NCAA Tournament: "Second" Round All-Tournament Team
College basketball is a team oriented game, but oftentimes in the NCAA Tournament there are individual performances that capture the spotlight.
My personal favorite weekend of the entire tournament is the opening round, or the "second" round as it is called in this new format.
This year, the first few days of the tournament has provided us with many dazzling performances by some of the games brightest stars, as well as a couple of stunning performances from names that you may or may not have heard of before.
With 32 games to comb through and so many great performances to choose from, it was certainly difficult to pick who would make a list of just 12 players (six honorable mention and six first team.)
My criteria tried to combine and balance big performances in big games with staggering numbers, and it also gave an added bonus to players who came through in the clutch.
So without further adieu, this is my 2011 NCAA "Second" Round All-Tournament Team.
Honorable Mention
1 of 7
G Jimmer Fredette (BYU): Fredette didn't have his best performance of the year, but he did tie the tournament leader by scoring 32 points, and converted on 10-12 free throws. He also showcased his impressive range on one occasion, but I imagine there will be much more to come for Jimmer.
F Chandler Parsons (Florida): Parsons was in one of the nail-biters that got all the Sportscenter praise, but Parsons quietly filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a blocked shot. None of that may jump off the page, but when you put it all together, Parsons had a heck of a ball game.
G Marquise Carter (Gonzaga): Carter had a huge game in the upset of sixth seeded St. John's, and has also lead the Zags to 10 straight victories since being inserted into the starting lineup. Against the Red Storm, Carter scored a season-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists. He also knocked down three of five from beyond the arc.
UNC's Frontline (Zeller, Barnes, Henson): UNC had no problem dismantling 15th seeded Long Island as expected, but the most dominating performance of the day was probably their entire front line. The talented and lengthy trio combined for a mind-blowing 84 points, 36 rebounds, and nine blocked shots. They also went an impressive 26-35 from the free throw line. I'm sure everyone expected the three of these future NBA players to put up big numbers against an inferior opponent, but this was impressive.
G Brandon Rozell (VCU): Everybody said coming into the tournament that VCU didn't belong in the field of 68, and while their resume may have been lacking, their two wins thus far have proven they can certainly play. Rozell has provided a huge spark off the bench all year long for the Rams, but Rozell went off in what many considered the biggest upset of the day, as VCU handily defeated sixth seeded Georgetown. Off the bench, Rozell put up 26 points and snatched a couple of steals, while going 6-10 from deep.
F Trey Thompkins (UGA): Georgia dropped a heartbreaker to seventh seeded Washington in Charlotte late Friday night, but it had nothing to do with Thompkins' performance. In the loss, Thompkins put up 26 points to go along with 11 rebounds on 11-14 shooting from the field.
G Terrence Hill (Morehead State)
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In a game that certainly busted thousands of brackets, one of the smallest men on the floor made the largest impact.
13th seeded Morehead State surged to victory against fourth seeded Louisville on the back of 6'1" Terrence Hill, as the Eagle point guard had the game of his life in this upset victory.
Hill was on fire against Rick Pitino's crew, as he poured in 23 points and grabbed a surprising eight rebounds. He also played the role of thief a few times, coming up with three steals. But Hill did the bulk of his damage behind the arc, nailing five of his six attempts from three.
G Juan Fernandez (Temple)
3 of 7
Juan Fernandez has played a huge role in the success of the Temple Owls all year, but the junior from Argentina had a season-high 23 points in the Owls' second round victory over the 10th seeded Penn State Nittany Lions.
Fernandez also added three rebounds and three assists, which made for a solid day.
However, it was Juan's off-balance 18 footer that went in with less than one second to play, which gave the Owls a two point lead, that earned Fernandez a spot on the "Second" Round All-Tournament Team.
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G Kevin Anderson (Richmond)
4 of 7
Kevin Anderson is another little guy who has come up huge in a ton of big games for the Richmond Spiders. The senior is no stranger to being the big man on campus, having scored over 2,000 points in his career.
But Anderson probably came up with the 25 biggest points of his career on Thursday, and more importantly he never left the floor in the Spiders three-point victory over fifth seeded Vanderbilt.
Late in the game, when the Spiders needed a bucket in the worst way, it was Anderson who provided a floater with under 20 seconds to play that sealed the Commodore's fate.
F Draymond Green (Michigan State)
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Draymond Green joins Georgia forward Trey Thompkins as the only loser on this list, but like Thompkins, Green had a huge day which has earned him a rightful place on this list.
Green put up a triple-double in the Spartans second round loss to the UCLA Bruins, putting up 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He also added four steals to an already crowded stat sheet, but despite his efforts the Spartans could not complete their comeback against UCLA.
F Tristan Thompson (Texas)
6 of 7
This talented young freshman from Canada grew up in front of our eyes on Friday, and the Longhorns needed every bit of production they could get from Tristan Thompson, as Texas held off the 13th seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies.
Thompson did most of his damage in the contest by hosting a block party that likely would have made even the biggest of Hollywood stars jealous.
Thompson had seven blocks on the game to go with his 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the Longhorns relied on Thompson for his help defense in many crucial situations in the game.
F Derrick Williams (Arizona)
7 of 7
Williams was probably the most underrated player in the country, but then every national pundit in the country told us how good he was before the tournament started, so I don't know that he qualifies anymore. But in case you haven't heard, the guy is REALLY good.
He showcased those talents in Arizona's second round matchup with the Memphis Tigers by putting up 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds, and I'm sure Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller wouldn't have minded to see Williams get even more touches because he was virtually unstoppable.
Williams grandest moment came in the waning moments, as he sent away a last second layup by a Memphis player that would have tied the game.
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
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