Every college basketball coach preaches the importance of guard play in the NCAA Tournament. And each March, fans seek the next “Kemba candidate,” a title fittingly named after former UConn guard Kemba Walker, who carried the Huskies to a National Championship in 2011.
Year after year, stand-out guards change the ceiling of their team in the Big Dance, and that was the theme on the second day of the tournament:
Kyan Evans, Guard, Colorado State
As Colorado State surged to a Mountain West Tournament title and an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, it was guard Nique Clifford, who captured the headlines with his scintillating shot-making. But when Clifford went cold on Friday, in the Rams first round matchup with Memphis, sophomore Kyan Evans stepped up.
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The smallest man on the court had the biggest night of anyone. Evans made a career-high six 3-point shots and scored a career-high 23 points. He also had four assists and didn’t turn the ball over once. Despite shooting 3-of-13, Clifford still impacted the game, with six assists and eight rebounds, while Evans took the weight off his shoulders in the scoring column. Colorado State has won 11 straight, dating back to Feb. 15, and became the second 12 seed to complete an upset. The Rams now bring all that momentum into a matchup with fourth-seeded Maryland on Sunday.
Baylor’s freshman duo
The Bears have had an up-and-down season because, well, that’s life when you’re led by sporadic freshman. But then there are performances like Friday that remind you just how dynamic top NBA prospects can be. Baylor’s pair of projected first-round picks, V.J. Edgecombe and Robert Wright Jr., combined for 35 points to lead the Bears to a 75-72 win over Mississippi State on Friday. Edgecombe hit two timely 3-pointers in the second half, his shooting touch opening the lane for Wright to attack the Bulldogs with slashing drives.
Sean Pedulla, Guard, Ole Miss
Pedulla is the sun that Ole Miss’s offense revolves around. When he has a big game, the Rebels tend to come out on top. On Friday, he scored 20 points and dished out five assists in the Rebels 71-64 win over North Carolina. The performance was impressive as it came against a Tar Heels team that has a pair of tough perimeter defenders in Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau. OIe Miss led by double-digits for the first 30 minutes of Friday’s game, but then North Carolina stormed back and cut it to 66-64. With 52 seconds remaining, Pedulla hit a 3-pointer from the right-wing, which was the dagger.
Donovan Dent, Guard, New Mexico
The Mountain West Player of the Year represented his conference well on Friday, as he led New Mexico to a 75-66 win over Marquette. He scored 20 points and dished out six assists, while shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Dent is one of the top guards in the country and is capable of leading the Lobos on a deep run.
Jackson Shelstad, Guard, Oregon
Shelstad was in such a zone that he started shaking his head after hitting a mid-range jumper, in disbelief of his own unconsciousness. He had eight of Oregon’s first 16 points, knocking down a deep pull-up 3-pointer to give the Ducks a 16-2 lead and ended the game with 17 points. Oregon imposed its will from the jump, and never looked back, dominating Liberty 81-52, on Friday. Shelstad, a West Linn, Oregon native, wears No. 3 because of his idol and mentor Payton Pritchard, who had a number of memorable runs in the green and yellow. Shelstad channeling Pritchard would mean good things will continue to come for these Ducks.
Will Riley, Forward, Illinois
In Big Ten country, they call Will Riley a “thirty-in-a-hurry” type of scorer. That’s because he’ll go from having an off night, to a break-out night. And that’s exactly what he did on Friday. Riley started the game 0-of-3 and scored just four points in the first half, before erupting for 18 second-half points as he helped Illinois to an 86-73 win over Xavier. Riley, a freshman from Ontario, started just seven games for the Illini, but is comfortable in a microwave role off the bench. His scoring punch could spark a March Madness run for Illinois.
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