The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game. 
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp; 
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead. 
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference. 
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away. 
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis. 
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime. 
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
&nbsp;
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
&nbsp;
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp; 
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead. 
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference. 
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away. 
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis. 
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime. 
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
&nbsp;
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
&nbsp;
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference. 
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away. 
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis. 
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime. 
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
&nbsp;
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
&nbsp;
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis. 
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime. 
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
&nbsp;
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
&nbsp;
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
&nbsp;
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
&nbsp;
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
&nbsp;
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
&nbsp;
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The second day of the 2022 NCAA tournament featured some slugfests, some blowouts, as well as a First Four team surviving another day. The Round of 32 is now completely locked-in, and we&rsquo;ll also take a peek at the must-watch matchups for Saturday.&nbsp;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
West Region: 11-seed Notre Dame defeats 6-seed Alabama 78-64
Alabama in recent seasons has had a strong program, with a number of players in the conversation for the NBA draft. This year the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including a major win over arguably the best team in college basketball, Gonzaga, but also key SEC and non-conference losses that show in their 19-13 record coming into this game. Notre Dame had their fair share of ups and downs as well, but came into this first round matchup with momentum off their First Four double-OT win against Rutgers. The upset potential was apparent, and the Fighting Irish delivered behind a huge game from Cormac Ryan. The junior guard finished with a season-high 29 points, well above his 9.2 PPG average. Ryan has been coming on strong for the Irish with 20 and 16 points in their last two games respectively. Thanks to the efforts of Ryan and impressive freshman wing Blake Wesley &mdash; he scored 18 &mdash; Notre Dame moved on to play third-seeded Texas Tech in the second round.
Midwest Region: 11-seed Iowa State defeats 6-seed LSU 59-54
These were two teams with similar records that had similar patterns to their seasons &mdash; they both started the year with 12 game winning streaks that went through Christmas. However, playing in two of the best conferences in the country in the SEC and Big 12, both teams took their lumps through the remainder of the season. Although Iowa State took an 11-point lead around the 7-minute mark in the second half, LSU made an 11-1 run that brought the game within one point with under two minutes remaining. Iowa State pulled out the low scoring win with Tyrese Hunter being the team's major difference maker, dropping 23 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman guard&rsquo;s clutch shooting clinic included two late threes that helped Iowa State pull away from the Tigers at the end. Hunter&rsquo;s 5 steals also led a stingy Cyclones defense that recorded 15 total. Iowa State&rsquo;s victory means they advance to the second round to take on third-seeded Wisconsin on Sunday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
BEST GAMES OF THE DAY
Midwest Region
No. 10 seed Miami defeats No. 7 seed USC 68-66
This matchup was tightly contested throughout the first 15 minutes, until Miami began to break the game open and took a 13-point lead with three minutes remaining in the first half. USC&rsquo;s offense grew stagnant, and the Hurricanes took advantage with a 31-20 lead at halftime. However, the Trojans came fighting back to begin the second half with two threes and a fast break layup from Isaiah Mobley (he finished with 11 points) to bring them within one. From this point it was a back and forth battle that favored Miami, yet USC would manage a big basket to keep it close &mdash; USC was down by seven points with 45 seconds left in the game. A Doug Peterson three, a Miami out-of-bounds call, and then another Peterson three brought the Trojans back within one, with 25.3 seconds left in the game.
After free throws from both teams, it was tied at 66 in the final moments. Charlie Moore drove to the lane and attempted a contested layup, which earned him a foul call. Moore stepped to the line and knocked down two free throws to seal the game. A halfcourt heave at the buzzer almost fell for Doug Peterson &mdash; he ended the game with a valiant effort of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Miami&rsquo;s Isaiah Wong led the Hurricanes with 22 points while dealing with foul trouble and Moore followed with 16 points. Miami will see second-seeded Auburn in the second round.&nbsp;
South Region
No. 4 seed Illinois defeats No. 13 seed Chattanooga 54-53
Illinois only led this game for 25 seconds, but it was the most important time to do so. Chattanooga jumped on Illinois early, with a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes. The Mocs had control over most of the first half, but a Fighting Illini run at the end of period brought the score to 33-29.&nbsp;
The second half started much like the first with Chattanooga playing good basketball and giving themselves an 11-point cushion, but a very resilient Illinois team fought back again and kept the game within one or two possessions over the course of the closing minutes. After some questionable possessions by Chattanooga, Illinois took its first lead of the game on a Kofi Cockburn putback with 47 seconds remaining. The Mocs received a trip to the line on the next possession and two free throws were knocked down by SOCON Player of the Year Malachi Smith (who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds), which gave his team the lead.
On the following possession Alfonso Plummer was fouled and hit two free throws for the Illini to take the lead back. On the final possession, the Mocs gave the ball to Smith who had two looks to take home the win &mdash; he was blocked on a left hand drive, then shot a last second midrange jumper that went just a tad long. Cockburn finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Plummer provided 15 points of his own. Illinois avoided the upset and will face fifth-seeded Houston on Sunday.
West Region
No. 7 seed MSU defeats No. 10 seed Davidson 74-73
An up-and-down season for Michigan State had some experts predicting Davidson would come away with this game. However, an impressive 27 points on 9-12 from the floor by Joey Hauser was the big difference.
An interesting storyline revolved around Davidson&rsquo;s transfer starting point guard, Foster Loyer &mdash; he's a Michigan native who made the move down to play with the Wildcats after three seasons of limited production for the Spartans. This proved to be a good move for Loyer, as he&rsquo;s been the leading scorer and assist man for Davidson with 16.1 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. The motivation was there for Davidson, and the team played with a confidence that showed each time the team came up with an answer to Michigan State&rsquo;s attempts to pull away.
Davidson took a five-point lead with under seven minutes to go, but with some big buckets by Hauser, heady play by AJ Hoggard (14 points) and a three from Gabe Brown (12 points), the Spartans made a 10-0 run to take a five-point lead of their own with under four minutes left. Michigan State had an eight point lead with one minute remaining, but a late push by the Wildcats with some great clock management, clutch baskets and pressure defense that led to a bad MSU turnover brought the game back in reach. However, in the end, Michigan State was able to close it out with two Tyson Walker free throws. Michigan State will take on second-seeded Duke in the round of 32.
No. 3 seed Wisconsin beats No. 14 seed Colgate 67-60
Colgate is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country, and came into this game on a 15-game winning streak. The Patriot League champs made sure Wisconsin knew this one wouldn&rsquo;t be easy. However, this would be the Raiders&rsquo;s biggest test, as the Badgers won the Big Ten regular season championship and have a projected lottery pick in Johnny Davis.
Colgate found success scoring the ball from inside before unleashing their long-range prowess. Senior Nelly Cummings for Colgate finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists &mdash; he gave the Badgers trouble on all three levels. Cummings even locked the game at 28-all with a baseline reverse layup at the buzzer to go into halftime.
But the stars shine bright on the big stage and, after a slow start, Johnny Davis got going in the second half. Davis finished with 25 points on 8 for 20 shooting from the floor and added 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Tyler Wahl followed Davis with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals of his own. The Raiders played a strong game but wore down as the battle-tested Badgers showed up down the stretch. Wisconsin has a date with 11th-seeded Iowa State in the next round.
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OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
2-seed Auburn defeats 15-seed Jacksonville State 80-61
East Region
3-seed Purdue defeats 14-seed Yale 78-56
6-seed Texas defeats 11-seed Virginia Tech 81-73
South Region
No. 1 seed Arizona defeats No. 16 seed Wright State 87-70
No. 2 seed Villanova defeats No. 15 seed Delaware 80-60
No. 5 seed Houston defeats No. 12 seed UAB 82-68
No. 7 seed Ohio State defeats No. 10 seed Loyola Chicago 54-41
No. 9 seed TCU defeats No. 8 seed Seton Hall 69-42
West Region
No. 2 seed Duke defeats 15-seed Cal State Fullerton 78-61
No. 3 seed Texas Tech defeats 14-seed Montana State 97-62
MUST-WATCH SECOND-ROUND GAMES ON DAY 3
No. 1 seed Gonzaga vs. No. 9 seed Memphis - 9:40 PM EST
A highly anticipated second round matchup of two potential top-10 picks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Duren.&nbsp;
No. 1 seed Baylor vs. 8-seed North Carolina - 12:10 PM EST
Baylor is missing two key pieces due to injury, &mdash;LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua &mdash;&nbsp;while UNC is playing some of its best basketball of the season. Caleb Love is worth keeping an eye on.
No. 4 seed UCLA vs. 5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s - 7:10 PM EST
The Bruins are hoping to get back to the Final Four while Saint Mary&rsquo;s wants to prove the WCC isn&rsquo;t just run by Gonzaga. This could be a battle.
No. 7 seed Murray State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s 7:45 PM EST
Does Saint Peter&rsquo;s have more magic for a Sweet 16 birth? Or will Murray State's toughness win out?
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Blake Hairston takes us through the upsets and thrillers of Day 2 of the NCAA DI men's basketball tournament, plus a preview of Day 3.

March Madness: Recapping Day 2 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend.&nbsp;
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day one you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown, and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day one you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown, and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day one you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown, and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown, and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown, and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (with Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (with Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers' next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (with Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers' next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53
&nbsp;

We made it through the first day of March Madness! Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while the other 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Let&rsquo;s see who remains&hellip;
UPSET ALERT&nbsp;
East Region: 15-seed Saint Peter&rsquo;s defeats 2-seed Kentucky 85-79 in overtime
Starting with the true bracket buster of day 1, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks upset the Kentucky Wildcats. Oscar Tshiebwe gave everything he had (as expected) with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance, but Kentucky&rsquo;s perimeter players (TyTy Washington, Kellen Grady and Sahvir Wheeler) had trouble generating offense. The Peacocks shined behind Daryl Banks III&rsquo;s 27 points and Doug Edert&rsquo;s 20 points off the bench. The game remained tight the whole way through, staying within six points, and the game was tied at the end of regulation. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion pulled away with clutch plays and defensive stops that showed they weren&rsquo;t afraid of the highly decorated program. Saint Peter&rsquo;s will be taking on the 7-seed Murray State on Saturday. (For more on this upset, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/putting-saint-peters-shocker-over-kentucky-in-historical-context" target="_blank" rel="noopener">check out Bryan Fonseca's article</a>).
Midwest Region: 12-seed Richmond defeats 5-seed Iowa 67-63
The annual bracket experts are well aware that the 12-5 matchup is always on upset watch, but since Iowa had a strong run for a Big Ten Tournament championship and one of the top NBA Draft prospects in the tournament in Keegan Murray, they felt like the pick here. But Richmond reminded the country that they too won a conference tournament championship last week and the Atlantic 10 knows them very well. Senior guard Jacob Gilyard played all 40 minutes and gave the Spiders 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Junior forward Tyler Burton and senior forward Nathan Cayo added 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Iowa&rsquo;s projected lottery pick Murray finished the game with 21 points and 9 rebounds, but there was a lull in his offense in the second half that could&rsquo;ve been the difference-maker. Richmond will face 4-seed Providence in the second round.
South Region: 11-seed Michigan defeats 6-seed Colorado State 75-63
In a matchup that many thought had upset potential, the Wolverines came away as victors over the Rams after a slow start. Colorado State jumped on Michigan in the first half and led by as many as 15 points, but Michigan proved their Power 5 experience had tested them enough to overcome the deficit. Hunter Dickinson ended as the game&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. Frankie Collins filled in at point guard for the injured Devante&rsquo; Jones and finished with a respectable 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Michigan finds 3-seed Tennessee waiting for them in the next round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
West Region: 12-seed New Mexico State defeats 5-seed UConn 70-63
New Mexico State grabbed another win for the 12 seeds today as they knocked out UConn in the first round. This game was owned by Aggie guard Teddy Allen, who was locked in after starting the game 0-for-6 and finished with 37 points. New Mexico State as a team shot nearly 65% from three, which proved to be the difference-maker, with the Huskies only hitting 30% from deep. Allen looks to add another hot performance to his March Madness resum&eacute; on Saturday against Arkansas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GAMES OF THE DAY
West Region: 9-seed Memphis defeats 8-seed Boise State 64-53
The Memphis Tigers continued their strong play in the latter portion of the season and finished with a big win against Boise State. Memphis went into halftime with a 19-point lead, but a slow start by the Tigers led to the Broncos clawing themselves back into the game. DeAndre Williams ended the game with 14 points while projected NBA Draft lottery pick Jalen Duren had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. NBA executives and March Madness fans are getting the Duren-Chet Holmgren matchup they&rsquo;ve been clamoring for since Sunday night, as Memphis takes on Gonzaga this weekend. (This game also featured a surprise cameo from Emoni Bates, who finished with just 3 points in three minutes).
East Region: 7-seed Murray State defeats 10-seed San Francisco 92-87 in overtime
If you stayed up to watch one of the nightcap games of day 1, you probably watched Murray State and San Francisco battle it out. This game saw San Francisco guard Jamaree Bouyea score a career-high 36 points including some big shots to extend the game. However, it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the balanced attack of&nbsp; Murray State&rsquo;s KJ Williams, Trae Hannibal, Tevin Brown and Justice Hill with scoring totals of 18, 18, 17, and 15 (with Hannibal&rsquo;s 18 coming from the bench). The Racers' next test comes from the &ldquo;bracket busters&rdquo; themselves, the Saint Peter&rsquo;s Peacocks this weekend.
OTHER FIRST-ROUND RESULTS
Midwest Region
1-seed Kansas defeats 16-seed Texas Southern
4-seed Providence defeats 13-seed South Dakota State 66-57
9-seed Creighton defeats 8-seed San Diego State 72-69
East Region
1-seed Baylor defeats 16-seed Norfolk State 85-49
4-seed UCLA defeats 13-seed Akron 57- 53
South Region
3-seed Tennessee defeats 14-seed Longwood 88-56
West Region
1-seed Gonzaga defeats 16-seed Georgia State 93-72
4-seed Arkansas defeats 13-seed Vermont 75-71
East Region
8-seed North Carolina defeats 9-seed Marquette 95-63
5-seed Saint Mary&rsquo;s defeats 12-seed Indiana 82-53
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Sixteen teams saw their dreams shatter while 16 teams advanced to the Round of 32. Blake Hairston recaps day one of March Madness.

March Madness: Recapping Day 1 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against MSU&rsquo;s rangy wings Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked 7th on our latest NBA Draft Big Board at BasketballNews.com.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked 7th on our latest NBA Draft Big Board at BasketballNews.com.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked 7th on our latest NBA Draft Big Board at BasketballNews.com.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on our latest NBA Draft Big Board at BasketballNews.com.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on our latest 2022 NBA Draft Big Board at BasketballNews.com.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year. But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three).
Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year.
But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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In recent NBA Draft history, there's been a common theme with potential lottery picks &mdash; standing about 6-foot-6 with a near-7-foot wingspan, having an &ldquo;NBA-ready&rdquo; frame and being athletically gifted.
Those players often have all the natural gifts but, to some extent, lack the ball skills or jump shot to make a high-level impact on the offensive end early in their NBA careers. Nevertheless, the physical tools are usually too intriguing to pass up, which results in their eventual lottery selection.
The early careers of those players see their teams utilize them as athletic defenders who are deployed as cutters and drivers on offense, while their jump shot flashes potential, and offseasons are spent tightening their handle and tweaking their shot form. Sound familiar?
We&rsquo;ve seen the successes of Jaylen Brown, the struggles of Stanley Johnson and the work-in-progress of Isaac Okoro.&nbsp;While his physical measurements may fit the previously stated description, Adrian Griffin Jr. &mdash; a.k.a. AJ &mdash; is creating his own narrative.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Duke Blue Devils' freshman is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 50.2% from the field and 46.7% (!) from three going into the NCAA Tournament. Griffin was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, but missed most of his junior and senior seasons with injury. He also began his first year at Duke with a knee sprain, which set him back at the start of the season.
After a limited first four games of the season, Griffin played his first 20-plus-minute contest against Lafayette that prompted his rise back up draft boards, finishing with 18 points on 70.0% from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Although the following three games resulted in limited minutes for AJ, the South Carolina State matchup once again reminded scouts of how high-level a draft prospect he is; Griffin had a 19-point, 7-for-8 showing.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/80an0XQHbSg" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
From then on, Griffin&rsquo;s minutes increased, as it seemed he was getting stronger and more comfortable on the court post-injury. The freshman had notable road performances at Wake Forest (22 points, 8 of 11 FG), Louisville (22 points, 8 of 11 FG, 5 of 5 from three) and North Carolina (season-high 27 points, 11 of 17 FG) that secured Duke major wins in the ACC.&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s so interesting about Griffin as a prospect is the fact that his athleticism was his calling card in high school, yet he hasn&rsquo;t been reliant on it to be successful in college. He&rsquo;s found success with his impressive shooting outings. When watching him shoot the ball, his wide base is a bit unorthodox, but the top of his release is fluid, and you can&rsquo;t argue with the results. If Griffin faces a hard close out, he utilizes side steps, step backs and various dribble combinations to freeze his defender or create enough space to get off a smooth release.
When run off the three-point line, Griffin has flashed an ability to get into the mid-range and convert. He finishes around the basket well because of his strength, but may leave something to be desired considering the athletic pedigree he had in high school. This could be a result of his injury history but, a 58.0% field goal percentage around the rim (per InStat) could provide confidence that, as he gets stronger, he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his ability to finish against NBA defenders.
At this point, Griffin has a strong foundation as a prospect that profiles as a powerful and versatile wing with the potential to comfortably score the ball on all three levels. He has a solid handle that continues to improve, and upside as a long-armed defender who projects to guard 2-through-4.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ke66p9aJBXU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It&rsquo;s no surprise that NBA scouts never hesitated after Griffin&rsquo;s slow start, even if injuries will remain a question mark. BasketballNews.com Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock never lost sight of Griffin&rsquo;s major upside, and provided his thoughts on the Blue Devils swingman as we enter the NCAA Tournament:
<blockquote>
I saw Duke on opening night at Madison Square Garden when they played Kentucky. Griffin scored 2 points in 11 minutes. Then I saw Duke again a few weeks later in Las Vegas when they played Gonzaga. He didn't even score in that game and only played 6 minutes. To say that he started the season off slow would be an understatement. Despite Griffin's lack of production or playing time, I was able to watch him work out before both of those games. The combination of his physical profile and shooting ability was undeniable. I knew it was just a matter of time before it clicked for Griffin, but I was beginning to question if he would be able to get things rolling in time to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. But then, it clicked, and although he's been a little up-and-down.
He's put together some huge games where he has shot the ball incredibly well. He also can create his own shot as he has a sweet step-back move. Although Griffin's freshman season has been a roller coaster, he has established himself as a likely lottery pick in this upcoming NBA Draft. We currently have him ranked No. 7 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
</blockquote>
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/obty0o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Tournament Outlook
March Madness is a time where the best players can shine the brightest, and there have been times this season where Griffin has been the most impressive player on the floor for the very talented Blue Devils. If Duke is going to make a deep run in this year&rsquo;s tournament, the team's going to continue to need Griffin&rsquo;s floor-spacing to shoot them into games &mdash; or to put games out of reach.
With the added context that this will be Mike Krzyzewski's final March Madness, there will be a heightened pressure on the Blue Devils to produce a strong run for Coach K. This tournament is also going to be important for Griffin to solidify his draft positioning, as he did end the ACC Tournament championship with his worst volume-shooting performance of the season in a loss to Virginia Tech (10 points, 1 of 8 from three). Duke&rsquo;s potential matchup against Michigan State in the second round could be a game to watch, as Griffin may line up against the Spartans&rsquo; rangy wings in Gabe Brown and fellow freshman Max Christie.&nbsp;
Griffin&rsquo;s quiet start to the year hasn&rsquo;t matched how important he became to Duke this year.
But on the game's biggest stage, Griffin is preparing for his grand crescendo.
AJ Griffin is currently ranked No. 7 on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Blake Hairston analyzes how important AJ Griffin has become for Duke this season and why he's risen up 2022 NBA Draft boards.

2022 NBA Draft: Pre-NCAA Tourney look at Duke's AJ Griffin

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the Iowa Hawkeyes look to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again. Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the Iowa Hawkeyes look to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again. Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again. Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again.
Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again.
Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again.
Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again.
Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.&nbsp;

In each of the last three seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes have posted 20-plus victories with a win percentage over 64% and have earned an NCAA tournament berth twice (2020's was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
A common denominator of their success was the play of the Hawkeye legend, Luka Garza. During his time in Iowa, Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in college basketball, earning Wooden and Naismith awards, multiple Big Ten accolades and All-American status. As Garza progressed over his career, his efficiency took off, and that threat became the engine of Iowa&rsquo;s offense. However, the end of his dominant run through college basketball was inevitable, as his number was raised to the rafters. He entered the 2021 NBA Draft and was selected by the Detroit Pistons with 51st overall pick.&nbsp;
So how did Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery replace an All-American and campus legend? It just so happened that he did it with someone already on the Hawkeyes' roster...&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Born to Be a Hawkeye
Keegan Murray and his twin brother Kris were born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as their father, Kenyon, was also a Hawkeye from 1993-96. After finishing their high school careers at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, the twins chose to take a post-graduate year at DME Academy in Daytona, Florida instead of jumping right into college. It&rsquo;s clear now that the extra year left Keegan and Kris better prepared for the next level, and they both were able to follow their father&rsquo;s footsteps back to Iowa City and be a part of the success of Luka Garza&rsquo;s final season.&nbsp;
So far this season, Keegan Murray has answered the call as the Hawkeyes' new hyper-productive big man to fill the 6-foot-11, 265-pound void left by Garza &mdash; and at 6-foot-8, 225-pounds, the sophomore forward is similarly turning lots of heads, but with a twist. In 13 games played this season, Murray leads the nation with 24.5 points per game, while adding 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest on 59% from the field.
This leap in production is very impressive, but not unexpected. Murray earned All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors last season, recording some unique numbers as a reserve last season. As a freshman, Keegan was one of only five players nationally to amass 200+ points, 25+ blocks, 25+ steals and 15+ three-pointers.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17449477_lg.jpg" alt="" width="547" height="365" />
NBA Outlook
This year&rsquo;s draft is filled with multiple versatile forwards that range between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-10, including Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Over the first two months of the season, Murray has worked his way into the mix. His playstyle must be endearing to the Iowa faithful, as he plays with an endless physicality in the paint like Garza, yet is graceful when putting the ball on the floor in the half-court and transition.
Additionally, although Murray&rsquo;s three-point percentage looks to have taken a slide after a solid start to the year, his 35-point, 5-for-6 performance from beyond the arc to start 2022 against Maryland should still provide confidence in his jump shot. With translatable mechanics and improved free-throw shooting, there&rsquo;s enough evidence to suggest he&rsquo;ll continue to improve his outside shooting. Murray is on the trajectory of becoming a prototypical versatile forward that has proven to be a hot commodity in the NBA in recent years.
Our Sr. NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock has kept his eye on the Iowa sophomore. Here are his thoughts on the early season play of Keegan Murray:
&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do one thing that blows you away, as his game is pretty simple. He&rsquo;s a stretch 4 who has a nonstop motor. The guy makes things happen all game long by playing smart and hard. He&rsquo;s having an incredible season so far for the Hawkeyes. Murray averages over 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. At this point, I have a hard time envisioning him slipping too far in the draft, as I think a lot of teams could use him.&rdquo;
While Murray likely hears his fair share of praises, he&rsquo;s probably also beginning to receive questions about how high his ceiling is. In games Iowa has played against high-level programs, his scoring percentages have taken a slight dip.
Murray had a particularly tough outing against No. 17 Iowa State, where he totaled only 9 points. In games against Virginia, Illinois and Iowa State, Murray averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 41.3% from the field, 22.2% from deep and 58.6% from the free-throw line &mdash; all significant drops from the other 10 games he&rsquo;s been in so far. While most players have off games from time to time, the best players are expected to rise to the occasion against the best competition.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCPQoLntXeM?t=" width="100%" height="365" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Key Matchups
The good news is the season is far from over, and the Big Ten seems to be pretty wide open as conference play ramps up. Every game will be a significant test for the Hawkeyes, but Murray has more opportunities to silence some of these questions with critical games left on the schedule.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
On Jan. 13, Murray is taking on Indiana&rsquo;s Trayce Jackson-Davis, a junior with a similar frontcourt scoring role for Indiana. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to watch how Murray approaches a matchup against another 20-point scorer.
The rematch against Purdue on Jan. 27 has to be circled on Murray&rsquo;s calendar, as he missed the first matchup with an ankle injury. Iowa played a competitive game, but Murray feels like he would&rsquo;ve been a difference-maker in the 77-70 loss to the Boilermakers.
The pair of games against Michigan on Feb. 17 and Mar. 3 will be intriguing, with Murray matching up against potential draft picks Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabat&eacute;; both teams will be jockeying for position in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have an 11-3 record in the first week of 2022, and a lot of their success can be attributed to Keegan Murray&rsquo;s play so far. Expect Murray to continue to turn heads as the team looks to fight for the top of the Big Ten once again.
Keegan Murray is currently ranked No. 14 on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.&nbsp;

Blake Hairston highlights Iowa forward Keegan Murray's massive leap in his sophomore year.

2022 NBA Draft: The rise of Iowa’s Keegan Murray

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said.
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again and expect Tom Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing.&rdquo;
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said.
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again and expect Tom Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing.&rdquo;
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said.
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Tom Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing.&rdquo;
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said.
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing.&rdquo;
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said.
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing,&rdquo; Izzo added.
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said. "&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing,&rdquo; Izzo added.
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing,&rdquo; Izzo added.
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said. "...(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing."
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing,&rdquo; Izzo added.
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said. "...(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing."
The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer Max Christie could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far. The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said. "...(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing."
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

The Michigan State Spartans are one of the premier college basketball programs in the country, but shocked many last season with the trouble they had in the Big Ten, sputtering into a 15-13 season and First Four NCAA Tournament exit in the 2020-21 campaign.
The takeaway from last season was that it was a rebuilding year, as the Spartans were left finding answers after the departures of Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman Sr. to the 2020 NBA Draft. This season, head coach Tom Izzo and Co. are looking to bounce-back, as they&rsquo;re led by key upperclassmen like Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser.
However, newcomer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/max-christie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Max Christie</a> could be the piece to spearhead Michigan State&rsquo;s rise back to the top of the Big Ten.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That boy gets buckets&rdquo; - Gabe Brown
Christie, a 5-star recruit out of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois, chose Michigan State after an unusual recruiting process that was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. But it was the connection he made with Coach Izzo, the staff, and players that led him to choose the highly successful program.&nbsp;
I had the opportunity to watch Christie in his first two games of exhibition collegiate action versus Ferris State and Grand Valley State, two Division II programs in Michigan. It&rsquo;s clear Christie brings skilled and versatile elements to Michigan State&rsquo;s perimeter play, as his potentially elite shooting could be a major asset to the Spartans this season. His shooting ability can open driving lanes that allow him to get to the rim or find open looks for teammates, as his IQ and unselfishness showed on the court. While he still has a slim frame, Izzo noted that he had a great offseason in the weight room, and plans to utilize his length to be effective on the defensive end.&nbsp;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rFSoD8rP8jk" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
NBA Outlook
Coming into East Lansing as No. 12 on ESPN&rsquo;s Top 100 out of high school, Christie will receive his fair share of eyes from the next level. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst, Matt Babcock, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcock-takeaways-banchero-agbaji-keels-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently watched Christie as the Spartans took on Kansas at the State Farm Champions Classic</a> in New York to open the season.&nbsp;
Here are Babcock&rsquo;s initial thoughts after seeing Christie play in-person:
"My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, 'He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.' Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of 'he&rsquo;s not ready.'
"Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
"There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?"
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17187394_lg.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="325" />
Silent Killer
When asked about what Christie brings to this Michigan State team, Bingham immediately responded, &ldquo;Max is a killer, man.&rdquo; What's unique is that isn't the first thought you get when you see his youthful face and thin frame walk onto the court. However, Christie holds a calmness and confident demeanor that doesn&rsquo;t appear to get shaken easily.&nbsp;
Christie is certainly impressing scouts, teammates and, most importantly, his coach in the early season. Izzo has praised his 5-star freshman's mentality and approach to college basketball so far. The Spartans are coming into this season with their eyes set on the top of the Big Ten once again, and we can expect Izzo to find ways to utilize Christie to his fullest potential along the way.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s coachable, he has no ego, he has great understanding,&rdquo; Izzo said. "...(He&rsquo;s) every bit as good as the billing."
Max Christie is currently ranked No. 18 on the BasketballNews.com <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.

Blake Hairston writes on why he thinks Max Christie could be the key piece to Michigan State rising back to the top of the Big Ten.

2022 NBA Draft: An early look at Michigan State's Max Christie

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2021 NBA Draft: Analyzing the Pac-12's top prospects

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2021 NBA Draft: Analyzing the Big Ten's top prospects

Blake joins BasketballNews.com as a writer after recently graduating from Michigan State University&rsquo;s Sport Coaching &amp; Leadership master&rsquo;s program. He has four years of college recruiting experience at the Division III level with Adrian College, the 2020 MIAA conference tournament champion. Blake assisted the Professional Basketball Combine as a Draft Analyst in 2019-20 and is currently the NBA Draft Scouting and Video Analyst for rookiescale.com.