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Recapping the first day of the Sweet 16

Ohio State Buckeyes' Deshaun Thomas celebrates after the Buckeyes recovered a turnover against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half of their men's NCAA East Regional basketball game in Boston

Ohio State Buckeyes forward Deshaun Thomas celebrates after the Buckeyes recovered a turnover against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half of their men’s NCAA East Regional basketball game in Boston, Massachusetts, March 22, 2012. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

REUTERS

Player of the Day: Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State: If the tournament ended today, there would be a very strong argument to make for Thomas winning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. After going for 31 points and 12 boards in the opening round win over Loyola MD, Thomas chipped in with 18 points and seven boards against Gonzaga. Against Cincinnati, Thomas scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half, shooting 10-17 from the floor and grabbing four of his seven boards on the offensive end of the floor. Jared Sullinger’s play in paint and Aaron Craft’s defense spurred Ohio State’s run down the stretch, but it was Thomas who put the Buckeyes in control in the first half.

They were good too:

- Jared Sullinger, Ohio State: Sullinger had 23 points, 11 boards (five offensive) and three assists, helping to lead Ohio State’s game-changing run in the second half.

- Brad Beal, Florida: Beal carried the Gators, going for 21 points, six boards, four assists, two steals and two blocks in a win over Marquette.

- Gorgui Dieng, Louisville: In a game that was won on the defensive end of the floor, Dieng was the star. He had nine boards, seven blocks and three steals.

Team of the Day: Florida Gators: Florida advanced to their second straight Elite Eight with a 68-58 win over Marquette. Brad Beal was the star of the game, notching 21 points, but what was more impressive is that the Gators were able to win despite the fact that Kenny Boynton, Erving Walker and Erik Murphy combined to go 8-for-32 from the floor and 3-of-17 from beyond the arc. The Gators are a streaky team, one that tends to struggle when the threes aren’t dropping and Boynton and Walker aren’t playing well. The fact that they were able to beat a very good Marquette team to get within a win of the Final Four on a night like this bodes well.

Game of the Day: Syracuse 64, Wisconsin 63: The first game of the night provided us with the most fireworks. After twice digging themselves a hole against the Orange, the Badgers managed to put together a run to get back in the game. Down 48-41 with 11 minutes left, Wisconsin hit threes on six consecutive possessions, putting together an 18-8 run to take a three-point lead. Syracuse answered with an 8-2 run of their own, taking a three-point lead. After Kris Joseph missed the front-end of a one-and-one with 18 seconds left, Bo Ryan didn’t call a timeout, forcing Jordan Taylor to take a tough three that would have won the game. Josh Gasser missed a prayer at the buzzer as he was falling down, and Syracuse advanced to the Elite Eight.

They’ve had better days: Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom: Marquette lost in large part because their big guns struggled. Crowder and DJO combined to go 10-for-30 from the floor and 3-for-14 from three as the Golden Eagles blew every chance the Gators gave them.

Them too:

- Wisconsin Badgers: How often do you see a team go 14-27 from three, make threes on six consecutive possessions and lose?

- Non-Draymond Green Spartans: With six minutes left in the game and the Spartans down 13 points, Draymond Green was the only player on the team that had made more than one field goal. And until Derrick Nix dunked in the final seconds of what ended up being a 13 point “blowout”, only two Spartans had managed multiple field goals.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.