By Garrett Miley | National Desk A few big shots, a handful of hot shooters and the end of a Cinderella run highlighted Friday's NCAA Tournament action. Here are the top performers from the final wave of Sweet 16 games: Russ Smith, Louisville The Stats: 31 points, 9-of-16 shooting (56.3 percent), two rebounds, three assists The Story: With star...
By Garrett Miley | National Desk
Louisville guard Russ Smith (2) reacts after his team's 77-69 win over Oregon in a regional semifinal against Oregon in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Indianapolis. At left is Oregon's E.J. Singler (25). (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
A few big shots, a handful of hot shooters and the end of a Cinderella run highlighted Friday's NCAA Tournament action. Here are the top performers from the final wave of Sweet 16 games:
Russ Smith, Louisville
The Stats: 31 points, 9-of-16 shooting (56.3 percent), two rebounds, three assists
The Story: With star guard Peyton Siva once again in foul trouble in the first half against Oregon, Smith took over the game for Louisville. His game-high 31 points elevated the Cardinals to a 77-69 victory over the Ducks, despite a late push by Oregon to get within six.
Arsalan Kazemi, Oregon
The Stats: 11 points, 5-of-6 shooting (83.3 percent), 12 rebounds
The Story: Despite his team coming up short against Louisville, Oregon’s Arsalan Kazemi was solid for the Ducks once again. The senior forward from Iran was extremely efficient from the floor as he only missed one field goal attempt, and his steady play for 38 minutes kept Oregon afloat right until the end.
Mitch McGary, Michigan
The Stats: 25 points, 12-of-15 shooting, 14 rebounds
The Story: While he wasn’t the talk of Friday night (for reasons I’ll get to later), forward Mitch McGary was a force for Michigan in an 87-85 win over Kansas. Battling against Kansas’ senior big man and Wooden Award candidate Jeff Withey, McGary turned in one of his best performances of the season. The freshman forward led all players with 25 points and 14 rebounds in Big Blue’s overtime win over the Jayhawks.
Michigan's Trey Burke (3) reacts after making a three-point basket in the final seconds of the second half of a regional semifinal game against Kansas in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 29, 2013, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Trey Burke, Michigan
The Stats: 23 points, 9-of-21 shooting (42.9 percent), 10 assists
The Story: After not scoring a single point in the first half against Kansas, guard Trey Burke hit the biggest shot of the night when he knocked down a 3-pointer seemingly from the parking lot to tie the game at 76 with just seconds remaining. In overtime, Burke opened with another “trey” to give Michigan the lead, and the Wolverines never looked back.
Seth Curry, Duke
The Stats: 27 points, 8-of-16 shooting (50 percent), 6-of-9 3-point field goals
The Story: Seth Curry had the hot hand for the Blue Devils against Tom Izzo and the Spartans on Friday night. The senior guard was dialed in from long distance, making 6-of-9 threes in Duke’s 71-61 victory over Michigan State.