There have been several great games already in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, whether it has been an upset (San Diego over Connecticut, Siena over Vanderbilt), a near upset (Duke surviving Belmont), or double-digit comebacks (Villanova over Clemson, Drake against Western Kentucky only to fall in OT), and each of the great games has had a key player.

But who had the best game of the first round and has earned the right to be deemed the “1st Round Workhorse” or most outstanding performance of the first round of the NCAA tournament?

Here are our candidates (in alphabetical order):

Josh Akognon (Cal State Fullerton) - The Titans showed the Big West could hang with the big boys of the Big Ten, and it was one of their smallest players, 5-foot-11 Washington State transfer Akognon, who played the biggest. Akognon hit 5 three pointers, snatched 8 rebounds, and finished with 31 points in the Titans loss to Wisconsin.

Michael Beasley (Kansas State) - Yawn. Another double-double for Beasley. Despite getting himself into foul trouble (once again) and not playing much in the first half, Beasley finished with 23 pts (18 in the second half) and 11 rbs as he outduled O.J. Mayo.

Tyrone Brazelton (Western Kentucky) - Brazelton did just about everything but hit the game winner. He scored 33 points (11-20 FG, 6-10 3PT, 5-6 FT), including 7 in the overtime period, had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Plus, it was his fifth assist, to Ty Rogers, that sent the Hilltoppers into the second round with a 101-99 victory.

Pete Campbell (Butler) - The 6-foot-7 forward hit 9 of 11 field goals with only one of those being inside the arc. Campbell put on a shooting display coming off the bench to score 26 points in only 20 minutes. He also had 5 boards, 2 assists, and a block in his limited action.

Josh Carter (Texas A&M) - Carter hit his first 3 three pointers to open up the game and help Texas A&M open up an 11-0 lead. He finished 10-16 overall, 6-10 from behind the arc for 26 total points, matching his career high. He also tallied 5 rebounds in the Aggies 67-62 win.

Jonathan Cox (Drake) - If it wasn’t for Ty Rogers, Cox would be the hero of the Drake/W. Kentucky game. Cox had 29 pts (8-12 FG, 6-10 3PT), 16 rebs, and 2 blks. He helped pull Drake back from a double digit deficit with under 10 minutes remaining. He scored 17 points in the final 10 points of regulation, including hitting the game-tying three pointer with 32 seconds remaining. Then in overtime with the Bulldogs trailing by one, Cox grabbed one of his 8 offensive rebounds and was fouled on the put back with 5.0 seconds left. Cox hit both free throws (9-10 for the game) to give Drake the lead and what would have been a win if it wasn’t for Rogers 26-foot heroics.

Joe Crawford (Kentucky) - He was forced to carry the load nearly all by himself, and it was almost enough for the senior. Along with Ramel Bradley, Crawford combined to score 54 of his teams 66 points - with only one other Kentucky player scoring a field goal. Crawford scored a career-high 35 (13-22 FG, 5-8 3PT), had 5 boards, and 2 assists. He even cut Marquette’s lead to 66-63 with 35 seconds to go, but Marquette hit 8 free throws down the stretch to win 74-66.

Stephen Curry (Davidson) - Curry scored 40 points (30 in the second half) as the Wildcats knocked off Gonzaga 82-76. Need I say more? Well, he was 14-22 from the field, including 8-10 from the land of three, and with 14.5 seconds left, he sealed the game with two free throws. He also had 5 steals, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

De’Jon Jackson (San Diego) - He only scored 4 points but his last 2 were the biggest in his school’s history. With San Diego’s two star players, Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare already fouled out, Jackson took the final shot of the game and drained a jumper off the dribble with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to give the 13 seed Toreros an epic win over #4 seeded Connecticut. He did add 4 rebs, 2 asts, 3 stls, and a block in 36 minutes.

Kenny Hasbrouck (Siena) - With 30 points (9-14 FG, 2-5 3PT), Hasbrouck will now forever be hated by Vandy fans much as the name Harold Archineaux brings a look of disgust from Tar Heel fans. Hasbrouck also nailed all 10 of his free throw attempts and recorded 4 rebs, 3 asts, and 2 stls.

Gerald Henderson (Duke) - Henderson saved the Blue Devils and kept their season alive when he grabbed his 7th rebound, took it coast-to-coast, and made a driving layup with 11.9 seconds remaining to give Duke a 71-70 lead. The game winner was only 2 of his 21 points, and he added 5 steals and 2 assists.

Jack McClinton (Miami) - It was a tale of two halves for McClinton. First half: 6 pts. Miami trailed 37-32. Second half: McClinton 32 pts, St. Marys 32 pts. Miami won easily 78-64. He dazzled with quick crossovers inches off the ground and deep 3s. He was 12-19, including 3-6 from three point range and 11-11 from the charity stripe, added 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Charles Rhodes (Mississippi State) - Rhodes was an absolute beast down low for the Bulldogs, and there was nothing Oregon could do to stop him. He helped bring MSU back from a 13-point deficit as he had a career high 34 points. Rhodes got to the free throw line 18 times, knocking down 14. He only missed two of his field goal attempts and notched 9 rebounds as well.

Sonny Weems (Arkansas) - Weems missed his first two field goal attempts. After that, he didn’t miss another shot. Weems scored a career high 31 points on 12-14 shooting (3-4 from three point range) and knocked down all four free throw attempts as the Razorbacks beat Indiana 86-72.

Place your vote for the ‘1st Round Workhorse’ and let us know who you think had the most outstanding performance in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Shotgun Spratling

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