Maryland's Greivis Vasquez

The first weekend is in the books, the field of 65 is down to 16, and I seriously need a break from watching basketball. After the first two rounds of the Big Dance, here are my big winners (big losers coming soon):

THE HIT LIST

Cole Aldrich — Going into the Tournament, nobody was talking about Aldrich in regards to the 2009 NBA Draft. Despite his 14-point, 11-board averages and some truly monster stat lines throughout the season, the 6-11 Kansas sophomore was pegged as more of a 2010 Draft possibility, where he’s projected to go high-Lottery. But after what “Coleplay” did to North Dakota State (23 pts, 11 rebs) and Dayton (13 pts, 20 rebs, 10 blks), he has to be considered a hot prospect for 2009, which is expected to be a weaker draft class. If Robin Lopez can get a Green Room position in a strong ’08 class, Aldrich could crack the Top-10 this year. If he puts up another big number against Michigan State on Friday, Aldrich should seriously consider going pro ASAP.

Greivis Vasquez — Here’s one thing I hate about sports media: We complain when guys don’t say anything controversial, then turn around and make fun of then when they do. Vasquez got a lot of flak before Maryland’s second-round game against Memphis when he downplayed the Tigers’ C-USA schedule, and he got even more flak when his Terrapins went out and got smoked. I’m not gonna say anything bad about Vasquez; did he really say anything that every college basketball analyst hasn’t also said over the last few years? And I don’t buy that John Calipari‘s team needed “bulletin board material” when they already know what’s on the line. Against a Memphis defense that was geared to stop him, Vasquez still put up 18 points and five assists after carrying Maryland to an upset over Cal in the first round.

Ronald Moore — This year’s leading “Never heard of him three weeks ago, now I’m checking his box scores every night” candidate, in the tradition of Stephen Curry and Eric Maynor. The 5-11 junior guard hit the two biggest shots in Siena’s first-round upset of Ohio State. My bet is he resurfaces around Final Four weekend at the NCAA three-point contest.

Travis Walton — Over the last 12 years, every senior who’s come through Tom Izzo’s program at Michigan State has played in at least one Final Four. If Walton hadn’t stepped up and hit those clutch jumpers in the Spartans’ second-round win over USC, he and his class (Goran Suton, Idong Ibok, Marquise Gray) were going to break that trend. Walton was the last guy you’d expect to deliver the daggers, too. The Big Ten DPOY averages five points a night, and didn’t even score in State’s first-round win over Robert Morris.

Jon Brockman — I can’t leave out Jon Matrix, who is nothing short of a hero up here in Seattle despite UW’s short NCAA run. The local kid completed a four-year career playing like a MAN, dominating Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado (10 pts, 15 rebs) and posting 20 points and 18 boards against Purdue. Now the question is, what’s next? My Dad and I have argued about Brockman’s NBA prospects all season. Dad thinks Brockman is definitely an NBA player based on production alone (14.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 60 career double-doubles), but I think the pro scouts will — as usual — overlook things like effort, toughness, and an unmeasurable knack for rebounding and instead be turned off by Brockman’s height (6-7) and lack of athleticism. I hope I’m wrong, because every NBA team could use a guy like Brockman.