Day two of March Madness did not fail to disappoint. This is why March is the best month of the year. We had some close games, some near major upsets, and some dominant performances by the star players on the second day.
There were three players that had a major impact on their teams’ success on the second day of the first round and should continue to be the driving force for their respective teams to make a deep run in the tournament.
Mark Sears, Alabama, 6-1 Senior
Going into March Madness, Sears was a player to watch for No. 2 seed Alabama. In the first game of the tournament, he made a major impact. With a close win over No. 15 seed Robert Morris, Sears put up a 22-point, 5-rebound,10-assist stat line, and down the stretch made some big shots to ensure Alabama was victorious.In the first half, his pick and roll game with Clifford Omoruyi was incredible, and was causing plenty of problems for Robert Morris’ defense.
Alabama is projected to go on a deep tourney run and this performance from Sears will give them confidence in their round of 32 matchup with St. Mary’s (Calif).
Derik Queen, Maryland, 6-9 FreshmanThe Montverde Academy (Fla.) product and Baltimore product looked incredible from tip-off to the final whistle in the Terps’ dominant win over Grand Canyon. If Maryland continues to make a run in the tournament, you will surely hear about Queen’s play and how important he is to his team.
In the 81-49 win over the No. 13 seed, Queen put up a 12-point,15-rebound, 3-assist stat line, to go along with two blocks.
Colorado State is up next for Maryland, and Queen will need to stay on track because a potential Sweet 16 seed vs. Florida is a potential monster game. If the Terps are to have any chance, Queen will need to be dominant and stay out of foul trouble.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois, 6-6 Freshman
The diaper dandy was incredible in Illinois’ 86-73 win over Xavier. With a 16-point, 9-rebound, 10-assist stat line, Jakucionis’ assist output was a season-high. He was instrumental in orchestrating the Illini offense.Illinois is up for a tough task against No. 3 seed Kentucky in the Rond of 32, and Jakucionis, will need to be at his best to his team to advance.
The competition will heat up in the round of 32 over the weekend, so it will be interesting to see if the freshmen have two consecutive big games.
