Before the NCAA Tournament kicked off, we put you up on 16 Players 2 Watch during the Big Dance, one guy from each number-seed in the field. If you didn’t read it the first time or need an explanation of th criteria again, here is Part I and Part II.
So with the tourney’s first weekend in the books, here’s Part I of how our picks did heading into the Sweet 16:
16. Trey Johnson, G, Jackson State, Sr.
What we said: “All Trey Johnson does is get buckets. The 6-5 senior two-guard is dropping 27.1 points per game, second-best in the country … He’ll get his against No. 1 seed Florida, even if his squad gets 40-pieced.”
What he did: Trey got his, scoring 25 points on 8-for-19 shooting, and his squad got 40-pieced (43-pieced, to be exact). One man can only do so much.
Grade: B
15. Calvin Watson, G, North Texas, Sr.
What we said: “Big Dance upsets are made on underdogs busting tons of three-pointers, and Watson is that dude for the Mean Green.”
What he did: Watson scored 13 against Memphis, two below his season average, and only got up eight attempts. But he did drop one of the best quotes of the tournament after the loss when he said, “If y’all could cut us open and look inside, you’d see how big our heart is.”
Grade: C
14. Ibrahim Jaaber, G, Penn, Sr.
What we said: “If his team has any chance at all to pull off an upset against Texas A&M, it’ll be because Jaaber slaps his lock-down D on Aggies superstar Acie Law.”
What he did: Law scored 20, but Jaaber was giving him all he could handle for most of the game. As a result, Penn was very much in it until A&M went on a late run to close it out. Jaaber played all 40 minutes and finished with 16 points, five boards, yet surprisingly, zero steals for a guy who averages three swipes a night.
Grade: B-
13. Justin Hawkins, F, New Mexico State, Jr.
What we said: “Hawkins (6-foot-7, 205 pounds) will most likely be the primary defender on Kevin Durant. If he holds KD under 30, the Aggies have a shot. And seeing as Durant’s one weakness is interior defense, Hawkins can go inside to get some buckets and make this one interesting.”
What he did: Durant only hit one field goal in the second half, but he still ended up with 27 points and dominated in a double-digit Texas win. Hawkins scored 11 points on eight attempts and grabbed only two rebounds.
Grade: C-
12. Warren Carter, F, Illinois, Sr.
What we said: “Illinois draws Virginia Tech in the first round, a team who is vulnerable inside, something Carter could take advantage of in an upset bid.”
What he did: Carter and the Illini did take advantage of their size and bulk inside, keeping VT at their pace and dominating the glass. Carter went for a team-high 15 points and added five boards, but Virginia Tech still found a way to win.
Grade: B
11. Eric Maynor, G, Virginia Commonwealth, So.
What we said: “The Dime office fell in love with Maynor when he eviscerated George Mason in the conference title game, including two ridiculous open court steals on GMU’s guards on back-to-back possessions and some Sam Cassell Dance-worthy buckets in crunch time.”
What he did: Maynor has been the biggest breakout star of the ‘07 Big Dance despite going out in the second round. He hung 22 points, eight dimes and three steals on Duke and stuck the game-winner. Then he almost willed VCU to a second-round upset of Pitt, putting up 14 points, eight and three.
Grade: A
10. Javaris Crittenton, G, Georgia Tech, Fr.
What we said: “He’s making a case to join the ranks of great Georgia Tech floor leaders, from Mark Price to Kenny Anderson to Stephon Marbury.”
What he did: A little early to break out the Price/Chibbs/Starbury comparisons. Crittenton was somewhere between bad and OK in G-Tech’s first-round loss to UNLV (8 pts, 6 asts, 5 rebs, 2 stls), taking some ill-advised shots in crunch time and getting forced into a five-seconds-closely-guarded violation at a crucial time.
Grade: C-minus
9. Justin Doellman, F, Xavier, Sr.
What we said: “He leads the Musketeers in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg), but Doellman’s most valuable asset might be his defense.”
What he did: Doelllman scored a team-high 23 in Round 1 against BYU, and was the offensive spark in the second half of a near-upset of Ohio State. He had a few blocks during the Musketeers’ two-game run, but didn’t turn in a stellar defensive performance — BYU star Keena Young scored 24 against him. Doellman averaged 18 points and six rebounds a game in the tourney.
Grade: B
8. Jodie Meeks, G, Kentucky, Fr.
What we said: “The 6-5 freshman two-guard almost always seems to come up big when the Wildcats need it.”
What he did: Meeks hit a pair of big shots during the run that pushed Kentucky past Villanova in Round 1, finishing with 12 points, five boards and three assists. Against Kansas he played 36 minutes off the bench but struggled to find his shot, going 3-for-13 from the floor in UK’s loss.
Grade: C
7. Nick Fazekas, C, Nevada, Sr.
What we said: “Fazekas can stroke it from the outside, but he’s not like Kevin Pittsnogle; he does most of his work inside and gets boards.”
What he did: Fazekas went for 17 points and 11 boards in the OT win against Creighton, but his J was off and he fouled out; Nevada guard Marcelus Kemp was the one who saved the day and got the Wolfpack into the second round. Fazekas had 20 points, seven boards and three blocks against Memphis, but the Tigers as a unit were too much.
Grade: C+
6. Edgar Sosa, G, Louisville, Fr.
What we said: “Sosa has been arguably Rick Pitino’s key player down the stretch, and as a frosh making his Big Dance debut, handing him the keys at PG says a lot about Pitino’s trust in him.”
What he did: Pitino said it himself after Louisville’s close loss to Texas A&M in Round 2 — that the Cardinals would have gotten smoked if it weren’t for Sosa. The freshman dropped 31 points on Law, but he also missed two free throws that would have given UL the lead with 30 ticks left, then unnecessarily took (and missed) an NBA-range three with time winding down. Including a Round 1 piecing of Stanford, Sosa averaged 23.5 points per game in the Tournament.
Grade: A-
5. A.J. Graves, G, Butler, Jr.
What we said: “Graves is ringing teams up for 17 points a night, and his nonstop motor will tire out anyone trying to stick him.”
What he did: It’s been a surprisingly easy run to the Sweet 16 for the mid-major powerhouse Bulldogs, as they beat Old Dominion by 11 and never trailed against Maryland. Graves is averaging 18 ppg, and while he’s shooting only 38 percent from the field, it seems every time Butler needs to shot to extend a lead, he’s the one who hits it. And about that motor? Graves has played 78 of a possible 80 minutes in Butler’s two games.
Grade: A
4. Sean Singletary, G, Virginia, Jr.
What we said: “We really could have put any of UVA’s trio of guards in this spot … But if you had to pick one player off this team for one game with everything on the line, you’d have to take Singletary.”
What he did: Alongside J.R. Reynold’s gutsy performances on a bad hip (27 ppg), Singletary brought the Cavaliers to the brink of the Sweet 16; if he hits that last-second trey at the end of the Tennessee game, UVA might still be in it. For the tourney, Singletary averaged 21 points, six rebounds and seven assists a game, but his 1-for-7 shooting beyond the arc and six turnovers against Tennessee definitely hurt his team’s chances.
Grade: B-
3. Kyle Weaver, G/F, Washington State, Jr.
What we said: “It’s impossible to describe Weaver’s game without dropping ‘do-everything’ or ‘versatile’ somewhere in there. The 6-5 junior can play the one, two or three spot, is one of the toughest defenders on a defensive-minded WSU squad, and his numbers stuff the stat sheet.”
What he did: When two quick fouls put Weaver on the bench for most of the first half of WSU’s Round 1 game against Oral Roberts, the Cougars became very vulnerable. Weaver’s steal and dunk to beat the halftime buzzer sparked a big run, though, and in the second half he put his whole floor game on display. In Round 2’s double-OT loss to Vanderbilt, Weaver was creating for teammates and playing solid D, but when WSU needed a bucket, he was passive and never tried to take over. He also turned the ball over 8 times to Vandy. In two games, Weaver averaged 7.5 points, seven rebounds, six assists, 2.5 steals and five turnovers per outing.
Grade: C-
2. Chris Douglas-Roberts, G, Memphis, So.
What we said: “The lanky 6-6 sophomore scores 15 points a night from all angles; the right-hander is so strong with his left, he’s basically ambidextrous on the court.”
What he did: Day Two of the tourney, we’re watching Memphis/North Texas in the office and one of the Dime crew said Douglas-Roberts reminded him of Tayshaun Prince. One, ’cause “he’s a lefty,” and two, because “He doesn’t look like he’s that good, but he is.” We had to remind our guy that CDR is a righty, and yes, he is very good. Douglas-Roberts rolled his ankle in Round 2 against Nevada, but should be good for the Sweet 16. He’s averaging 16 points per game in the Dance, and his offense will be crucial in Memphis’ next matchup with Texas A&M.
Grade: A
1. Al Horford, F, Florida, Jr.
What we said: “The guy is a beast when he wants to be: one-handed rebounds, taking the ball end-to-end, dunking on everyone and patrolling the paint on D along with Noah. Every game he makes one or two “Holy s***!” plays, and when he’s not on the floor, the Gators are noticeably worse.”
What he did: The Gators were only really challenged once during last year’s Big Dance run to the national chip. This year they rolled in the first round and got a bit of a challenge from Purdue, which is when Horford came up big. Against a Boilermakers team that didn’t have a starter over 6-foot-7, the 6-foot-10 Horford had 17 points and nine boards, and hung 15 and 16 on Jackson State. He should have another big game against Butler in the Sweet 16.
Grade: A
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March 20th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Half Crazy Girl says:
al horford is a great player. if Florida makes it to Final Four again. i bet he’s gonna be #1 pick!
March 21st, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Justin Brown says:
What about Acie Law? People keep ignoring the Aggie King of Clutch and Texas A&M in general. Well, minus the recognition, I would be so bold as to have the Aggies AT LEAST make the final four.