NCAA ‘Sweet 16 Workhorse’ Candidates
Even Texas coach Rick Barnes can’t believe how good the candidates for NCAA ‘Sweet 16 Workhorse are. (Photo: AP Photo/Eric Gay)
While there have been some great team performances this year in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it has been the individual performances of players such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, and Tyler Hansbrough that everyone is talking about.
We’ve given you the candidates for the players who have had the most outstanding performances in the first two rounds (1st Round Workhorse & 2nd Round Workhorse), and after a Sweet 16 that saw several blowouts including the #10 seed, Davidson Wildcats routing the third seeded Wisconsin Badgers and the North Carolina Tar Heels holding the Cougars of Washington State to only 47 points and winning by 21 after all the pre-game talk was about Washington State’s defense, we’re back with the Sweet 16 candidates.
So who had the single most outstanding performance? Who deserves the honor of being the ‘Sweet 16 Workhorse?’ The candidates:
D.J. Augustin (Texas) - After only averaging 9.0 ppg in Texas’s relatively easy wins in the first two rounds, he stepped up his came up clutch against Stanford. Augustin put in 9-17 FG, including a pair of his four 3-pointers, for 21 points. He also distributed 7 assists to contribute to his assist to turnover ratio that is nearly 4 to 1.
Tyrone Brazelton (Western Kentucky) - The man did everything he could in the second half to get the Hilltoppers back into the game in the second half after they trailed by 21 at halftime. After his team only scored 20 in the first half, Brazelton outdid that tally by himself scoring 23 of his 31 points in the final ten minutes of his college career. Included in his second half offensive barrage were five 3-pointers. He added 5 asts, 3 rebs, and 2 stls as well.
Earl Clark (Louisville) - Clark came off the bench and did a little bit of everything to help the Cardinals defeat Tennessee. He shot 70% from the field for 17 points, worked the glass for 12 rebounds, sent back 4 Volunteer shots, assisted his teammates on baskets twice, and swiped the ball from Tennessee twice. Not bad for the sixth man.
Stephen Curry (Davidson) - No team has been more exciting than the Wildcats, and it has been because of Curry. In his first four NCAA tournament games as a freshman and a sophomore, Curry has scored at least 30 points each game. Against Wisconsin, the sharpshooter scored 33 points, including 22 — two more than the Badgers – in the second half. The only player who has been a ‘Workhorse’ candidate in all three rounds shot 11 for 22, making 6 of his 11 shots from downtown. He also grabbed 4 rebs, dished 4 asts, and swiped 4 stls.
Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis) - CDR scored 25, captured 5 rebs, and tallied 2 asts, 2 stls, and a block as Memphis mopped up Michigan State. He knocked down 7 of his 12 field goals and drained 11 of his 12 free throw attempts. Who says Memphis can’t shoot free throws?
Josh Duncan (Xavier) - Xavier’s best player had to deal with foul trouble throughout the game but still managed to score a career-high 26 points. He was 7-15 from the field, 3-4 from 3-point range, and 9-10 from the free throw line. He also pulled down 5 rebounds, had an assist, and blocked a shot.
Brook Lopez (Stanford) - At one point, Lopez had 24 of his team’s 48 points, and the Cardinal only trailed by 4. Unfortunately for Cardinal fans, Brook was unable to do it all by himself as his team faded down the stretch with no other prominent scorers. Lopez finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks despite being constantly harrassed by multiple defenders.
Kevin Love (UCLA) - The Bruins allowed Western Kentucky to come back from a huge halftime deficit, but with Love’s career-high 29 points on 10-14 shooting from the field and 9-12 from the charity stripe, UCLA pulled out a 10-point victory to advance to the Elite Eight. Love also tallied 14 boards, 4 assists, and again was instumental on the defensive end with 4 blocks.
B.J. Raymond (Xavier) - Raymond was nothing more than a name on the player participation stat sheet for the first 40 minutes of the game. However, in the extra five minutes during overtime, Raymond became a hero. He had 8 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:18 remaining and a 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring with under 30 seconds remaining to ice the game.
Derrick Rose (Memphis) - Rose continued his strong play in the NCAA tournament with 27 points against Michigan State despite missing time due to a cut he received over his right eye. Even more impressive than Rose’s scoring in the tourney (61 points in 3 games), has been the freshman’s ability to distribute the ball to teammates. He had 5 assists against the Spartans and has had 12 assists to only 1 turnover in the Tigers’ last two games.
For the Sweet 16 we’ve given you 10 candidates, but the final vote on who will be the ‘Sweet 16 Workhorse’ is up to you. Place your vote for the player you think had the most outstanding performance in the second round.
Also, don’t forget to vote for the your favorite candidates from the first two rounds: ‘1st Round Workhorse’ & ‘2nd Round Workhorse’.
Shotgun Spratling
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