The first day of the Round of 64 would be hard to beat in terms of all-day excitement, but that's not to say Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament didn't impress. It did, we were just ready for more buzzer beaters.
2015 March Madness bracket: Duke, Iowa and Oregon to next round
Blue Devils, Hawkeyes and Ducks keep dancing.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
In the day’s afternoon games, Duke and Iowa advanced to the Round of 32 with hot shooting performances and utter destruction of their opponents. Oregon squeaked by Oklahoma State to continue a good day for higher seeds.
No 1. Duke 85, No. 16 Robert Morris 56
It's becoming more and more obvious that Quinn Cook is Duke's secret weapon outside of the obvious heavy-hitters the team has in its arsenal. The crafty senior guard scorched the nets for 22 points, and completed his all-around game with four rebounds, three steals and five assists with just one turnover. Cook also hit a game-high six triples, making 60 percent of Duke's outside shots.
And let's not forget Jahlil Okafor. The freshman big man and ACC Player of the Year only missed two shots on his way to 21 points and an assist in the 29-point victory. The Colonials had a pair of double-digit scorers in Marcquise Reed (22 points) and Rodney Pryor (23 points), but they were the totality of the offense for Robert Morris. Duke moves on to face the winner of St. John's and San Diego State.
No. 7 Iowa 83, No. 10 Davidson 52
For a matchup that many pundits thought would fall the way of Davidson, Iowa came out and made a statement with a 31-point victory over the Wildcats. Aaron White had a career game, dropping 26 points and six rebounds while only missing three shots. He even hit a three-pointer.
The Hawkeyes shot an above-average 50.7 percent from the field and held the Wildcats to abysmal shooting numbers across the board. Against a team that is shooting threes with some of the best in the country this year, Iowa’s length held Davidson to 6-of-28 shooting on the day.
The Wildcats’ bench was also stifled, scoring just two points, while the starters failed to get anything going. Iowa will advance to potentially play Gonzaga in the Round of 32 if the ‘Zags win their opening game of the tournament.
No. 8 Oregon 79, No. 9 Oklahoma State 73
Oregon’s “Mighty” Joe Young had one of the best performances of the tournament so far with a 27-point outing and a win over a solid Oklahoma State roster. Young, who played all forty minutes of the contest, did basically everything possible to keep the Ducks in the hunt for an NCAA title, stuffing the stat sheet in every major category.
Oregon shot a ridiculous 54.7 percent from the field while checking the Cowboys on the perimeter, holding them to under 35 percent from deep. Though Oklahoma State registered four players in double-digit scoring, the team never inched close enough in the second half to give Oregon too many fits.
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