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While the game of basketball remains one of the ultimate team sports, there were some brilliant individual performances from the first weekend of the Big Dance that should be highlighted. Of course, most of us are aware of Stephen Curry’s amazing two-game stretch, but the younger Curry was not the only player to shine during the first block of tournament games (40 points in the win over Gonzaga, 30 against Georgetown).

Here are some others that might you might have missed:

Western Kentucky Stars Shine
In their first game, the magnificent game against Drake, Western Kentucky point guard Tyrone Brazelton was unstoppable. He finished with 33 points on 11-20 shooting (6-10 from downtown) and had that brilliant assist on Ty Rogers’ winning shot. In their second game against San Diego, Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Courtney Lee played just like a conference POY should: 29 points and 7 rebounds. While most of the Cinderella focus has been on Davidson and their incredible run, it would be unwise to forget about the Hilltoppers.

They match-up a lot better with the UCLA Bruins than one might first think.

A.J. Abrams Shoots Texas Into The Sweet 16
While point guard D.J. Augustin gets most of the Texas publicity, his back court mate, A.J. Abrams, is doing the majority of the heavy lifting when it comes to scoring the basketball. Talk about consistent, in both of Texas’ wins this weekend, Abrams scored 26 points each time. While Texas first-and-second round run will be most remembered for giving up a huge lead to Miami down the stretch, Abrams scoring should be right up there as well.

Also shining for the Longhorns was Damion James. He posted double-doubles (scoring, rebounding) in both of Texas’ wins.

Jack McClinton Shines for Canes
While the Miami comeback bid against Texas came up short yesterday, Friday saw the Miami guard explode for 38 points — 32 in the second half — against upset pick St. Mary’s. McClinton’s 32-second half points, outdoing Stephen Curry’s 30 he scored in the second against Gonzaga. However, Curry’s team is still dancing.

As for Miami, they are probably preparing for spring football.

Brook Lopez Saves Stanford
While his brother was busy gabbing away with the Marquette players, Brook was dominating the Golden Eagles to the tune of 30 points and 4 rebounds. However, none of his points were bigger than the baseline twisting jump shot/lay-up that gave his team the go ahead score. While shooting 50% from the field, Brook also hit 10-11 free throws.

Maybe someone who plays for Memphis can take notes.

Charles Rhodes Plays Like a Bulldog
While Mississippi State got bounced by Memphis yesterday, they didn’t go down without a fight and one of their primary weapons was Charles Rhodes. It’s true the Bulldogs post player has been plagued by inconsistency, you cannot deny his two-game performance this March. Against Oregon, Rhodes had 34 points and 9 rebounds, destroying whatever post defense the Ducks threw at him.

Against Memphis, Rhodes didn’t score as much but he did provide a valuable 14 point, 10 rebound effort against the Tigers, equaling out Joey Dorsey’s big game and giving his team a chance at the end.

Kenny Hasbrouck Helps Sienna Stun Vanderbilt
Instead of using Memorial Gym as an excuse, perhaps the Vanderbilt faithful can just blame their pathetic tournament showing on Sienna’s Kenny Hasbrouck. While dispatching the lethargic Commodores, Hasbrouck had 30 big points and completely outplayed SEC Player of the Year, Shan Foster. Nice way to finish your collegiate career, aye Shan? Against Vandy, Hasbrouck was 9-14 from the field and 10-10 from the free throw line.

Unfortunately for Sienna, their dance ended when they played Villanova yesterday, but Hasbrouck didn’t go down without a fight. He posted 17 points against the Wildcats; not quite enough to push Sienna to the Sweet 16. However, he’ll always have Vanderbilt.

Big Games in Losing Efforts
While their team may have lost, these players didn’t go down without a fight:

Joe Crawford - While Kentucky lost to Marquette on Thursday, Joe Crawford did his best to keep them alive by scoring 35 points.

Curtis Jerrells - had 27 points and 8 assists against Purdue for an otherwise nondescript Baylor team.

Josh Akognon - The Cal State Fullerton guard had a great game in a losing effort against Wisconsin, accounting for 31 points and 8 rebounds.

Too bad the rest of these players’ teammates couldn’t match their efforts.

Tags: Bracket Busters, Final Four, Individual Performances, March Madness, Stephen Curry

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