Freshmen have been in the headlines all season, so it made sense that one of them came up with the first big performance of the NCAA tournament.
Stephen Curry of Davidson had 30 points in the Wildcats' 82-70 loss to Maryland on Thursday.
Second only to Kevin Durant of Texas among the nation's freshmen in scoring, Curry kept 13th-seeded Davidson in the game until the final minutes.
Durant, who played later Thursday night against New Mexico State, averaged 25.6 points per game this season, while Curry, the son of former NBA guard Dell Curry, averaged 21.2. They were the only freshmen among the top 30 scorers in the country.
The 6-foot-1 Curry was 9-for-21 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
"He's for real," Maryland coach Gary Williams said. "I told him after the game, `You could play anywhere.'"
SOUR STREAK
Penn's 68-52 loss to Texas A&M was the Quakers' ninth straight in the NCAA tournament, a streak that dates to a second-round loss to Florida in 1994.
The longest current streak is held by Murray State at 11 in a row, from a second-round loss to Kansas in 1988 through last season. North Carolina A&T has also lost nine straight (1982-1995) and Holy Cross, which plays Southern Illinois on Friday, has dropped eight straight from a regional final loss to LSU in 1953 to 2003.
STOPPING 3s
Belmont's Andy Wicke came into the first-round game against Georgetown as one of the country's best 3-point shooters. The Hoyas, who were sixth in the country this season in 3-point percentage defense, forced him into one of his worst games of the season.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore was 10th in the nation this season, hitting 46 percent (75-for-164). In the Bruins' 80-55 loss to second-seeded Georgetown, Wicke was 2-for-11 from beyond the arc.
BUTLER DID IT
Butler earned its way to a No. 5 seed with stellar defense all season, holding opponents to 57.2 points per game, sixth-best in the country. The Bulldogs held Old Dominion 24 points below their season average in their 57-46 victory in the first round.
Old Dominion shot 32.7 percent from the field (18-for-55), including 4-for-20 from 3-point range.
It was the Monarchs' lowest point total of the season. Their previous low was 54 in a season-opening victory over Monmouth.
BLOCKING OUT
Boston College showed it is still one of the better shot-blocking teams in the country even without Sean Williams.
When the 6-foot-10 Williams was dismissed from the team in January, he was third in the nation, averaging 5.0 blocked shots per game. The Eagles still managed to average 5.8 blocks without him, and they kept it up in their 84-75 first-round win over Texas Tech.
The Eagles had more blocked shots (9) than turnovers (8) against the Red Raiders.
OLD FOES
There were plenty of great conference matchups between Georgetown and Boston College over the years as original members of the Big East. Boston College left for the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2004-05 season, and the rivalry was thought to be at an end.
Not so fast.
The Eagles and Hoyas will meet Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
"They went to the ACC, and I thought I'd only have to see them on television," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said.
