reason for their success has been the shooting of Ramon Galloway.

Galloway's most recent outing saw the scoring guard post 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block. He also shot 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.

For perspective, Galloway hit six three-pointers and Ole Miss hit four as a team.

He may not have the biggest name in the tournament, but Galloway is one of the better scorers still playing. He dropped 21 in the play-in game, 19 in the round of 64 and now 24 in the round of 32.

What's up next when the Explorers take on No. 9 Wichita State with an Elite Eight berth on the line?

Andre Hollins, Minnesota Golden Gophers

Final Score: 78-64, Loss

Opponent: No. 3 Florida, South Region

Stat Line

25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 6/10 3PT

Minnesota may have come up short, but the last person you're going to see blamed is scoring guard Austin Hollins. After all, it was Hollins who made this game look anything close to respectable.

Dropping 25 points, five rebounds and two steals only begins to scratch the surface of how great Hollins was.

Three other Minnesota players scored in double-figures against the Gators. Those played combined to shoot 9-of-25 from the field and 2-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Hollins shot 8-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-10 from distance.

Unfortunately, the Golden Gophers just weren't able to provide the supporting fire necessary to achieve victory. Fortunately for Hollins, he put in the type of performance that Minnesota will long remember.

An outstanding performance by an excellent player.

Korie Lucious, Iowa State Cyclones

Final Score: 78-75, Loss

Opponent: No. 2 Ohio State, West Region

Stat Line

19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 6-of-9 FG, 5-of-7 3PT

Matched up against a familiar foe, Korie Lucious was outstanding. Lucious, a transfer from Michigan State, dropped 19 points and four assists against Ohio State.

That includes five of Iowa State's 12 three-point field goals.

Furthermore, Lucious scored or assisted 14 of Iowa State's final 22 points. This opened the door for the Cyclones to close out this game with a victory.

Even as they came up short, Lucious was phenomenal against his former conference rival.

Victor Oladipo, Indiana Hoosiers

Final Score: 58-52, Win

Opponent: No. 9 Temple, East Region

Final Score

16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 7-of-12 FG

Victor Oladipo did all he could to stay in front of Temple scoring guard Khalif Wyatt. More times than not, he succeeded in gaining position but still fell short of preventing Wyatt from scoring.

Fortunately, Oladipo found a way to right all wrongs by draining a game-winning three-pointer with 14.0 seconds remaining.

That shot was right on par with what Oladipo was doing all game. He scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, grabbing three offensive boards in the process.

Oladipo finished with a total of eight rebounds.

For a player that has been named as a Naismith Award finalist, Oladipo did all he could to prove worthy of the hype. When it came to the closing minutes, it was Oladipo, and not Wyatt, who stepped up to secure the W.

The sign of a great player.

Travis Releford, Kansas Jayhawks

Final Score: 70-58, Win

Opponent: No. 8 North Carolina, South Region

Stat Line

22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 9/13 FG

More known as one of Kansas' role players, senior swingman Travis Releford was sensational against North Carolina. He led all scorers with 22 points, achieving said feat by draining 9-of-13 field goal attempts.

Paired with eight rebounds and three steals, it's safe to say that Releford was on his game.

The senior's contributions helped Kansas combat an early run by the Tar Heels. Even as teammate Ben McLemore went 0-for-9 from the field, Releford found a way to clean up every miss and take on the scoring burden for the freshman star.

Without Releford's efforts, you could make the case that the Jayhawks would be watching the Sweet Sixteen from home.

Mike Rosario, Florida Gators

Final Score: 78-64, Win

Opponent: No. 11 Minnesota, South Region

Stat Line

25 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 6-of-9 3PT

The Florida Gators secured a blowout victory over Big Ten opponent Minnesota. By taking down the No. 11 seed, the Gators will now make their third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.

Mike Rosario was the driving force behind their 78-64 win.

Rosario was sensational, scoring 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor. Furthermore, Rosario shot 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.

That includes a huge triple in which Rosario halted a Minnesota run that had previously cut the Gators' lead to 10.

To pad the stat sheet, Rosario picked up two steals. To say that the Rutgers transfer was sensational would be an understatement.

Rosario was the best player on the floor.

Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke Blue Devils

Final Score: 66-50, Win

Opponent: No. 7 Creighton, Midwest Region

Stat Line

21 points, 5 rebounds, 5-of-9 FG, 3-of-5 3PT

When No. 2 Duke took on the No. 7 Creighton Blue Jays, many expected the stars to shine. Unfortunately, neither side received the contributions expected of their star performers.

Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry combined for 9-of-22 shooting.

With Duke's primetime performers taking a break from their scoring duties, freshman Rasheed Sulaimon stepped up. By stepped up, I meant to say that Sulaimon was the best player on the floor.

Sulaimon finished with 21 points and five rebounds on just nine field-goal attempts. He went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and made 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.

In turn, Sulaimon was able to will the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time since 2009.

Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State Buckeyes

Final Score: 78-75, Win

Opponent: No. 10 Iowa State, West Region

Stat Line

22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 8-of-14 FG, 2-of-4 3PT

Aaron Craft may have hit the game-winning three-pointer, but Deshaun Thomas was the one who kept the Ohio State Buckeyes in their game against Iowa State. Without his 22 points, OSU might not be moving on.

The story of the Buckeyes' season.

For what he lacked on the glass, Thomas made up for in offensive versatility. Not only was the 225-pound forward pounding it inside, but he stepped back and drained two key three-point field goals.

Craft had the late-game heroics, but Thomas was brilliant from start to finish.

Jeff Withey, Kansas Jayhawks

Final Score: 70-58, Win

Opponent: No. 8 North Carolina, South Region

Stat Line

16 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks, 1 steal

Jeff Withey put on a defensive clinic against the North Carolina Tar Heels. In fact, he put on one of the greatest performances in the illustrious history of the Kansas Jayhawks.

Just check the numbers.

"

Jeff Withey is the 1st Kansas player with 14+ pts, 15+ reb and 4+ blk in a NCAA tourney game (blocks official in 1986)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 24, 2013"

Incredible.

For the game, Withey finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks. That includes a late blocked jump shot that sealed Kansas' victory.

A dominant performance by Kansas' veteran big.

Khalif Wyatt, Temple Owls

Final Score: 58-52, Loss

Opponent: No. 1 Indiana, East Region

Stat Line

31 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 12-of-24 FG

With one look at his stat line, you could tell that Khalif Wyatt had an outstanding game. After all, scoring 31 points against No. 1 Indiana is no easy task.

The fact of the matter is, even an outstanding stat line can't tell the true story of his performance.

Wyatt was tasked with scoring against Victor Oladipo. For those unfamiliar, Oladipo is a Naismith Award finalist and, arguably, the best all-around defender in the nation.

Even still, Wyatt managed to score 31 points.

Not only did he post big numbers, but Wyatt carried his team to a near-upset of No. 1 Indiana. If not for Oladipo's late-game heroics, Wyatt's outstanding play may have been reflected in a win.

Either way, Wyatt was one of the best individual performers of the day.